Beyond the layers of poisonous miasma, a dark, chilling cave awaited. As Zhang Qi Shan’s monstrous centipede form slithered inside, the bats and flying rodents that had once inhabited the cavern scattered in terror, as if fleeing from a nightmare given flesh.
At the center of the cavern lay a pitch-black sarcophagus forged from meteorite iron. Zhang Qi Shan approached it and slid open the coffin lid. From within, he extracted a burial robe—a Golden Threaded Jade Burial Suit.
However, unlike ordinary jade burial suits, this one was crafted from black jade, its glossy obsidian sheen eerily reminiscent of the meteorite iron from which the coffin itself was made. The material bore a striking resemblance to the Treasure Basin that Wang Cang Hai had excavated in the northwestern desert.
With all twelve of his centipede limbs working in unison, Zhang Qi Shan swiftly dressed Qilin in the burial suit, sneering coldly.
“Little Qilin, you are the first Zhang Qiling to wear this jade burial armor. The mortals before you all failed—they couldn’t withstand the pressure of the fallen-jade sarcophagus and perished. But your immortal body… you are the perfect vessel for me to store my soul.”
The Golden Threaded Jade Burial Suit, or rather, the Jade Effigy, wrapped tightly around Qilin’s wounded body. The moment it encased him, the gaping wounds across his flesh miraculously ceased bleeding.
Zhang Qi Shan placed Qilin, now encased in the Jade Effigy, inside the iron sarcophagus and laid him flat. Then, his centipede-like body began to dissolve, splitting into countless smaller centipedes that swarmed into the iron coffin, burrowing into the Jade Effigy. If these centipedes devoured the Qilin inside the effigy and completed the fusion process over seven days and seven nights, Zhang Qi Shan would gain Zhang Qiling’s immortal body.
However, the process of merging within the effigy was highly dangerous—any external interference could be fatal for both Zhang Qi Shan and Qilin. To prevent disturbances, Zhang Qi Shan had prepared layers of sealing talismans to reinforce the iron sarcophagus.
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted, shattering the silence and halting the centipedes' infiltration of the effigy.
The centipedes swiftly crawled out of the sarcophagus, recombining into Zhang Hai Xing’s form. However, fine cracks had begun appearing on his skin—subtle enough to go unnoticed unless observed up close. He cast one final, reluctant glance at Qilin, who lay within the iron sarcophagus, before swiftly sealing the coffin shut.
As "Zhang Hai Xing" stepped out of the cavern, he found that the Bronze Gate had been completely destroyed—reduced to a gaping hole and a field of ruins.
Four battalions of silver-armored soldiers, wielding red-tasseled spears, marched in precise formation through the opening. Among them was a sedan chair, though calling it a sedan chair was a stretch—it was far too crude. Two bamboo poles were strung with ropes and silk fabric, suspending a wooden seat with soft cushions. Two men, one at the front and one at the back, carried it on their shoulders, making it look more like a "sliding pole"—a mode of transport used in Sichuan and Shu to carry people over rugged mountain paths.
Zhang Hai Xing narrowed his eyes and, with a look of astonishment, muttered, “Who in the world would dare trouble General Nan Gong and Commander Wu Ma to carry them personally?”
The man sitting on the sliding pole was undeniably Wang Cang Hai. Who else but Lord Xiao Wang could possibly outrank the two men carrying the chair?
Zhang Hai Xing stepped forward with a smile. “It seems I have been blind and failed to recognize you. That stray dog of the Wan family—Wan Bao—was actually Lord Xiao Wang in disguise all along. And to think, I even caused Lord Xiao Wang to lose a leg. What a grave sin on my part, truly unforgivable.”
Wang Cang Hai’s expression remained ice-cold. “Where is he?”
“You went through all this trouble, blowing up the Bronze Gate, just to rescue that wretched brat pretending to be Zhang Qiling?” Zhang Hai Xing scoffed. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? The Bronze Gate is the portal to the cycle of reincarnation—destroying it is a direct violation of the Heavenly Laws.”
Wang Cang Hai’s voice was unwavering. “This is not the real Bronze Gate. It is a trap set by the Zhang clan. And you are not Zhang Hai Xing—you are Zhang Pei Shan, the one who plotted against Zhang Qiling.”
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