Once the mentally shattered trainees were calmed, Teacher Mo Pan resumed introducing the items in the display room. He pointed to a crown woven from vines and blooming with vivid blossoms.
"The Forest Crown, an item of the Mountain God class. Its functions are superhuman strength, endurance, self-healing, and refinement."
*Huh, its functions overlap heavily with the Mountain God Scepter. Self-healing, monstrous strength—those seem like Wood Demon skills. I always thought the Mountain God Scepter was an anomaly, but looking at this, do all Mountain God–tier items share functions with Wood Demons?*
*Mountain Gods advance from Earth Monsters, while Wood Demons advance into Beast Kings.*
Just as the thought crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind, Brother Red Chicken asked, "Why are the abilities of Mountain God items so similar to Wood Demons? They're clearly two completely different classes."
*Having a Fire Master around really is handy at times!* Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself as he turned toward Teacher Mo Pan, waiting for his answer.
The meticulous, mild-mannered Mo Pan took a few seconds to compose his words before explaining, "Among our native orthodox classes, Scout, Wood Demon, Water Ghost, Fire Master, and Earth Monster represent Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, respectively. According to the Five Elements theory, everything in heaven and earth is composed of these five elements.
"Their source is Primordial Chaos. Chaos begot Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang divided into the Five Elements. Spirit Realm scholars hypothesize that the five classes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth are closely intertwined. Under certain conditions, the five classes can unleash unimaginable power."
"When the Five Elements Alliance was first founded, they actually established a project to study the five classes. I saw related papers from over a decade ago in my family's archives," Zhao Feiwen of the Scholar clan recalled. "That paper was from sixteen years ago, and there was nothing after that."
Xiahou Aotian chimed in, "So the research was a success?"
As the three Scholars debated, Zhang Yuanqing inexplicably thought of the Rogue Dial—er, the Yin-Yang Dial. The item's description noted:
*An exceptional artisan unraveled the secrets of the five orthodox classes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Using top-grade materials from the five classes as a foundation and a Scholar's spirit as the core, he crafted a formidable, wise item named the Yin-Yang Dial.*
Considering the Yin-Yang Dial was also an important item belonging to the Jianghuai Branch, it wasn't hard to deduce that back then, a team of technical personnel—Scholars—had launched a research initiative into the five classes under official leadership.
The Yin-Yang Dial was born during that period. Only later, having fallen into the wrong hands, was its purity corrupted until it fell from grace, leading to a rather complicated history.
"Then what about this one?"
Brother Red Chicken had listened for a while without understanding a thing. Pointing at a glittering golden cord, he forcefully cut off the Scholars' discussion.
"Oh, this is the Immortal-Binding Rope, a top-tier item with its own consciousness. It rather prefers binding women... All right, never mind that, let's move on!" Teacher Mo Pan hastily changed the subject.
*What do you mean, it prefers binding women? Clarify that!* Zhang Yuanqing's curiosity flared. Just as he was about to press for details, he suddenly sensed a thought reach his sea of consciousness from his brand on Commandery Princess Yinyao:
*The stone doors are open!*
*Way to go, Princess!*
He immediately reined in his emotions and projected half his spirit body into his yin corpse, Commandery Princess Yinyao.
In an instant, his perception felt like a split computer monitor—one half in the display room, the other in the pitch-black depths of the lake.
Behind him stood the opened stone doors. Ahead lay a flight of stone stairs leading downward. A heavy satchel hung around his neck, and in his hand was the jade plate.
After assessing his condition, Zhang Yuanqing stowed the jade plate into the cloth pouch and descended the steps.
*The Princess's sleeping talismans only last fifteen minutes. I must be out within fifteen minutes, or I'll be cornered at the entrance by the Jiaoren clan, the academy instructors, and Tiger King.*
Time was tight, but exploring an unknown secret realm demanded utter vigilance.
He drew out the Drum-Beating Purple Gold Hammer, transformed it into a round shield, and checked his reflection against its mirror-smooth surface.
In the reflection, his Calamity Palace was cloaked in bloody light, while his Wealth Palace shone with dazzling brilliance.
*There it is—the classic omen: win, and it's luxury suites with VIP models; lose, and it's back to the Spirit Realm.* Zhang Yuanqing bared his teeth.
A calamity of blood meant that if he forced his way deep into the realm, there was a greater than ninety percent chance of dying inside. Well, of Commandery Princess Yinyao dying inside.
The stairway was about three meters wide, framed by rugged, uneven rock walls on both sides.
Clad in the Yin-Yang Robe, Zhang Yuanqing manipulated the water, forming a swirling vortex around himself as a basic defense.
*The water here is very still, with almost no undercurrents. The air pockets dissolved in the depths carry a heavy, stagnant stench—dead water sealed away for ages...*
He walked down the stairs for two or three minutes before coming to an abrupt halt.
Ahead on the steps, two heavily decayed corpses sat sprawled on either side, their backs propped against the stone walls and their heads hanging low. Their clothing hung in tatters, and their hair was sparse and withered.
From both bodies, Zhang Yuanqing could "see" thick yin energy and resentment.
Just as he was debating whether to bypass them using Star Escape, the head of the corpse on the left suddenly twisted ninety degrees, fixing its gaze upon Zhang Yuanqing.
It was a hideous face—bloated, rotting, with maggots wriggling through its eye sockets and nasal cavity, its lips black.
Immediately after, the other corpse twisted its head as well. Two pairs of milky white eyes, squirming with maggots, glared with sinister intent.
A second later, both corpses shot forward, churning up violent currents.
*No wonder the water smelled so foul.* Zhang Yuanqing stepped back, raised his leg, and planted a kick squarely into the belly of the first pouncing corpse.
His immediate impression was sheer weight and rigidity; the corpse's body was not soft and rotten like its face.
Taking the blow to its midsection, the corpse was knocked floating upward through the water.
Ignoring it for the moment, Zhang Yuanqing reached out to seize the other corpse by the throat while rapidly tracing with his other hand across its forehead.
Lunar energy quickly outlined a dao-infused talisman, stamping itself onto the corpse's forehead.
In an instant, the rampant yin energy inside the frenzied corpse was blocked, stripping it of all ability to move.
By then, the corpse kicked upward came hurtling back. Zhang Yuanqing handled it the same way, neutralizing it with a single corpse-suppressing talisman.
*Level-four yin corpses. Good thing I'm a Star Official; any other Saint would have had a tough time dealing with them. Are these two corpses guardians? Looks like I'm getting close to the treasure...*
Hauling the two yin corpses along, Zhang Yuanqing pressed onward. Before long, the descending steps reached an end, opening into a passageway.
He exhaled a breath of lunar energy to summon the Ghost Bride. Unable to speak underwater, he communicated through the method unique to Night Walkers: *My bride, possess this corpse and cross the passageway.*
The Ghost Bride curtsied, pressed against the corpse's back, and merged into it.
Standing to one side, Zhang Yuanqing watched the corpse advance into the tunnel. After barely a few steps, a flash of sword light gleamed, and the corpse's head rolled clean off.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately looked up toward the ceiling of the passageway.
His gaze pierced the gloom to find a pocket-sized sword, barely two fingers long, suspended from the rugged ceiling.
The headless corpse kept trudging forward. Ten seconds later, another beam of sword light slashed down, shearing off its left arm at the shoulder.
The headless corpse continued onward. Only after withstanding four full strikes did it finally reach the far end of the passageway.
"Husband, ahead lies a flight of ascending steps. Shall this concubine go up to inspect?" the Ghost Bride's voice reached him from afar.
*No need. Wait there for me.*
Zhang Yuanqing replied, then looked up at the pocket sword. It was likely an item.
He hesitated, then chose not to take the blade, afraid of triggering an adverse reaction. Once he verified the Ghost Bride's side was safe, he transformed into an illusory burst of starlight beneath the water, crossed the passageway, and reappeared beside her.
Sure enough, an upward tunnel stretched out ahead.
*I've been in here for roughly five minutes. Ten minutes left—must hurry.* He hurried up the steps, pulling out the purple gold shield every now and then to check for shifts in his facial omen.
After ascending for two or three minutes, Zhang Yuanqing caught sight of the water's surface.
Indeed, continuing upward meant surfacing from the water. Above lay what should be the interior of the Hundred Beasts Island's main peak.
*The secret realm behind the stone doors is inside the mountain belly, yet Baihui never split the mountain open directly. That proves one cannot enter through normal means—only through the stone doors can one reach this cavern,* he thought, instructing the maimed corpse beside him, *Wife, go up and take a look.*
The greatest advantage of a spirit servant was that unless they encountered lunar energy, solar energy, or lightning, no amount of danger could harm them in the slightest.
The Ghost Bride promptly steered the corpse upward, breaking through the water's surface along the steps.
Barely two or three seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing felt intense emotional ripples transmit from the Ghost Bride above:
"Hu-Husband..."
Her mental ripples were erratic—a bubbling turmoil of mixed emotions.
*What did she see?* Curbing his curiosity, Zhang Yuanqing contacted his spirit servant: *Is there any danger?*
"No..."
With that confirmation, Zhang Yuanqing immediately climbed the steps and breached the surface.
The view opened up dramatically, presenting a magnificent spectacle before his eyes.
It was an unimaginably vast cavern. The black vaulted ceiling was studded with countless gems and pearls that shimmered with brilliant radiance, glittering like a river of stars and vast as a night sky, illuminating the entire cavern with pure, luminous light.
Beneath the cavern stood a colossal solitary palace, its sweeping eaves and soaring tiles standing with breathtaking grandeur atop a terrace of white jade.
The white jade terrace stood fully a hundred meters high in a trapezoidal shape, narrow at the top and broad at the base. White jade steps extended from before the palace all the way to the bottom.
Down the center of the white jade steps ran a ramp carved with cloud patterns, closely resembling the imperial stone stairways of the Forbidden City in the Capital City.
An underground palace.
Flanking the white jade steps stood terracotta figures clad in armor and bearing weapons, some clutching spears, others with longswords slung at their waists, standing utterly motionless.
At the base of the white jade terrace stood row upon row of terracotta figures arranged in dense phalanxes, standing in dead silence like a disciplined army.
At a rough glance, there were easily a thousand terracotta figures.
A term surfaced instinctively in Zhang Yuanqing's mind: the First Emperor's Terracotta Army.
At this moment, the spot where he stood was a pool at the very edge of the cavern, separated from the terracotta army by about thirty meters of smooth white jade paving stones.
"Why does this look a bit like the First Emperor's tomb?"
Zhang Yuanqing recalled Bai Lan, muttered under his breath, ascended the steps, and stepped onto the stone tiles.
The instant his foot touched down, the distant army of terracotta warriors jerked their heads around in unison, turning their stiff, wooden faces toward Zhang Yuanqing.
His scalp prickled. He swiftly donned the Sliding Tackle Shoes, the Lucky Necklace, the Beast King Bracelet, and the Gale Gloves, gripping the purple gold shield tightly.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
A gale surged inside the cavern. Riding the wind, he soared toward the hundred-meter-tall white jade terrace.
He had no intention of clashing head-on with this horde of terracotta warriors.
Over a thousand terracotta warriors tilted their heads upward in unison, their rigid faces tracking the airborne intruder.
In flawless synchronization, they unhitched hand crossbows from their waists, raised them, and pulled the triggers.
*Twang—!*
Hundreds of bowstrings snapped into a single deafening rumble that echoed through the cavern.
A swarm of bolts surged upward like locusts against the sky.
With a sweep of his left hand, Zhang Yuanqing hurled two blades of pressurized air toward the incoming bolts while curling his body in midair, raising his round shield.
The Gale Gloves could loose at most two wind blades at once. The bolts were simply too fast; he only had time for a single swing.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The crossbow bolts pelted the round shield like a hailstorm, causing spiderweb cracks to fracture across the supposedly indestructible surface.
*What the hell?!*
Zhang Yuanqing's shield-bearing arm went completely numb. The purple gold shield was already showing signs of breaking under the very first volley.
*Makes sense. Qinfeng Academy is a Dominator-tier realm after all. Even if the key was the core hurdle of the hidden quest, the dangers inside are hardly something a Saint can withstand...*
Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing activated Star Escape to return to the ground.
The moment his feet touched down, he saw the vast army charging forward, led by a front rank of spearmen on foot.
Dodging the thrust of two spears, he let the purple gold shield melt and re-form into the little pumpkin hammer.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Empowered by the Beast King Bracelet, he possessed extraordinary balance, agility, and strength. Paired with his refined combat techniques, he weaved through the surging ranks, smashing terracotta warriors to pieces.
Yet after taking two spear thrusts to the abdomen, he gave up resisting. No lone combatant could weave through an entire army without taking a hit.
These terracotta warriors possessed terrifying strength, their spears carrying staggering penetrating power. Even a yin corpse of Commandery Princess Yinyao's caliber was nearly breached after taking two strikes.
Dissolving into starlight, Zhang Yuanqing bypassed the terracotta army and appeared near the stone steps leading up to the high terrace.
Sweeping his gaze upward, he counted twenty figures stationed on the stairs, all wearing identical armor, brandishing identical bronze swords, and carrying crossbows at their waists.
Only now did Zhang Yuanqing realize that the armor worn by these figures was not molded from clay, but made of genuine materials.
At the summit of the stone steps stood a towering ceremonial gateway hung with a crystal plaque that faintly read: "Palace of Longevity."
At that moment, the terracotta warriors flanking the steps turned their heads in unison, looking down at the intruder at the foot of the stairs.
The two lowest figures stood only three steps away from Zhang Yuanqing. The one on the left was clad in Qin-style single-plate armor and gripped a razor-sharp bronze sword.
Fixing its gaze on Zhang Yuanqing, it projected a wave of mental energy: "Who dares trespass upon the sleeping quarters of the First Emperor!"
With that, it leapt forward in unison with its identical twin on the right.
A leaping slash!
Zhang Yuanqing executed a sliding tackle between the two figures, spun around swiftly, and swung the little pumpkin hammer.
*Boom! Boom!*
Both figures shattered into pieces, disintegrating into dark chunks of clay.
*The armor is purely decorative with no defensive power?* Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted, but he celebrated too soon. The scattered fragments began vibrating violently, pulling back together like magnets.
Both terracotta warriors were restored to perfection.
*R-Restored?!* Zhang Yuanqing was startled.
He immediately dissolved into starlight, clearing ten figures in a single leap to land halfway up the white jade stairway.
He intended to use Star Escape to reach the palace directly.
Right then, one of the ten figures left behind unhitched its crossbow and squeezed the trigger.
*Twang!*
The bowstring snapped, sending a bolt hurtling through the air.
Zhang Yuanqing leaned aside to evade, only to see the bolt veer off course, angling sharply toward him.
*Clang!*
*A homing mark? An item belonging to a Bewitching Demon?!* Left with no choice, he swung the little pumpkin to knock the bolt aside, the jarring impact instantly numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger.
*Are the figures on the steps equipped with artifacts?!*
Even as the thought flashed through his mind, the twenty figures above and below unhitched their crossbows simultaneously, locking their aim on him.
Down below, the main terracotta army was already charging onto the steps.
*Twang! Twang!*
The snapping of bowstrings sounded like thunderclaps.
Amid the crisscrossing hail of bolts, Zhang Yuanqing vanished, slipping into Night Roaming.
Night Roaming could nullify the homing marks of a Bewitching Demon.
Once concealed, he sprinted flat-out toward the top of the stairs. Suddenly, he heard the vibration of a bowstring from behind.
The next second, two sharp bolts pierced his back, their bronze tips bursting clean through his chest.
*How is that possible...* Zhang Yuanqing could hardly believe it.
Suddenly, he noticed a round bronze mirror hanging beneath the "Palace of Longevity" plaque ahead, perfectly reflecting his silhouette.
He understood instantly.
The bronze mirror was an artifact capable of seeing through Night Roaming.
*The First Emperor has all kinds of ridiculous tools...* Taking a deep breath, he entered Night Roaming once more, slipped past three incoming bolts, and looked back down from above.
A dense swarm of terracotta warriors was surging up the white jade stairs, spearheaded by the ten special figures.
Ahead of him stood ten more figures. Guided by the reflection in the bronze mirror, some raised their crossbows to aim while others charged forward brandishing bronze swords.
*I can't handle these terracotta warriors alone, let alone whatever deadlier boss might be lurking inside the Palace of Longevity. Forcing my way through will get the Princess killed...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly and pressed both hands downward.
A blast of gale-force wind erupted beneath him, launching him high above the stone steps.
Retreat!
Riding the tempest and chaining his movements with Star Escape, Zhang Yuanqing rapidly made his escape.
***
Inside the Artifact Refining Room.
With a sharp *crack*, a pearl formed from a Jiaoren's tear fractured into pieces. Zhang Yuanqing pinched the small carving chisel between his fingers and let out a sigh.
*Artifact refining is delicate work. Splitting my attention across two bodies is just too much to handle...* This was already the fifth Jiaoren tear pearl he had ruined.
*The perils of the Palace of Longevity are beyond what I can tackle alone. I need helpers, but where am I supposed to find helpers inside Qinfeng Academy?* A headache began to throb in his temples.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, it seems you have no talent for artifact refining," Teacher Mo Pan said, shaking his head in disappointment. "I suggest you stop attempting it. Ten thousand yuan per tear pearl isn't expensive, but it's pointless."
Even though the trainees' spending in the academy directly affected the teachers' commissions, he didn't want to milk them excessively. In his eyes, that was not how an intellectual ought to conduct himself.
"You're right, Teacher," Zhang Yuanqing said, setting down the chisel. "May I go upstairs now to try the Magic Mirror of Destiny?"
Chapter 429