After we left the plaza and continued forward, we encountered the occasional monster, but they were all swiftly dispatched by Crow and President Hao. We walked for another ten minutes or so before coming across a semicircular bronze door. Ever since entering this Yin Convergence Point, this was the first time we'd seen metal of any kind.
Upon seeing the door, Yang Jun said nothing and began slowly pushing it open. Through the narrow crack, Hao Zhengyi spotted a massive bronze coffin placed not far from the entrance. "Take a look," he said. "Unless something unexpected has happened, Dong Qichao should be lying in there."
Seeing that the chamber was otherwise empty except for that one bronze coffin, Hao Zhengyi looked visibly disappointed. He had assumed that Yang Jun had insisted on coming here because Dong Qichao's tomb housed some powerful magical artifact or treasure. But now it was clear at a glance: aside from the coffin, the tomb held nothing.
Even so, Hao Zhengyi didn't rush in recklessly. He stood behind Yang Jun, using his flashlight to carefully inspect the interior of the tomb. Then he turned to Yang Jun and said, "Hard to believe that the great Dong Qichao would end up with such a plain burial. But seriously—are we sure this is his coffin?"
Like Hao Zhengyi, Yang Jun also examined the chamber from top to bottom. At last, his gaze settled on the bronze coffin. Hearing Hao Zhengyi's question, he glanced back at him and said, "Then let's open it and ask whoever's inside if he's really Dong Qichao." With that, he stepped into the tomb first.
Since Yang Jun had entered, neither Hao Zhengyi nor Crow had any reason to hold back. Still, they walked in with extreme caution, stepping only where Yang Jun had stepped.
Once inside, Yang Jun walked straight up to the bronze coffin, circled it a few times, and tapped several spots with his fingers. Finding nothing unusual, he looked back at Hao Zhengyi, took a few steps back, pointed at the coffin, and said, "If you've got questions, why not ask Dong Qichao directly?"
Hao Zhengyi didn't respond. Instead, he circled the coffin a few times himself. Then he turned and made a series of hand signals toward Crow, who nodded, opened his backpack, and retrieved a small wooden case. Inside were several red-brown talisman papers, different from the Bureau's usual yellow seal charms. These were inscribed with golden script.
Crow took out one talisman and used a shard of animal bone to pin it to the head of the coffin. Then he squeezed a few drops of blood from his earlier wound and dripped them onto the charm. As soon as the blood landed, he quickly retreated several steps, drawing his Six-Spoked Dharma Pestle with one hand and shining his flashlight with the other, eyes fixed on the coffin.
Despite the ritual, the charm showed no unusual reaction. Hao Zhengyi's face, however, darkened. He turned to Yang Jun and asked, "You mean to tell me there's not a single ward or restriction on Dong Qichao's coffin?"
Yang Jun furrowed his brow but said nothing. Before Hao could ask again, Yang Jun suddenly strode forward, placed both hands on the coffin lid, and began to push. With a series of loud creaks, the lid—several hundred pounds of solid bronze—slid halfway open, revealing the interior.
Hao Zhengyi hadn't expected Yang Jun to take such initiative—let alone to have the strength to move the lid by himself. And this was still with residual Death Qi in his system. What would he be like at full strength?
Once the coffin was open, nothing unusual happened. Yang Jun seemed slightly unsteady, likely from overexertion, and nearly stumbled but caught himself on the edge of the coffin. At that moment, Hao Zhengyi and Crow stepped up beside him, shining their flashlights inside.
The coffin was empty—no burial goods, no ornaments—just a naked human skeleton, stripped bare and cast into the bronze coffin.
Hao Zhengyi leaned in for a closer look, his flashlight illuminating the remains. The skeleton's hands were tightly clenched, and in each clenched hand he found a peach pit. After inspecting further, he pried open the skull's jaw and discovered a third peach pit lodged inside.
Holding the three pits in his palm, Hao Zhengyi took a deep breath and looked up at Yang Jun. "Three Peach Pits for Auspiciousness—that's a signature of Luoyun Monastery. Looks like this poor fellow really might be Dong Qichao."
Still, something didn't sit right. Hao Zhengyi frowned and said, "Something's off. When Dong Qichao died, someone else must have been here. Someone closed the coffin for him—and likely inherited his teachings."
He looked to Yang Jun. "Did Dong Qichao mention in his letters that there was anyone else down here?"
Yang Jun shook his head firmly. "He wrote at length about his solitude. Said he had only a few livestock for company..."
Before he could finish, a loud cracking noise echoed through the chamber—like something snapping. Hao Zhengyi swung his flashlight toward the sound, and they all saw a massive crack splitting the wall across from them. Then the plaster began falling away with sharp, dry pops.
The talisman on the coffin lid suddenly stirred as though caught by a gust of wind and floated toward the cracked wall. A flash of flame ignited along its surface, and within seconds, the red-brown talisman burned to ash.
There's something behind that wall!
The three of them stepped back, staring intently at the widening crack. Then—with a thunderous crash—the wall collapsed outward, and from behind it emerged a figure clad in ancient armor.
The "person" who emerged was clad head to toe in heavy armor. Only through the cracks between the plates could one glimpse his withered flesh beneath. Unlike the incomplete forms of the Nyeh we had seen before, this being's skin was not pitch black. It was dry and ashen, but more like the desiccation of time than the corruption of evil.
"Get out! That's a Soul Husk..." Hao Zhengyi recognized the creature immediately. It was the same kind of monster I had encountered during my very first case with the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation—deep beneath the desert ruins of the ancient state of Zhi. That thing was called a Soul Husk.
There was no time to wonder how a Soul Husk had ended up here. The first priority was to remove its armor—without that, it was nearly invulnerable. Soul Husks were vulnerable to fire; that was how Hao Wenming and Old Qiu had barely managed to destroy one back then. And they had done so wielding their personal weapons of choice. Right now, among the three of them, only Crow held a Six-Spoked Dharma Pestle—and it was barely thicker than a pair of chopsticks. Using that to pry off a Soul Husk's armor? Not realistic at all.
Just as Hao Zhengyi was about to retreat, the Soul Husk moved.
It stepped slowly out of the cracked wall, and only then did Hao Zhengyi see that behind it was a passage just wide enough for one person. The tomb chamber had a hidden tunnel! There was no time to dwell on it. The Soul Husk picked up speed, and as Hao Zhengyi reached the bronze door, it ignored the much nearer Yang Jun and lunged straight for him.
This Soul Husk was different. It showed signs of intelligence. Strapped to its wrist was a gleaming sword—though the wooden grip had long since rotted away, the core of the hilt had been bound with a thin cord and fixed tightly to its arm. The blade itself shimmered like liquid silver, clearly not a mundane weapon.
It raised its arm and, with a swish, brought the sword down toward Hao Zhengyi. The exit was right in front of him, but if he paused even for a moment to push the door open, the Soul Husk would slice him clean in half.
Just then—clang! Crow's Six-Spoked Dharma Pestle struck the descending blade squarely in mid-air, knocking it off course.
Hao Zhengyi seized the brief opening. He flung a handful of white powder into the air. Before it even landed, it erupted into a fireball the size of a man, engulfing the Soul Husk in flames.
But this Soul Husk was special. The flames only burned for a few seconds before they flickered and snuffed out, as if smothered by a violent gust of wind. The fire hadn't slowed it at all. When the last flame vanished, the Soul Husk was already upon Hao Zhengyi, sword raised for a second strike.
Crow lunged again, wrapping himself around the creature's sword arm in a desperate attempt to hold it back. But even that wasn't enough to halt its momentum. The strike came down askew, but still powerful enough that the blade, along with the creature's armored forearm, slammed into Hao Zhengyi's ribs.
He doubled over from the pain, unable to breathe. He could tell immediately—his ribs were broken. Seeing the path to the exit blocked by the monster, he had no choice but to clutch his side and stagger to one side.
Now the Soul Husk turned its attention to Crow. With a violent twist, it flung him to the ground. But Crow had been prepared, shielding his vitals as he fell. He hit the floor hard but rolled quickly to his feet and sprinted off in the opposite direction.
At that moment, something deeply unsettling struck Hao Zhengyi.
This Soul Husk was... wrong. It wasn't just immune to fire—it was stronger and faster than any Soul Husk he had encountered before.
But even more shocking was Yang Jun.
Throughout the entire chaotic battle, the Soul Husk had completely ignored him. It had bypassed him entirely, as if it couldn't even see him.
Hao Zhengyi was an astute man. Years ago, when he had obtained the Geographic Map and The Hidden Atlas of Heaven, he had begun planning to investigate this Yin Convergence Point. Originally, he intended to keep this place under light guard for a time—then, after acquiring all the property on the island from Xie Pang, including the hotel out front and the sea cucumber farm behind it, he would secretly deploy elite members of the Religious Affairs Commission here. As long as the operation was carried out discreetly and without haste, even the long-nosed Bureau wouldn't be able to sniff it out. And once the time was right, he would dig as deep as necessary to find the Yin Convergence Point.
But Chairman Min Tianyuan of the Religious Affairs Commission couldn't wait. Now, Min was on his deathbed—his passing could come any day. Hao Zhengyi had been personally handpicked by Min to succeed him, despite internal support favoring the veteran Huang Ran. If Min passed, the power struggle would erupt instantly.
That's why Hao Zhengyi needed to pull off something major before Min's death—something monumental to cement his position. And the only asset he held of real significance was this Yin Convergence Point, especially since it was linked to Dong Qichao.
Back when Dong Qichao disappeared, Luoyun Monastery had spent enormous resources searching for him. From the abbots to the maintenance staff, everyone was mobilized nationwide. The cost was so high that the monastery itself began to decline soon after.
For centuries, legends surrounding Dong Qichao and Luoyun Monastery persisted. Then, during an earthquake in Fujian in the early Qing dynasty, an ancient tomb from the late Southern Song era was unearthed. Inside was the final abbot of Luoyun Monastery, and among his grave goods was a stone stele inscribed with the teachings of generations of abbots.
Every single successor after Dong Qichao had left the same message: "Capture the traitor Dong and reclaim the sacred artifact of immortality." Over time, Dong Qichao had become associated with the Elixir of Immortality itself. That was why Hao Zhengyi placed such weight on this Yin Convergence Point.
But even he had miscalculated. The records left behind said nothing about Nyeh, and certainly nothing about a Soul Husk being here. This wedding trip had taken a turn no one expected. Even the equipment he and Crow had brought was originally meant for exploring the tomb—not for fighting for their lives. Against monsters like this, that meant they had only one thing left to gamble with: their lives.
The Soul Husk now charged toward Crow again—once more ignoring Yang Jun, who still stood calmly nearby.
Finally, Hao Zhengyi realized what was wrong.
A faint layer of black mist was now seeping from Yang Jun's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. It slowly spread outward, cloaking his entire body in a thin shroud of deathly vapor. Normally, this would be instantly visible through the Bureau's Celestial Eye techniques, but the Yin Convergence Point interfered with such abilities. And with the tomb chamber plunged in near-total darkness, and both flashlights lost in the chaos, no one had noticed the change.
Death Qi!
Hao Zhengyi suddenly understood. Yang Jun had never fully purged the Death Qi from his body. Soul Husks couldn't see in the traditional sense—they hunted by sensing the Vital Qi of living beings. Yang Jun had cloaked himself in Death Qi, effectively erasing his presence.
And he had planned this. He had saved that Death Qi for this very moment.
"Crow! Circle around him! Run around Yang Jun!" Hao Zhengyi shouted.
Even as his voice echoed through the chamber, Crow had already veered and was sprinting straight toward Yang Jun.
At the same time, Hao Zhengyi raised his hand and flung a handful of gray powder in Yang Jun's direction. The powder seemed to have a magnetic pull—before it even landed, the Death Qi around Yang Jun began to peel away, drifting upward and converging with the falling dust.
Crow dashed in front of Yang Jun, just as the powder engulfed them both. There was nowhere to dodge. The dust clung to Yang Jun's body like acid, and half of his Death Qi evaporated instantly. His form became visible once more.
Crow darted past, the Soul Husk right behind him. As Crow reached Yang Jun, he suddenly leapt sideways, leaving Yang Jun fully exposed.
The Soul Husk charged forward—face to face with Yang Jun.