Chapter 1 The Abyss

The abyss seemed to connect to hell. Zhang Yuanqing fell for a full ten minutes and still didn't reach the bottom.

The further down he went, the heavier the chill and the more obvious the power of the seal became. Fortunately, the transcendent power of the Sun God circulated within him, bringing warmth, dispelling the cold, and slowing down the sealing speed.

Finally, Zhang Yuanqing landed with a "thud," his feet stepping on hard ice.

There was no light at the bottom of the abyss, but the Night Watcher's night vision allowed him to see the surrounding scenery clearly.

Beneath his feet was a thick layer of ice, and in front of him was a cave. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the cave were also covered with thick, solid ice, like hawthorns coated in sugar.

The sound of breathing in his ears became clearer.

At this moment, Xiahou Aotian landed lightly, wearing a dark red coat.

"It's so cold, I'm freezing all over." He put his hands in his sleeves, shivering, enjoying the warmth from the coat. Looking at Zhang Yuanqing, who stood tall and straight beside him, he said sourly, "It's still good to be a Day Watcher, thick-skinned and resistant to the cold."

Zhang Yuanqing sized him up. "You're wearing a Fire Master's coat and you still feel cold?"

"The props are also sealed here, with most of their functions... Well, this chill should come from the Eternal Night profession, but isn't the Five Elements Secret Realm a copy of our Second District? Why is there power from the First District?" Xiahou Aotian stomped his feet and rubbed his hands.

"The person sealed in the abyss must have been to the First District in ancient times, and obtained an extremely high-level sealing magic weapon or material from there," Zhang Yuanqing said, giving his own opinion.

From the black iron ring came the low voice of the Qin Dynasty alchemist, urging, "This is not a place for idle chat, quickly enter the cave."

*Lao Fangtu* cares a lot about the whereabouts of the First Emperor. What kind of grudges does he have with the First Emperor?

Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and led Xiahou Aotian into the cave.

He was about to see Brother Bing.

Stepping on the ice made a "creaking" sound. Xiahou Aotian's palm ignited a ball of *Samadhi* True Fire, using the dim light to observe his surroundings.

The cave was very deep, and there was nothing inside. After walking slowly for fifty or sixty meters, they finally reached the end.

The first thing that attracted attention was a black stone coffin, displayed on a platform of ice. The surface of the coffin was covered with a thick layer of solid ice.

The second was a figure sitting cross-legged next to the coffin. He was wearing camouflage military pants and a white vest, his muscles bulging and knotted. His facial features were ordinary, with thick eyebrows, a high nose, and a slightly square face. Combined with his clothes and muscles, he gave off a rough and wild feeling.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt like something was stuck in his throat, and his eyes were involuntarily moist.

Xiahou Aotian moved his gaze away from the coffin and looked at the seated figure in surprise. "Why is there someone here? Is he a Lingjing Xingzhe matched to the Five Elements Secret Realm? He looks like a Bewitching Demon, or..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw that Yuan Shi Tianzun was motionless, so he stepped forward to look at him.

Zhang Yuanqing's expression stunned Xiahou Aotian, and he realized something, saying in shock, "Do you know him?"

"I don't know him," Zhang Yuanqing denied in a faint tone.

Even though he said that, he ignored the coffin and walked straight to the ice sculpture, staring at it without a word, silently averting his gaze.

The ice sculpture sat silently, without warmth, without breath, without the slightest soul fluctuation.

Zhang Yuanqing watched for a long time, and finally looked away, looking at the heavy coffin and saying, "I'm going to take out the *Buliangren* waist牌 now."

He said this to the old grandpa in the ring.

The Qin Dynasty alchemist was silent for a few seconds before responding, "You may."

Xiahou Aotian urged, "Hurry up, it's getting colder and colder. I feel like I'm walking naked in the Arctic ice field."

His face had already begun to turn blue and white.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and took out the waist牌 that he had just put away.

As soon as the waist牌 left the inventory, the ice-sealed coffin generated a suction force, drawing the waist牌 over.

The multicolored bronze waist牌, upon touching the coffin, transformed into pure energy, passing through the ice shell and into the coffin.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian instinctively became vigilant, guarding against the worst-case scenario.

As the five-colored energy entered the coffin, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a weak mental wave being generated out of thin air within the coffin, or more accurately, being revived.

The weak mental wave was difficult to grasp, and did not erupt as imagined. Instead, it remained in a "hazy," half-asleep state.

A moment later, a tiny mental wave came from the coffin: "Who brought my waist牌?"

Xiahou Aotian and the Qin Dynasty alchemist in the ring remained silent.

Zhang Yuanqing tentatively responded, "Senior, it's me!"

After saying that, he clearly sensed the mental power in the coffin overflowing, "scanning" his body.

"What year is it now?" The mental wave in the coffin suddenly intensified.

"January 2023, it's been years since your dynasty," Zhang Yuanqing said without showing the slightest contempt or neglect due to the weakness the other showed.

Because the existence in the coffin had only awakened a single thought.

"2023..." The thought in the coffin muttered to itself.

He seemed to care a lot about time. Zhang Yuanqing keenly noticed something was wrong. In the minds of such figures, the passage of time was commonplace.

Not to mention the world changing, even if the world were destroyed, they probably wouldn't be too surprised.

The thought in the coffin conveyed an exciting thought: "I've made it to the arrival of the new era. I've finally overcome time and awakened in an era where I can achieve eternal life."

"Unfortunately, I still can't get out now." He murmured to himself for a moment, put away his emotions, and his mental fluctuations turned calm.

"Boy, you were able to get my waist牌, which means you have a destiny with me. If you're here for magic weapons or other treasures, then you can leave. I can't give you anything."

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was trying to figure out how to speak, an excited and urgent mental wave came from Xiahou Aotian's ring.

"...Are you the First Emperor?"

The thought in the coffin replied, "The First Emperor? I am not him."

"You're not him? You're not him!" The Qin Dynasty alchemist muttered to himself, his tone both happy and regretful, both relieved and unwilling, extremely complicated.

Seeing the Qin Dynasty alchemist immersed in his own emotions, Zhang Yuanqing took the initiative to ask, "Are you the *Buliangshuai* of the Tang Dynasty, during Empress Wu Zetian's era?"