At the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, the wind is the eternal sculptor. It carries billions of scorching sand grains, day after day polishing the exposed rocks, shaping the undulating sand dunes that resemble frozen golden waves. On the edge of this vast and harsh golden dead sea, a few orange-red tents and several off-road vehicles clung stubbornly to the last boundary of life like tiny beetles.
The air was so dry it could suck the last trace of moisture from one's lungs. The scorching sun baked the earth mercilessly, making the very air shimmer and distort in the distance. Qin Yuan took off his wide-brimmed hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead that instantly evaporated, and squinted at the massive, artificially carved entrance ahead. Embedded deep into the severely wind-eroded rock wall of the yardang landform, it resembled the maw of a silent giant beast.
"Captain, the tomb door is cleared!" A young man in dust-covered work pants emerged from the opening, his face brimming with irrepressible excitement. "Extremely high specifications! Definitely nobility level! And... it's preserved far better than we imagined!"
Qin Yuan, the leader of this frontier archaeological team, was nearly fifty, his face etched with the deep marks left by wind, sand, and time, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's. He nodded steadily, though his mind was already swirling. This region had scant historical records; discovering such a high-grade ancient tomb was a miracle in itself.
"Su Wan, Chen Feng, prepare to enter the main burial chamber. Da Li, take men and secure the perimeter. Watch for quicksand and weather changes." Qin Yuan's voice was not loud, but it carried undeniable authority.
Su Wan, the youngest team member and an expert in artifact restoration and inscription interpretation, immediately began carefully arranging her toolkit. Slender, her skin pale from the desert sun, her eyes shone with an almost devout light as she looked towards the tomb entrance. She gently touched a small compass pendant hanging around her neck—a relic from her mentor.
Chen Feng, the geology and environment expert, adjusted his glasses and calibrated a device in his hand emitting a faint hum. "Captain, the geomagnetic readings here are a bit... erratic, unstable. And the rock structure suggests there might be a significant cavity below the burial chamber."
Security chief Zhang Da Li, a burly man true to his name (Da Li meaning 'great strength'), grinned, revealing teeth darkened by the sun. "Don't worry, Captain. With me here, not even a fly could get in and cause trouble!" He patted the high-power flashlight and walkie-talkie on his belt.
The team donned their headlamps and slowly descended into the tomb, which had slept for centuries, along the cleared sloping passage. The walls were rough with chisel marks, bearing faint remnants of murals depicting battles and triumphs, mostly eroded by wind, sand, and time. The air suddenly turned cold and heavy with the smell of dust and decay.
At the end of the passage stood a heavy stone door, carefully moved aside by the team. Beyond it lay the main burial chamber.
The beams of their headlamps pierced the millennium-old darkness, instantly outlining a breathtaking scene.
The chamber was more massive than expected. The dome soared high, lacking intricate caisson ceilings but possessing an austere, imposing majesty. In the center rested a massive stone outer coffin. Its lid was exquisitely carved with mythical beasts like Suanni and Qilin, their lines powerful and vigorous, proclaiming the prestige of the tomb owner. Scattered around were numerous burial objects: rusted weapons and armor, decayed wooden chests, broken pottery jars, and scattered copper coins. Most striking was the half-human-height stone stele erected in front of the coffin—the epitaph.
"Look at the epitaph!" Su Wan was the first to rush over, her voice trembling with barely contained excitement. She carefully brushed dust off the surface and, using the headlamp light, scrutinized the carved text.
"...Great Ming Garrison General Huo, esteemed name Xiao... Loyalty and bravery piercing the sun, awe shaking the western frontiers... In the [certain] year of the Jiajing era, rebel chieftains invaded the borders. The General led a lone army, fought bloodily for days... Ultimately, due to exhausted reinforcements and strength, fell in the sea of sand... Remains returned and buried here, soul guarding the frontier..."
"Huo Xiao?" Qin Yuan frowned deeply, searching his memory rapidly. "A border general during the Jiajing era... Historical records about him are very brief, only mentioning he died in battle around Xinjiang. Never imagined he was buried so remotely, yet with such high specifications... 'Exhausted reinforcements and strength'..." He chewed on these four words, a heavy feeling arising within him.
"Captain, look at this!" Zhang Da Li discovered a long knife resting on a weapon rack among the burial goods beside the stone coffin. The scabbard was mostly rotten, revealing a blade within that still held a cold, faint gleam. Even after centuries, one could feel its intimidating sharpness. At the pommel was inlaid a peculiar dark red gemstone, shimmering with a deep light under the lamps.
Su Wan's gaze, however, was drawn to the other side of the stone coffin. There lay a bronze mirror about a foot in diameter. Its surface was covered in cracks, its edges bordered by ancient coiled dragon patterns, and the mirror knob was carved with a complex star chart. The mirror body was tilted, its face down on a stone slab inscribed with strange symbols and star patterns. An indescribable aura of antiquity and mystery emanated from this damaged bronze mirror and slab.
She involuntarily approached, her fingers stopping centimeters from the mirror's back. A faint, icy, electric sensation traveled up her fingertips, causing her heart to inexplicably palpitate. She noticed a small patch of dark brown, long-dried stain on the mirror's edge—it looked strikingly like congealed blood.
"Su Wan?" Qin Yuan noticed her strangeness.
"N-nothing." Su Wan withdrew her hand, suppressing the palpitation. "This bronze mirror and the slab... feel very special. The star chart symbols, I've never seen similar records before."
Chen Feng walked around the chamber with his instrument, his frown deepening. "Captain, the magnetic anomaly here is more pronounced. The readings are jumping wildly, and also... the air flow seems abnormal. It feels... 'stuffy,' like something is blocking it." He looked up at the high dome. "And, the sound of the wind and sand outside... seems to have stopped? It's too quiet."
An invisible pressure quietly spread through the cold chamber. It was as if countless eyes were watching these uninvited guests from the dark corners. The Suanni statues on the stone coffin seemed to turn ferocious under the swaying light.
Just then, Zhang Da Li's urgent voice came through the walkie-talkie, laden with harsh static:
"Captain! Bad! Sandstorm! A massive sandstorm! Coming from the northwest! Incredible speed! Outside... the sky's gone completely dark! Quick... quick..."
The voice cut off abruptly, leaving only a heart-stilling dial tone.
Almost simultaneously, a dull, thunderous roar, like ten thousand galloping horses, penetrated the thick rock walls and faintly reached the chamber. The entire chamber's floor began to tremble slightly! Fine dust rained down from the dome.
"The sandstorm is here!" Chen Feng's face changed dramatically. "From the sound, it's heading straight for us!"
"Everyone! Retreat to the deepest part of the chamber! Away from the entrance passage!" Qin Yuan decided instantly, shouting sharply. He pulled Su Wan, who was still studying the mirror, and quickly retreated to the relatively solid corner behind the stone coffin. The fate of the team members left outside with Zhang Da Li was unknown, but now, saving the people in the chamber was paramount!
The tremendous roar grew closer, like death roaring overhead. The chamber began to shake violently as if it might collapse at any moment! Fierce winds carrying sand and stones blasted into the chamber from the passage entrance like a high-pressure water gun, instantly reburying the newly cleared entrance! The headlamp beams became dim and distorted in the swirling sand and dust.
"Get down! Protect your heads!" Qin Yuan's voice was almost drowned out by the howling storm.
In this apocalyptic chaos, no one noticed—
The cracked bronze mirror, placed face down on the star-chart slab, began to shimmer faintly like breathing within its ancient patterns amidst the violent tremors and pervasive dust. Then, the star chart carved around the mirror knob seemed to be lit by an invisible force, tiny points of light igniting one by one, forming a profound and eerie pattern. The symbols on the slab beneath the mirror also simultaneously began to glow with a faint eerie blue light!
An invisible, irresistible energy field erupted from the mirror and slab, expanding rapidly!
Su Wan was clutching her head, lying prone on the ground. The small compass pendant around her neck began spinning wildly, erratically! An intense wave of dizziness seized her, as if her soul was being pulled from her body. She looked up in terror, her vision cutting through the flying sand, just catching sight of that mirror—though its face was down, the shimmering starlight from its back was bizarrely reflected onto the dark red gemstone on General Huo Xiao's long knife resting on the stone coffin. The gemstone seemed to burst into flame!
"That mirror..." Su Wan only managed half a cry of alarm.
The next moment, a blinding white light erupted from the location of the mirror and slab without warning! Instantly engulfing the entire chamber! The light was not warm, but carried an absolute, dimension-tearing coldness and dead silence! Qin Yuan, Su Wan, Chen Feng, and the other two team members, Xiao Liu and Xiao Wang, felt their bodies violently torn and stretched by an irresistible force. Their consciousness succumbed utterly into absolute light and absolute thunder...