William Carter was drenched in sweat. Exercising so intensely on such a tall mountain, even with his strong constitution, he still felt utterly exhausted.

He was simply too tired. Sitting at the foot of the mountain, he gasped for breath, and even after a long time, he could still hear the pounding of his heart. He gulped down water.

Looking back at the towering mountain behind him, it truly seemed like a mystery.

The Western King’s bronze stele, the mysterious bronze house, and the bronze mountain—was the interior of this majestic mountain really made of bronze?

If possible, he really wanted to peel away the mountain’s layers of earth to see what was inside.

This mountain was just one among the Kunlun range. What secrets were hidden in this area?

“I need to leave quickly. If those three creatures come charging down, it’ll be extremely dangerous.”

A few days ago, there had been an earthquake, leaving many large cracks on the mountain, and the foot of the mountain was no exception. William Carter carefully avoided them as he walked.

By chance, he spotted a stone in one of the fissures. It was just over three inches tall, square-shaped, and surprisingly regular in form—a rare sight.

William Carter picked it up casually and continued on his way.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but along the way, William Carter kept feeling something strange inside his body. It was subtle—occasionally, he would sense a warm current flowing through his flesh and blood.

When he tried to focus on it, it would disappear; when he ignored it, it would reappear unexpectedly.

Was it an illusion, or was his body having an allergic reaction?

He began to doubt himself—was his perception becoming disordered?

“It started with this hand.”

He opened his left hand. The first time he noticed anything, it was in the center of his left palm, but there was nothing there now.

“Four petals mysteriously withered in my left hand.”

As William Carter hurried along, he pondered this matter. He felt it wasn’t so simple—something about it was odd, and it made him uneasy.

Those petals had emitted white mist and specks of light—no matter how he looked at it, it was bizarre.

The bronze Kunlun mountain behind him had truly shaken his previous beliefs today. It was subversive, forcing him to think more deeply.

“Those three creatures are anything but ordinary. They were fighting over that flower on the tree, so it should be harmless.”

Although he had some concerns, William Carter felt that the flower should be harmless to the body. Otherwise, why would it provoke such a fierce battle among rare beasts, each fighting desperately for it?

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it for now, and strode toward the area where the herders lived.

Under the night sky, the boundless plateau was especially quiet. Occasionally, a beast’s roar echoed from afar, adding to the sense of vastness and desolation.

William Carter stayed overnight at a herder’s home, deciding to begin his journey back the next day.

At night, he quietly read a book in bed, while also trying to sense that earlier warm current. But it was elusive—sometimes there, sometimes not. He wondered if anything would change.

After a long while, he sighed softly, “Let nature take its course.”

He found that the more he tried to focus on it, the less he could sense it. On the contrary, when he ignored it, he could vaguely feel it.

“Pollen, catalyst.” William Carter softly muttered these words, suddenly recalling something.

When she graduated and left school, Grace Bennett’s family had sent a car to pick her up. He vaguely remembered hearing those words mentioned, but he was too far away to hear clearly.

Although they had broken up, he still wanted to see her off at the time. But when he saw the The Bennett Family family’s rather indifferent and calm gaze, William Carter simply waved and left.

Lost in thought, he absentmindedly noticed a stone beside him.

“This stone is surprisingly regular in shape.”

He weighed the stone in his tent. Although it was a cube, the edges were not sharp but slightly smooth, as if polished, somewhat rounded.

Looking closely, he saw faint patterns on the stone. Were they naturally formed?

The markings were very dim—if you didn’t look carefully, you could easily miss them.

“Are these man-made traces?”

At the foot of Kunlun Mountain, he hadn’t paid any attention to it—he just thought it was regular in shape, picked it up absentmindedly while thinking about the bronze mountain, and brought it back.

Now, he suddenly realized that this stone was a bit special.

William Carter washed the stone clean and examined it carefully under the lamplight.

The stone was three inches tall, gray-brown in color, with some very faint patterns winding around it—like vines, or perhaps natural markings—very old.

Could it be an ancient stone tool left by a primitive tribe? He wondered.

William Carter turned the stone over and over, running his fingers over the markings. Suddenly, with a light “crack,” a sound broke the silence of the night, slightly jarring.

Chapter 0006 Stone Box

At night, the tent had been very quiet. The sudden sound shattered the peace, and William Carter’s hand froze, all movement stopping.

How could a cubic stone make such a sound?

A crack had appeared on the stone.

William Carter set it down, wary of any unexpected changes, and examined it carefully. After all the strange things he’d experienced today, he was especially cautious.

“A stone box?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

The patterns winding around the stone had concealed the crack, but now that it had opened slightly, it was clearly visible.

Earlier, the stone box had fit together so tightly, it seemed like a single piece. With the markings covering it, it was almost impossible to notice anything unusual.

Who would have thought this was actually a cubic stone box? Three inches tall, very ancient in appearance.