Iron Jiangshi were the first that Han Yu saw.
Their bodies were dull, their skin marked with ritual scars and formation lines etched deep into flesh that was no longer truly flesh. Their eyes were sealed shut, yet Han Yu could feel awareness behind them. Not consciousness. Surveillance.
Further up, the Bronze Skin Jiangshi began to appear.
These were broader, heavier, their frames reinforced with alchemical metals and layers of hardened blood crystal beneath the skin. The blood Qi around them was denser, colder, heavier. Each step Han Yu took past them made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, as if invisible fingers were brushing against his soul, measuring it, weighing it.
By the time he reached the upper third of the peak, Steel Skin Jiangshi lined the path.
They were monstrous.
