Young Master Liu nodded, gripping the crossbow, and cautiously peered down. He smiled and said to Young Master Liu, "The grappling hook of this elevating crossbow is still fastened beneath the main beam. Press the red button on top, lean out slowly, and it will release the line gradually, lowering you down. Don't worry, I had this custom-made by a master of civilian mechanical hidden weapons; it’s incredibly sturdy. Once you’re down, tell them not to touch the sarcophagus until I join you."

Young Master Liu nodded, feeling slightly dizzy as he looked below. He hardened his resolve, closed his eyes, pressed the red button, and slowly lowered his feet. Thankfully, the elevating crossbow did indeed begin to slowly release the line. Young Master Liu leaned out, suspended entirely in mid-air, descending slowly.

When his feet finally touched the solid ground of the palace hall, Young Master Liu opened his eyes, pressed the white button, and the elevating crossbow retracted its line, ascending back toward the main beam where Scholar Jia was positioned.

By this time, the mechanical "clack-clack" sounds had stopped. Young Master Liu turned to see Fan Debiao and the others gathered around the enormous azure sarcophagus that had now settled onto the floor, looking at it with some bewilderment.

Young Master Liu quickly walked over and told them, "Senior Jia said we are not to touch this sarcophagus until he gets down."

Everyone quickly nodded. Fan Debiao, his face etched with terror, exclaimed, "I’m most afraid of these things. I still vividly remember that old zombie at Mount Pusa. What if we open it and an ancient corpse crawls out? Damn it, just thinking about it makes my heart pound."

Just then, Scholar Jia’s voice rang out: "Fan Debiao, look at you, all burly and strong, yet surprisingly timid."

They looked up to see Scholar Jia nearing the ground.

Fan Debiao said, his face flushing, "I’m not timid. I’m naturally afraid of spirits and ghosts. But if you ask me to go into battle, Fan Debiao will never flinch or falter."

Scholar Jia landed without paying further heed to Fan Debiao, instead walking up to the azure sarcophagus to examine it closely with the rest of them.

The outer coffin was about half a person’s height. Its length and width could probably accommodate three or four stout men like Fan Debiao or Yang Weidong. It was entirely made of azure stone, devoid of any patterns, carvings, or inscriptions, save for the central seam.

After looking at the sarcophagus for a while, Young Master Liu asked, "How did this coffin appear? Why is it so massive? What kind of person could be interred inside?"

Scholar Jia tapped the stone coffin with his finger, then shook his head, saying, "This isn't a guan (coffin); it’s a guoguan (outer sarcophagus). A guan is the inner coffin; the guo is the outer casing, also known as the outer coffin. Ancient people had strict hierarchies for burial involving coffins. The size of this guo and the number of outer casings varied according to rank. For instance, the Son of Heaven—the Emperor—had four layers: the innermost layer, called Heaven (Tian), was covered with rhinoceros hide and buffalo hide; the second layer, called Earth (Di), was made of duan wood; the third layer was called Proximity (Shu); and the fourth was the Great Coffin (Da Guan), the outermost guo. The outer coffins for Empresses and Emperors usually had two layers, often made of zi wood, which is why their nested coffins were often called 'Zi Gong' (Purple Palace). Officials had varying numbers of outer coffins based on their rank. Furthermore, the thickness of these coffins was strictly regulated from the Son of Heaven down to the common official: the Emperor’s Great Coffin was eight cun thick, a high official’s Great Coffin was six cun thick, and commoners were only permitted four cun thick, with no outer coffin. We don't need to detail all those regulations here. Judging by this guoguan, the owner must have been an Emperor-level or near-Emperor-level figure."

"What is 'near-Emperor-level'?" Young Master Liu asked out of curiosity.

Scholar Jia replied, "Near-Emperor-level refers to the Crown Prince or members of the royal family heavily favored by the Emperor, such as Princes, or certain Dukes and Ministers specially recognized by the Emperor."

Cai Qingchong then interjected, "Senior Jia, are you saying this sarcophagus must contain a very important person?"

Scholar Jia nodded, "Precisely. But what perplexes me is why a sarcophagus belonging to such a high-ranking individual would be found within the core palace of the City of Heavy Water, one of the Nine Heavens Cities, and moreover, why it was locked onto the palace dome using an extremely rare celestial mechanism?"

Cai Qingchong said, "Why worry about that now? We can just open it and see!" The others agreed that this was the only way to solve the mystery.

Seeing Scholar Jia hesitate, Young Master Liu had a sudden thought. He asked, "Senior Jia, are you certain that this highest level of burial arrangement was exclusively for the bodies of near-Emperor-level figures, and not used for other things?"

Scholar Jia looked at him with a strange expression, then lowered his head in thought before nodding. "Now that you ask, I recall something. Sixteen years ago, several companions and I discovered an unknown ancient tomb in the Longquan Mountain range within Sichuan. In the underground chamber, we found a Son of Heaven’s Coffin. Upon opening it, instead of an ancient corpse, there was a strange, giant skeleton—not humanoid, but resembling the bones of some sort of animal. If the assumption that this sarcophagus contains something other than human remains holds true, then the doubt in my mind might be resolved."

Young Master Liu smiled faintly and said no more. Scholar Jia glanced at him strangely again, perhaps confused by the question Young Master Liu had just posed. However, he didn't press the issue. Instead, he set down the backpack he was carrying, opened it, and took out several items.

When the others saw them, they all looked quite peculiar: a small hammer, an axe, a steel rod sharpened to a flat point on one end, several steel pipes of varying thickness, a blackened donkey's hoof used for dealing with minor ghosts in nether dwellings, and a pair of gloves sewn from the fur of some unknown creature.

Noticing everyone staring at him in surprise, Scholar Jia chuckled awkwardly. "These are tools from my former work underground. I brought them along, fearing they might be needed."

The group was clearly interested, wondering how Scholar Jia would use these objects.

Scholar Jia first put on the fuzzy gloves, then skillfully connected the steel pipes of different thicknesses, fastening the axe onto the end to form a long-handled axe. Seeing everyone watching him, Scholar Jia explained, "This is a folding axe, designed for portability. The gloves I wear are deerskin; deerskin is tightly woven to prevent contact with corpse poison on or inside the sarcophagus." He then pointed to the other items on the ground. "This steel rod is a crowbar, though modified; it’s for prying open coffins. The small hammer is for striking the crowbar, which you should all know. And this black donkey's hoof is naturally in case we encounter a corpse transformation upon opening the coffin."

Only then did everyone realize these were the tools Scholar Jia had prepared for opening the coffin.

Scholar Jia continued, "Right now, we can’t be sure what’s inside this sarcophagus. Everyone stand back; I’m about to get to work. I’ll need you all to keep watch. If some corpse-fiend jumps out, you need to bash it to death."

Everyone nodded in agreement and retreated a few steps, leaving space for Scholar Jia to work.

Scholar Jia took a deep breath, then used the crowbar to forcefully pry open the seam of the azure stone coffin. Everyone nervously raised their guns, aiming at the sarcophagus. At that moment, everyone in their minds was asking: What is inside this stone coffin?

Slowly, Scholar Jia managed to open a small gap in the stone coffin. A plume of black smoke billowed out. Fan Debiao led the retreat, yelling as he ran, "Damn it! This must be a poison gas bomb from those damn Japanese devils!"

Cai Qingchong stood still, chuckling continuously. After laughing enough, he said, "This isn't poison at all! It's clearly a common mold found in ancient tombs. This mold is lighter than ordinary dust and, having lived in a sealed, airless environment for so long, it naturally gets blown out when it encounters air currents!"

Young Master Liu smiled secretly to himself. Fan Debiao slumped back to the stone entrance, behaving like a child punished by his parents, obediently ready to do any tedious task. After a careful inspection, Scholar Jia found no signs that the inner coffin had been tampered with. He and the others used their flashlight beams to gradually widen the gap. Beams of light penetrated the dust-covered stone coffin. During this time, Scholar Jia took out a pair of white gloves from his mountaineering pack and gently stroked the inner coffin. Gradually, a corner of the inner coffin was wiped clean. The group crowded closer, Young Master Liu and Cai Qingchong shining their flashlights onto the exposed surface. They saw it was covered in dense, tightly packed engraved talismans, all oriented toward the center of the inner coffin. When the dust in the middle was wiped away, a massive, lacquered golden character—‘Chi’ ()—revealed its true form. Young Master Liu’s flashlight clattered to the floor, and Scholar Jia stood stunned on the spot. Both spoke in unison: “The Daoist’s foremost magical artifact: the Zheng Yi Bai Chi Zhen Shi Guan (One Hundred Orthodox Edicts Corpse-Suppressing Coffin)!”

Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong exchanged glances, sharing a common question: "What kind of coffin is this?" Young Master Liu stepped forward, admiring the huge sarcophagus as he spoke, "This is a hereditary Daoist artifact, specifically designed to suppress evil entities like Hanba (drought demons) or Purple Gold Zombies! I only heard my Master mention it; this is the first time I’ve actually seen one. There are probably no more than two of these extant! The Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) mentioned it, but only in passing. It is said one was used to suppress the remains after Chiyou’s death, although that original 'Zheng Yi Bai Chi Zhen Shi Guan' was just a black nanmu wood coffin. After the Daoist sect acquired another section of nanmu wood and inscribed it, placing a Bagua Demon-Reflecting Mirror inside, this current one became significantly more valuable in use than the previous one. Most importantly, the coffin for the 'Zheng Yi Bai Chi Zhen Shi Guan' must be carved from a single, ten-thousand-year-old nanmu tree!"

Upon hearing this, the others looked at it again with more intensity. At this point, Scholar Jia, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked a very practical question: "Now, should we open the coffin?"

"Do you really think there’s a Purple Gold Zombie in this coffin? Could it really be as terrifying as Young Master Liu described?" Yang Weidong considered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Who knows? If demons and monsters stir up trouble, our people will rise up to eliminate the jackals! East wind blows, war drums beat, who fears whom in this world? It’s not the people who fear zombies, it’s the zombies who fear the people!" Fan Debiao puffed out his chest, displaying his layers of fat, as if claiming he could take on the Purple Gold Zombie King single-handedly if it appeared.

"We firmly support Comrade Fan Debiao!" Young Master Liu said with feigned solemnity.

"Get lost, you old fortune-teller from the old society!" Fan Debiao spat, cursing.

"Hahahaha!" The others exchanged smiles.

After a brief bout of laughter, everyone turned their gaze to Scholar Jia. Scholar Jia stroked his chin in deep consideration for a long time before nodding: "Open the coffin!"

He acted immediately. Scholar Jia and Cai Qingchong pried at the lid. Young Master Liu prepared in advance, while Yang Weidong and Fan Debiao stood guard, holding their guns ready to assist. Scholar Jia carefully inserted his specialized tomb-robbing tool into the seam of the stone lid, fiddled with it briefly, and then gave a gentle push. With a dull thunk, a circular protrusion suddenly sprang up from the lid. Scholar Jia chuckled, gently pulling the protrusion out. With a loud clang, the coffin lid flew open, violently knocking Cai Qingchong over. The lid, weighing hundreds of pounds, then slammed against the wall behind them. Young Master Liu froze on the spot. Although Cai Qingchong looked frail, he was genuinely trained; yet he was sent flying by the coffin lid. At this moment, dense black smoke billowed from the massive sarcophagus. Scholar Jia’s expression changed drastically, and a cry rose from the depths of his heart: "Purple Gold Corpse!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu nearly collapsed. What in the world was happening? This Purple Gold Corpse sounded even more formidable than the Drought Demon King that Zhang Enpu had dealt with years ago! A grating, scraping sound, like peeling plaster, echoed from within the sarcophagus, followed by a heart-rending roar. Young Master Liu was certain no human could produce such a sound. He hardened his resolve: "Damn it! Let’s fight!"

Scholar Jia ignored everyone else and rushed to Cai Qingchong’s side. Cai Qingchong was covered in blood, his condition unknown. Scholar Jia dragged him to the wall to check his injuries. Then, accompanied by another shattering roar, a tall zombie abruptly sat up from the Zheng Yi Bai Chi Zhen Shi Guan with a swoosh.

The moment Young Master Liu saw this zombie, all his courage was instantly extinguished. It actually looked somewhat human: draped in a multicolored red robe, wearing a three-pronged, purple-gold coronet, with only a black, foul face exposed, revealing several black fangs in its mouth! It was utterly repulsive.

In this critical moment, Young Master Liu bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay alert. He rolled sideways on the ground, performing a front somersault to get directly in front of the zombie. He quickly pulled a silver demon-reflecting mirror from his satchel and aimed it at the zombie using the flashlight beam. Sure enough, the zombie shrieked madly as if electrocuted. After an unknown length of stalemate, Scholar Jia had silently circled around to the zombie's rear. Taking advantage of the distraction, he swiftly shook a short rope covered in talismans from his sleeve and skillfully wrapped it around the zombie several times. The zombie became immobilized. On the other side, Young Master Liu also pitched in, flicking his wrist. Several small objects flew toward the zombie, and with every impact, the zombie let out a pained howl. One of the objects Young Master Liu threw landed near Fan Debiao. Fan Debiao squinted and recognized it as a bronze coin from the Wanli era. He swallowed hard and tucked the coin into his chest.

The zombie's howls intensified. Looking down at the unconscious and severely wounded Cai Qingchong cradled in his arms, Fan Debiao’s anger boiled over. He turned, grabbed his entrenching tool, and swung it toward the zombie's chest. As he approached, Fan Debiao felt the zombie’s bestial cries, a psychological assault unlike anything he had experienced—even the lions and tigers at Beijing Zoo’s Tiger and Lion Mountain produced less intimidating roars. Scholar Jia, busy knotting the 'Immortal Binding Rope' around the zombie, warned Fan Debiao, "Fatty! Be careful! This is a genuine Purple Gold Zombie King! If it touches you, you’ll be crippled even if you don't die!"

"To hell with it! I want to see what this Xinjiang old bastard is made of!" Fan Debiao shouted. He gripped the entrenching tool with both hands and brought it down forcefully against the Purple Gold Zombie King's chest. While the Zombie King might not have been completely impervious to blades, the rigidity of its body was astonishing! With a powerful swing, Fan Debiao’s entrenching tool slipped off the Zombie King's chest, embedding diagonally into its armpit. Fan Debiao nearly had his entire upper body dragged into the coffin. Having suffered this setback, Fan Debiao dared not act rashly again, retreating to the corner of the wall to watch how the others would deal with the Corpse King. Just as Scholar Jia seemed about to subdue the creature, the ferocious Corpse King suddenly exerted itself, snapping the chains Scholar Jia had bound around it. Scholar Jia spat, clicked his teeth, and sighed, "Damn! My Immortal Binding Rope is made of steel!"

In an instant, the Purple Gold Zombie King sprang out of the coffin with a swoosh. Everyone except the prone Cai Qingchong instinctively staggered back two steps. The Purple Gold Zombie King, baring its fangs and stretching out its arms, began to hop around the confined space, chasing them. Scholar Jia, now acting as the leader, shouted while running, "We retreat out!" Fan Debiao realized that the palace doors, which had been open, had silently closed. The group was trapped with no way out. Their only option was to 'fight the Corpse King to the death'! In Northeastern parlance, it was called 'bloody combat'! The others forced smiles, drew their weapons, and shouted as they dodged the pursuing Corpse King. The King stood over two meters tall when upright; the group could barely keep up, and managing to avoid injury was considered fortunate, all while dragging the severely wounded Cai Qingchong—the pressure was immense, and their strength was gradually draining. Young Master Liu lagged slightly behind and was grazed by a claw from the Purple Gold Zombie King. The piercing pain became unbearable, and blood immediately gushed out, soaking into his sweat-drenched back. The mixture of odors made Young Master Liu numb to nausea. He threw Cai Qingchong onto the coffin lid with all his might, preparing for a final stand against the black-faced, fanged fiend. Just then, the already dim light grew even darker as Young Master Liu’s flashlight flickered out. Everyone cried out in alarm! They all understood that the remaining flashlights might also die at any moment! If Young Master Liu’s fears materialized, they would be at a decisive disadvantage.