The reasons for Imhotep’s retreat were even more straightforward; as an undead being himself, he was intimately familiar with the aura of creatures of the same type. The moment the gate opened, he sensed a terrifying miasma of death emanating from it, an aura that instilled fear even in him, an undead raised by the harshest tortures of Egypt. This was why he instinctively recoiled.

Under the gaze of the two men, a colossal half-man, half-scorpion slowly lumbered out of the chamber. This massive creature towered nearly six meters tall, its torso a supremely powerful male form, while its lower body was that of a gigantic scorpion. Notably, its two massive claws resembled a pair of colossal single shears, constantly clicking with a kaka-ka sound. Not only that, but it kept its multifaceted gaze fixed on the trio, appearing intensely interested in them.

“Imhotep, interested in working with me this one time? Let’s take this monster down first.”

Zheng Zha gripped his Electric Light Axe, swallowing hard as he spoke.

Who would have thought that the imposing Imhotep was trembling uncontrollably? Before he could make a move, his woman, Anck-Su-Namun, bolted towards the passageway, looking utterly terrified. Zheng Zha continued to peer into the chamber of the half-man, half-scorpion, only to see with horror two or three-meter-tall scorpions pouring ceaselessly from the room—the same giant scorpions he’d encountered when retrieving the Bracelet of Anubis. Their swift speed, terrifying strength, and potent venom were more than he could handle even with his enhanced attributes; he figured a single sting now would instantly kill him.

The Scorpion King seemed to finally lock onto a target. Its human face curved into a sinister grin, and it raised its great pincers, charging straight toward Anck-Su-Namun. It appeared wildly excited, even knocking over several brazier stands on its way. Its nearly six-meter frame exuded a truly terrifying pressure.

Anck-Su-Namun, however, was considerably less fortunate. She was nearly through the passageway when, for reasons unknown, she slammed violently into what seemed like empty space within the passage.

It was as if she had struck a solid wall; she flipped over and crashed onto the floor, while the Scorpion King, chuckling wickedly, closed in rapidly.

Imhotep roared loudly. Perhaps in the original timeline he had begged the Scorpion King for mercy out of fear, but in this moment, he proved worthy of the title of man. He let out a furious shout and leaped through the air toward the Scorpion King, landing a vicious slash across its body that tore a deep gash across the creature’s half-scorpion torso.

The Scorpion King shrieked in pain, but because Imhotep was clinging to its rear, its great pincers were momentarily unable to clamp down on him. Instead, Imhotep kept hacking away at its back. After several strikes, the Scorpion King finally recovered, scrambling up one of the hall’s massive columns.

It scaled the pillar, its legs winding around it as if utterly disregarding gravity, while Imhotep rolled clear from the initial impact.

The Scorpion King flashed that cruel, wicked grin again. Just as it raised its massive claws, preparing to crush Imhotep, a sudden, deafening barrage of gunfire erupted. The onslaught pulverized the Scorpion King’s pincers mid-air and smashed it down from the ceiling, sending fragments scattering. More alarmingly, the sheer explosive force of the ammunition shredded the airborne Scorpion King into countless pieces that plastered the walls.

Imhotep stared blankly at Zheng Zha.

He saw the man’s arms and torso muscles swelling grotesquely, as if he too had transformed into a muscle giant. In his hands, Zheng Zha wielded a ridiculously oversized machine gun—no, it was better described as a gatling cannon. After obliterating the Scorpion King, he instantly rotated the barrel toward the giant scorpions still emerging from the room. A furious torrent of gunfire followed, instantly turning those colossal scorpions into bloody pulp. The power of this multi-barreled cannon was terrifyingly immense. However, given Zheng Zha’s current physical condition, he couldn’t fully absorb the massive recoil. After only those two bursts, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger was already split open, and the muscles in both hands trembled violently.

By now, Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun were both standing. They exchanged a look, their gazes toward Zheng Zha suddenly filled with dread. If the mighty form of the Scorpion King couldn't withstand that terrifying barrage, they knew a direct hit would turn them into Swiss cheese. Before Zheng Zha could even turn around, Imhotep suddenly bellowed, “Watch your back!” Zheng Zha was still operating in the unlocked state of his bloodline limit, and the premonition of danger arrived simultaneously with Imhotep’s cry. Without thinking, he flipped forward to roll away, but even so, a large chunk of muscle was ripped violently from his back. Where he had just stood, the Scorpion King was now hanging upside down from the ceiling by its pincers. With its nearly six-meter frame, an attack from above was lethal. He was fortunate he rolled quickly, or that tear wouldn’t have just been a piece of muscle—his entire head might have been ripped off.

The Scorpion King’s pincers snapped shut lightly, severing the muscles on his own claws, leaving Imhotep with a bloodied stump. Simultaneously, the Scorpion King dropped from the ceiling straight toward him. Zheng Zha was still half-crouched on the ground; he had no time to evade and could only watch as the Scorpion King bore down on him.

Imhotep roared, “Be careful!” At the same time, he thrust a hand forward, and a whirlwind of sand instantly coiled from his palm, whipping toward the Scorpion King. In the nick of time, it swept the creature several meters away. Zheng Zha finally pushed off with his feet, retreating several meters himself. When he stood up, he realized his entire body was slick with cold sweat.

“Imhotep, damn it! If you have any magic, use it now! Do you really want the three of us to die here?” Zheng Zha yelled out in exasperation.

Imhotep replied with a bitter smile, “If I had magic, would I be taking hits like this? This is just the last tiny reserve of power. This is the Scorpion King, a creature personally blessed and cursed by the god Anubis! He is immortal unless struck by the Spear of Judgment, the weapon bestowed by the Ancestor God upon the Pharaohs! Only that spear can truly kill him!” Zheng Zha froze, then instantly cursed himself for being an idiot. Without a second thought, he pulled the Staff of the Spear of Judgment from his dimensional ring and twisted it violently, transforming the short staff into a golden longspear—the only weapon capable of slaying the Scorpion King.

Imhotep’s eyes gleamed as he watched. His hand twitched slightly, but catching sight of Anck-Su-Namun standing beside him, he sighed bitterly. “I want to make a deal with you…” Just as Zheng Zha was about to raise the Spear of Judgment, the Scorpion King was only meters away. Frustrated, Zheng Zha could only blast the creature into fragments again with the machine gun before raising the spear and shouting, “Deal my foot! We’re about to die, what’s there to agree on? We’ll discuss it after we get out!” Imhotep abruptly raised his long, shaped weapon toward Zheng Zha. “Once we get out, if our powers are restored, it will be hard for me to kill you, and equally hard for you to kill me unless you have the Book of the Sun. But what if I escape immediately upon release and hide, hunting down your friends? You can’t guard me for a lifetime! I know about your terrifying speed and power; I can’t stop you from killing those close to me. Anck-Su-Namun, I promise you, I will not harm you or your friends, but you must let Imhotep and me go. We will travel abroad—my servants told me this world is vast—I want to take Anck-Su-Namun to the country they call America, and never be your enemy again! That is our agreement!” Zheng Zha’s heart stirred, and he let out a slight sigh. This man was a quintessential romantic. He died thousands of years ago for her sake, enduring countless hardships and pain, and even after resurrection, his devotion remained unchanged. He knew Zheng Zha was currently too distracted to deal with them, which was why he forced a declaration now. Even though he didn't know this woman perhaps didn't love him as deeply as he imagined (well, if his magic hadn't been stripped, and he remained this powerful, perhaps she would have loved him for a lifetime; even if that love couldn't withstand the test of true mortality, it might still be a form of happiness for him). Zheng Zha nodded firmly. Only then did Imhotep lower his long weapon. As expected, the fragments of the Scorpion King began to reassemble, doing so with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the creature reformed into its half-scorpion, half-man shape and lunged again at the trio. Zheng Zha raised the Spear of Judgment and hurled it fiercely toward the Scorpion King. In this throw, he used no internal or vampire energy, but he did leverage the immense strength from unlocking the second stage of his bloodline limit, so the speed was still considerable.

As the three watched, the Scorpion King clamped its great claws shut, catching the Spear of Judgment firmly between them. Despair instantly crossed the faces of Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun. However, this was exactly what Zheng Zha anticipated, because standard procedure dictated that the "Main God" would increase the difficulty, calibrating it precisely to the level where he might die—unless it was a skill he created himself, which fell outside the Main God’s difficulty parameters! Explode! Zheng Zha channeled all his remaining internal and vampire energy simultaneously. A faint, almost invisible crimson line shot down from the center of his forehead, while a weak current of energy surged upward from his core. The two forces converged at his heart. Zheng Zha roared and charged forward, and before the Scorpion King could react, he had gripped the haft of the Spear of Judgment with both hands, shoving forward with all his might, driving into the...