Lu Yan, gripping the pot with blazing eyes, froze when his ears picked up a faint buzzing sound coming from below.
Lowering his gaze in that direction, his eyes widened as he realized he was standing at the center of a magic circle, formed by unknown golden characters.
Panicked, he tried to release the pot and step out of the circle. But no matter how hard he tried, his fingers would not let go. It was as if the bronze surface had a magnet—not one that attracted metal, but one that drew in human flesh.
"Damn it! My curiosity has led me to my death. But… this is so magical."
Accepting that he had gotten himself into an inescapable situation, Lu Yan began to marvel at the magnitude of that unreal scene.
It would have been better if he weren't the target.
"I have no regrets."
His heart was steady.
This predicament had been brought upon him by his own selfishness.
An expected consequence of trying to take an artifact from a strange tomb without any preparation.
Regretting it now, crying over spilled milk, never even crossed his mind.
"I seized a chance to change my life. If I had retreated and, in the future, someone else changed their life because of this, I would regret missing that opportunity. Now that I've tried, I have no regrets left."
That was Lu Yan's mindset, shaped over his nineteen years of life.
Having a famous father meant that expectations had been high since childhood. Many times, he failed to meet them, receiving looks of disappointment. A look that never came from his father, who always asked just one question:
"Did you give it your best? If you're truly giving it your all, then it's fine. Not everything in life is about winning. There will always be losses. We humans simply learn from our mistakes and use what we've learned to avoid repeating them."
Those words touched Lu Yan's heart, always pushing him to learn something new after every failure.
"I really wanted to study this circle… and this damn pot! What kind of suction ability is this?"
He wanted to uncover it.
"Ahh… damn it!"
Spitting on the ground, Lu Yan simply waited for what was to come.
About twenty seconds after the circle appeared beneath his feet, he saw the statue's eyes—two white spheres—glow gold. Then, the spear in its left hand began to move downward.
The motion wasn't fast, but slow and solemn.
Lu Yan watched without looking away.
Even though the spear showed nothing explicitly supernatural, the aura it emitted made him feel a strange sense of reverence, comparable to the rarest beauties of nature.
"What will happen when the blade touches the ground?"
He waited for that moment with his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.
Seconds that felt like eternity passed as the spear completed its descent. When the tip finally touched the ground, a sound similar to a drop of water falling echoed through the space.
A golden ripple spread across the circle, activating the characters and giving rise to a beautiful chant, like an ancient Taoist hymn.
That scene was the last thing Lu Yan saw before his vision darkened and his eyes grew heavy, overtaken by a sudden sleep.
"Now I can die happy. Old man… I hope the rest of your life is as joyful as this magical scene was for me."
Lu Yan had no other final thought beyond that. Before coming here, everyone knew he might die—including his father. Yet neither he nor the old man tried to stop him.
Because both understood how beautiful it was, for them, to contemplate the unknown.
With a satisfied smile, he fell into a deep sleep.
…
Profound Heaven Land, Eastern Continent.
Tai Huang Cave.
Located within the Extreme Mountain Range, it was an opening hidden in a mountain of gray soil that resembled a massive chunk of coal.
The cave had borne that name since ancient times. Its true meaning was unknown, but many experts deduced it came from being formed during the Extreme Desolate Era, thus inheriting the characters "Tai Huang."
Inside Tai Huang Cave, there was nothing remarkable. Just a narrow corridor leading to an empty circular area. For thousands of years, nothing had happened there.
Except today.
In that place forgotten by God—and by the inhabitants of nearby regions—a circle formed at the center.
The characters within it, golden like living ink, shone intensely with a light so bright it would instantly blind any ordinary human.
After a few minutes, the glow began to fade. The golden color dimmed, turning white as snow before disappearing completely.
When the circle vanished, a naked young man with short black hair, well-defined features, and rough skin marked by calluses appeared on the ground. His body displayed dense musculature, with visible veins. In his hands, he still held a bronze pot.
It was Lu Yan.
At that moment, he began to regain consciousness and his five senses.
Feeling something hard and cold beneath his back, he immediately curled up. Then, crossing his arms over his chest, he reacted to the biting cold against his exposed skin.
"What is going on?"
Confused, he opened his eyes to observe his surroundings, but could see nothing but darkness.
Taking a step forward—
"Agh!"
He cried out as his shin scraped against something rigid, feeling a sharp pain for an instant. When the numbness faded, he extended his arm forward and touched something solid.
Grasping the object, he lifted it, realizing it weighed around twenty kilograms. Running his hand across its surface, he recognized the texture and smiled faintly.
It had the shape of a ceramic planting pot—similar to the bronze pot.
He hadn't noticed earlier, as the cold had made him instinctively drop the artifact.
"That circle transported me… along with the pot."
Lu Yan reached that conclusion quickly, unsure whether to feel relieved or annoyed.
The good news was that he hadn't died—and the mysterious pot was still with him. The bad news was that he was in a completely unknown place, trapped in a dark tunnel with no visibility at all.
"Is this the mysterious land where Qin Shi Huang came in search of immortality?"
At that thought, his emotions stirred again with excitement.
His archaeologist spirit called him to explore those unknown lands, uncover the mysteries of immortality, and, above all, reveal the true origin of the Tai Huang Tomb.
"Things are getting interesting in my life."
With a light laugh, Lu Yan began to move carefully through the area, carrying the bronze pot, trying to find a wall to guide himself out.
After a few steps, he found one about three meters ahead. He began to follow it, realizing he was at the center of a circular structure.
After making a full turn, he found a narrow opening and slipped through it.
Walking for about a kilometer, he finally spotted a light at the end of the tunnel.
Quickening his pace, he covered the remaining distance and exited the cave.
As he emerged and lifted his eyes to the sky, he froze.
Before him, nine suns shone in the heavens...