Chapter 855: Year

As Han Zhong died, the surrounding lush green grass instantly withered, leaving only a pile of dry yellow stalks. Just moments ago, the area was vibrant with life, but now, only a desolate silence remained. Even the well-traveled and knowledgeable group couldn't help but sigh in awe.

Zu'an couldn't help but grumble, "That Han Zhong was so cryptic. Aside from uttering a bunch of scary words to create a terrifying atmosphere, he didn't provide any meaningful information."

Mi Li also frowned deeply; Han Zhong's words had cast a shadow over her heart.

Bi Linglong, meanwhile, secretly observed Mi Li. She was extremely curious about this mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared. She had a million questions for Zu'an, but with Mi Li present, she really didn't know how to begin.

Just then, a rumbling sound of collapse suddenly echoed from inside the temple.

The group quickly went inside to investigate. They found many statues in the temple toppled over, and a large hole had appeared in the ground where the main deity's statue stood. That particular statue had fallen straight down.

"Over the long years, Han Zhong's irises must have grown everywhere, even deep into the temple's foundations. Now that he's dead, these strange plants have withered and can no longer support the statues' weight, causing localized collapses," Mi Li analyzed.

"Oh, what's that shiny thing down there?" Bi Linglong, with her sharp eyes, exclaimed, pointing at the hole below.

The others quickly looked and saw that the statue had broken into two pieces. Its head had fallen off to the side and seemed to be staring coldly at them, making for a very eerie sight. However, at this moment, no one was focused on that, but rather on the glowing object.

Also fallen with the statue was the giant tortoise base. Now, its shell had cracked open, and a ring of light was emanating from both sides of its body.

Mi Li glanced at Zu'an. "Go and open it to see."

Zu'an was somewhat speechless. "With your cultivation, breaking open this stone tortoise would be effortless, wouldn't it?"

"When the master has a task, the disciple performs it," Mi Li snorted. "Besides, your body is trained to be so strong; you should use it for tasks like this to expend some energy, lest you spend all day overthinking."

Zu'an was speechless.

Bi Linglong, standing nearby, also blushed slightly. Although she had been poisoned earlier, her memory hadn't faded, and she still remembered his exaggerated reaction when she had flirted with him.

Helpless, Zu'an had no choice but to go and open the stone tortoise. Although the stone tortoise was made of hard material, his current physical strength was extraordinary. He didn't even need to use his vital energy; he simply used his physical might to pry open the shell along the crack.

Inside, many perfectly round luminous pearls were neatly arranged. Each was so large that it was difficult to hold it in one hand. Even though Bi Linglong was accustomed to treasures in the imperial palace, she had never seen so many top-grade luminous pearls arranged together before. She also sensed strange auras emanating from them, which immediately marked them as extraordinary.

Zu'an picked one up and felt it. "It doesn't contain any vital energy of heaven and earth, but a very strange aura. I wonder what it's for."

"Ignorant," Mi Li snorted. "Let me teach you something today. Legend has it that the dragon has nine sons, one of whom is the Tuolong. Its hide can be used to make drums, and its roar can travel for a hundred li. The Tuolong lives for ten thousand years and eventually sheds its shell to become a dragon. This shell has eighty-one ribs, corresponding to the number of 'nine nines returning to one,' and there is a large pearl within the central section of each rib.

"These large pearls are very difficult to form. If the ribs haven't fully grown, it cannot shed its shell or become a dragon. If it's captured and its hide is used to make a drum, no pearls will grow in its ribs either. Only when all eighty-one ribs have fully grown, with each section containing a pearl, can it shed its shell and transform into a dragon and depart."

"The previous two lines of text mentioned ten-thousand-year tortoise marrow. I never expected it to be real."

Bi Linglong quickly counted them and indeed found exactly eighty-one pearls. She couldn't help but gaze at Mi Li in admiration. Initially, she had somewhat disliked the woman in red, always feeling that she was too aggressive and not particularly friendly towards her. However, what Mi Li had just said was completely new to her, and the confidence and composure radiating from Mi Li's face as she recounted these details completely captivated her.

"A Tuolong?" Zu'an was somewhat startled. "That creature can live for ten thousand years? Speaking of which, even dragons in this world don't live that long, do they? What are these pearls used for? Are they some kind of innate magical treasure?"

"I don't know," Mi Li shook her head. "The Tuolong is only a legend; no one has ever truly seen one, so naturally, no one knows what these pearls are for. Keep them for now; perhaps there will be an opportunity to use them in this secret realm."

Zu'an nodded, and silently stored the eighty-one pearls in his spatial storage. He thought to himself that while the legend sounded mystical, these pearls still paled in comparison to his own Glazed Glass Pearls.

Just then, Bi Linglong gasped, "There's a stone tablet over here!"

Everyone turned back and indeed found a toppled stone tablet in a corner. Some characters were faintly engraved on it.

"You're quite a lucky star, girl; you always discover useful things first." Mi Li smiled at her, then walked over to the stone tablet.

Bi Linglong blushed. Having experienced so much recently, her former pride had shattered. Moreover, seeing how formidable Mi Li was, she felt an inexplicable sense of urgency. Therefore, she wouldn't miss any opportunity to prove her worth.

Zu'an also came over to the stone tablet. He saw that many characters on the tablet were blurred, with only one sentence barely legible: "...Left Azure Dragon, Mengzhang Jiayin; Right White Tiger, Jianbing Jiashen; Vermilion Bird above, Lingguang Jiawu; Black Tortoise below, Zhiming Jiazi; the Moon as a noble enters the center..."

"Huh, what does that mean?" He felt as if he was back in a classroom from his previous life, studying subjects like analog circuits and engineering electromagnetics — it was all Greek to him.

Mi Li's expression shifted. "So that's it, so that's it."

"Why don't you explain it then?" Zu'an said with a wry face, looking at her.

"Hmph, you don't even call me 'Master'," Mi Li grumbled. However, she still explained, "The Jiayin year, Jiazi day, at midnight of the Zi hour, is both the Winter Solstice and the moment of the new moon. According to the Qin Dynasty's calculations of the sun and moon cycles, calendrical experts believed that such a moment would only reappear after 4,560 years. No wonder this secret realm suddenly appeared; it turns out we've just hit the day when another 4,560 years have passed."

"4,560 years..." Zu'an swallowed. "My goodness, this secret realm only opens once every 4,560 years! Our luck is absolutely insane!"

Bi Linglong, however, turned pale. "What will happen if we can't leave this secret realm soon?"

Mi Li glanced at her approvingly. "This girl is clear-headed. The secret realm's opening period clearly won't be very long. If you can't get out in time, you'll only have another chance after another 4,560 years."

Zu'an was speechless.

Damn it, if he could bring Chu Yan, Manman, and the others here, he wouldn't mind staying for a while longer. But in his current state, he certainly didn't want to be trapped here for over 4,000 years.

"What about the rest of the text then?" Zu'an braced himself, not daring to waste any more time.

"The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise are the Four Symbols, representing four constellations in the sky. Among them, the Azure Dragon is also known as Mengzhang Zhenjun, the White Tiger as Jianbing, the Vermilion Bird as Lingguang, and the Black Tortoise as Zhiming. These lines should refer to corresponding times and directions... Hmm, but what exactly they correspond to, we can't infer due to the missing parts of the inscription."

Zu'an said gravely, "Then we should hurry on our way and see if we can find corresponding information elsewhere."

"Alright, let's try to reach the highest immortal island soon. Vast secrets should be hidden in that palace complex, and the key to leaving this place should also be there." Mi Li looked up at the magnificent palace vaguely visible in the sky, and that strange expression reappeared on her face.

Zu'an leaned in and nudged her shoulder. "Do you have some unspeakable secret? Please don't keep it to yourself and bear it alone. Tell me, and I can help you solve it. I'm quite capable, you know."

Having watched so many melodramatic TV dramas in his previous life, and realizing Mi Li's unusual behavior, he naturally wanted to nip any potential troubles in the bud.