The abyss seemed to connect directly to hell. Zhang Yuanqing fell for nearly two minutes without touching the bottom. The colder it got the deeper he went, the more pronounced the sealing force became. Fortunately, the power of the sun god remained unaffected, circulating within him and bringing warmth that dispelled the cold, slowing the progress of the seal. Finally, Zhang Yuanqing landed with a soft "plink," his feet pressing firmly onto the solid ice. Though there was no light at the bottom of the abyss, the night god's night vision allowed him to clearly perceive his surroundings. Beneath him lay a thick layer of ice; ahead was a cavern, whose walls, ceiling, and floor were all encrusted with a thick, solid layer of ice—like a mountain hawthorn wrapped in a sugar coating. His breathing grew even more distinct. At that moment, Xia Hou Aotian landed lightly, dressed in a dark red coat. "It's so cold," he said, "my body is nearly frozen." He kept his hands folded in his sleeves, trembling, savoring the warmth radiating from his coat, and glanced at Zhang Yuanqing beside him, straight-backed and composed, and remarked with a slightly stiff tone, "Still, the Day-Walking God is better—more robust." Zhang Yuanqing studied him. "You're wearing the fire master's coat and still feel cold?" "Even the props here have most of their functions sealed off... Hmm, this chill seems to originate from the Night-Endless occupation. But isn't the Five-Element Secret our second district's raid副本? Then why is it drawing power from the first district?" Xia Hou Ao Tian stomped his feet and rubbed his hands. "Those people sealed in the Abyss must have traveled to the second district in ancient times, where they acquired high-level sealing artifacts or materials," Zhang Yuanqing offered. A low, resonant voice from within the black iron ring urged, "This isn't a place for idle conversation—move quickly into the cavern." The old court official clearly cared about the Emperor's whereabouts. What exactly was the connection between him and the First Emperor? Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and led Xia Hou Aotian into the cavern. He was about to meet Bing Bo. The sound of his boots pressing against the solid ice echoed with a crisp "crunch." Xia Hou Aotian's palm glowed with a cluster of Samadhi True Fire, illuminating the dim surroundings. The cavern was deep and empty. After walking fifty or sixty meters, they finally reached the end. First catching their attention was a black stone sarcophagus displayed on a platform of ice, its surface thickly encrusted with frost. Next, a figure sat in meditation beside the sarcophagus—wearing camouflage trousers and a white shirt, his muscles well-developed and prominent. With a plain face, thick eyebrows, a high nose, and a slightly square jaw, he looked like a rugged, outdoorsy man. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt his throat constricted as if something were pressing against it, and his eyes grew unexpectedly moist. Xiaohou Aotian shifted his gaze from the coffin to the seated figure, surprised, "How is there a person here? A Lingjing Xingzhe matched to the Five Elements Secret Quest? He seems like either a seductive spirit-fauna or a fire specialist." Upon seeing Yuanshizhentian motionless as if carved from clay, Xiaohou stepped forward to examine him. Zhang Yuanqing's expression made Xiaohou pause, realizing something, and exclaimed, "Do you know him?" "I don't know him," Zhang Yuanqing replied coldly. Yet, despite this, he ignored the coffin and walked directly to the ice sculpture, gazing at it silently, remaining motionless. The ice sculpture sat still—without warmth, without breath, without any soul resonance. Zhang Yuanqing stared for a long time before finally turning his gaze back to the heavy coffin and said, "Now I'm going to remove the Liangren badge." He spoke this to the ring elder. The Qin dynasty physician remained silent for several seconds before responding, "Very well." "Xia Hou Ao Tian urged, "Hurry up—the fire is getting smaller. I feel like I'm walking bare-chested across the Arctic ice plain." His face had already turned pale and bluish. Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and retrieved the jade belt he had just stored away. As soon as the belt left the inventory, a suction force emerged from the ice-sealed sarcophagus, drawing the belt toward it. The colorful bronze belt instantly transformed into pure energy, passing through the ice shell and entering the sarcophagus. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing and Xia Hou Ao Tian instinctively became alert, bracing for the worst. As the five-colored energy flowed into the sarcophagus, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a faint mental fluctuation suddenly emerge—more precisely, one that had awakened. However, rather than erupting as expected, this mental presence remained subtle, lingering in a state of "drowsy," "half-asleep." Suddenly, a subtle spiritual ripple emanated from the coffin: "Who has brought my badge?" Neither Xue Hou Ao Tian nor the Qin dynasty court official embedded in the ring responded. Zhang Yuanqing cautiously replied, "Senior, it's me." Instantly, he clearly sensed the spiritual energy from within the coffin sweeping over him. "What is the current year and month?" The spiritual ripple within the coffin suddenly intensified. "It's January 2023—already 1,400 years since your era." Zhang Yuanqing did not treat the seemingly frail presence with indifference or dismissal. After all, the being within the coffin had only awakened a single consciousness. "2023... 2023..." the consciousness within the coffin murmured. It seemed deeply concerned about the year. Zhang Yuanqing perceptively sensed something was amiss. In the minds of such figures, the passage of time and the fleeting nature of moments were ordinary occurrences. Indeed, even if the world had transformed beyond recognition or been entirely destroyed, they would hardly have been surprised. The consciousness within the coffin conveyed a sense of vigor: "I've endured until the age of the new era has arrived. I've finally overcome time and awakened in an age where immortality is possible... though, alas, I still cannot make my way out." After a moment of self-dialogue, he calmed himself, his spirit stabilizing into stillness: "Young man, you've obtained my seal—this means you're destined. If your purpose is the treasures or artifacts, then you may depart; I can offer you nothing more." As Zhang Yuanqing was pondering how to begin, a vibrant and urgent surge of spirit flowed through Xiahou Aotian's jade ring: "You... are you the First Emperor?" The consciousness within the coffin replied: "The First Emperor? Hah, I am not he." "You're not he? You're not he!" The Qin dynasty court physician murmured, his tone a blend of joy and regret—relieved yet still yearning, deeply complex. Observing the court physician immersed in his emotions, Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and asked: "Are you the Tang Dynasty's Badian General?" "Was the Unfortunate Commander during the reign of the Female Emperor?" "Yes." "How did you come to grasp the secret of the Five Elements?" Zhang Yuanqing got straight to the point. The consciousness within the coffin responded gently: "I cannot disclose that." Where's the destined one, then? Zhang Yuanqing mentally groaned, shifting to ask: "Do you know anything about the fate of the First Emperor, or any news regarding him?" Regarding this question, the consciousness in the coffin replied only: "The First Emperor was the first person throughout history to comprehend the power of the Five Elements. As for his whereabouts, however, I have no knowledge." That's strange! According to the information from the 'Five Elements Chaos' quest, the transmission of the Five Elements' power occurs through 'seizing a host's body'—unless the Unfortunate Commander himself developed an understanding of the Five Elements' mysteries. Otherwise, he must have been displaced. That's not quite accurate. It should be: the Unfortunate Commander is merely his identity in the Tang Dynasty; he must have held that role before. So, if the Unfortunate Commander is not the First Emperor, then where is the First Emperor? Could it be that the five elements essence of the First Emperor is hidden somewhere in the Spiritual Realm, never discovered by anyone? But that's impossible. According to the Qin-era immortals, the First Emperor attained the rank of human immortal, and so did the General Li. Human immortals possess administrative authority. A complete administrative authority might allow the emergence of three or four early half-gods, but it could never produce three or four mid-stage half-gods—only up to two. With five current alliance chieftains in the present world, administrative authority in the Spiritual Realm should be held solely by the First Emperor. Unless the General Li is indeed the First Emperor, yet he refuses to acknowledge it. At this point, the Qin-era immortal sighed, "You are indeed not the Emperor. If you were, you would not hesitate to admit it. The First Emperor was both brilliant and self-assured, never inclined to lie." Ah? He's truly not the First Emperor? Then you're being too hasty, old man... Zhang Yuanqing found it hard to believe, though he placed greater trust in the Qin-era immortal. This visit to bring Xiahou Aotian here was motivated by the idea that "a family with an elder is like having a treasure." I'm worried that if I truly encounter the Unfortunate Marshal and find myself in the current situation, I might not be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Having an old, steadfast companion by my side brings more advantages than disadvantages. Without overthinking whether the Unfortunate Marshal is indeed the First Emperor, he asked: "Why were you sealed here?" "As I mentioned earlier, to outlive time and achieve immortality," the consciousness within the coffin instantly deepened, becoming solemn and weathered. "Since ancient times, even kings, generals, and commoners have all inevitably faced death—no matter how brilliant their talents or powerful their influence, they all eventually become dust. Throughout history, heroes have always pursued immortality, and I am no exception. At the height of my career, I journeyed overseas, where I acquired a priceless treasure capable of extending life. I brought it back to the Central Plains, commissioned artisans to shape it into this coffin, and sealed myself beneath the earth—until today." "The consciousness within the coffin spoke gently: 'Self-imposed seclusion cannot entirely halt the passage of time, but as a human immortal, my lifespan is long enough to keep pace with it. Those below the rank of human immortal will, even if they remain sealed here, turn into ice mummies within three centuries.' Hearing this, Xue Hou Ao Tian instinctively asked, 'This method isn't difficult—why did only you choose to journey overseas? Are all human immortals throughout history simply slow-witted?' The consciousness within the coffin, having not spoken to anyone in many years and now finally engaging in conversation, responded promptly: 'Because I received a divine decree from the Emperor of the Heavenly Realm, and thus discovered the secret to immortality.' The Emperor of the Heavenly Realm—again, the Emperor of the Heavenly Realm! Zhang Yuanqing's gaze grew slightly focused. The First Emperor, after establishing the ritual attire for celestial worship and performing the ceremony of sealing his reign on Mount Tai, received the divine decree from the Heavenly Emperor, thereby uncovering the secret to eternal life. Xue Hou Ao Tian, being straightforward, asked, 'What exactly is this Emperor of the Heavenly Realm?' 'Enough!' the Qin-era alchemist coldly interrupted. Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, gesturing for Xiahou Aotian to remain quiet, then thoughtfully asked, "Master, how did you communicate with the Heavenly Emperor?" The consciousness within the coffin replied, "By using the celestial ritual set left behind by the First Emperor." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of excitement and joy. The celestial ritual set had always been missing one piece—the crown, though he didn't know where it was located. With so many copies of the map and such complex coordinates, his uncle had taken a long time to find it. If he had to wait for the spiritual realm to assign it, it would be even more impossible. He immediately asked excitedly, "Master, do you know where the crown of the celestial ritual set is now?" While the general commander might not be aware of the crown's current whereabouts, having used it before, he could certainly provide some valuable clues. "I have been asleep for 1,400 years—how could I possibly know where the crown is today?" the consciousness in the coffin said, "In my time, the White Emperor's crown was the treasured artifact of the Sword Sect, the Shu Mountains." When I borrowed this divine artifact from the Shu Mountain, and assembled the complete set for the celestial sacrifice, I finally received the mandate from the Heavenly Sovereign. "Shu Mountain?" Zhang Yuanqing, upon hearing this sect for the first time, felt a sense of familiarity. A thought came to him—he remembered now. In the faction quest materials given to him by Fu Qingyang, there was a place called "Shu Mountain Nan Yuan." At that moment, the consciousness within the coffin began to fade, and the Unfavorable Commander seemed about to fall back into sleep. With the intention of harvesting every possible advantage, Zhang Yuanqing asked: "Master, who exactly is the Heavenly Sovereign? He imparted upon you the method for attaining immortality—did he also reveal the means by which you might free yourself?" "Younger brother, if you wish to know who the Heavenly Sovereign is, then gather the complete set of celestial sacrifice artifacts yourself. As for how I myself will be freed, that requires a specific moment—when the Sovereign of the Sun is born, and the ice layers are melted..." The voice from within the coffin gradually weakened, until it finally faded away. Xiahou Aotian called out several times, seeing His lashes were coated with frost, his lips blue and his face as pale as snow. His dark red coat was stiff with cold. "Go ahead," Zhang Yuanqing didn't move, speaking softly, "give me a few minutes." Xia Hou Ao Tian gritted his teeth: "You must be up within three minutes." With a flame of nirmānādhya, nearly fading but still burning, he stepped steadily toward the entrance of the cave. When the dim glow of that flame grew farther and finally vanished into darkness, Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside Lei Yibing. "Bro, you're not very fair, are you? I'm always playing games, scrolling through color pictures—living the life of a king. Yet you just keep sending me character cards, and now I'm practically ruined." "You never tell me anything. You just hide here, and I've been searching for you all this time, really hard. "I now have a girlfriend named Guan Ya. I also have another girlfriend named Xiao Yuan. Oh, and Jiang Yu E isn't my aunt—she's my childhood bride. Back then, we used to hide under the covers every day, watching artsy films on our MP4 players, dreaming of having a girlfriend and testing our ideals through practice. Now I have three wives, and you're nothing. "The battle between Order and Evil is drawing near. No matter whether I become the Lord of the Sun, you have a chance to break the seal and return to reality. I visited Aunt Zhou a few days ago, and she seemed ten years older. "I rose to the rank of Lord in under a year, while you still need three years—so I'm clearly the better one. When we go out, I'll be the one looking out for you. "To this day, I still don't know what exactly happened during the battle where the Mage King fell. "During all this rambling, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly noticed something odd about Bingge—his right hand was always tucked into his pants pocket, while his left hung naturally. Was there something in his right hand?"