"So this is the Tomb of the Living Dead?" Wu Zhengfeng gazed around, noting that the grand tomb lay nestled in a valley, shrouded by lush forests and greenery. Distant peaks were wreathed in clouds, giving the place an almost otherworldly aura. Farther off, she could just make out the magnificent buildings of the True Reality Sect’s Chongyang Hall. This tomb, originally a forbidden ground of the True Reality Sect, was especially tranquil thanks to its location behind the sect’s defenses.
Having spent so much time as a homebody up on Tianshan, Wu Zhengfeng instantly felt a connection with this environment. The more she looked, the more she liked it—it suited her perfectly. She nodded in approval. "The scenery here is really nice."
"This is the Ancient Tomb Sect." Grace Kwok gazed at the tomb before her, filled with emotion. Her whole life seemed to revolve around this place, no matter how much she wandered. She’d been here many times, but never found anyone inside. The big brother she missed might be somewhere in this tomb, but those two cold Dragon-Severing Stones always kept the world apart.
"Come on, follow me. If we want to get inside, we’ll have to head to another pond and swim through the underground river." Grace glanced at her donkey and the fine horse she’d trained, a bit troubled. "But I guess we’ll have to leave our mounts and luggage outside…"
"Wait, let me check first." Jill Young stopped her, striding up to the tomb entrance. She reached out and knocked on the Dragon-Severing Stone. The sound was faint, the echo barely noticeable—clearly, the stone was thick. But who’s to say it couldn’t be opened? You never know unless you try.
"How heavy is this thing?"
"There are actually two Dragon-Severing Stones here, one inside and one outside, each weighing over ten thousand jin. Once they drop, even a thousand people couldn’t budge them… Eh?!" Grace was still explaining when Jill Young suddenly reached out and grabbed the bottom of the stone. Her fingers dug in, making five neat holes in the polished rock. With a grinding noise, bits of stone and earth fell from the tomb’s frame—and unbelievably, Jill managed to lift the massive stone two feet into the air.
"Huh? Why’s this stone so brittle? I was just testing, but it went right through. Plus, it’s lighter than I expected." According to Jill’s hand test, Grace’s numbers were a bit off—the Dragon-Severing Stone weighed about six and a half tons, or thirteen thousand jin. For reference, the Gold-Banded Staff in Journey to the West is thirteen thousand five hundred jin, so this stone is about the same weight as the Monkey King’s staff.
For Jill Young these days, swinging something that heavy around for three days and nights in a battle against a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers is still out of the question. But just lifting it? No big deal. (Honestly, the Gold-Banded Staff’s weight is way too low for a mythological weapon. Add a few more zeros and maybe it’d make sense—guess the ancients didn’t have much imagination for big numbers.)
Sure enough, she flexed her fingers and knees, getting used to the stone’s weight. Suddenly, with a burst of strength, the massive Dragon-Severing Stone shot up, smooth as rolling up a curtain.