The fatty also crawled out from the piles of gold, his hands clutching two gold coins, which he waved about with great satisfaction. He looked extremely excited.
"Boss, look at this gold coin, it has a pattern on it."
Hu Bayi brought a gold coin over to Zhang Tian. Zhang Tian reached out and took it.
The moment he extended his hand, Shirley Yang’s eyes widened. She discovered that on Zhang Tian’s hand, there was also a ghost eye imprint, just like hers! Shirley Yang had come to the Jingjue ancient city not to find her father, but to seek a way to break the curse. She had been keeping this a secret from Zhang Tian and the others, unaware that Zhang Tian already knew.
"This should be currency exclusively used by the Ghost Cave tribe, with a snake-eye pattern, so it's normal," Zhang Tian said, casually tossing the gold coin to the ground. He decided that now was not the time to take them; he planned to take all the spiritual springs and such when he returned.
"Boss, are we really not taking any? So much of it, so golden, so beautiful."
Fatty, who was sprawled on the pile of gold with his arms and legs spread wide, looked as though he were swimming on a mountain of gold.
"We're not taking any. Let's go further inside."
As Zhang Tian spoke, Fatty reluctantly climbed off the gold pile.
"Boss, wait for me."
Fatty quickly followed, calling out.
"Princess, what brings you here?"
"It's surely not just for a spear, is it?"
Suddenly, Zhang Tian, who was walking, spoke. A jade pendant on Fatty’s body began to glow. The Loulan Princess reappeared before everyone. Since the great melting furnace was too enormous to enter the tomb, Fatty had placed it on the other side of the small river, intending to retrieve it later. The Loulan Princess was temporarily residing within the jade pendant Fatty had picked up.
"I want the Kunlun Divine Wood."
The Loulan Princess’s demeanor changed abruptly, becoming somewhat forceful. Zhang Tian turned his head slightly.
"Of course, but you'll have to get it yourself."
Zhang Tian said, and the Loulan Princess looked into the distance without speaking.
After a long moment.
"I know the location of the Star Iron. You help me get the Kunlun Divine Wood, and I'll lead you to the Star Iron."
The Loulan Princess spoke again, this time she began to negotiate terms. Zhang Tian knew this princess would never be as simple as she appeared. Her childhood experiences had forged a more resilient heart. With such a heart, how could the Loulan Princess easily trust outsiders? Zhang Tian felt her purpose here must be an exchange of interests.
"Star Iron? If I'm not mistaken, the Kunlun Divine Wood is something Qin Shi Huang himself wanted to use as a coffin? You want us to help you get the Divine Wood for a piece of Star Iron? That’s a bit far-fetched."
Zhang Tian spoke calmly.
"Old Hu, I don't understand what you're talking about."
Fatty mumbled softly from the side.
"Be quiet, this is the boss's negotiation phase."
Hu Bayi rolled his eyes at Fatty, who then shut his mouth.
"I know where the Divine Eye is."
Suddenly, the Loulan Princess spoke again, and Zhang Tian paused. He knew this Loulan Princess was definitely not ordinary.
"Alright, if you can help me get the Divine Eye and the Star Iron, I will help you get the Divine Wood."
Zhang Tian said. The Loulan Princess remained silent, likely accepting the deal.
"Boss, aren't we being a bit immoral? We haven't even entered someone's house yet, and we're already coveting their body."
Fatty said from the side, putting on a pretense of virtue.
"Do you have any morals?"
Zhang Tian asked.
"Heh heh, Fatty Master feels that when you're discussing, you should include Fatty Master. There’s no 'morals' in Fatty Master’s dictionary."
Fatty said, winking at Zhang Tian. Zhang Tian was speechless.
The group walked through the piles of gold. After a long time, they had become numb to it. Soon, after passing through many gold piles, they arrived in front of a cliff. In front of the cliff was a massive cave. The cave seemed to stretch endlessly, a dark expanse that looked extremely terrifying. The cave was about a hundred meters wide, almost swallowing the entire cliff face.
Zhang Tian looked at the cave and knew this was the sacred cave that Jingjue ancient city had guarded for so long.
"This is the sacred land guarded by the Jingjue kingdom, the Ghost Cave. It is said to be the entrance to the illusory world."
"The Serpent God resides within."
The Loulan Princess said from the side. Hu Bayi took a deep breath.
"How deep is this place? Could it lead to the Earth's core?"
Hu Bayi said, taking out a signal flare, igniting it, and throwing it down. When they saw the signal flare gradually disappear, they understood just how deep it was. This was definitely a cave over ten thousand meters deep, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to see any light.
"Boss, this thing is so deep. If a person fell in, they’d be bruised all over."
Fatty said. Zhang Tian looked at the cave, feeling something was off.
"This is the gate to another realm."
The Loulan Princess said again. Zhang Tian couldn't help but feel curious. If this was the gate, then what was the space they entered when they first went down the tunnel? Wasn't that an illusory space?
"There's an indescribable feeling inside."
Zhang Qilin said from the side. He felt the cave was strange. Hu Bayi also felt something was amiss.
"Boss, have you noticed? This cave looks like an eye."
Hu Bayi said. Zhang Tian nodded; the cave did look somewhat oval, resembling an eye.
"The gold coins we found earlier also had eyes on them. Could there be some resonance?"
Hu Bayi said. Fatty took a gold coin from his pocket.
"Old Hu, want to try?"
Fatty grinned. Zhang Tian narrowed his eyes at Fatty.
"You rascal, didn't you say you weren't going to take any?"
"Well, Boss, I'm used to it. I don't know why this one just appeared in Fatty Master's pocket. It must have slipped in by itself, so it's not my fault."
Fatty chuckled, and Zhang Tian was utterly speechless.
Hu Bayi threw the gold coin in. Gradually, the coin made no sound.
"Is something wrong?"
Hu Bayi looked towards the ceiling. The next moment, something above caught his attention.
"Boss, look up quickly."
Hu Bayi shouted. Everyone looked up, and the next instant, they saw a stone platform appear above them. At the end of the passageway on the platform, a wooden coffin and a huge flower bud lay quietly.
"This is a Corpse Fragrance Demon Lily!"
Hu Bayi's voice trembled slightly. Zhang Tian's eyes, however, filled with ardor. The Corpse Fragrance Demon Lily was a treasure. It was imbued with a devil's soul, not only capable of preserving a corpse for ten thousand years without decay but, more importantly, it could induce hallucinations in living beings. The hallucinations from this Corpse Fragrance Demon Lily were far superior to the bells in Zhang Tian's home; they were not on the same level. Moreover, its blood would produce the Other Shore Flower, making it an exceptionally potent item. If he could plant it at home, wouldn't he have an endless supply of Other Shore Flowers? However, Zhang Tian could only think about these possibilities, as bringing this thing back might cause hallucinations for Little Fox and Daoist Yimei.
"What a big mushroom."
"It should be delicious."
Fatty muttered from the side, his eyes also filled with shock.