In the darkness, blood-red eyes multiplied, glowing ominously within the mist like spirits summoned from slumber.Chen Jiuzhang's Serpent-Slaying Blade trembled slightly. The grooves carved by his father on the hilt suddenly turned hot—warning of a looming crisis.
Shen Qingluan forced herself to stand.The fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal in her palm glowed faintly, but it couldn't mask the exhaustion in her eyes.
"Those eyes… remind me of the hollow sockets on the mechanical corpses in Sanxingdui," she murmured.
Zhang Chengying's electric bike wobbled as its headlight swung through the fog.The beam revealed several ape-like creatures, their bodies covered in moss-green scales.Viscous liquid dripped from their claws, hissing as it corroded the earth.
"What the hell are these things?"Zhang's voice trembled, but he still raised his peachwood sword."Screw it. Time for a stir-fry of monkey brains, peachwood style!"
Suddenly, Su Nian's bronze bell emitted a sharp, buzzing ring.Nine chains shot out and bound the nearest creature.
But her face turned deathly pale, and she nearly collapsed to her knees.
"They're laced with a Soul-Devouring Curse… the bell's power isn't enough!"
Old Wu turned The Prophecy Scroll into a makeshift shield in front of them.But dark blood began to seep from its pages.
"Kids, the Seven-Star Lantern Array in this mist… someone's tampered with it.I fear… this is a trap."
Chen Jiuzhang's birthmark burned like fire, nearly piercing through his skin.The fragment of the Celestial Master Token in his chest vibrated violently.
Suddenly, a memory struck him: the note on the back of the map.
He looked up at the seven mountain peaks.
In that brief moment when moonlight cut through the mist, his pupils contracted—
The peaks, once aligned in the shape of the Big Dipper, now formed a reversed character: "Death ".
"It's a trap!"He shouted,"These aren't guiding lights — they're soul-trapping coffins!"
Before his voice even faded, the ground split apart, cracking wide.Thick, ink-like black liquid surged from beneath.
The monsters lunged forward.
One claw sliced across Chen Jiuzhang's face, leaving a trail of blood.
Shen Qingluan pressed the jade seal fragment to the ground, summoning a golden shield that barely deflected the wave of attacks.Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Jiuzhang, find the array's core… or we'll all be buried here!"
In the chaos, Chen Jiuzhang spotted a white figure flashing between the peaks.
A robed mysterious man held a compass—its markings startlingly similar to his bronze one.
The man turned, revealing half his face, tattooed with ancient spell symbols.His gaze was razor-sharp and cold.
"Descendant of the Chen clan," he sneered,"If you wish to break the Seven-Star Death Array, trade the Celestial Master Token for it."
Zhang Chengying revved his bike through the monster horde, drawing their attention.
"Jiuzhang, go after him! We'll hold the line!"
His peachwood sword clashed with a monster's claw, bursting into bright sparks.
"Just come back quick, yeah? I still want that hotpot you owe me!"
Chen Jiuzhang gripped the Serpent-Slaying Blade and charged toward where the mysterious man had vanished.
As he plunged through the mist, faces of his loved ones flickered through his mind:
His father's final words.Shen Qingluan's weary yet resolute eyes.Zhang Chengying's clownish banter hiding absolute trust.Su Nian's brittle courage...
Each image strengthened his resolve.
"No matter what lies ahead—I will bring everyone out alive."
He swore it silently.
The light from his birthmark intertwined with the blade's golden glow, illuminating his path forward.
Back in the fog, Zhang Chengying dodged left and right through the monsters.Thunderwood USB sticks in his basket exploded one by one, buying them brief moments of reprieve.
Suddenly, a monster leapt from the side, its claw ripping open his sleeve and leaving three deep gashes on his arm.
"Shit!"He winced, stabbing back—only for the blade to bounce off the creature's scales.
"These things are tougher than those one-star review customers I used to deliver to!"
Shen Qingluan's golden shield flickered under the relentless onslaught.Each impact rattled her entire body.
Her hairpin snapped. Her long hair fell messily around her shoulders.Still, she clenched her jaw tight.
"Su Nian—aim for their bellies! The scales are thinnest there!"
Su Nian, pale and shaking, swung the bell again.Chains lashed out like spirit serpents, wrapping several creatures.But the cracks on the bell grew wider, humming with strain on the verge of shattering.
Old Wu's scroll-shield was falling apart, black blood soaking every page.
He watched more monsters clawing their way out of the black liquid.
"This won't hold. Someone must destroy the array's core!"
Before he could finish, a creature broke through and lunged at his throat.
At the last second, Su Nian leapt forward—using her bell to block the attack.
The impact hurled her into the air, blood gushing from her mouth.
"Su Nian!"Shen Qingluan screamed.
Her shield cracked.Several monsters seized the moment and pounced.
Just when despair peaked—A golden light pierced the fog.
Chen Jiuzhang returned—blade in hand.The Celestial Master Token fragment and his birthmark radiated in tandem.
Behind him, the twenty-eight constellations shimmered into phantom form.
"Golden Dragon of Kang—strike!"
He roared.
The golden light surged like a dragon, tearing through the monsters.Wherever it passed, creatures wailed and crumbled into ash.
Shen Qingluan gasped in relief, nearly collapsing.
Chen Jiuzhang caught her by the waist.
"I won't let you face danger again."
He turned to Old Wu, eyes firm.
"Senior, can you locate the core?"
Old Wu wiped the cold sweat from his brow and pointed to the highest peak.
"Should be at the altar atop that mountain—but I fear..."
Before he could finish, a deafening boom cut him off.
From within the mist, the mysterious man reappeared—bringing more monsters.
His compass glowed with twisted violet light.