241: God-given wisdom

Under the steady, bright white light of the giant plant, this ancient, silent underground city finally revealed its general layout and outline to the explorers.

Although details were still lost in shadows and distance, the main regional divisions were clearly discernible.

Cynthia stood on a rooftop, her deep blue eyes sharply scanning the panoramic view of the city reached by the light.

She quickly sorted out the orientation and path, pointing in the opposite direction of the brightest light—which was the cliff they had initially descended from:

"We came down from that edge over there." Then, her finger smoothly moved toward the center of the illuminated area.

"In this direction, along the city's central axis, about... eight hundred to a thousand meters from our current position, there is a noticeably raised platform. It's surrounded by regular steps and the remains of pillars. There is a large object in the center of the platform; judging by the outline, it's likely the core altar."

Her finger continued to extend forward, past the altar area, pointing deeper into the city where light met darkness. There, the silhouette of the most towering and massive building could be vaguely seen, like a giant beast crouching in the dark.

"And beyond the altar, at the deepest part of the city, is that largest main building.

Its scale far exceeds all other structures, and its architecture is the most complex. It should be the main hall of this underground kingdom, or its most important center of power and ritual."

The objective was clear. Whether it was the mystery of "Bai Ze" or the secrets of the city itself, that main hall was undoubtedly where the most likely answers lay.

"Let's go. We'll check the altar first," Lu Jianchuan decided immediately.

The group descended from the roof, no longer fumbling in the dark this time.

With a stable light source and a roughly clear skeletal view of the city, their pace was much faster.

They passed through ruins of silent residential areas, crossed open spaces that might have been markets or squares, and advanced along the broad avenue that was clearly the central axis.

Finally, they reached the altar area Cynthia had pointed out.

It was a square high platform built of massive stone blocks, with wide steps on all four sides leading to the top.

The platform was surrounded by broken and fallen stone pillars. The shafts seemed to have once been carved with patterns, but they were now unrecognizable due to the erosion of time.

In the center of the platform stood an extremely massive stone tripod.

The giant tripod before them was carved and assembled entirely from one or several massive rocks, presenting a simple, heavy, and even slightly rugged texture.

The surface of the tripod was covered with dense, incised patterns. Due to the distance and the angle of the light, the specific details couldn't be seen clearly for now, but one could feel a rush of primitive majesty and mysterious aura.

The legs of the tripod were thick, deeply embedded into the stone foundation of the platform. The belly of the tripod was deep; to peek inside, one would likely need a long ladder or other tools.

The stone tripod itself was like a small mountain, silently guarding the center of the altar.

Professor Chen, Xiao Wu, and Xiao Liu were incredibly excited, taking photos from various angles, measuring approximate dimensions, and recording the relative position of the stone tripod to its surroundings.

"This is the core ritual vessel... Such a massive stone tripod, the manpower, resources, and stone-processing technology required... unbelievable!"

"This isn't the final goal." Lu Jianchuan looked around the altar; besides this shocking stone tripod and the empty platform, there were no other obvious clues or passages. "Keep moving. To the main hall."

After a brief stop to record their findings, the team set off again, heading down the central axis toward the shadow of the most magnificent building at the city's depths.

The closer they got to the main hall, the higher the architectural standards seemed to be, and the remaining decorations in the ruins became increasingly exquisite.

Symbolic stone carvings along both sides of the road also became more frequent.

An invisible, solemn, and heavy atmosphere gradually permeated the air, as if they had stepped into the sacred forbidden zone of this underground kingdom.

Finally, they arrived before the main hall.

It was an ultra-large building whose scale was difficult to describe accurately with words.

It was not built entirely flat on the ground; instead, it followed the natural slope of the mountain wall or artificially modified slopes. Several layers of massive foundations had been constructed, with the main building standing majestically at the highest point.

Even after countless ages of silence and partial collapse, its remaining height, width, and the continuous porticos formed by massive stone pillars that would take several people to encircle still radiated a suffocating sense of pressure and solemnity.

They were now standing on a very wide plaza paved with massive stone slabs at the lowest level of the main hall's front.

Looking up, dozens of wide and tall steps extended upward, leading to the massive doors of the main hall, which appeared incredibly heavy even in the darkness.

Facing the massive doors that were as heavy as a mountain range, Shen Mingyuan stepped forward, pressing his hands against the cold panels once more. He took a deep breath, and his body beneath the armor exerted force in unison. However, this time, the doors didn't budge. This wasn't just resistance from weight; the engagement between the hinges and the structure was exceptionally tight, or perhaps there was some hidden internal latch. He concentrated, trying to use ultrasonic waves to probe the structure behind the doors, but the feedback of the 3D image was extremely complex and grand in scale, making it difficult to resolve specific mechanical nodes or weak points in a short time.

"I can't push it," he judged, withdrawing his hands. "The structure is too complex. Pure strength might not be enough, or there's another way to open it."

Seeing this, Lu Jianchuan didn't say much. He stepped forward, his mind shifting slightly. A flash of light pulsed from the armband on his wrist, and silver biomass rapidly extended to cover his entire body, transforming into the sharp-lined, powerful silver armor—'silver skeleton'.

After transforming, Lu Jianchuan's power level was entirely different from Shen Mingyuan's perception-focused 'shadow'. He likewise pressed both hands against the door, sinking his waist slightly; the armor at his shoulders and arms seemed to bulge slightly as he exerted force.

"Creak—Rumble..."

A heavy, grinding roar, far more ponderous and difficult than when they had pushed open the previous stone door, erupted, as if prying at the foundation of a mountain.

Under Lu Jianchuan's strength alone, the massive doors slowly moved inward, grinding against the floor and hinges with a thunderous muffled sound, finally opening a gap wide enough for two people to pass through side-by-side.

It was pitch black inside; only the faint light from the giant plant outside barely outlined the edges of an incredibly vast and high internal space.

Everyone entered one by one. The light from flashlights and lighting equipment instantly pierced the darkness, revealing the scene inside the main hall.

The first thing they felt was the magnificence of the space.

The interior height of the hall was staggering. Thick pillars, possibly made of jade or special stone, supported a darkness that reached beyond sight. The floor was made of polished dark stone slabs, reflecting the faint light.

And everyone's gaze was immediately drawn to the scene at the deepest part of the hall—there was a raised platform, and upon that platform sat a throne.

The throne appeared to be carved entirely from a single piece of warm-colored jade. It wasn't a single solid color but contained natural textures like clouds and landscapes, with a quiet luster flowing under the light.

The armrests, backrest, and even the base of the throne were carved with intricate and ancient patterns, sharing the same style as the stone tripod on the altar outside, but more refined and solemn.

On the floor or short pillars around the throne, other colors of jade or crystals seemed to be embedded or placed as decorations. Tiny glimmers of light flickered within them, complementing the main body of the throne and highlighting its sacred and supreme status.

The entire scene showed no trace of metal, consistent with the material usage of this ancient civilization.

Professor Chen's attention was quickly drawn to the relatively well-preserved large murals behind the throne and on both side walls of the hall. He almost ran over, holding up his lighting equipment and examining them greedily.

"These murals... the content is more concentrated, more like they are recording and praising." Professor Chen translated in a hurried voice as he looked.

"Look here... it depicts the King on a steep mountain peak or in a mysterious cave, in contact with... with some kind of blurry, glowing figure? Or perhaps receiving some kind of gift... The expression here is very abstract; it might be symbolic."

His finger moved to another set of images: "This emphasizes his 'wisdom'. It depicts him guiding people to build houses, plan water conservancy, identify plants, and create calendars... Look at the expressions of worship and salvation on these people's faces... The murals are doing their best to show how his knowledge led the tribe toward prosperity and stability."

"And here," Professor Chen pointed to a mural depicting war, but the focus seemed different.

"The core of the image isn't bloody slaughter, but the King at the front of the battle. He seems to be using dialogue, showing something, or explaining a principle to make the fierce enemies retreat, surrender, or leave... This is emphasizing his 'wisdom' and the power of 'persuasion', which transcends military force."

He took two steps back, trying to take in the whole view, his tone becoming more certain yet also carrying deep confusion:

"The core theme of these murals is clear: praising this 'King' for his unparalleled 'wisdom'.

This wisdom is depicted as a power that perceives the laws of all things, solves all problems, and guides the direction of civilization.

And in their perception and expression, the source of this extraordinary, near-omniscient wisdom... is attributed to him receiving a 'gift from the gods', a 'god-given wisdom'."