"Fatty, this stuff is poisonous. It can kill you," Shirley Yang said, her gaze fixed on the passageway, visions of her dreams flashing through her mind. The scene felt so familiar.
"Fatty knows, of course. It's just a strange mushroom," Fatty replied with a dry chuckle.
Princess Loulan, meanwhile, was looking up at the coffin. "That's the Kunlun Divine Wood. Even without soil, water, or sunlight, it won't wither and can still survive," she explained. "This kind of divine wood is a soul-nurturing wood for ghosts. It can enhance our souls and cultivation." Princess Loulan clearly desired the Kunlun Divine Wood.
When Fatty heard its effect, his heart stirred. He thought of his Feifei. "Fatty wants one too!" he thought, though he said nothing.
"Even if you get this divine wood, how will you take it? And where will you go once you have it?" Zhang Tian asked Princess Loulan.
A hint of excitement flickered in Princess Loulan's stunning eyes. "To another world," she uttered.
Zhang Tian was stunned. Was this woman crazy enough to jump into the ghost cave? He suddenly remembered what the blacksmith had said about Princess Loulan being insane. It seemed to be true.
"I will take my father with me. In that place, there is no Buddhism, and my father doted on me," Princess Loulan said, a look of yearning on her face.
Zhang Tian took a breath. She wasn't returning to Loulan Kingdom to save the souls of its people. Instead, she wanted to compensate for her own broken childhood and drag the king down with her. Zhang Tian couldn't fathom what these two father and daughter were planning, so he stopped thinking about it.
"There's a passage here," Zhang Qilin said, pointing to a narrow stone path along the cliff face. It was only wide enough for one person to pass cautiously.
Zhang Tian nodded, and they all began to ascend the path. Zhang Qilin seemed unfazed by the corpse-scented demon lilies, appearing quite calm. Hu Bayi, throughout their journey, kept looking at the corpse-scented demon lilies, curious about their buds. They were more beautiful than the corpse ginseng they had encountered before.
"If I'm not mistaken, there should be people of the Prophecy Tribe on the other side of this passage," Zhang Tian thought as they neared the passageway to the Queen's coffin, recalling the original plot. If his memory served him right, the Prophet's coffin should be in a nearby cave.
"Old Hu, take a look. Are there any other tombs around the Queen's tomb?" Zhang Tian suddenly asked.
Hu Bayi looked puzzled. "Boss, tombs around the Queen's tomb? This..." He cast a regretful glance at Zhang Tian. After all, this was the tomb of Queen Jingjue. How could anyone be so audacious as to build another tomb beneath hers? However, since Zhang Tian had spoken, Hu Bayi couldn't very well object and opted for a tactful response.
Zhang Tian nodded. "On the murals before, and in historical records, it was mentioned that there was a tribe of prophets in the Zaglama Mountains. I suspect those people might be in there." Zhang Tian's suspicion stemmed primarily from having read the original novel.
Hu Bayi found Zhang Tian's reasoning sound. After all, it never hurt to be meticulous.
"Brother Zhang, you have such a good memory and are so detail-oriented," Shirley Yang commented, surprised that Zhang Tian remembered the Prophecy Tribe.
"Boss is the most meticulous..."
"Fatty!" Seeing Zhang Tian glare at him, Fatty quickly fell silent.
At this moment, Zhang Qilin's gaze fell upon the coffin. He felt his breathing quicken involuntarily. The being within this coffin seemed more powerful than anyone he had ever encountered. The oppressive aura was palpable, even from within a coffin.
"Eighteen Immortals of the Heavenly Palace, Taiyi Stabilizes the Universe, Gold Splitting Mountain-Controlling Art, Dragon Pool Appears Within," Hu Bayi recited ancient tomb-finding incantations. His compass spun incessantly. Hu Bayi's face paled slightly as he surveyed their surroundings.
"Boss, this tomb was just thrown together. It's too hard to discern," Hu Bayi said with a troubled expression. The tomb, in terms of construction, was merely a platform with a coffin. There was nothing else to go by.
"Is there no other way?" Zhang Tian asked. If that were the case, he would have to take more drastic measures, like blasting through the cave to find the tomb. After all, finding the prophets first would increase their chances of successfully raiding the tomb. If they went for the Queen first, not knowing how to deal with her, Zhang Tian feared he wouldn't even know how he died. In the original novel, Hu Bayi and his companions likely died after raiding the tomb. He had seen the Queen's eyes and traveled to another parallel world. The expedition members there were still alive, and the team members had survived, but they had been cursed. Of course, these were all mere speculations.
Hu Bayi pondered for a moment. "Perhaps the methods of the Mountain-Moving Taoists could work," he said, looking at Zhang Tian. "But the destructive power is quite significant."
"It's fine. Let's find it first," Zhang Tian replied. Hu Bayi nodded, then took out a talisman.
"Yin Moon, Ghost God, Greedy Wolf..." He continuously etched symbols onto the talisman. Soon, several talismans were produced. "Yin souls, heed my command! Mountain-Moving, open the tomb!" Hu Bayi commanded coldly. The talismans then seemed to come alive and burrowed into the nearby rock crevices.
Moments later, with several muffled explosions, a stone opening was blasted out. Zhang Tian was dumbfounded. Good heavens, the explosive power of this blast would likely have destroyed any artifacts within the tomb. Truly, the legacy of the Mountain-Moving Taoists. The mountain shook slightly, but luckily, they held on tight and didn't fall.
"Damn it, Old Hu, what the hell was that? Such immense power!" Fatty grumbled, looking upset. He had almost died on this trip.
"Look, there's a hole," Shirley Yang said. Though eager to see the coffin, she knew it wasn't the right time.
Zhang Qilin withdrew his gaze from the coffin and looked at Zhang Tian. He had sensed another power from within. Zhang Qilin was surprised. He hadn't even noticed the hidden tomb chamber, yet Zhang Tian had found it. He truly was meticulous.
"The explosion just now seems to have awakened the corpse-scented demon lilies on the coffin. Let's go into the cave," Zhang Tian said. Everyone nodded and quickly scurried inside. After the cave was blasted open, a passage appeared. At the end of the passage, a side chamber emerged.
"Holy crap, it's miraculous! There really is a tomb chamber, Boss, are you blessed with clairvoyance?" Fatty exclaimed, staring at the side chamber. However, when he saw the two mummified corpses sitting there, Fatty fell silent.
"What is this thing?" Fatty asked, confused.
"This isn't just anything. This should be the prophets," Zhang Tian said, looking at the seated mummified corpses with a serious expression. These two figures were crucial to whether he could perfectly decipher the Jingjue Ancient City. Zhang Tian's goal was to decipher the city without damaging it, and then have Chinese experts collect all the artifacts and gold coins. He wanted to contribute to the great rejuvenation of China. And to achieve the goal of taking the gold coins, these two mummified corpses were key!