The Secret Core of Youling

On a rainy night in early autumn, archaeologist Shen Yan receives an anonymous package sealed with a black-bird wax stamp. A fragment of bronze and a bloodstained letter from his mentor, Lin Yueshan, who vanished three years ago, suddenly reveal the mystery surrounding the ancient Youling tomb's hidden mechanism. The letter warns that seven bronze fragments are hidden in seven places throughout the tomb, and the curse has awakened. Only by gathering the fragments and deciphering the celestial mechanism can the truth be uncovered. His mentor's disappearance is closely tied to this hidden mechanism, which can determine the fate of the world.

To find his mentor and solve an age-old mystery, Shen Yan sets out alone on a dangerous journey. Almost as soon as he begins, black-market hunters pursue him, but he is saved by Chen Mo, a retired special forces soldier who owes his mentor a debt of gratitude. Along the way, he meets Su Qing, a researcher of ancient civilizations; Lin Xi, a gifted hacker; and Old Zhou, a veteran member of an archaeological team. Together, they form a team with a range of special skills. They outwit the pawn Lao Gui of the Shadow Pavilion in the black market of Jinzhou, venture into the Kunlun Gorge to explore the outer ruins of the Youling tomb, and travel across the country to unlock the seven secret sites holding the fragments. They solve ancient mechanisms and dismantle the Shadow Pavilion's layers of deadly schemes.

Gradually, they discover that the Shadow Pavilion has coveted the hidden mechanism for a long time, and that their mentor's disappearance was no accident, but part of a carefully plotted conspiracy. The thousand-year-old curse of the Youling tomb also conceals the ultimate secret behind the celestial mechanism. This adventure surrounding the hidden mechanism is both a perilous search spanning mountains, rivers, and seas and a mission to fight dark forces and protect an ancient treasure. Tested by blood and fire, the team stands together, determined to reveal the truth of the Youling tomb, buried for a thousand years, fulfill their mentor's final wish, and break the curse that has haunted them for so long.