Inside the tomb chamber, countless corpses were scattered haphazardly on the ground.
An unknown medicinal powder had been sprinkled on them, preventing the bodies from decaying into skeletons over time.
Instead, their decaying flesh had become preserved by the powder.
Though their bodies remained intact, the stench emanating from them had not dissipated at all.
As time passed, the putrid odor seemed to remain unchanged, and in fact, grew even more unbearable.
Their gazes swept across the entire tomb chamber.
In the vast side hall, the number of corpses was incalculable.
Not a single corpse was complete, as if they had suffered extreme torment in life.
Their stomachs were flat, likely due to days of starvation.
Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Tian could already guess the nature of this place.
"This might be a priest's prison, and those held within were likely the barbarians of the past. After their deaths, their bodies were coated with a special powder, preserving their flesh."
Zhang Tian spoke softly as he observed the situation.
"Then there's nothing here. Boss, let's get out of here, it's disgusting."
Fatty covered his nose, feeling nauseous.
The stench of a single corpse could be smelled even through concrete, let alone a mountain of them.
The floor itself had been stained a charred black by corpse oil.
It was utterly revolting.
Zhang Tian also intended to leave, as there was nothing he was looking for here.
"Wait, look over there."
Suddenly, Shirley Yang pointed to the side.
Zhang Tian followed her gaze.
In a corner against the wall, there was a pile of clothes. Faint traces of white could still be seen on them.
The clothes were uniform, suggesting they belonged to a specific faction.
Zhang Tian stepped forward and approached the pile of clothes.
Zhang Qilin and Hu Bayi followed closely behind.
"These clothes likely don't belong to the local barbarians," Hu Bayi remarked.
Zhang Tian glanced over and noticed the subtle details.
With a wave of his hand, the clothes levitated into the air.
Having witnessed so many shocking sights, Professor Li found this somewhat anticlimactic.
Zhang Tian's hand moved, and the clothes spun around.
"These are the clothes of the Medicine King," Zhang Qilin stated.
Even after a thousand years, the unique medicinal scent clinging to the clothes could not be concealed.
As Zhang Qilin spoke, Zhang Tian nodded in agreement.
This further solidified the notion that the Medicine King was not a single individual, but a sect.
And the Medicine King's tomb was likely the tomb of the sect leader, or perhaps the entire sect.
In that case, there would likely be many valuable treasures to be found within the Medicine King's tomb.
After all, it was an entire sect, possibly harboring even more powerful individuals.
Could such a tomb be small?
However, Zhang Tian was perplexed as to why these individuals, if they were disciples of the Medicine King, were found in this location.
If the disciples of the Medicine King had clashed with the Xian King, based on Zhang Tian's knowledge, the Medicine King was skilled in alchemy, and thus likely possessed considerable personal strength. Why would such a situation arise?
His mind was filled with questions.
After much thought, Zhang Tian arrived at a conclusion.
Either there was internal strife within the Medicine King sect, or the Xian King's Mutian Worm was simply too powerful.
Zhang Tian could not conceive of any other reason.
"There seem to be names on these," Hu Bayi said, as if he had discovered something. His gaze was fixed on the white garments.
Following Hu Bayi's gaze, Zhang Tian also spotted a few characters.
"Medicine King Valley?"
Upon seeing the three characters, Zhang Tian took a deep breath.
Indeed, it was exactly as he had suspected.
However, this only deepened Zhang Tian's curiosity as to why the entire Medicine King Valley had met such a fate.
Alchemy was highly popular and lucrative during the Qin and Han dynasties; the entire valley could not have been so fragile.
"These clothes likely belonged to them. This place is likely where the people from the Medicine King Valley, whom we have been searching for, were." Hu Bayi spoke.
Zhang Tian recalled the map from earlier.
It depicted mountains, water, and dwellings.
It even showed dragon veins.
Zhang Tian's mind conjured an image of the Xian King's tomb, which was also situated amidst mountains, with surrounding settlements.
It also had dragon veins.
This suggested that the Medicine King's tomb was located within this primeval forest.
"Indeed, it seems the Xian King and the people of Medicine King Valley had a fierce confrontation in the past."
"Let's go, we should check out another area."
Zhang Tian made an immediate decision to explore other locations.
Hu Bayi nodded, his gaze sweeping the surroundings to ensure there were no other discoveries besides the corpses. Only then did they begin to leave.
Zhang Qilin then addressed Zhang Tian.
"The corpse qi we sensed earlier is very likely from this."
Zhang Tian nodded, he felt the same.
Furthermore, Zhang Tian noticed that Zhang Qilin's speech was gradually becoming more coherent, rather than just a few simple words.
It was significant progress, and Zhang Tian felt gratified.
"What is it? Did you find anything?" Shirley Yang asked, seeing Hu Bayi and the others approach.
Hu Bayi nodded.
"Yes, those individuals were likely the ones who poisoned the local people. They hailed from a place called Medicine King Valley." Hu Bayi confirmed.
"Medicine King Valley?" Shirley Yang and the three professors spoke almost simultaneously.
Professor Li harbored some doubt. Could elixirs truly exist?
Given Zhang Tian's remarkable abilities, he couldn't help but recall the Qin Emperor's search for the elixir of immortality.
While modern people might view that endeavor as foolish, Professor Li now saw it with a different perspective.
"Yes, it was a place dedicated to refining medicinal herbs. Perhaps the herbs they sought back then were from this very location." Hu Bayi explained.
"Then we can continue to search for the location of this valley," Shirley Yang suggested.
She herself had previously taken elixirs.
She understood their importance firsthand.
Therefore, if Medicine King Valley was indeed a place for alchemy, there would likely be many lingering elixirs.
This would ensure they would not lack resources!
"Yes, let's go outside first. This place is not suitable for lingering." Hu Bayi agreed, and they all exited the side hall.
Outside, the stench of corpses had significantly diminished.
Fatty took several deep breaths.
"Damn it, I was almost suffocated in there." Fatty grumbled.
"Brother Zhang, where are we going now?" Professor Li inquired.
If possible, he was eager to follow Zhang Tian to the Medicine King Valley.
Professor Li was now deeply intrigued by the unknown.
Especially regarding the origins of Zhang Tian's extraordinary abilities.
"To the side hall over there."
Zhang Tian pointed to another area.
The main hall was divided into three central sections, with two side halls flanking them.
Zhang Tian had already examined one, and had yet to inspect the other.
In the first side hall, he had discovered the people of Medicine King Valley.
Zhang Tian hoped that the other hall might contain some information about Medicine King Valley.
Professor Li nodded without further questions.
Zhang Tian and the others were already heading towards the other side hall.
What awaited them in the next hall was a question on everyone's minds.