"Dark door? Boss, finding that isn't difficult. Let's just toss a few more bombs into that pit, and then, forget the dark door, maybe the tomb passage itself will collapse," Fatty suggested, his explosive plan offering a solution as Zhang Tian and the others pondered.
Wu Tianzhen exclaimed that Fatty was a true expert.
Zhang Tian shot Fatty a glare.
"Let's first examine the walls all around. Fatty, Young Master Wu, and Brother Wang, wait here for a moment, don't come in," Zhang Tian said, intending to inspect the murals on the surrounding walls for clues on how to break through the formation. He was also curious about those crystals that could still glow brightly in a tomb chamber for thousands of years.
"Boss, be careful of traps," Fatty shouted from behind. Though often unreliable, Fatty could be useful at critical moments.
Zhang Tian nodded slightly, and then the three of them ran inside, using the walls for support. Because Zhang Tian, Zhang Qilin, and Hu Bayi possessed Qinggong, they could stand on walls for short periods. Coupled with the red crystals around them that allowed Zhang Tian moments of pause, they managed to avoid stepping on the tomb floor.
"Tianzhen, that should be the legendary Qinggong, right?" Wang Banyue remarked with admiration, his eyes occasionally darting inside. "It's so cool, their steps are so light. I wonder if Young Master Zhang could walk on water if there was a pool."
"I feel that if my cultivation were to improve, I should be able to as well," Wu Tianzhen murmured, considering that he was after all, a cultivator himself.
Wang Kaixuan, however, just snorted, thinking that Wu Tianzhen lacked experience.
Soon, Zhang Tian and the others, treading on the walls, reached the murals. The murals spanned the entire tomb chamber, a truly grand undertaking. From Zhang Tian's perspective, the murals depicted a magnificent and vast scene.
On the mural, a Vermillion Bird stood atop a branch, appearing as a powerful being that looked down upon the world, unwilling to lower its noble head. Below the Vermillion Bird, numerous alchemy furnaces emitted wisps of crimson fire, their smoke slowly rising to reach the Vermillion Bird. The entire mural was ten meters high and a staggering fifty to sixty meters wide, appearing extremely spectacular.
"Why are there so many alchemy furnaces below the Vermillion Bird? Where are the alchemists? Is it possible that only the Vermillion Bird is here?" Hu Bayi mused, puzzled by the scene before him.
"The Vermillion Bird itself doesn't refine elixirs; it's merely a symbol, a symbol of nirvana and rebirth. The alchemy furnaces before us are the key," Zhang Tian stated, looking at the boundless furnaces. Aside from the Vermillion Bird on the branch, the furnaces that practically filled the mural were the most captivating.
Zhang Qilin's gaze was fixed on the mural, his eyes seemingly captivated by the phoenix on the branch.
"I've counted about forty-four alchemy furnaces in the mural, and the smoke from each furnace flows towards that Vermillion Bird. Moreover, there are virtually no people depicted on the entire mural," Zhang Tian explained. Hu Bayi frowned slightly.
"Boss, if there are no people, how do the furnaces operate? And I think this phoenix is very strange," Hu Bayi also looked at the phoenix perched on the branch. The phoenix was entirely crimson and resembled a rooster with a sharp beak, its eyes constantly looking upwards.
"With blood!" Zhang Qilin suddenly exclaimed after a long observation. Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi both turned to him.
"With blood? Brother Er, do you have any good ideas?" Hu Bayi's eyes lit up as he looked at Zhang Qilin. When Zhang Qilin spoke, it was always crucial.
"The mural is incomplete. It carries a similar aura to other tombs. Blood should work," Zhang Qilin said. Zhang Tian looked around, but whose blood would be needed for such a large mural?
"Can we apply blood to our eyes?" Zhang Tian asked softly. If the entire mural needed to be painted with blood, the amount required would be immense.
"It should be possible," Zhang Qilin replied.
Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi exchanged a look and, without hesitation, each cut their finger and let a drop of blood fall into their eyes. As the blood entered his eyes, Zhang Tian felt a burning pain. Simultaneously, the surrounding scene dramatically changed. The red tomb chamber now appeared blood-red. Looking again at the tomb murals, they were no longer as they had been before. The alchemy furnaces and other hidden details were now clearly visible.
The mural, which originally only depicted alchemy furnaces, was now vastly different. The Vermillion Bird on the branch was no longer in its previous form, but rather resembled an old Taoist priest. The Taoist was white-haired, with wrinkles on his face, and most importantly, he held an elixir in his hand. It was a black elixir. At the feet of the Taoist on the branch, numerous alchemy furnaces burned, and upon closer inspection, the furnaces contained human bodies being consumed. It was a gruesome sight. Outside the furnaces, souls wailed, their ethereal forms turning into black smoke that was absorbed by the black elixir in the Taoist's hand.
Zhang Tian noticed that the Taoist also held a whisk in his hand. If he were to look closely, that whisk was identical to the one he had found!
"Is this the tomb's owner, Xu Fu? I feel there's a significant discrepancy," Zhang Tian thought, feeling more perplexed by the appearance of the figure before him. However, based on the information he had previously gathered, this Taoist priest was undoubtedly the legendary Xu Fu.
"Boss, is this the tomb's owner?" Hu Bayi asked, looking at the Taoist.
"It should be. And I already understand the meaning of this mural," Zhang Tian said grimly.
"What meaning?"
"These souls, these dissolved substances, should be the spirits of the deceased, or perhaps offerings. And think about it, where are the offerings in this tomb?" Zhang Tian asked. Hu Bayi suddenly recalled the coffins, each with inscriptions naming the offerings.
"Boss, those children?"
"Precisely. He used those children as burial companions, consolidating their souls into pills, which he then collected. He then fused these into more advanced pills. In this way, he secured a certain level of protection," Zhang Tian explained, grinding his teeth. This man truly didn't regard people as human. If he were to be honest with himself, Zhang Tian believed he wasn't overly moral and wouldn't be shackled by ethics, but he couldn't do something like this.
"Are there truly more advanced soul pills?" Hu Bayi inquired.
"Yes, soul pills are just the first type of spiritual cultivation we've encountered. There will definitely be stronger ones," Zhang Tian affirmed with certainty. Hu Bayi nodded and pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Then, if that's the case, Boss, what lies beneath our feet...?" As Hu Bayi spoke, he stomped hard on the crystal beneath his feet. The crystal shattered, and a small piece fell to the ground. Immediately, the trap on the floor was triggered again, and the previously seen hole reappeared. This time, they could finally see what was inside. Upon witnessing the interior of the mechanism, not only Hu Bayi but even Zhang Tian was stunned. It was even more spectacular than the situation in the ancient city!