Chapter 1191: 7012

Ding—

A moment later, one of the elevators opened in front of Shen Nan.

Almost as soon as the elevator door opened, Shen Nan gave a slight flick of the black flag in his hand. The surveillance in the elevator area instantly blurred, as if interfered with by some mysterious energy, unable to detect Shen Nan, who had entered the [Nuo] state.

Confirming that no one was around, Shen Nan stepped inside. Only then did he realize there were no buttons for the 2nd or 3rd floor as he had imagined; there was only a single smooth button with no floor markings. This elevator seemed to lead to only one level.

Shen Nan didn't hesitate much this time and pressed the mysterious button.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Shen Nan could feel himself descending. He watched the "error" message continuously flashing on the screen, his brows furrowing tighter behind the Nuo mask...

"These elevators lead underground?" Shen Nan muttered to himself.

At this moment, Shen Nan became even more certain that Bureau 749 had ulterior motives for tomorrow's Wushan Conference. A long-abandoned Half-Mountain Hotel, temporarily renovated as a meeting venue, plus mysterious elevators leading underground... Shen Nan didn't understand what they were trying to do.

The depth the elevator descended was much deeper than Shen Nan had anticipated. He even felt that the elevator had pierced through the body of Wushan from the mountainside and entered the underground space beneath the mountain.

After an unknown amount of time, the elevator finally slowed down.

Shen Nan pressed his body against the edge of the elevator, hiding himself in the shadows, and vigilantly watched the slowly opening elevator door... Fortunately, there seemed to be no one outside. As the doors opened, an arched stone corridor full of age appeared before his eyes.

Shen Nan's brows were locked in a frown. He slowly stepped out of the elevator, his gaze constantly scanning his surroundings.

The stone corridor was very old. Both the floor and the curved walls beside him were extremely rough. The arch height was barely over two meters; walking through it gave a normal person a feeling of oppression and suffocation. Incandescent lights hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly—the only light source in this enclosed stone corridor, stretching toward the end of the passage...

On the wall next to Shen Nan, a string of characters had been painted in red, like some kind of serial number, but due to the passage of time, the surface was already hazy and dim:

—【7012 Underground Project】

"This is..."

Shen Nan looked at the underground structure, which seemed like a product of the last century, and was incredibly surprised.

His gaze turned toward the front of the corridor, to the intricate intersection area, and he continued forward along the wall...

This place felt to Shen Nan like an underground labyrinth. Every so often, a side path would branch off, with various stone corridors extending toward different rooms.

Shen Nan paid special attention to those rooms. Some were a dozen square meters in size, furnished with beds and small tables, as if for living; others were as spacious as classrooms but completely empty. Besides that, there were even living areas similar to canteens and shower rooms, as if people really lived here.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him:

"Shen Nan?"

Shen Nan was slightly startled, his figure instantly freezing in the corridor. He turned his head slowly to look, only to see Sun Zhongliang and a few others emerging from a secret passage, looking at him with slight surprise.

"Why are you here??" Sun Zhongliang's tone was low.

At the same time, among the several staff members following him, someone vigilantly emitted a Divine Path aura, staring coldly at Shen Nan, who had appeared here so eerily.

Shen Nan had come to ask for the truth and had no interest in fighting. He stared fixedly at Sun Zhongliang and spoke in disbelief:

"Director Sun... what is this place? What exactly are you plotting?"

Sun Zhongliang looked at the hideous Nuo mask under the incandescent light, a flash of complexity crossing his eyes... He didn't answer, but instead let out a long sigh.

"You shouldn't have come here, at least not now."

"...But I am here."

Shen Nan silently gripped the handle of the black flag, a cold glint flashing in the depths of his eyes. "So... what is going to happen?"

……

"Bumian... you will die amidst the sound of gongs and drums."

“……”

"You will die amidst the sound of gongs and drums, and you will be reborn amidst beautiful prayers... Bumian, your path is different from everyone else's. You are the embodiment of auspiciousness in this world."

“……”

"As long as there are people in this world praying for happiness, you will exist eternally."

“……”

The familiar voice echoed in Sun Bumian's mind.

In his hazy dream, he seemed to see that familiar old man standing on the wasteland outside the city again... He gently stroked his head, his eyes full of affection.

"Master..." Sun Bumian muttered to himself.

He reached out, wanting to touch the figure within reach, but the moment he was about to touch him, he lost his balance and suddenly plummeted into the endless abyss below!

Everything around him was dimming, as if the scene of the hellish River of Oblivion was weaving around him.

He saw endless souls flowing in the sky, six white-clad phantom shadows hanging above, glaring at him... Seven-colored flames surged around the towering lion dance, and he was frantically shuttling through the land of death, as if desperately chasing something.

In front of him, a blurry soul was slowly dissipating in the void, as if dragged by some force, floating toward the sky of the River of Souls.

"Master... Master! Wait for me another lifetime... If I can't save you in this life, I definitely will in the next!!"

"Go back, child..." The old man looked at the seven-colored lion dance that was shaking the entire Ancient Treasury of the Ghost Path. His flickering gaze was full of relief and reluctance.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the fate of man. Moreover, as your master, I have calculated the secrets of heaven and can no longer escape the sea of suffering... Even if you achieve the status of a demigod, you cannot save me. Repeatedly forcing your way into the Ghost Path will only shorten your own lifespan."

"I don't care!" Sun Bumian said through gritted teeth.

"The gatherings and partings, the separations of life and death in the human world—lifetime after lifetime, I'm already sick of it!! If they have the ability, let them shatter my reincarnation too!! Then I can continue to follow Master!"

"Bumian, don't say stupid things."

"I'm not! Master, you said I would live forever amidst the sound of gongs and drums, but do you know? The liveliness, happiness, and reunions are always theirs. After lifetime after lifetime of reincarnation, in the end, all that accompanies me is the mask and the yellow earth. I still have nothing...

Master, you were the one who led me onto this path. Tell me... does my reincarnation really have any meaning?"

The blurry old man looked at the confusion in the lion's eyes, his gaze somewhat complex. He gently reached out, seemingly wanting to stroke the child's head once more, but his hand could only pass lightly through him...

"It does." The old man said firmly.

"Bumian, your reincarnation is a period of dormancy, but it is also a weapon... You are contending against the life and death of heaven and earth, against a fate that cannot be changed. Every one of your reincarnations will accumulate a trace of power to defy heaven for you..."

"One day, all your accumulations will become the key to changing everything."