With no room for hesitation left, Young Master Liu immediately ushered everyone down the secret passage, taking the lead with the flashlight. Every step he took was exceptionally cautious; the stairway seemed endless, swallowed by pitch blackness ahead. Occasionally, skeletons would appear in the light, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

No one spoke much during the descent, moving with hushed, careful steps. After an indeterminate time, the passage suddenly opened up, and they finally emerged.

A narrow plank walkway immediately presented itself before them. Numerous stone pillars were evenly spaced along both sides of the walkway, which stretched far into the distance, culminating in a raised section at the end—perhaps the resting place of the Golden Queen’s sarcophagus.

The entire space was vast and cavernous, easily the size of a football field. Boxes crafted from Huyang wood were scattered everywhere; some were slightly ajar, revealing the treasures within.

“Underground river, water, water!” Lin Miaoke suddenly shrieked from beside him.

“Where?” Young Master Liu quickly asked.

Lin Miaoke didn't reply, instead spinning around and sprinting toward the right. The others didn't dare delay and followed her run.

Sure enough, an underground river came into Young Master Liu’s view. It was quite wide, and the water wasn't stagnant; it flowed with some turbulence, suggesting a powerful subterranean river system. If there was water here, how could the Golden Ancient City have perished?

They rushed to the riverbank and began drinking desperately, so much so that they nearly forgot about Clay Figure Zhang and Wang Zhicai for a moment. Young Master Liu snapped back to reality and quickly used his canteen to scoop water for Wang Zhicai, who, now revived by the source of life, drank incessantly from the canteen. Fan Debiao was also busy pouring water for Clay Figure Zhang.

Seeing that Clay Figure Zhang was covered head-to-toe in sand, which risked infecting his wounds, Young Master Liu called to Fan Debiao to help him clean the man up.

Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao carried Clay Figure Zhang to the riverbank. As they were about to draw water, Young Master Liu shone his flashlight into the river, revealing nothing but a sea of bleached white bones. At this sight, both Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao nearly vomited up everything they had eaten the previous day.

Wang Feifei quickly asked what was wrong, but Young Master Liu decided it was better not to tell them to avoid casting a shadow over the rest of the group, so he quickly claimed nothing was wrong.

After speaking, he took a canteen of water and poured it directly over Clay Figure Zhang’s head. The mud and sand washed away instantly, revealing the face that had always been concealed by a scarf.

The moment they saw it, Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao were simultaneously stunned. This person was Scarface—no wonder he always kept his face covered; he was afraid of being laughed at.

Fan Debiao stared and started laughing, “The legendary Scarface Jason.”

Young Master Liu was speechless; what on earth was going through this kid’s mind!

While Young Master Liu was tending to Clay Figure Zhang’s wounds, the mischievous Fan Debiao kept prodding and playing with the scars on his face. Young Master Liu thought to himself that if Clay Figure Zhang knew how Fan Debiao was treating him, he would certainly kill him.

Young Master Liu wasn't in the mood to "discipline" Fan Debiao right then; he focused only on cleaning the wounds. During the process, Young Master Liu noticed how thin the man was—honestly, not as sturdy as himself—yet he managed to subdue Fan Debiao with just one hand.

Thinking about it, Fan Debiao suddenly shot to his feet nearby. Young Master Liu found this odd, wondering what new fit of madness had seized the man, and looked up at him.

Fan Debiao’s expression darkened; his entire face became grim, his eyes fixed intently on his hand.

Something was in his hand—skin. It was a human skin, a mask. Young Master Liu immediately understood what had happened and quickly shifted his gaze back to Clay Figure Zhang’s face, his heart tightening instantly.

Clay Figure Zhang’s scarred face was a mask, a piece of human skin. His true identity was—Ge Shuanwa!

Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao locked eyes, their minds sparking with electric chaos, utterly bewildered. Everything that had unfolded now exceeded their capacity to comprehend.

Clay Figure Zhang... no, Ge Shuanwa—he hadn't died ten years ago. Not only that, he hadn't aged; in fact, he looked a few years younger than before. What on earth was going on?

Fan Debiao was even more agitated than Young Master Liu now. He squatted down, grabbed Ge Shuanwa’s shoulders, and shook him vigorously, constantly urging him to wake up.

Young Master Liu saw how violently Fan Debiao was shaking him and feared he would accidentally kill the man. He quickly intervened to stop Fan Debiao, who finally quieted down after a long moment.

Young Master Liu analyzed the situation and stated, “We can’t be absolutely certain he is Ge Shuanwa yet. Think about it: how can someone achieve immortality? Perhaps he’s a relative of Daoist Ge. We should wait until he wakes up to ask.”

Fan Debiao wasn't sure how to proceed: “He has to be one of the Ges.” With that, he grabbed Zhang Zheng’s bag and started rifling through it.

Young Master Liu couldn't allow Fan Debiao to be so presumptuous and immediately stopped him: “These are private belongings, don’t touch them.”

Fan Debiao refused, insisting he had to look. Finally, he and Young Master Liu got into a scuffle, and seeing Fan Debiao truly frantic, Young Master Liu felt a momentary urge to physically subdue him.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed both Young Master Liu’s and Fan Debiao’s wrists. The hand belonged to Clay Figure Zhang, who slowly sat up and said, “Yes, I am Ge Shuanwa!”

Clay Figure Zhang! More accurately, Ge Shuanwa, he admitted it. “Yes, I am Ge Shuanwa.”

What a direct statement, what a simple sentence. Because of this simplicity, both Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao froze, their grip on the backpack loosening slightly. Young Master Liu looked at Fan Debiao, and then back at him, unable to speak for a long moment.

They had expected Ge Shuanwa to deny it, or offer various excuses to conceal his identity as Ge Shuanwa. But his straightforward admission left Young Master Liu utterly speechless.

“How can you prove you are Ge Shuanwa?” Fan Debiao released his grip, glancing at Young Master Liu, then at Zhang Zheng.

Young Master Liu silently cursed Fan Debiao in his mind; the man was clearly unwell. When Ge Shuanwa hadn't admitted anything, Fan Debiao insisted he was Zhang Zheng; now that he had admitted it, Fan Debiao didn't believe him. But it wasn't just Fan Debiao; Young Master Liu felt a flicker of the same doubt. This was likely a knot in everyone’s mind—until the truth is certain, people believe what they want to believe. When the answer arrives and matches their assumptions, they question its validity instead. Perhaps this was what Fan Debiao always called a lack of excitement.

“Believe it or not, Captain Fan!” Ge Shuanwa’s lips curled up slightly, then he looked at Young Master Liu: “Do you believe me?”

When their eyes met, that look from Ge Shuanwa gave Young Master Liu a sense of emptiness. He found it hard to meet his eyes and shifted his gaze to Fan Debiao, nodding involuntarily.

In truth, the moment Ge Shuanwa mentioned Fan Debiao’s position at the construction site, Young Master Liu had been completely certain of his identity, as no one in Uncle Diao’s crew knew Fan Debiao’s former profession.

“Stop speaking in riddles, tell me plainly!” Fan Debiao completely erupted, looking as if Ge Shuanwa had caused his father’s death.

Seeing that the two were at an impasse—one asking irrelevant questions, the other unwilling to elaborate—Young Master Liu stepped in and addressed Ge Shuanwa: “Ge Shuanwa, what exactly happened back then? You must tell everyone.”

Ge Shuanwa glanced sideways and replied, “Call me Clay Figure Zhang. I told you everything I could back then. Back then, I only wanted the book; I sought no harm to anyone.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Debiao shook his head, said nothing, and walked to a corner to sit and smoke alone. Young Master Liu understood Fan Debiao’s state of mind and didn't disturb him, letting him quiet down.

At the time, Young Master Liu hadn't paid much attention to Clay Figure Zhang’s statement, assuming it was just a simple effort to comfort Fan Debiao. But now that everything was clear, Young Master Liu realized the profound mystery hidden within those words.

“Don’t you feel that over these last few years, not only have you not aged, but you’ve actually grown younger?” Young Master Liu spoke to Clay Figure Zhang with deep implication, essentially asking outright if he possessed immortality, though Young Master Liu felt the idea was ludicrous.

“I don’t know!” Clay Figure Zhang still uttered those three words coldly, his tone clearly dismissive.

“Fine, it’s okay if you won't say about that; I don't care. You should at least tell me the secret Zhang Jiao held regarding the Taiping Jing,” Young Master Liu stared intensely at Clay Figure Zhang, hoping he would finally divulge something, so he too could find some release.

“You shouldn't know the secret of the Taiping Jing, and there is no need for you to know,” Clay Figure Zhang replied.

Hearing this, Young Master Liu felt a surge of anger, like a knot of frustration stuck in his chest: “Who the hell says I don’t need to know? My name appears on the very first page of that book! Zhang Jiao, that heretical Daoist, was the holder of the Taiping Jing—on what grounds do you say I shouldn't know?” Young Master Liu grew slightly agitated, convinced Clay Figure Zhang was hiding something important.

“I don't know the secret of the Taiping Jing. I didn't say Zhang Jiao held the secret of the Taiping Jing,” Clay Figure Zhang corrected.

“You’re lying.” Young Master Liu knew Clay Figure Zhang hadn’t been entirely truthful moments ago. “If you don’t know the secret of the Taiping Jing, why did you come here? You must have known long ago that the Golden Queen’s coffin contained the second volume of the Taiping Jing, and that the Three-Tiered Rashomon was a sham too. You only wanted to lead everyone to the Golden Queen’s coffin, solve the mystery, and leave alone. You knew this place well, but you didn’t account for the dangers here, which is why you’re so badly injured.”

Listening to this, Young Master Liu clearly saw a slight tremor run through Clay Figure Zhang’s face. It seemed Young Master Liu had hit the nail on the head, and at that moment, Young Master Liu was truly astonished by his own deductive ability.

“You are correct,” Clay Figure Zhang said. Young Master Liu secretly rejoiced, thinking he had finally agreed to speak: “I am indeed familiar with this place, and the Three-Tiered Rashomon was indeed fake. In fact, every gate leads here, but you encounter different dangers on each path.”

“Sly old fox,” Young Master Liu muttered under his breath, though he didn't say it aloud; his own scheme wasn't fully revealed yet.

Clay Figure Zhang continued, “I did come for the final secret of the Taiping Army, but I do not know what that secret is. Like you, I am searching.”

“What are you searching for?” Young Master Liu was half-believing and half-doubting his words. “Your name isn’t on the scripture’s front page.”

Clay Figure Zhang smiled faintly and said, “We are all aiming for the same target, but our objectives differ.”

“What is your objective?” This statement from Clay Figure Zhang left Young Master Liu utterly perplexed.

“My objective is what the Heavenly General once sought,” Clay Figure Zhang stated.

Immortality! The four words instantly flashed through Young Master Liu’s mind. He considered it—what did this all mean? He had ventured into tombs before for immortality, and something must have happened to Clay Figure Zhang after he fell into the whirlpool that granted him eternal life. It wasn't strange that he was here searching for that.

Why must everything be tied to the Taiping Jing? What role did he play in this web of mysteries? If immortality had been achieved, it wouldn't be surprising if his name appearing on the scripture was a thousand-year curse.

Thinking about this always gave Young Master Liu a headache. Suddenly, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was Uncle Diao, which brought a wave of relief; at least he knew Uncle Diao hadn't met with disaster yet. Young Master Liu pressed the call button: “Uncle Diao, what’s the situation?”

As soon as he spoke, he heard a cacophony of garbled noise from the receiver. After a long pause, Uncle Diao’s voice finally came through: “My dear nephew, did you find the underground river?”

“Yes, everyone is by the underground river…” Young Master Liu hadn't finished his sentence when Uncle Diao’s urgent voice cut in: “Hurry, leave that place! Quickly!” Then came Old Wu’s voice: “Seventh Master, hurry, there’s no time!” A burst of chaotic noise followed, and then the line went dead.

What was happening? Young Master Liu was completely confused by the call. Why tell them to find the river, only to urge them to leave now? What were they up to? Why did Old Wu say there was no time? Thinking this, Young Master Liu reached one conclusion: Uncle Diao and the others were in trouble.

Without further thought, he immediately urged everyone to evacuate the riverbank. The others looked at Young Master Liu with innocent confusion. Young Master Liu didn't bother explaining much; he relayed Uncle Diao’s urgent message verbatim. Everyone’s expression changed, and they hastily packed their gear. In a couple of movements, they were ready, and everyone armed themselves, ready for any contingency.

Young Master Liu gestured for them to follow him, but as soon as he turned around, he heard a loud boom behind him, like a dam bursting. A massive surge of water poured into the riverbed, wave after wave, continuing for a while before subsiding.

Immediately, four figures splashed out of the water. They were none other than Uncle Diao and his group. Before Young Master Liu could process it, Uncle Diao roared at them, “Didn’t I tell you to leave quickly? Damn it, you treat my words like wind! Stop dawdling, run!”

The group didn't react immediately, exchanging bewildered glances. Uncle Diao’s tone suggested he was deadly serious, not just speaking in anger. Young Master Liu looked behind Uncle Diao and saw a small waterfall erupting where they had stood. He couldn't even begin to guess what it was before a giant python suddenly shot out of the cascade.

A massive white python, about ten meters long, with a large, blood-red eye on its head. Young Master Liu’s heart sank. What kind of snake was this? Without hesitation, everyone turned and fled.

Uncle Diao and his men ran with all their might, surprisingly surging ahead of the group. The giant python tailed them closely, causing cold sweat to pour down Young Master Liu’s back as he sprinted frantically.

Fan Debiao, burdened with carrying Wang Zhicai, couldn't run indefinitely. The giant python stayed glued to his heels, making Fan Debiao curse constantly.

Young Master Liu realized running wasn't a sustainable strategy. They had guns; they should just give the snake a few bursts. They had double-barreled shotguns capable of ripping black bears to shreds; if they couldn't take down this snake, he wouldn't believe anything.

He stopped abruptly, spun around, shouldered his gun, and fired two short bursts at the snake. Two full loads slammed into the serpent's body, causing it to pause in pain. Now was the time to press the advantage; he fired several more volleys. Seeing Young Master Liu take action, Fan Debiao tossed Wang Zhicai aside, shouldered his gun, and fired several shots along with Jackson.

Having taken several hits, the snake collapsed onto the ground. Everyone let out a breath of relief, only to realize the snake wasn't dead. It suddenly sprang up from the ground. Young Master Liu raised his gun to fire, but with a click, his gun jammed. Fan Debiao and Jackson's guns also jammed simultaneously. Young Master Liu cursed inwardly—what in the hell was this, three guns jamming at once?

In their moment of helplessness, Clay Figure Zhang flew toward the snake. With a flash of cold light, the snake’s head fell away. The body twitched once, then stiffened completely.

Clay Figure Zhang retracted the Chuling Sword. Seeing everyone staring at him in astonishment, he said, “Don’t be surprised. This is the second one I’ve killed.”

Clay Figure Zhang paused, then continued, “We encountered snakes like this after entering that Xuan Gate as well. Everything dissolved into chaos; no one knew how to fire their weapons. I was the only one who made it out alive.”

Hearing this, Young Master Liu was jolted. He hadn't expected there to be more than one of these snakes. However, the equipment that other group possessed was quite good—no worse than their double-barreled shotguns—and they had automatic weapons. Even in chaos, so many guns should have turned that snake into Swiss cheese, unless the snake they encountered was far more powerful than this one.

“So, you're saying the other team might have been completely wiped out?” Uncle Diao leaned against a corner, lighting a cigarette to rest.

“Perhaps. These snakes might be the guardians here; there’s probably one behind every Xuan Gate,” Clay Figure Zhang said, settling onto the ground. The others let out a collective sigh of relief and sat down as well. Young Master Liu faced the severed snake head; the blood-red eye seemed unnervingly alive, staring at him and making his skin crawl. Young Master Liu sucked in a sharp breath, then turned his back to the head.

“So there’s another one of these snakes? What kind of snake is this?” Young Master Liu asked Clay Figure Zhang, trying to start a discussion.

Clay Figure Zhang kept his eyes closed and replied, “There is certainly another snake. It won't come to the main tomb chamber. This type of snake is likely the same kind the others saw in the chamber full of coffins. The only mystery is why this one grew so large and turned white.”

Hearing that, Young Master Liu thought that perhaps the Shan Hai Jing wasn't entirely wrong; the snakes those people saw must have been this species. But why would a Central Plains snake be guarding the Golden Queen’s tomb? This must be related to the Central Plains-style tomb passage they encountered earlier.

Young Master Liu inadvertently noticed the injuries covering Clay Figure Zhang, virtually all of them severe, and asked him just how formidable the snake he encountered had been.