As a result, Zhang Haike used his own strategy to carry out explosions every two hours. These explosions not only failed to draw the “Dumb Oil Bottle” over, but instead triggered the mechanisms above the entire ancient city.

Zhang Haike said, “After the ancient city was submerged, the local government not only did not excavate it, but instead built a lake and dam over the ruins of the ancient city, injecting a large amount of mercury into the silt above the ancient city to seal it off, which was quite bizarre.

“At that time, some speculated that the flood that suddenly struck the ancient city was not a natural disaster, but rather that someone wanted to bury some secret within this ancient city, completely sealing it away.

“After injecting the mercury, they poured in a mixture of clay, completely enclosing the area wrapped in mercury.”

Zhang Haike and his group used explosives deep underground in the ancient region, disrupting the balance of sand and stone inside the ancient city. As a result, the entire ancient city collapsed, and numerous cracks appeared on the clay layer that had covered it, releasing steam and killing all the plants on the surface.

The “Dumb Oil Bottle” had already exited the ancient city at that time and discovered these circumstances, which led to the story previously told by the big golden tooth.

After hearing everything Zhang Haike said, my mind felt a bit overwhelmed. Zhang Haike then added, “This is something your friend once did.”

“And then he rescued you?” I asked.

Zhang Haike nodded, “Yes, but of course the process wasn’t as simple as you might think. If I were to tell it, it would be quite an exciting story, but first, we already know the secrets beneath the ancient city; second, although many things are intriguing, you two are quite experienced in this field, and those strange and bizarre things might not pique your interest. So I’ll skip over that part. After he rescued us, he separated from us. Later, when we accidentally met in the family, we didn’t talk much. You know, he became more powerful and his status rose higher and higher, soon reaching a level where we could no longer communicate, and from then on, we lost contact.”

“Just a side note,” the fat man asked at this moment, “You said it was during the Republic of China, Boss, you were fifteen at that time, how old are you now?”

“To ask someone’s age is a very impolite act,” Zhang Haike replied, “I can only tell you one thing, your speculation is definitely inaccurate.”

Zhang Haixing glanced at me, seemingly touched by something. I looked at her, and she angrily said, “What are you looking at? Just call me ‘sister,’ and if you have any nonsense, I’ll take care of you.”

The fat man turned to look at me, moving his lips: “We caught Zhang Grandma’s weak point.”

Before his lips could close, a bowl of butter tea was splashed on the fat man’s face. I turned around and saw Zhang Haixing turning away angrily.

“At such an old age, with no manners at all,” the fat man wiped his face and said, “Fortunately, the tea is cold.” He then asked Zhang Haike, “Is your sister married yet?”

“Not yet, my sister is basically not in a hurry about this,” Zhang Haike replied.

“A few hundred years old spinster,” the fat man said, glancing at me, “We should stay away from such people. I, Fat Master, am too lazy to serve a woman with hormonal imbalances.”

I asked Zhang Haike, “So what happened next? Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“Let me put it this way: you want to know the details of this person’s life, but I can’t tell you too much. He is quite mysterious even within our family, as the Zhang family head has access to too many secrets, making it difficult for us to grasp his whereabouts. The Zhang family is very open-minded in some respects, but in certain customs, they are extremely traditional and dark; violating clan rules can lead to severe punishment.” Seeing my look of regret, he immediately added, “I can outline the trajectory of his actions over the years. After you hear it, you should gain some insight. After all, you are close to him and know many details that others do not.”

I thought to myself, “What do I know?” But since he was so eager to share, I remained composed. He continued, “When he was about eight or nine years old, he was taken into the ancient city of Sizhou, where he was used for blood collection and as a laborer. After that, he must have learned about the secrets buried within the ancient city. That secret, which I now know, is the token on the Zhang family head.”

“I deduced this from the events at that time. There was an internal conflict among the Zhang family in Sizhou, with two factions secretly battling within the city. It may have been an assassination attempt on the Zhang family head. The outcome of that conflict was that someone breached the dam, flooding the entire city. Moreover, to prevent the Zhang family from uncovering the truth, the conspirators controlled the government to completely seal off the ancient city. Later, the ancient city was buried, but on the body of the Zhang family head, there was something that was buried along with the corpse beneath the ancient city.”

I heard Zhang Haike say it was a bronze bell. Now we know that the Zhang family has research and control over hexagonal bells. Although they still cannot unravel their mysteries, they can use hexagonal bells, unlike ordinary people. The family head’s hexagonal bell is different from other bells: first, it is enormous, nearly the size of a cowbell; second, it produces a very faint sound, but anyone who hears it will regain their clarity of mind, as it can stabilize one’s soul. In simple terms, it can counteract the effects of other bronze bells.

At that time, the family head wore this bell, certainly to ward off misfortune. Additionally, there is a crucial point: in the old Zhang residence, there is a room that only the family head can enter. During each transition of leadership, the old family head is in that room, and the new family head enters to bring out the body. If the old family head misjudges his time of death, they might have to stay in there for years until the old family head fully passes away.

Inside this room are various secrets from China’s dynasties, books, scrolls, cultural relics, and artifacts—everything that the Zhang family has unearthed from underground over the years, which cannot be revealed to the world.

Outside this room is a long corridor leading to it, and the corridor and the room are filled with hexagonal bells of all shapes and sizes. There are no dead ends; as soon as one is triggered, a person will immediately go mad.

This room was later moved to the very bottom of the ancient Zhang building, placed within their ancestral tomb. The various secrets inside are classified into different levels, with the most important one referred to as the ‘Ultimate’ secret.”

The key point here is that the head of the Zhang family died within the city of Sizhou, and the previous head was aware of the world’s secrets. The subsequent head of the Zhang family only inherited a powerful family, but the secrets within that stone room represent the mission and reason for the existence of this vast family. From that moment on, the Zhang family lost its reason for existence, and the crisis began to manifest.

At that time, the group of Zhang family members led by Men Youping aimed to excavate a hexagonal bell from beneath the ancient city of Sizhou. We cannot speculate whether their intentions were good or bad; we only know that such actions led to a fierce conflict within the family, and this group was killed within the ancient city of Sizhou.

However, it is evident that Men Youping obtained that bell. Afterward, he entered the room of the Zhang family’s ancient building, where he learned about the mission and purpose of the Zhang family, as well as the existence of the “ultimate.”

Thus, in the next phase of his life, he only did two things. By that time, the Zhang family had already fallen apart, and after becoming the head of the family, he began to fulfill the mission of the Zhang family members once again. He utilized the power of the Old Nine Gates, and then he evidently went to see the so-called “ultimate” himself.

Going back to deduce the situation, it should be like this: the “ultimate” was a core secret discovered by the Zhang family long ago, which could be said to be the greatest secret in the world. Men Youping originally knew of this secret’s existence, but later he personally went to see it.

The secret behind the massive ancient bronze door beneath the mountains and rivers. Who built that door? What kind of world lies beyond it?

“Alright, allow me to keep you in suspense. If you want to know more, then join us.”

“One last question.” I sighed, feeling that I had basically been convinced. I asked him, “What exactly did Men Youping leave in the snowy mountains?”

“It was that bronze bell,” Zhang Haike replied. “With this item, we can enter the Zhang family’s ancient building and see what secrets the Zhang family has protected for so many centuries.”