The armored Yuan Dynasty corpse, head bowed and arms limp, suddenly lunged toward without warning. With its movement, the accumulated dust and cobwebs scattered, kicking up a cloud of smoke and grit in the tomb chamber.

was certainly no man of rash courage. The fact that he dared to use his box gun to strike the ancient corpse's helmet showed both audacity and superior skill—he wouldn't attempt such a feat without the necessary prowess. His stance was already perfectly balanced, prepared for any sudden turn of events with prearranged plans for advancing, retreating, or maneuvering. Hearing the clang of iron armor, before the corpse could close the distance, he had already stooped and spun half a circle, brushing past the zombie in the narrow passage and ending up behind it.

’s movement was as swift as a wisp of smoke. With a single pivot, he was behind the zombie, immediately extending both arms to thread them under the corpse’s armpits. His hands crossed over the top, locking onto the back of its neck, while simultaneously raising his right knee to brace against its spine. This move looked simple, but it was in fact the supreme, rigorously practiced technique of the Banshan grave robbers: Kuixing Tido (). He wrenched with both arms and his knee simultaneously. With a few muffled sounds of cracking bone, the iron-clad dried corpse had its Dazhui (, the vertebra at the base of the neck) dislocated by , collapsing like a pile of wet mud.

Grave robbers always prepared several methods for dealing with bodies that suddenly reanimated upon the opening of a coffin, safeguarding against unexpected dangers within ancient tombs. The Mojin Xiaowei () carried corpse-pinning needles and black donkey hooves, while the Banshan masters excelled at Kuixing Tido. If a corpse transformation hadn't occurred, the zombie might not have lunged at a living person.

It was said that the most common cause of a zombie’s reanimation was the stagnation of corpse qi (), which would react to electricity or the yang energy of a living person, causing it to suddenly leap up and pursue the living with inexhaustible strength. Furthermore, its skin was hard as iron, impervious to blades or guns. Only the area at the back of the neck, where the corpse qi was weakest, could be targeted with subtle strength to sever the vertebrae. A sharp shake afterward would cause the entire skeleton to disarticulate, rendering it unable to move again.

However, the situation was not that simple. ’s reaction was too fast. Seeing the zombie lunge, he used speed to counter speed, pivoting past it to wrench its Dazhui. This sequence of actions was both swift and brutal, leaving no room for hesitation once initiated. Yet, precisely because ’s handling was so fierce, he couldn't pull back halfway. As he leaned in, he felt a violent shaking from within the mountain, suggesting that it wasn't just a sudden reanimation, but that the entire Bottle Mountain () was moving, causing the dried corpse to fall toward him.

awoke with a start: "Could it be a sudden earthquake?" Fearing that a sustained tremor would lead to a collapse and being buried alive, he dared not linger in the passage and hastily pulled back. Emerging from the fissure that had split the cinnabar rock, he saw the bandits clinging to the medicinal wall—all of them were ashen-faced, gripping bamboo ladders and vines, having evidently felt the violent shaking as well.

Seeing emerge from the narrow opening, Old Blind Chen () urgently called out, "Bad news! Bottle Mountain is breaking apart, we must retreat immediately!"

"Retreat" meant fleeing. The fissure on Bottle Mountain was indeed too deep; only one-tenth of the connection between the bottle’s shoulder and neck remained intact, the other nine-tenths having long since fractured due to age. Existing in a state of near-collapse amidst wind and rain for hundreds of years, this was the magnificent, uncanny work of nature, much like a "rocking stone"—seemingly perilous yet stable, maintaining an extremely delicate balance amidst extreme danger. Had no immensely powerful external force disrupted this balance, it might have remained so for centuries or millennia.

But the Xie Ling () bandits had never looted cliff tombs and had overused explosives. None among them understood "blasting operations." They simply dug too many boreholes and packed in too much dynamite, riddling the mountain pass and ridge until they were riddled with holes. The shockwaves from the explosions repeatedly transmitted through the mountain body, bringing the massive, split fissure to the brink of collapse. That recent tremor was merely a precursor.

The mountain trembled again, the tremors lighter than the first time, but continuous and building in intensity. Dirt and loose stones rained down from the medicinal wall. knew that if the mountain truly broke apart, everyone clinging to the sheer cliff would fall with the collapsing rock mass into the dense forest in the mountain's shadow. Even with the prowess of an iron-headed, bronze-armed master of the Golden Bell Shield technique, survival would be impossible. But with the mountain constantly shaking, one misplaced step meant immediate plunging into the abyss. Under such circumstances, any rash action was disastrous. Hearing Old Blind Chen urge everyone to retreat quickly to the opposite cliff face, he immediately moved to stop them.

Before could speak, several bandits, terrified, tried desperately to escape the danger. Their panicked state made them lose their composure. Ignoring the intensifying tremors, they recklessly hoisted their Centipede Climbing Ladders () and leaped toward the cliff face on the bottle’s shoulder. They fully expected to hook the bamboo ladder directly onto the wall, but at that moment, a deafening, earth-shattering roar erupted from the mountain. The fissure suddenly widened by several zhang. The few bandits who fled first, suspended mid-air, could no longer accurately judge the distance. The Centipede Ladder missed its hold, and amidst a chorus of horrified cries, they plunged into the depths of the fissure.

These few men were lucky; they hadn't let go of the ladder when they fell. Several Centipede Ladders became entangled, forming a bamboo net that wedged itself tightly between the narrow sides of the ancient walls. But before they could celebrate their narrow escape from death, dozens of stones, fractured from the mountain, rained down from above. The bandits on the ladders had nowhere to hide; they were smashed into "ten thousand blooming peach blossoms." Rocks of all sizes impacted the cliff, echoing with a heavy hong-long-long sound, mingled with heart-rending screams and wails, all falling into the accumulated water at the deepest point, creating a chaotic splatter of pudong-dong-dong sounds.

The remaining bandits pressed themselves tightly against the cliff face near the bottle's mouth, their bodies trembling in unison with the mountain. Dark shapes of rocks and ancient trees plummeted past them amidst strong gusts of wind. All the loose stones on the mountain had fallen. If one could dodge one rock, they could not dodge the continuous barrage; bandits were constantly struck down by debris and met violent deaths below. At this point, everyone could only leave it to fate: if they were crushed, they deserved to die there; if they survived the bombardment, they had earned a reprieve.

Deep within the mountain’s rock strata came a sound like tearing silk. Old Blind Chen, , and the others suddenly felt the medicinal wall tilting more severely. The gap in the mountain, once shrouded in turbulent clouds and mist, widened increasingly. Everyone saw a flash, as if dazzling sunlight pierced through; the vegetation within the fissure was completely exposed. The widening crack allowed external daylight to stream in.

Bottle Mountain shook in that instant as if the sun and moon had overturned and the celestial river was falling. A dizzying disorientation gripped the bandits; their limbs went numb with terror. dodged and weaved along the rock face, watching the massive boulder at the mouth of the bottle slowly tilt outwards. The shower of falling debris immediately lessened. He immediately shouted, "If we’re leaving, it must be now!" He grabbed a nearby bandit whose body shook like a sieve, signaling the others to set up the Centipede Climbing Ladders to form a bamboo bridge and escape back to the opposite steep cliff.

Old Blind Chen and the others understood this was the last chance; the mountain body, shaped like an ancient bottle, was about to snap. But haste makes waste. The bandits were panicked, their hands and feet trembling, causing several bamboo ladders to slip and fall. Only four Centipede Ladders remained, fashioned into a double bridge spanning the two ruptured walls.

The bandits pushed Old Blind Chen onto the bamboo bridge first—as the leader of Chang Sheng Mountain (), he deserved to be secured first. At this moment, Old Blind Chen abandoned all pretense of modesty and accepted without hesitation. He looked up to ensure no debris was falling, then gathered his qi and stepped onto the ladder, taking three steps in the space of two. He scrambled across unsteadily, and upon reaching the end, he leaped up and clung to a fissure to stabilize himself. Turning back, he repeatedly gestured for to stop worrying about the others. This stone mountain could collapse at any moment; they needed to escape quickly—saving their own lives as brothers was paramount, otherwise, everything would be for naught.

, however, relied on his own considerable skills and was unwilling to fight for this path of survival. He waved toward the dozen or so surviving bandits, signaling them to go first while he brought up the rear. Although these bandits felt respect, they couldn't afford courtesy underfoot. They rushed onto the bamboo ladder in a scramble. Amidst the earth-shattering, lightning-rushing tremors of Bottle Mountain, several more lost their footing and fell off the Centipede Ladder to their deaths. On this side, only Hong Gu Niang () and remained.

Seeing the mountains shake and the vegetation bow, with the mountain on the verge of breaking, knew there was no time for them to cross one by one. He dismissed concerns about whether the bamboo ladder could bear the weight of two people, shoving Hong Gu Niang as they leaped onto it. He pulled her along, moving swiftly through the roar of breaking boulders and the turbulent air currents.

Halfway across, felt the bamboo ladder beneath him shake ominously. A fierce wind howled through the mountain gap, tossing him mid-air like a drifting leaf, as if he might be carried away by the wind. He knew the wind was too strong; pressing forward rashly, one slight misstep would send him blown into the deep ravine. He quickly grasped the light-as-a-swallow Hong Gu Niang, and with their hands joined, they were less likely to be swept into the rift by the mountain's turbulence.

But just as they stabilized their balance, a violent tremor—a collapse of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers—erupted from the depths of Bottle Mountain's fissure. The two steep cliffs, gaping like monstrous mouths, pulled further apart until they finally split open with a deafening crack. The massive boulder at the mouth of the bottle tumbled toward the ground. The resulting downdraft from the collapse spun the Centipede Climbing Ladder beneath like a leaf, carrying it tumbling into the base of the mountain. and Hong Gu Niang felt their bodies sink, the wind rushing past their ears, and suddenly they were falling.

remained calm in the crisis, holding Hong Gu Niang’s arm tightly. Utilizing a surge of turbulence, he lunged with her toward the cliff face where Old Blind Chen and the others were situated. The pair described an arc through the howling mountain wind, descending diagonally, the scenery on the steep wall rushing past their eyes.

’s eyes and hands were quick. Seeing they were approaching the cliff, he extended his free left arm. The Hundred Child Climbing Hooks () embedded in his forearm and the inside of his wrist immediately caught onto the rock face. However, the dark green rock was hard and slick, covered in moss. The Climbing Hooks only managed to carve dozens of white marks into the stone before Hong Gu Niang’s weight pulled them down. The two slid slowly down the sheer, steep cliff, unable to stop.

Hong Gu Niang was utterly terrified, her soul almost gone. She closed her eyes, unwilling to look. Suddenly, she felt ’s grip on her arm as they seemed to drift like clouds toward the earth. Gathering her courage, she looked down just in time to see the massive bulk of the bottle-mouth rock smash onto the ground below, pulverizing the trees and soil and sending various fragments spraying into the air. She quickly raised her hand to shield her eyes from injury, feeling a suffocating rush of air against her body, unsure if she was alive or dead.

The forest floor below was uneven. After landing, the massive bottle-mouth rock rolled twice, finally coming to rest in a dense growth of tall trees amidst the earth-shaking roar. , however, had no time to observe the scene below. Dragged by Hong Gu Niang, they continued to slide down the cliff face. Even several small, jagged fissures failed to halt their downward momentum. All he could hear was the sharp, grating sound of the Climbing Hooks scraping against the rock.

knew the remaining half of Bottle Mountain had become a vertical precipice. Due to the mountain’s slanted collapse, the bottom of the vertical cliff was empty space. If they kept sliding like this, his grip would soon fail, sending them plummeting to the ground to their deaths. His heart leaped into his throat. He secretly increased the tension on his arm, and felt a sudden tightening on the arm holding Hong Gu Niang. He managed to anchor both of them precariously onto the sharp edge of the cliff face’s cross-section, their bodies swinging in the air. Finally, they snagged on a fissure. The Hundred Child Hooks couldn't grip empty space; even half a foot lower, and there would have been no possibility of recovery.

hung by one arm from the sheer precipice, letting out a long breath. Looking down, he could see the hazy clouds and gentle waters surrounding Bottle Mountain. He muttered, "What fortune," then looked down at Hong Gu Niang and asked, "Hanging here in mid-air, the view is magnificent, but the strain on my arm is terrible. Can you still move? Shall I pull you up first?"

Hong Gu Niang, after all, was a woman. Though she was also ruthless and deep within the greenwood world, she lacked ’s divine valor and nerve. Her face was pale, her heart pounding uncontrollably. But realizing she was facing mortal peril alongside , she felt that even death would not be in vain. Her panic slightly subsided. She gripped ’s arm tightly, took a breath, and answered mournfully, "I am fine, but... all those hundreds of brothers down below moving the artifacts... they’re all gone... I fear they were all crushed by that giant rock..."