"I'm curious too. Just what could it be that makes an uncle like me change his temperament so drastically?" Ali said with a smile, holding up his flashlight.

　　"But this place looks just like an ordinary cave entrance." Xiao Jiu held up his camera and took several photos in one go, aiming to roughly record the shape and space inside the cave.

　　"Wait a minute. Do you guys feel like we're going downhill?" Chen Qinghe was the first to step forward and raise the question. He knelt down on one knee, took out a small ball, and placed it on the ground. Although it rolled very slowly, the ball kept moving deeper into the cave until it turned into a tiny dot and was swallowed up by the surrounding darkness.

　　"What? Going downhill? But..." Dong Fatty fumbled in his bag for his notebook, about to open it.

　　"There's no mistake. No matter which version you've heard, it all says that the cave on Neweisin Kangyu Mountain leads to the gap in the sky... What's unscientific is that this cave entrance isn't as intricate and convoluted as other natural wonders. Instead, it's a somewhat regularly semi-circular passage from start to finish."

　　The more Chen Qinghe thought about it, the wider his smile grew.

　　"This is interesting. It's an objective fact that defies our basic understanding. Maybe we're getting closer to the truth about this cave."

　　"Wait a second. Actually, I've been wanting to bring something up... and Chen Qinghe just reminded me." Ali suddenly stepped in front and stopped everyone. At this moment, a complex expression appeared on his face, as if he was struggling to accept a certain fact.

　　However, according to his own later account, it was a kind of sour feeling when a fact he had already discovered but was reluctant to accept was suddenly confirmed.

　　"That is, the name Neweisin Kangyu Mountain... in itself has nothing to do with the gap in the sky."

　　Ali brought up something that the kids had been keeping to themselves, too afraid to discuss openly. Because in the local language, Neweisin Kangyu was a term that every child learned about ethics and moral principles as soon as they were old enough to understand. It could be said that no local person didn't know what it represented.

　　Yet, after such an obvious conflict emerged between the naming of the mountain and its legends, not a single person had stepped forward to question it, not even a hint of dissent.

　　While everyone was lost in thought, trying to figure out the reason behind it.

　　"It's just the Gate of Hell. What's the big deal?" Chen Qinghe said casually, shaking his flashlight. He was eager to keep moving forward because he really loved the atmosphere of this endless cave entrance.

　　The beam of light seemed to be instantly devoured as soon as it touched the darkness deep inside the cave, showing a sense of futility.

　　"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. If the gap in the sky leads to hell, then it all adds up. After all, Nuwa went to great lengths to plug up that gap." Xiao Jiu seemed to have a sudden realization after thinking for a while and quickly came up with this convincing answer.

　　"Well, let's keep going then." Dong Fatty nodded, signaling to everyone before heading deeper into the cave alongside Chen Qinghe.

　　After all, the kids had limited stamina. After walking for roughly an hour and a half, they were starting to run out of energy due to the poor air circulation and the unscientifically low temperature inside the cave.

　　"I really can't go on. Let's take a break." Dong Fatty slumped to the ground, wiping the sweat off his body, while the other team members took this opportunity to replenish their energy.

　　Only Chen Qinghe seemed to be drawn to something.

　　"What's up, Chen? Aren't you going to have some water?" Ali approached Chen Qinghe with a bottle of water and greeted him, only to see his eyes fixed on a fragmented mural.

　　"This place... actually has murals. Could that semi-circular passage just now really be..." Chen Qinghe muttered to himself, pondering that there was likely once a civilization here, but for some unknown reason, it had either perished or migrated.

　　What nearly drove him to the brink of madness was the term that matched the semi-circular structure.

　　"Neweisin Kangyu (Gate of Hell)."

　　It was obvious to anyone with eyes that this wasn't a naturally formed cave entrance, let alone to the highly intelligent individuals standing there at that moment.

　　"So... are we still going in?" Xiao Jiu pointed tremblingly at the endless darkness ahead, as if countless eyes were eagerly watching these uninvited guests.

　　"I hope there aren't any cannibals or anything. I've seen quite a few scenes of human sacrifices in these murals." Ali shone his flashlight on the murals and observed them carefully, then turned to the group with a grim expression.

　　"That's probably not the case. Based on my quick interpretation of these murals, they only used humans for sacrifices, not for cannibalism. Look, there's even a scene of them going out hunting together." Chen Qinghe pressed his face close to the murals, savoring every detail. He looked increasingly excited, like a ravenous beast that couldn't be stopped.

　　Sometimes, curiosity can be a terrifying thing.

　　The murals were filled with people dressed in strange costumes, worshiping and even sacrificing living humans to a statue of a human-headed serpent in the center of the murals...

　　But unlike traditional ancient civilizations' calls to their deities, the people in these murals seemed to be making a desperate and heart-wrenching plea.

　　It was as if a voice spanning thousands of years was urging them to complain and shout:

　　"Take me away! Take me away!"

　　This atmosphere once again reminded everyone present of the original name of this place.

　　"Neweisin Kangyu... Neweisin Kangyu... Hell... Hell..."

　　However, this fear of the unknown didn't seem to affect Chen Qinghe.

　　He crouched nearby, examining the murals with a magnifying glass and taking notes. It was hard to imagine that a teenager could have such professional postures. He mechanically moved deeper into the cave, occasionally turning back to urge everyone to keep up.

　　The trio couldn't resist and had to follow him step by step. Fortunately, since there was only one endless path to follow since entering the cave, there was no worry of getting lost.

　　After a period of eerie silence, a sudden scream broke the cold atmosphere.