William stretched out his arms with a comfortable yawn.
"So comfortable, haven't had a good rest in ages," he murmured, his voice still that of a child.
It was clear that the child had not left William's body; in fact, it had completely adapted to this new form.
After stretching, William noticed something amiss in his surroundings.
With a tremor in the ground, the once calm surface cracked open into an incredibly deep chasm.
Simultaneously, countless wisps of Yin energy poured out from the rift, filling the entire tomb with a familiar scent.
"Uncle really kept his promise, he actually dealt with that big black house," the child muttered, his eyes wide with shock.
That was something that had trapped them for thousands of years, and Zhang Tian and the others had actually removed it.
A sense of inexpressible relief washed over him.
"Little brother, did you call that person?" a crisp voice inquired.
Following the voice, a group of little ghosts surrounded William.
Though their faces were expressionless, their joy was palpable.
"There's another person here. I don't have a physical body yet, and I can't stay long without one." A girl in a red dress looked at Nan Xi, who had fainted on the ground.
"No, sister, this is an uncle who saved us! You can't!"
"Sister, you know, staying in this world isn't that great either," William's ethereal voice echoed.
The little ghosts exchanged glances.
Beyond a hint of confusion, there was no trace of longing in their eyes.
They were all abandoned children, offered to deities, with no homes of their own.
"Little brother, if you want to live here, then use this body. Remember, don't appear too smart or too strange, or those people will see through you. Those people are very wicked," a little female ghost whispered. She was the oldest among them, clearly possessing considerable experience.
"Then, sister, what about you all..." William looked at the older brothers and sisters who had once helped him.
"We're leaving. Live well here. Goodbye." The group waved at William.
Then, their figures slowly began to fade away.
"Sister..." William murmured, watching them, but could only witness their departure.
In the tomb passage.
"Huh? Boss, where's Turtle Grandpa?" Fatty walked through the tomb passage filled with the aroma of herbs, his large face scanning the surroundings, but he couldn't see Xiao Bie's shadow.
"He's probably gone to enjoy a feast. With the nourishment from those corpses, he should advance further," Zhang Tian said with a smile as he looked around.
Indeed, in a previous tomb passage, Xiao Bie was found gnawing on corpses. With the spirits gone, the corpses' strength had waned, making them edible for Xiao Bie.
"Delicious, simply delicious! Turtle Grandpa wants to live here forever!"
"No, I'll take a few with me when we leave. This is so much better than chilling in the pond!" Xiao Bie thought, wagging its tail, feeling incredibly pleased. The benefits of having a good master!
"Boss, you spoil him too much. He'll explode one day," Fatty chuckled, genuinely happy for Xiao Bie. If Xiao Bie's strength increased, perhaps it wouldn't be tricked by Tuan Tuan into being a mount.
"Wait, up ahead, there's light!" Hu Bayi suddenly exclaimed, pointing into the distance.
They followed his gaze.
Indeed, further down the tomb passage, a faint yellow glow shone through, falling directly upon them.
"Is this a hidden chamber?" Wang Banyue murmured, swallowing and feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"I smell an elixir," Zhang Qilin added.
"Be careful. I'm worried there might be self-destructing traps. This is usually where they are most concentrated," Zhang Tian whispered.
Everyone nodded and slowed their pace.
"Boss, look, there are so many patterns of medicinal herbs on the wall ahead."
"And some ancient text." Fatty pointed to the wall not far away, exclaiming in surprise. He even feigned more astonishment on his face.
"Fatty, your acting is over the top. We're not blind," Hu Bayi gave Fatty a look and scanned the surroundings. After confirming there were no traps, they proceeded inside.
On the tomb walls, besides the depictions of various elixirs, there were also several lines of text.
"This is the Green Lotus for refining the Azure Lotus Elixir, this is the Firebird Mushroom for refining the Phoenix Elixir, this is the Flood Dragon Gallbladder for refining the Dragon's Roar Elixir, this is..." After seeing the patterns, Hu Bayi began to name them one by one.
Upon finishing, he looked at Zhang Tian and Zhang Qilin.
"Boss, Second Brother, these are patterns of top-tier elixirs and their ingredients. Even Wang Zanghai wouldn't have the method for refining such elixirs."
"And they're here," Hu Bayi's voice was filled with excitement. These elixirs were truly valuable. Just obtaining one could easily lead to a realm far beyond Tian Ji, let alone Tian Ji itself. This highlighted the immense preciousness of a good elixir.
"It seems Xu Fu hid quite a lot. Wang Zanghai was from the Ming Dynasty, while Xu Fu was from the Qin Dynasty. Thousands of years separate these two eras."
"Can things from the Qin Dynasty be compared to those from the Ming Dynasty?" Zhang Tian said softly. Zhang Tian had a premonition that they would find something extraordinary this time!
"Good heavens, Boss, what are we waiting for? Let's go in!" Fatty was impatient, rubbing his hands. Fatty was quite fearful of death; if longevity could be extended, he would be the first to charge forward.
"Don't rush. Let's examine the inscriptions first," Zhang Tian was not in a hurry. They were already here; were they afraid the elixirs would fly away?
"In ancient times, immortals hid between heaven and earth; in modern times, herb farmers hide in the mountains and forests."
"I have long sought the path to eternal life, traveling far and wide across the Divine Land, searching for ancient deities."
"However, by the grace of heaven, I have finally found a sliver of hope, and I have taken an immortal as my master."
"Later, I learned Daoist techniques, ascending to the heavens and descending to earth, yet my lifespan was only three to four hundred years."
"I learned of an herb farmer hidden in the mountains, possessing elixirs that could grant eternal life."
"Finally, I found the herb farmer's traces, but he had already departed. I obtained his alchemical arts, seeking eternal life."
The text on the wall was in ancient script. Wu Tianzhen read it aloud as he deciphered it, trying to make it as understandable as possible for everyone.
"Herb farmer? Boss, could this herb farmer he's talking about be the one we've been searching for?" Fatty shivered. Good heavens, did the Medicine King already exist in the Qin Dynasty? That was too long ago! Fatty even doubted if the elixir would remain potent after they found it.
"I don't know, but it's possible. It seems we were mistaken before. Xu Fu might not have been part of the Golden Core Sect," Zhang Tian shook his head, a sense of solemnity weighing on his mind.
"Boss, look quickly! There's another line of text below!" Hu Bayi brushed away the dirt at the bottom, and indeed, the last line of the inscription was revealed on the wall.
"Previously, the First Emperor proclaimed to the world; today, I, Xu Fu, will surely unify the realm!"
Reading the final line, a powerful image of a heroic man standing amidst the vast sea, exuding an imposing aura, appeared in everyone's minds.