The atmosphere within the crypt grew more eerie with each passing step, not from heat or dust—but from the age of the place. A thousand years, perhaps more, had passed since these sacred stones last bore witness to unhinged ambition. Now, once again, boots echoed along its jade-streaked floor before the designated hour.
*CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.*
Every step rang out like a drumbeat in a temple of forgotten idols. The corridor they had entered was vast—more of a hall than a passage—and flanked by rows of pillars forged from solid gold, their surfaces embossed with archaic glyphs and winding serpents. They shimmered not with the gleam of polish, but with the preserved majesty of divine intent.
The floor beneath their feet radiated with a cold, beautiful light—crafted from tiger jade, each tile pulsated faintly, as though still housing the qi of the ancient beasts it was named after. Golden-orange with slashes of obsidian and amber, it felt less like walking on stone and more like treading across a living myth.
"To think… these herbs, these ores—some of them haven't been seen in markets for centuries…" Leng Yue murmured, crouching to examine a sprig of dried crimson stalks nestled atop a bed of silver root. Her eyes shimmered with sharp appraisal . "Three-flame lotus… sky vine… even fragments of moon marrow."
She stood, brushing a speck of glowing pollen from her cloak.
"Placed so casually," she muttered. "It's unnatural."
Li Wei, ever stoic, did not so much as glance at the wares scattered haphazardly around the palace. Chalices of phoenix bone, scrolls bound in dragon hide, even raw spirit stones—tossed about like refuse at the edge of the grand hall.
"A feast left to rot," he remarked softly, his eyes locked on the ancient door that stood at the far end of the hallway. "If you saw gold scattered outside the butcher's stall, would you not wonder what beast they meant to bait?"
Leng Yue smirked, catching his meaning.
Behind them, however, others lacked such prudence.
A plump man in scarlet merchant garb broke from the trailing group, his eyes glistening with avarice. His fingers twitched as he rushed toward a gleaming chalice nestled beside one of the golden pillars. Without hesitation, he snatched it up with both hands.
*CLINK!*
A hush fell across the hall. The other cultivators froze mid-step, eyes locked on the greedy man. For a heartbeat, all seemed well.
Then—*SHHRRRTTT!!*
"Ah—?" the merchant whispered, gripping the chalice tighter as his back arched slightly.
Hair began to fall in clumps. *PAP-PAP-PAP* The sound of molting strands hitting tiger jade echoed like cursed rainfall. His teeth, once pearl white, now clattered to the ground like loose porcelain.
"Brother Du?! What's wrong—"
"This belongs… to… me…" the man muttered through withered lips, his voice gurgling with decay. His eyes stared blankly at his own hands, now shriveled like bark in a drought.
Before anyone could intervene, the merchant crumbled into a pile of dusty robes and powdered bones.
*FFFFWSSHHH!*
Only the chalice remained, gleaming as though untouched.
Gasps rippled across the crowd. Some turned away in disgust. Others stumbled back several paces, muttering exorcisms and clutching talismans. The scent of scorched age clung to the air.
"Fools die loudest," Li Wei muttered, brushing past the pile without a second look. "I thought merchants were more shrewd."
His fingers brushed a strange token at his side—a key carved from crystal bone. Its carvings glowed faintly. The system's voice echoed briefly in his mind:
"Permission granted. Vault route opened."
Li Wei strode toward the ornate door. With a subtle motion, he inserted the key into a near-invisible slot hidden between two lion-shaped engravings.
*CHUKK! — VRRRRRRMMMMMMM…*
The ground quaked gently. The door groaned, releasing a low hum as light flickered between its cracks. It opened inward, revealing a tunnel of radiant mist and floating orbs of ethereal fire.
"Do not covet these items," Li Wei said aloud, his voice cold as stone. "Obtain them at your own peril." He left a small piece of advice that even fools would heed.
Behind him, the bolder cultivators hesitated. Their eyes lingered on the glittering relics strewn about… but so too did their thoughts drift to the mound of dust that was once Brother Du.
Wisdom, for now, held their hands at bay.
Meanwhile, outside the aurora gate, the air was anything but calm.
Wind howled across the clearing as several camps prepared hasty strategy. The forest around the crypt had become a bed of muffled discussions.
"I say we move now!" barked a fiery man with bald crown and wild sideburns that flared like kindling. His brown martial robes flapped violently. "Why wait for the old wolves to arrive and sink their teeth into our good fortune?"
His tone was rough and hoarse, but a woman standing nearby raised a delicate parasol, the fabric snow-white and utterly untouched by the elements. Her midnight blue gown shimmered with embroidered frost lilies.
"Patience wins more battles than blades," she said calmly. "Let the Bai clan march their banners here first. They'll crush the fools who test the tomb's wrath." The woman was a known associate of one of the Bai clan's envoys, thus her stance was obvious.
"You would share glory with those extortionists?" the man spat. "The Bai clan has taxed us into ruin, forced our sects into beggary—and now you'd wait for their blessing?" He had been patriarch of his sect for nearly a decade and had experienced the ruthless tax rates enforced on his sect.
The woman gave no reply—only a tilt of her parasol and a glint in her eyes.
Others began to join the discourse. Among them stood Senior Chao, an elder of considerable wealth and repute. His green robes shimmered like the leaves of a jade orchard. Bejeweled rings jingled softly as he stroked his beard.
"I was present… the last time this place stirred," he said slowly. "Hundreds entered. Two returned." His gaze swept across the younger faces. "That lad—Li Wei—he holds more than talent. He holds a key. One carved by fate's own hand."
He pointed toward the aurora gate, now flickering gently like a star's dying breath.
"They say he passed beyond the golden pillars. Into the inner sanctum. Only someone with the right relic could do such a thing."
"Senior Chao is correct," the parasol woman added. "If we rush in now, we risk losing half our number before we even see a treasure."
The bald man grumbled but nodded.
"Fine… if even Senior Chao is worried, then I can only concede."
*RUMMMMBLE!*
The ground trembled again. Somewhere far below, the crypt's gears and seals shifted like the breathing of a slumbering beast.
The leaders of the coalition quickly moved to action. Formations were drawn—sigils burned into the earth with powdered crystal and blessed oils. Barriers rose like invisible walls, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
Scouts were deployed, their robes vanishing into the mist as they traced the perimeter. Watchmen took positions among the trees, their spiritual qi presence glowing softly in the darkness.
"Prepare," the parasol woman said calmly. "When the Bai clan arrives… we'll see if fate smiles, or devours."
Back inside the crypt, Li Wei advanced deeper into the illuminated passage. His eyes scanned the carvings along the walls—tales of long-dead kings, celestial beasts, and a blade that could split fate itself.
Behind him, Leng Yue's steps matched his own.
"Do you think they'll follow?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Let them," he replied. "The tomb always hungers."
The door behind them sealed shut with a soft sigh, like the final breath of a fading ghost.
And the palace waited once more to test the hearts of men.