The highest true Gods,
Your people pray to you
Let's avoid the ghost army and find the temple
We’ve been seeking them for so long,
does the temple of the true Gods really exist?
and wrestle with them.
Lords. What's that?
Is this the ghost army, too
Professor.
Look.
Manufactured in Loulan?
Corson! Tell that new idiot gardener
that these roses he planted are complete dogshit!
Manufactured in Loulan! Property of China!
So romantic.
Wu, are you alright?
Nothing.
Afflicted by war, the country is in turmoil.
For the first time in centuries, the Oriental enigma
is revealed to the outside world.
In the spring of 1895,
Swedish explorer Sven Hedin’s expedition
reached Lop Nur along
In a sea of sand,
he found the ruins of Loulan Kingdom
that had vanished thousands of years ago.
Sven Hedin took many Loulan relics
back home,
creating a tremendous sensation in Europe.
The daunting sea of sand failed to stop these vultures and hyenas.
To hold back the outbound flow of precious relics,
An archaeological team formed spontaneously
by the people set foot on this mysterious land
We are awaited
by the wind and sand of the Western Regions,
and those ancient and mysterious
supernatural tales.
Are you okay?
Yes.
I got it back.
And this one.
In half a year,
this is the most complete text we have recovered.
it should be the first half of a mythical sacrificial text.
When Loulan Kingdom approached its end after eight hundred years,
dark clouds and locusts covered the sky,
and the waters of the Konqi River dried up.
The Saintess of Loulan led a team of people into the desert
in pursuit of the temple left by the angels.
Search for the salvation of gods.
But on the way, they were chased by the ghost army.
Jin Kexia.
I never thought the temple could be underground.
Don’t worry.
I’ll find the Lotus Mirror that connects to Heaven
and ask the angels to save Loulan.
If you survive,
please give Axe a gold coin from me back in the city.
I
don’t want to owe my brother anything.
I don’t
Jin Kexia. Jin Kexia.
Jin Kexia. Wake up.
Jin Kexia. Jin Kexia.
I
Yaman
the Saintess of Loulan,
have gone through every trial along the way to get here.
Now in Loulan the rivers have dried up
and disasters have struck.
Great Angel of Immortality,
please channel the Holy Spirit.
Please help your people out of these disasters.
The Loulan people may not have survived.
What do you think?
I don’t know either.
Let me read you a poem.
I’d prefer it
if you could get me a glass of water.
Outside the pavilion, along the ancient road,
green grass stretches far to the horizon.
Things are getting worse.
Strife is simmering
To best protect the cultural relics,
Wu Tian will bring them back to safety.
But why not him?
Wei Chen is truly experienced,
so he’s needed at the excavation site.
Come on. We’re counting on you for next year’s academic award.
Half of the text is missing,
and the phrase “ghost army” is perplexing.
Let’s set these aside for now.
Of the three holy articles in the Loulan legend
the Three-Footed Holy Cup blessing the oasis,
the Dual-Fish compass that brings fortune,
and the Bronze Lotus Mirror said to have a link with Heaven
we might have obtained one.
If we don’t keep it properly
or expose it to any accident,
we’ll all be sinners in history.
Do you understand?
It’s overflowing!
Manufactured in Loulan.
Property of China.
Ewww! That flower grew in dogshit,
but the foreigner likes to hold it in his mouth.
Keep it down.
We’ll be screwed if he finds out.
Don’t stir up trouble, okay?
You gonna steal it from me?
These godless heathens have to be absolutely out of their minds
if you think I’m gonna let you take anything that belongs to me!
Get up! Are you ready?
Okay. Okay. My boys,
this belongs to my country.
You two grab it from the bastard!
Got it?
Yeah. Don’t worry.
Boss, please keep watching with the telescope.
Tom and Dick,
our elite assassins, should be working now.
Tom and Dick.
Working on it.
Let go!
It’s noisy here. Where’s the attendant?
What’s up? Let me check.
Anyone, want to bite the bullet?
The gun
Roses are red,
violets are blue,
try to stop me,
your life is through.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our business is life-threatening.
We’ll leave the moment our business is done.
Dick, why didn’t you get it done yet?
This guy’s incredibly strong.
Get off.
Bro, our only target is the thing.
Don’t make me fire my gun.
Get your hands off.
Where are you going?
Poor you. How miserable.
It’s under national protection.
Dream on about it.
Sounds scary,
but I’m anarchical.
What are you looking at?
Anyone, want to bite
the bullet?
Gosh
Thank you.
You are?
We’re patriots from all over the country.
In this current time of trouble,
we gather together to serve our motherland.
Are you okay?
Are you alright?
Take it easy.
We’ll protect you along the way.
Thank you.
Professor.
What’s all this fuss about?
The telegram said the mirror was broken.
Qin Shu.
Dad entrusted us with it,
but we messed it up.
Qin Shu, listen to me.
There must be a way to fix it.
No, not this one.
It’s fixable
as long as I find new clues.
“Travel Notes of Sven Hedin”.
There must ,
must be a way.
There’s no way out, as expected.
Gods, why are you doing this?
Why? Why is this?
Why are you doing this to me?
Why? Why?
Anyone?
Anyone here?
Who’s there speaking?
My goodness, is this real?
My Lord, is it you?
My Lord.
Damnation!
My Lord, are you still there?
What the hell are you?
I’m one of your loyalists, my Lord.
Loyalists? Lord?
Wait.
What’s that behind you?
It’s your miracle, my Lord.
Like the Pan Gu tale for China,
mythology is the beginning of all civilizations.
Once upon a time,
a group of shepherds in the desert
saved a ship of angels.
The angels gave them three holy articles
and helped them build Loulan, an oasis.
the three-footed Holy Cup blessing the oasis,
the Dual-Fish compass that brings fortune,
and the Bronze Lotus Mirror said to have a link with Heaven
Are the Gods in the Loulan legend
actually aliens?
Really?
I am the saint of Loulan country.
My name is yaman.
It’s a symbol of my identity.
I devote my life to serving you.
The Lotus mirror seems to be a channel connecting different spaces and times.
Oh my God. So Einstein’s theory was proven by me?
This is incredible.
Are you okay?
I haven’t eaten for three days.
Wait.
Take your time. There’s enough food.
Thank you, my Lord.
Ambrosia is so wonderful.
And thank you for your love of leftover fried dough sticks.
My Lord, I do not understand what you mean,
but please save us.
I can’t even save myself now.
You said you’re from Loulan,
so the ruins I mean,
the location and geography of Loulan must be familiar to you, right?
Yes.
Great.
Yaman, listen to me.
I might be able to help you,
but I need you to do me a favor, will you?
My Lord, do you really promise to help us?
I’ll do my best.
But please do help me, will you?
My Lord, my heart and everything belongs to you.
From that day on,
I wondered if there was a God in the world.
As a student of archaeology,
I’m having a cross-spatiotemporal dialogue
with a living Loulan person.
What a wonder it is!
Professor.
It’s full of details.
How could he know so much?
A new day has begun.
What are you doing?
What the hell are you doing here?
Use your eyes.
Get past if you can.
China boy, how are you doing recently?
You should care more about yourself.
He doesn’t know we’ve been out on an expedition.
Don’t get your hopes up.
Wu might not be as trustworthy
as you believe.
Not to mention the location he mentioned.
Captain.
Boss.
Pull over, Boss.
We found new ruins.
What’s up?
There are new ruins.
Really?
Really.
No!
Yes!
Are you sure there’s a site under the cesspool?
Yes. It’s three meters down.
It’s the same as Wu Tian said,
and the same size as the last one we found,
bigger.
Bigger.
Oh my God.
How many relics are there?
TenTwenty
Two truck loads.
Slow down, Professor.
Calm down.
How can I...
Professor,
the total number of relics was 313.
We just got a cable. Our findings
have attracted more attention than ever before.
Support is on the way.
I can’t calm down.
Professor, what should we do next?
Contact a newspaper
and make the discovery known to the whole country.
What a morale booster.
And give rewards.
Ladies and gentlemen,
this is the most exciting moment tonight.
The Golden Flower Award for the highest academic contribution goes to
Wu Tian.
Bravo!
Wu Tian, a young archaeologist,
has attracted widespread academic attention
due to his great discovery in Loulan.
How could it be him.
He’s a rising star in archaeology.
Congratulations, Mr. Wu.
Thank you.
Thank you all.
I’m often asked what archaeology is.
In my eyes,
archaeology means certification, history
and the dignity of a nation.
Such splendid civilizations should not be buried underground,
and such romantic stories should not be forgotten.
Our motherland has great civilizations
with their records buried deep.
I’m honored to be a student of archaeology,
Absolutely lawless.
excavating those records
and spreading Chinese stories to the world
as a part of world history.
Bravo!
Find out what’s going on.
Grab a drink?
You look very happy.
It felt like a dream.
I owe it to you.
But why do you look so sad?
Are you homesick?
I’m homeless now.
I came here for your help.
I’m just worried about the people in town.
I wonder what will happen to them now.
Is the war in Loulan
that you told me about real?
Yes, it is.
Tu Qi, the King’s younger brother,
was expelled for his ambition for the throne,
but he pressed ahead with his sinister designs.
He travelled around the Western Regions
and colluded with some vicious people.
Later, with the help of a wizard,
he formed a ghost army.
Six months ago, leading the ghost army in black armor,
he attacked the kingdom without warning.
The King of Loulan put up a fierce resistance,
but was finally defeated.
They were cornered in the holy temple of the Kingdom.
Tu Qi was aiming
for the Three-Footed Holy Cup enshrined in the temple.
It’s said
that the angels created an oasis for the Loulan people with the Cup,
To prevent Tu Qi and his army from defiling the Holy Cup,
the King of Loulan smashed it,
which immediately summoned a storm.
My Lord, is this your punishment for us?
The Gods you mentioned
must be working with a different employer from mine.
Please go ahead.
Afterwards,
Loulan was taken by Tu Qi.
Before he died, the King ordered his soldiers to break us out.
Revering the Prophecy of the Gods,
we went into the desert.
Yaman, is there anything else about the prophecy?
The prophecy says that when the Cup disintegrates,
the wrath of the Gods will follow.
To save Loulan,
we have to find the mirror in the temple.
The Lotus Mirror is a gateway to Heaven.
The Gods in Heaven
will help us find the Angel’s Tomb.
When the judgment comes,
the Gods will choose either to destroy us or save us.
Since the Gods are aliens,
the Holy Cup must be
the energy that maintains the balanced climate in Loulan.
The Angel’s Tomb
is probably a graveyard of that civilization.
Yaman, is this prophecy
written on some wooden board?
No, this is a tale passed down from generation to generation.
Do you know where the Angel’s Tomb is?
Yaman?
Yes.
It’s so hot.
Hold on.
Open your mouth. It’s good for your health.
It’s for you. Put it on.
How is it?
Thank you. I feel warm.
Yaman, I don’t have a clue now,
but I’ll help you find the tomb.
Really?
Yes. I’ll set off tomorrow.
Thank you.
I should thank you,
as an archaeologist.
No, as a friend.
I promise you.
How is such a ridiculous thing possible?
Why not?
The Martins offer nothing
but truth.
This is the discovery of the century.
If things go well, we’ll both go down in history.
What you Chinese lack
is an adventurous spirit to match your imagination.
Wei Chen, why are you here?
What did you get him for?
Friend, I did it for your own good.
She already knew Wu’s secret.
You're a sensible man,
particularly suitable to serve as a bridge
between the academic communities of our countries,
right?
Wei Chen.
I have the other half of the board.
Yes, you stole a piece from me,
but never mind.
What do we do next? Get the Lotus Mirror.
The Lotus Mirror? Yes.
Although it’s not the end goal.
As far as I know, you understand the Tocharian language, right?
Try translating this paragraph.
No kidding.
There couldn’t be an Angel’s Tomb on Earth.
Why not?
What’s not possible in a world
with a mirror that can travel through time?
If this tomb does exist,
it’ll be a history-changing discovery.
Is that enough for you?
You don’t seem ambitious.
What do you want?
The sacrificial text says
that bringing the Lotus Mirror to the Angel’s Tomb
and combining it with the Dual-Fish
Jade Pendant will get you
Excuse me
Get you a ghost army at your command.
That’s terrific. Soon those things will
Excuse me, I’m too excited
Please welcome my elite assassins
Why you again?
As the saying goes...
to err is human.
We are the only elite assassins in this place.
Boss, give us another chance.
Okay.
Tell me now if they are your relatives.
The drug is very effective, although it may have some side effects.
But don’t be afraid. I’ll make sure you are accompanied all the time.
Yaman, are you with me?
Yes, I am.
You are so nice.
We’re friends.
I haven’t asked you
how you became the Saintess of Loulan.
Throughout the ages, the women serving the Gods had to be pure.
so that they could be sent to the temple for worship.
Their parents had to die upon their birth,
Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up your sorrow.
If my mother and father knew I was with the Gods now,
they’d be happy for me.
How about you, my Lord?
Are you a God from birth?
Not really.
I’m just a coward
not brave enough to read a poem to my dream girl.
A poem? You can write poems?
Yes, I can.
You want hear one?
May I?
Sure.
But please don’t laugh at me.
Let me see.
I’ll read you this one
that I composed in Loulan.
“Moonlight of Yesteryear”
Moonlight, filled with the pond,
flows quietly in the sky.
The starry night, shining with aquatic plants,
ripples in the breeze.
Too long, you said, is the distance,
for me to cover.
A lamb, I said, looking up at the moon, is what I wish to be.
The moonlight of yesteryear
flows quietly in the Konqi River.
The night breeze, yet not retainable,
is weathering the city wall.
Too long, you said, is the distance,
to reach the destination, a place thousands of years apart.
But so strong is my wish to make time stop, here and now.
How is it? Is it childish?
You promised not to ridicule me.
She’s asleep.
Yaman, why is there a garlic flavor here?
Good nose!
What’s wrong with you, my Lord?
Okay
I’m getting up!
Why is my dream so strange? Ah...
Making such a fuss! You gave me a fright!
Who are you? Don’t you know that this is illegal?
Yes! We’re breaking the law.
Hey, open the door! Give us the mirror
or we’ll shoot.
Stop talking! I’m counting down from seven!
Why seven?
Because I say so! It’s none of your business!
Seven,
six,
five,
four,
three...
I’m about to shoot!
What?
Yaman, listen to me!
Oh no, we’re being hunted down.
Listen, I’m going to call the police now.
Don’t say a word later!
Don’t say a word later! Never! Do you hear me?
What’s up? What the hell is going on?
Ghost
Be honest!
Walk!
Fortunately, we didn’t believe the elite assassin!
Let’s get back to Loulan!
This is the mirror which leads to Heaven, right?
Yes, but it seems only the Saintess can open it, my esteemed king.
Saintess,
your king is dead.
Now I’m the new king.
Just stop resisting!
Follow me and prosper, or else perish!
You’re not my king!
You’re the devil
bringing destruction to Loulan!
So what?
I don’t care if I destroy a hundred Loulans!
What the hell do you care, devil?
The devil cares about Heaven, of course!
In the Prophecy of the Gods,
when the Lotus Mirror is combined
with the Dual-Fish compass in the Angel’s Tomb,
the Gate of Heaven will open.
How exciting
it is to conquer Heaven!
Crazy bastard! I’ll never agree with you!
You can refuse me,
Then watch me
turn Loulan City into a river of blood!
The Gods won’t forgive you!
Neither will I.
I’ll let those Gods know
that I tread upon them!
How do I use it?
I’ve told you many times. I don’t know either.
Okay! Okay! Let’s just say that only you can use it!
So what then?
No one can find the Angel’s Tomb.
How ridiculous!
Can you?
I can’t!
But Sven Hedin can.
when he returned home,
Sven Hedin was interviewed by a newspaper
In that report,
in the desert southeast of the Konqi River,
he mentioned seeing a mirage of UFOs
Don’t you think that’s pretty coincidental?
But...
But what?
I have what you don’t,
and I know what you don’t.
The sacrificial text explicitly states that there will be
a resonant reaction between the Lotus Mirror and the Compass.
What else should I say?
All I can say is that you’re crazy!
Save your words
until you see me leading the ghost army.
What a beautiful girl! Only the rose goes well with her.
Qin Shu...
Be quick...
quick...
Saintess, there’s no way we can do this just to survive.
Please understand.
We all respect you.
Tell me your last wish.
I failed to do what I promised for my bodyguard Jin Kexia.
Jin Kexia?
Do you know him?
He saved my life once and he’s also my best friend.
Axe?
Would you ask? Okay.
Boss, we’ll be there tomorrow.
Why don’t you send the two elite assassins to see what’s going on there?
My friend, if you mention your two relatives again, I’ll send you...
How do you say it in Chinese? Ah yes.
I’ll kill you!
I’m sorry.
No need to say sorry! I got you in trouble.
You did get us in trouble!
Would we be like this if not for you?
Why are you like this? Why?
Wei Chen!
Go away!
Why are you still fighting with me?
If I had to choose again,
I really wouldn’t want to argue with you about anything.
I don’t want to see you like this.
After all, you were my role model.
Stop wasting my time!
If there’s a choice...
No, all is doomed!
all is doomed!
Doomed!
Look,
Sven Hedin didn’t lie.
The Angel’s Tomb is under those trees.
Stay calm! Be prepared!
Boss, there seems to be a passage in the front.
Follow me! Come on!
My dear God,
how can I ever believe in your existence again?
Have you ever seen this?
The Ship of Angels.
This is the ancient ship that carried the angels to Earth.
We’ve found it!
The witness of such a great moment is,
of course, the chosen one.
That is you, my king.
Go ahead,
and fulfill your mission!
Open the Gate of Heaven!
If there is a God,
please listen to the only prayer of my life.
If meeting you is not a dream,
please listen to my prayer again.
Even if only once...
Even if for the last time...
Please let me meet him again.
We meet again at last.
Sorry, Tu Qi...
Yaman, listen to me.
Everything will be fine
because it’s all already doomed.
It’s just a joke made by time.
All of this is actually true!
Of course! Flowers for you!
Is everything you said true?
Promise me you’ll live well.
I promise.
I’ll watch the same moon as you by the Konqi River.
What a short time! What an honor! Goodbye!
Why do you have to do this?
How many times have I told you.
Blame yourself.
What do you compare to me?
Go to hell!
Kill her!
Boss...boss...boss...ghost...ghost...
Ghost army.
Look at this,
I win at last! The ghost army belongs to me!
why let them go like this?
There’s an old saying in China: Do not pursue a desperate foe.
Wouldn’t it be more fun to let these losers live out their lives in despair?
Is this Heaven?
I haven’t been here either.
Handsome men of the ghost army,
welcome!
Is this what you call God?
Yes.
In a sense, I’m your God.
I’m your only master in the future.
So you seem to believe.
What? What do you mean?
I summoned you.
You ought to obey me.
The sacrificial text of Loulan clearly states that I’m your God.
We just want to kill the Gods!
Kill...
Just leave like this?
It’s okay. Everything is already doomed.
Yes, it’s all doomed.
I finally understand why Yaman didn’t know about the sacrificial text of Loulan.
The text was exactly
what I wrote after I let her escape.
I also asked her to make up the second half of the sacrificial text
about calling and controlling the ghost army.
This is the only way to keep us all alive
and restore peace to your world.
When you return, you must write the sacrificial text of Loulan as I said.
Can you do it?
Is everything you said true?
Promise me you’ll live well.
No!
Hurry up!
Be careful!
Professor Wu Tian, as we all know, you’re a master of archaeology
and the one who contributed to the excavation
of the ruins of Loulan and its surroundings.
So,
what makes you return to Konqi River at such an advanced age?
Professor, you’re an expert in the Tocharian language.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on the newly excavated woodcuts.
This may be a poem
Moonlight.
It should be
the moonlight of yesteryear.
The moonlight of yesteryear hung quietly in the sky,
The starry night, shining with aquatic plants,
ripples in the breeze.
Too long, you said, is the distance,
for me to cover.
A lamb, I said, looking up at the moon, is what I wish to be.