The moment the golden gates swung open, a wave of searing air laced with the tang of rust hit them, as if an ancient behemoth that had slumbered for millennia had just opened its eyes. Chen Jiuzhang's Celestial Master Talisman began to vibrate violently, resonating with the hovering bronze compass to produce a clear chime. Their combined lights intertwined, forming a golden bridge that extended straight towards the resplendent palace in the distance. The phoenix sculptures on the palace eaves glowed with a cold, eerie light, and their tail feathers fluttered spontaneously, even though there was no wind. The golden powder that fell from them ignited into flames upon touching the ground.
"The opulence here could blind my diamond-hard eyes!" Zhang Chengying held up his broken peachwood sword defensively, the remaining parts of his electric bike still clattering noisily. Shen Qingluan's fingertips brushed against the fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal. Suddenly, the fragment burst into a blinding light, shooting straight towards the depths of the palace. "Jiuzhang, something is calling to it..."
Before she could finish, the ground erupted with a deafening crash, and eight dragon-coiled pillars shot up from the earth. The dragons coiled around the pillars had scales that glowed with a bloody sheen, and their eyes burned with Blue （幽蓝） flames. With a thunderous roar, scalding dragon's breath cascaded down like a waterfall. Wu Laogou whipped out his "Tui Bei Tu" (Book of Prophecy), and the talismans formed a barrier in the air. However, the moment the dragon's breath touched them, they turned into a shower of burning ashes.
Su Nian's chain flashed through the air, attempting to entangle the dragon pillars, but it warped and twisted from the intense heat. "Their attacks sync with the movement of the star map!" she exclaimed, gazing at the constantly shifting star map beneath their feet. Suddenly, her pupils constricted— the celestial phenomenon "Mars Confronting the Heart of the Sky," which signified calamity, was taking shape on the map. Chen Jiuzhang followed her gaze, his palm gripping the Broken Snake Saber so tightly that blood seeped out. "We must break the puzzle before the celestial phenomenon is complete!"
In the nick of time, the bronze compass floated above Chen Jiuzhang's head. Its needle spun wildly, tracing a golden path on the star map. Following the path, they discovered an altar at the center of the palace, upon which a bronze tripod engraved with twin fish patterns was slowly rising. The light emanating from the tripod resonated with the birthmark on Chen Jiuzhang's chest, sending searing pain from his heart throughout his body.
"Use blood as the key, and the talisman as the lock," the voice of the cloaked man echoed through the space, with a metallic, rasping quality. "But the price of opening it is facing your deepest fears." Chen Jiuzhang looked at his companions: Shen Qingluan's pale face was filled with trust, Zhang Chengying grinned with blood-stained teeth, Su Nian nodded firmly while gripping her chain, and Wu Laogou silently lit his pipe.
Grimacing, he sliced his palm. As his blood dripped onto the tripod's lid, the Celestial Master Talisman flew into the groove on its own. The bronze tripod opened with a loud rumble, revealing a half-piece of jade pendant inscribed with ancient oracle bone inscriptions. The moment Chen Jiuzhang touched the pendant, a flood of memories overwhelmed him— images of his second uncle being hunted by a mysterious organization, the ancient artifacts slumbering within the Returning Abyss Secret Realm, and... the realization that his own birthmark was the key to unlocking the final seal!
"What a touching scene!" The mocking laughter of Watanabe Miyuki suddenly rang out. The illusory form of the Eight-Headed Serpent emerged from the ground, its body coiling around the dragon pillars. Each scale shimmered with an evil purple light. "Too bad your adventure ends here!" The palace began to crumble under the serpent's might, and burning beams rained down. A life-or-death battle was about to commence.