System: Infinite Evolution into Qilin Bloodline

"Our car was hit by ice that rolled down from the mountain!"

After getting out of the car to check, the driver loudly reminded everyone, "The car won't start now; we need to fix it first."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the car got out, and the other cars in the procession also stopped, with everyone getting out and waiting on the side.

Zhang Hao glanced at the damaged area on the car; the roof was dented and the windows were covered in cracks.

Looking to the side, there was a crystal-clear, uniquely shaped ice sculpture about the size of a bucket under the car.

The ice sculpture shimmered slightly in the cold wind, its shape far exceeding anyone's imagination.

It is not a simple geometric shape, but a lifelike animal image with many slender and curved legs. At first glance, most people's first reaction is to mistake it for the legendary multi-legged creature, the centipede.

"Strange, why would someone carve a centipede and put it on a mountain?"

The fat man slowly approached the ice block that had smashed the car and said, "I've never heard of a custom in Northeast China of worshipping centipedes as gods!"

Zhang Qilin glanced at the ice under the car and said, "These are not centipedes, but centipedes. They are sacred objects of the Eastern Xia Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, the fat man asked in confusion, "Brother, are you referring to the Eastern Xia Kingdom, which remains a mystery to this day?"

"Ah."

The Eastern Xia Kingdom was a mysterious regime located in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China, sandwiched between the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Legend has it that they worshipped nature and gods, and would hold sacrificial ceremonies to pray for divine protection before making any major decisions.

The most amazing thing is that this country has only young people and no elderly people.

There are many speculations in the academic community about this matter. Some say it is because of the harsh living environment and short lifespan. Others say it is because of food shortages, and people send the elderly to the mountains to fend for themselves after they reach a certain age.

Even more outrageous is the claim that the people of Dongxia Kingdom have mastered the secret to immortality, allowing everyone to remain forever young.

However, because the historical records left by the Eastern Xia Kingdom are scarce, neither of these claims can be verified.

Zhang Hao knew, of course, that the last explanation was the most credible.

The emperor of the Eastern Xia Kingdom was the King of Wannu. Legend has it that he was a monster who crawled up from underground. Every time he was about to die, he would enter the bronze door and emerge from it again as a young man.

As for what happened inside the bronze door, there are many speculations, and the specific methods used can only be known by entering the bronze door.

According to Zhang Qilin, centipedes are sacred objects of the Eastern Xia Kingdom. Since centipede ice sculptures have appeared here, it means that the group has now entered the territory of the ancient Eastern Xia Kingdom.

"Rumble..."

While Zhang Hao and his group were waiting, a line of powerful off-road vehicles drove up from the foot of the mountain.

One after another, like steel behemoths, roared and shattered the silence of the air. They rampaged along the mountain road, showing no sign of slowing down even when they encountered Zhang Hao's convoy. In the blink of an eye, they passed Zhang Hao and his group and headed up the mountain.

"Holy crap, where did this convoy come from? They're so arrogant!"

The fat man pointed at the departing convoy and cursed.

Looking in the direction up the mountain, Xie Xiaohua said, "I just saw that those cars were full of foreigners. What do you think their purpose is in going up the mountain?"

Fourth Grandfather frowned and said, "A bunch of ignorant brats. Those foreigners are obviously mercenaries. They only dared to come in because this is near the border. It seems that some foreign forces are coveting the things in the Heavenly Palace."

Zhang Hao smiled and said, "I saw Aning sitting in the lead car just now. Her boss, Jude Kao, must also want to find a way to achieve immortality, so he sent her here."

"It's her. This woman hasn't been around for a while. I didn't expect to run into her here. If she dares to try and take anything from Fatty, I'll make her pay."

Just then, another roar came from down the mountain, and a short while later another convoy of off-road vehicles drove by.

"What day is it today? Why is another group going up the mountain?"

"Is the car fixed yet? If this continues, we'll be left with nothing, trailing behind the other teams."

The fat man was getting increasingly anxious as he watched one group after another head into the mountains.

"What's there to be afraid of? The Snake-Eyebrow Bronze Fish is in our hands, and we have the correct route map. We'll be faster than them no matter what."

Fourth Master paid no attention to the previous teams. He had studied the Snake-Eyebrow Bronze Fish for decades and knew that cracking its secrets would not be so simple.

If even those with the Snake-Eyebrow Bronze Fish find it so difficult, it would be almost impossible for those without it or a proper map to find the entrance to the Heavenly Palace in the vast snow-capped mountains.

After hearing what Fourth Grandfather said, Fatty's mood finally calmed down a bit.

"Fourth Grandfather is right. Besides, there are so many traps and mechanisms in the ancient tomb. What use are those mercenaries? A slightly stronger zombie can wipe them all out."

It's not uncommon for several factions to share a single tomb.

Many forces had previously visited the Lu Palace, but all of them were ultimately wiped out.

On that occasion, Aning also brought a group of foreign mercenaries in, but in the end, he was the only one left alive after encountering a blood corpse. If it weren't for Zhang Hao and the others, Aning would not have been able to get out of the maze.

This time she led another group to the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds, and the result will not be better than before.

Zhang Hao and his group waited by the roadside for more than an hour before the car was repaired. They then got back into the car and continued their journey up the mountain.

The roads on the Changbai Mountains end halfway up the mountain, and once you reach that point, you have to hike.

When Zhang Hao and his team arrived, there were already more than a dozen off-road vehicles parked at the end of the road.

They got off the bus and started hiking.

Wusheng Mountain is not actually a single mountain peak, but rather a combination of five peaks in the Changbai Mountains.

Legend has it that in ancient times, when Da Yu was passing by to control the floods, he used a divine sword to split the snow mountain, which is how the Five Sacred Mountains came to be. They are the First, Second, and Third Sacred Mountains, the Great Sacred Mountain, and the Small Sacred Mountain.

The mountain's structure and orientation all share the same origin; the underground portion is actually the same mountain peak.

The hidden route map inside the Snake-Eyebrow Bronze Fish indicates that each sacred mountain has a mausoleum path leading to the Great Sacred Mountain. This means that entering any of the sacred mountains allows one to access another sacred mountain from underground, thus finding the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top.

This secret information is something that other forces do not have access to, which is also an advantage for Zhang Hao and his team.

After a long and arduous journey through the snow-covered mountains, the group finally arrived at the majestic, snow-covered Xiaosheng Mountain five or six hours later.

According to their plan, they were to find the entrance here to enter the underground, pass through the mausoleum passage, and finally enter the Great Sage Mountain to find the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top.