"Impossible... absolutely impossible..."

"This makes no sense..."

His thoughts became chaotic, refusing to settle down.

Suddenly, the words from the golden box flashed in his mind.

"A man without a sword..."

Ye Chen’s expression stiffened.

Then, slowly, realisation dawned on him.

His expression cracked.

"You... you mean THAT?!"

No sword? He really lost it!

No weakness—because there was nothing left to be attacked.

"... You’ve got to be kidding me."

Ye Chen stood there in stunned silence for a second before his expression completely darkened.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU MEANT?!"

In pure anger, he clenched the golden box and slammed it onto the ground with force.

Clang!

The sharp sound echoed loudly in the empty hall.

"Trash! Absolute trash!"

"What kind of nonsense treasure is this?!"

His chest rose and fell as he forced himself to calm down because of the impending threat to his life. His eyes shifted back toward the sarcophagus.

There was still one more item.

The old scroll.

"That one has to be the real thing," he muttered, still clinging to the last bit of hope.

He picked it up quickly and opened it.

Then paused.

His brows slowly tightened.

"...What is this?"

The scroll was filled with ancient text, symbols he couldn’t recognise at all.

Not a single word made sense.

Ye Chen stared at it for several seconds before his expression stiffened again.

"Are you serious right now?"

His voice, still clearly different from before, only made his expression even worse.

"Why is this written in some ancient language? Where am I supposed to find someone to translate this right now?"

He clenched the scroll tightly, frustration building again.

At this point, everything felt ridiculous.

The pill had indeed done something supernatural, but not in the way he wanted. It didn’t give him strength, speed, or any ability that could help him survive.

It only changed his... F*cking gender?!!!

"Yes... It’s supernatural," he gritted his teeth, "but where are the powers?"

"No strength boost. No flight. Nothing useful."

The chamber fell quiet again.

In the distance, faint tremors could still be felt. Zhu Shan was getting closer.

But Ye Chen didn’t move.

His expression gradually dulled.

He slowly sat down on the ground, staring blankly ahead.

"...What should I do?"

He looked at his hands, then down at his sexy body again.

"...What’s the point of living..."

His voice came out low and hollow.

"...if I’m not even a man anymore?"

***

At the same time, on the floor below—

Zhu Shan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the massive python in front of him. His expression carried a trace of curiosity rather than fear, as if he were examining something mildly interesting instead of facing a dangerous creature.

"I never knew snakes could grow this big..." he said calmly. Then he shook his head slightly. "Anyway, this is over."

The python hissed and lunged forward, its enormous body moving with surprising speed.

Zhu Shan didn’t step back.

He raised his arm and struck.

His fist came down directly on the python’s head.

*Boom!*

That impact was heavy and direct. The python’s head slammed into the ground, the force cracking the stone beneath it. The surface caved slightly, and a web of fractures spread outward.

The python’s skull was crushed instantly.

Its body still twisted and coiled, the tail thrashing violently for a few seconds before gradually losing strength.

Zhu Shan glanced at it briefly and said, "It’s dead."

The remaining movement was nothing more than a muscle reflex.

Behind him, the gunmen watched in silence for a moment before one of them spoke. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"As expected of Mr Zhu... he’s so amazing."

The others nodded slightly, their expressions carrying clear respect for this elder.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t act, but Zhu Shan had stopped them earlier. He had shown interest in handling the python himself, and none of them dared to interfere.

Zhu Shan didn’t respond to the flattery, outwardly. His face remained calm, almost indifferent.

But inwardly, he felt quite satisfied. After all, only in the secular world could he have the chance to show off.

He waved his hand casually. "Collect the body."

"Yes, Mr Zhu."

The gunman nodded without hesitation. Along the way, Zhu Shan had already made them gather the strange fish and the scorpions earlier, so this order didn’t surprise him.

Zhu Shan stepped closer to the python’s body and looked at it carefully.

A faint anticipation appeared in his eyes.

’Haha. This is good... very good.’

His thoughts shifted quietly.

’If I remember correctly. Elder Song likes snake soup...’

The image of her came to his mind naturally.

That calm and dignified face, which always seemed distant.

Zhu Shan’s expression softened just slightly.

’If I bring back such a rare python and invite her to dinner... she shouldn’t refuse, right?’

The thought made him feel unexpectedly pleased.

For a moment, the mysterious tomb and the pursuit itself seemed less important.

’Good thing I came personally,’ he thought. ’If I had sent a disciple instead, I would have missed this rare ingredient.’

His mood improved noticeably.

Behind him, a few gunmen finished checking the surroundings and walked over.

"Mr Zhu," one of them reported, "there’s no visible exit in this room."

Zhu Shan returned to his usual calm demeanour and nodded.

He glanced at the stone pillar nearby.

"Earlier, the snake tried to climb that," he said. "The path should be above."

His gaze shifted to the python again, briefly observing the injuries.

"The wounds on its head and the blood in its mouth show that those two encountered it earlier," he added. "They couldn’t kill it, so they escaped upward."

The logic was simple and clear.

"Let’s go," Zhu Shan said. "This tomb should be nearing its end."

Without waiting, he stepped forward and climbed onto the stone structure, covering height in just a few breaths.

The gunmen followed immediately.

They slung their weapons behind their backs and began climbing after him, one after another.