"Hurry up, stop dawdling!" Zhang Haike scolded his sister, Zhang Haixing, with an authoritative tone that left no room for argument. With her head lowered, Zhang Haixing quickened her steps but couldn't resist glancing back at Zhang Qiming. Seeing this, Zhang Haike gave an irritated huff, shot her a sharp glare, and pulled her along forcefully.

"Wow, the air is thick with jealousy here," Zhang Nian joked sarcastically, watching with amusement. However, his smile froze the moment he noticed the cold glint of the knife in Zhang Qiming's hand. Memories of past encounters came rushing back to him, and he quickly shut his mouth.

The group reached the edge of a cliff, where the chilling wind from the abyss below carried an air of desolation and heroism. The "Young Master" stared into the bottomless ravine, a place that had haunted his childhood. As a blood slave, he had been imprisoned here; if not for the old clan leader helping him escape, he might have died in this place long ago. This cliff was not only his nightmare but also the old clan leader's resting place. Years ago, the old leader had brought him here, leaping into the abyss to confront the traitors in a final battle, while the Young Master managed to find a cave, his only chance for survival.

Now, standing here once more, he had a single thought in mind—to find the Heavenly Staff.

"You all can still turn back; freeing the wild spirits is your task. There's no need to follow me to your deaths," he said calmly, his voice resolute and indifferent to life and death. Without waiting for a response, he leaped gracefully off the cliff, like an eagle spreading its wings, grasping the chains suspended from the cliff.

Zhang Qiming followed closely, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety swirling within him. His longing for answers about his parents' fate matched the Young Master's yearning to know his origins. As an orphan, he had endured mockery and scorn for years, and he deserved an explanation.

"Let's go," Zhang Haike said in a low voice. Though the Young Master had warned them of the danger, he had come this far and uncovered so many family secrets. His pride wouldn't allow him to turn back now. The others shared his determination and followed him down.

The bottom of the abyss was deathly silent. The dark soil seemed to devour all life, and in this eerie desolation, white skeletal remains lay scattered, telling of a tragic and brutal clan conflict. Zhang Qiming walked ahead, each step heavy with the weight of what might have happened here. What disaster could have turned this place into a land of death?

The Young Master led them deeper into the abyss. Zhang Nian crouched to pull out a clay jar half-buried in the ground.

"If you don’t want to die, don’t touch it," Zhang Qiming warned him sharply. Zhang Nian froze, not daring to move.

"This is the heart of Sifang City," the Young Master said, pointing to a massive black ship in the distance. This area had once been a river channel, but mudslides had blocked it, leaving only this broken, slanted ship half-buried in the soil. As they moved closer to the ship, they saw that the ground was dark, like it contained a peculiar mineral, and white bones littered the earth. The closer they got to the ship, the denser the bones became.

"What kind of catastrophe could have driven the last clan leader to set up such a deadly trap with his own life?" Zhang Qiming wondered aloud, feeling a profound sense of sadness as he stepped onto this ground.

"Is it possible that my parents died here?" The thought hit Zhang Qiming hard. The sheer number of bones made it impossible to check each one. He still held hope that his parents had survived, but the scattered bones hinted at the ferocity of the battle that had taken place here. His parents weren’t as powerful as the clan leader—could they have survived?

"Don’t think too much, Zhang Qiming. Your parents may not have been here at all," Zhang Haixing reassured him. Zhang Qiming nodded, steeling himself to continue.

The Young Master, though silent, understood Zhang Qiming's pain but couldn't offer much comfort. He had been just a child during the uprising and didn’t know what Zhang Qiming’s parents looked like.

"This isn’t your fault; you’re a victim too," Zhang Qiming said, meeting the Young Master’s gaze. The Young Master nodded slightly and pointed to the broken ship.

"That’s the clan leader’s ship. If he meant to set a trap, the Heavenly Staff must be there."

They all looked toward the shattered vessel. The black ship lay in two sections, half-buried in the soil, like a gravestone. A sinister, ominous feeling began to grow within them.

"Look, there are more family members' bodies here," Zhang Haixing said, her oil lamp illuminating the corpses. Zhang Qiming felt a mixture of emotions. Zhang Haike approached them.

"This must be the first time you’ve shown concern for someone outside our immediate family," he remarked. Zhang Haixing scratched her head, sensing something odd about his words but unsure what.

Zhang Qiming couldn’t make out any distinctive features of the corpses. The place was too perilous, leaving no time for careful identification. Every second increased the risk of death.

"Let’s board the ship and help the Young Master retrieve the Heavenly Staff. Once we’re back, all secrets will be revealed," Zhang Qiming said, rallying everyone. He and the Young Master readied grappling hooks and climbed onto the ship.

On board, the atmosphere was even more terrifying. The skeletons, now a dark brown, were dried and shriveled, with hollow eye sockets staring ominously.

"These were all elite warriors, and the lack of wounds suggests they committed suicide with poison," the Young Master analyzed. "Find the Heavenly Staff quickly, and let’s leave."

The group scattered, searching every corner for the staff. Zhang Qiming kept an eye out for unique skeletal features, relieved to find none with damaged hand bones. Meanwhile, he came across valuable artifacts—emerald rings, agate pendants, gold earrings, and even a pair of high-quality jade bracelets.

"Even in battle, the Zhang clan’s members were decked out in treasures," Zhang Qiming murmured, stowing the items away.

Just then, Zhang Haixing called out from the bow of the ship, "I found something!"

They gathered around to find a group of Zhang clan bodies shielding a mysterious object covered in oilcloth. Zhang Haixing was about to cut it open when Zhang Qiming stopped her.

"What if there's a zombie inside?" he teased, causing Zhang Haixing to shiver.

"A… zombie?" she stammered. Even as a top fighter in the clan, she’d only heard stories of zombies from elders and books. If the body beneath the cloth was the former clan leader, its power as a zombie would be terrifying.

"I’ll do it," Zhang Jiuri volunteered, eager to impress his idol, who was watching nearby.

"Lame," Zhang Qiming muttered, revealing his joke had been to lighten the mood. Realizing this, Zhang Haixing punched him in the shoulder, drawing smiles from the others.

Zhang Jiuri, steady-handed, slowly sliced open a slit in the cloth. Everyone held their breath—any misstep here could be fatal. A few seconds passed without incident, and they all exhaled in relief.

"Geez, I thought…" Zhang Nian started, but just then, a silver needle shot out from the oilcloth slit, piercing Zhang Haixing’s lamp before heading straight for Zhang Jiuri's face. He couldn’t dodge in time, but the Young Master, standing beside him, caught the needle deftly between his fingers.

"The needle’s poisoned. Be on guard," the Young Master warned, exuding a commanding aura that left Zhang Jiuri awestruck. Although no one was hurt, everyone eyed the cloth warily.

Without warning, the entire ship shook violently as another trap triggered, setting objects on board sliding and a heavy crate tumbling to the center.

"This is a balance trap! If the ship becomes unbalanced, it will kill everyone onboard!"