Volume 8 Chapter 4 The Silent Valley

We looked up and saw that the signal smoke in the distance had become thinner and thinner. We didn’t know if something had happened over there or if the smoke balls had not been put out in time. Judging from the situation, the smoke would definitely not last until we arrived.

In the jungle, without the guidance of signal smoke, we would definitely not be able to reach that place without navigation. We asked Pan Zi what to do. Pan Zi climbed up to the treetops, took the location of the signal smoke as the central axis, and used the strange rocks on the cliffs at the edge of the basin in the distance as a reference to mark the compass. However, the jungle is dense, and even a ten-meter error is possible, so we have to get as close as possible before the smoke goes out.

We couldn’t afford to delay any longer, so we immediately organized our equipment, aligned our compasses with Pan Zi’s, waded into the swamp, and headed in the direction of the signal fire.

It was very easy to cross the water at the edge of the swamp during the day, because the water level in the swamp, where rainwater had collected, was very high and clear. We could follow the stones at the bottom of the water to move forward, and if there was no place to stand, we would swim.

It was a relatively sparse rainforest belt, and the terrain was clearly higher here. Many “tree groups” connected together protruded above the water, like some huge islands. It could be seen that there were a large number of rocks mixed in the mud under this area, and it seemed that the water level was not deep.

However, going further in, it was found that the trees were very densely packed in this area. After about 200 meters, the canopy was so dense that there was no light. The roots are intertwined, and I actually had the idea of making a canoe so that I wouldn’t have to wade through the water so carefully, but after seeing this underwater environment, I knew that a canoe would be impossible here, and that I would have to walk.

As we went deeper into the forest, the light became very dim, and soon we were surrounded by terrifying tree roots, which were covered with vines and green moss. The dampness was suffocating, and the way the vines were wrapped around was overwhelming. In most places, we had to crawl on all fours to barely pass through, making it feel like we had entered a huge cave full of trees.

Pan Zi cut the vines blocking the way. Because almost all the trees were connected by a large number of roots and vines, we barely had to wade through the water, and it was very stable to walk on the vines as thick as a thigh.

However, what surprised us was that in such a dense forest, it was surprisingly quiet. Except for the sound of our progress, we could not hear any other noise. It was a little uncomfortable to be so quiet.

“The land of the Queen Mother of the West is really strange,“ said the fat man as he walked, ‘there’s not even a bird chirping.’

”Not only that, it seems like there’s nothing here at all,“ I thought to myself. The silence was really abnormal, giving me the illusion that we might be the only living creatures in this rainforest, apart from these trees.

”Maybe there are too many snakes here, and they’ve eaten all the birds,“ said Pan Zi.

”Impossible, then what are these snakes eating now?”

Thinking of the kind of snake, the few people were nervous again, but all the way over, there was no trace of any snake at all, which was a bit of a surprise to us.

We continued on, keeping our nerves on edge. Soon we saw some ancient architectural ruins wrapped in trees and protruding above the water. Because of the long passage of time, these ruins have become different shapes of stone. A large number of vines and moss have taken root in the gaps of these buildings, then wrapped the whole body, and it is difficult to distinguish in the rainforest. It is not until you get close that you can discover it.

These buildings must have been the top parts of the buildings at the time, so they could still protrude above the water. Because we couldn’t see the underwater parts, we didn’t know what the overall shape was like, but looking at the tops, they all looked like simple towers. There were a lot of them, scattered in different heights and sizes, looking like a forest of pagodas.

We didn’t see any remains of Xiwangmu along the way, and now that we finally saw them, we were relieved. Before that, I had a hunch that we were going the wrong way, after all, there was no sign at the mouth of the canyon that said “2 kilometers into Xiwangmu City, mobile signal coverage has been established.” It would be a big joke if we went in and found that there was nothing inside.

We didn’t have time to stop and check out these ruins, and soon we were deep inside them. Although I didn’t want to study them, the route we were taking was winding and twisting, and there were always times when we would pass over these ruins. I discovered that although these ruins had been around for thousands of years, they were incredibly solid and very sturdy. What was strange was that all of these “towers” had many square holes, apparently polished when they were built.

The square holes are not too big or too small, and they are not big enough for a person to pass through, but they are not a problem for anything smaller than a person.

The fat man looked strange, and when he passed by, he subconsciously used the miner’s lamp to look inside, but he couldn’t see anything, only the sound of water below. I don’t know where it leads.

Pan Zi didn’t have time to pay attention to these things, and he urged them to hurry up and go. The fat man knew that he was in a hurry, so he had to take a quick look and followed him.

The absolute area of this valley is not large. The further we went, the less silt there was under the water, and the various remains of ancient sites under the water came into view, very clearly, forming a very strange but spectacular sight. The water was only about two or three meters deep, and countless broken tablets and broken walls mixed with the flourishing tree roots under the water, making me feel as if I were separated from the world by only a thin layer of water.

It was only at this point that I felt like I had entered an ancient city. Looking at these ruins, I could vaguely imagine how prosperous it was here in the past. However, time has passed, and even the goddess’s city has finally returned to dust.

As I was feeling sad, the speed of the water under my feet suddenly changed, and there seemed to be a steep downward slope ahead. We were careful, as there were too many trees here, and a slip could result in serious injury.

After walking a few more steps and passing a large tree, Fatty exclaimed, “We see a huge strange face suddenly appearing in the dense forest to the left and front of us. It is less than ten meters away from us and is as big as the head of a truck. It has green spots on its face, big eyes and a high nose, and it is exactly the same as the cave of the human-faced monster bird we saw at the mouth of the canyon. It is a huge stone sculpture wrapped in moss and vines.

Fatty turned on the miner’s lamp and shone it on it. The body of the stone sculpture was submerged in the swamp, leaving only the head, which blended in with the dense forest. The bird’s body in the water was in a very strange crouching position, as if it were about to suddenly spread its wings and take flight, like a cat preparing to attack. You could also see some strange black shapes underwater below the stone sculpture, but you couldn’t tell what they were.

We looked at each other and thought about what we had thought before. If the human-faced bird statue outside the canyon was to tell outsiders that they had entered the territory of the Xiwangmu Kingdom, then what did the huge human-faced bird statue here represent? Could it be a more serious warning?

I subconsciously looked at the sea of trees behind the statue and thought to myself that there might be some huge danger waiting for us in the area behind the stone statue.