"It seems I need to get to Shangri-La as soon as possible to obtain the Fountain of Youth..." Feeling his body decaying and stiff, Li Ling found it very difficult to move.
Although he broke the curse seal on his body by relying on the World Tree and thus gained his freedom, his body had been corroded by the power of the curse for many years and was already dilapidated, like a terracotta figurine that could rot at any moment.
The fastest way to return to normal is to find the Fountain of Youth and rebuild your body with its water.
More than a month has passed since Li Ling eliminated the power of the curse. During this month, after taking a break, the World Tree has been fully repaired. Based on the Five Elements magic of Chi You's remnant soul and the divine patterns of the curse law absorbed by the World Tree, Li Ling has reached the Golden Core realm.
However, Li Ling originally cultivated sword essence in the world of "Young Zhang Sanfeng". After returning to the real world, after the system rewarded him with the Qiankun Sword, his sword essence merged with the Qiankun Sword.
His breakthrough to the Golden Core realm wasn't achieved by condensing a 'Golden Core' in his dantian, but rather by forming divine runes of laws on the Qiankun Sword.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the Six Paths Divine Pattern of the Five Elements Law and the Curse Law, its power becoming quite immense.
At this moment, in the Qiankun World in Li Ling's mind, in addition to the original branch that absorbed the power of the curse and grew a leaf, there were five more branches on which a leaf with the divine patterns of the laws grew, which were the five elements divine patterns of metal, wood, water, fire and earth.
At this point, the World Tree had grown six leaves, and the divine patterns on them were the same as those on the Qiankun Sword.
...
When Li Ling emerged from the tomb, a modern military unit was already stationed there.
"Are you sure the underground imperial tomb has been shaking since last night?" General Yang asked, listening to a report from one of his soldiers.
General Yang's family ancestors were great generals of the Qin Dynasty. The family has been passed down from the Qin Dynasty to the present day, and generations have been taught to be loyal to the Qin Dynasty. Starting with General Yang's ancestors, they have been committed to awakening the Dragon Emperor and rebuilding the Qin Empire.
General Yang had originally planned to first rely on foreign archaeological teams to excavate the Dragon Emperor in the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum, and then use diplomatic means to retrieve the Eye of Shangri-La from Britain.
Before General Yang could take any action, he heard a report from his subordinates that the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum had been trembling continuously since last night.
"Boom!"
Just then, the ground shook, and a cloud of yellow sand swept out. Under the watchful eyes of General Yang and thousands of soldiers, a broken terracotta figure emerged.
General Yang was taken aback at first, but after regaining his senses, he quickly drew the pistol from his waist.
His soldiers, upon seeing the terracotta figure, drew their weapons and formed a protective circle around General Yang, watching Li Ling warily.
"Are you the guardians of the imperial tomb?"
Upon seeing General Yang, who bore a striking resemblance to a certain actor from Hong Kong, Li Ling recalled his identity: he must be the General Yang who served the Dragon Emperor in the movie.
Who is Yang Shizhong to you?
From the Dragon Emperor's memories, Li Ling learned that General Yang's ancestor was Yang Shizhong, who was the commander of the Dragon Emperor's imperial guards back then.
Judging from the fact that General Yang's family has spared no effort in protecting the imperial tombs for two thousand years, his ancestor 'Yang Shizhong' truly lived up to his name.
"You are..." General Yang suddenly thought of a possibility and looked at Li Ling with excitement.
"Why do you not kneel before me?" Li Ling's words undoubtedly acknowledged his identity.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." After confirming Li Ling's identity, General Yang was filled with excitement and immediately knelt down respectfully to pay his respects.
"This is not the place to talk, Your Majesty. Please move to another location..."
Li Ling nodded upon hearing this, and then followed General Yang to the military camp. General Yang then took out a map and began to explain the current situation to Li Ling.
"Awakening the army and rebuilding the Qin Empire is not urgent. Two thousand years ago, the witch Shion cursed me. Although I broke the seal, I still need one more thing to restore it to its former glory!"
Li Ling had considered waking up the army immediately, but ultimately decided to head to Shangri-La first.
He has now broken through to the Golden Core realm. As long as he is careful of that deadly longsword, his immediate priority is to recover his health.
"Please give your orders, Your Majesty, and I will do my utmost to retrieve it for you," General Yang said respectfully.
"The Fountain of Youth," Li Ling said calmly.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have already taken care of the matter of the Fountain of Youth. I believe that the British Foreign Office will send the Fountain of Youth over soon," General Yang said.
"That little bit of the Fountain of Youth is far from enough. I must go to Shangri-La!"
There is indeed a fountain of youth in the Eye of Shangri-La, but it's only a small bowl, not nearly enough to restore him to his peak condition.
"Your Majesty, I will make the arrangements immediately," General Yang said respectfully, then added, "Your Majesty, I also have something to report: bring the person up."
As General Yang finished speaking, two soldiers escorted a woman into the tent.
"Your Majesty, not long ago, soldiers spotted this woman acting suspiciously at the entrance of the Imperial Mausoleum, so they arrested her. After interrogation, they discovered that this woman has a great connection with the witch Shion who cursed Your Majesty years ago!"
After listening to General Yang's words, Li Ling's eyes narrowed, and he looked up at the woman, finding a strange sense of familiarity about her.
This sense of familiarity did not come from Li Ling himself, but from the Dragon Emperor's memories; Guo Lin and Zi Yuan had some resemblance in appearance.
"Are you Ziyuan and Guo Ming's daughter?" Looking at Guo Lin's stubborn face, Li Ling suddenly laughed, but his eyes gradually turned cold.
"You tyrannical ruler, you are cruel and heartless, slaughtering living beings and causing the death of my father. One day you will be punished by heaven!" Guo Lin shouted, her voice filled with hatred as she glared at Li Ling.
Guo Lin originally came to Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum to investigate the situation, but unexpectedly, he was discovered by a patrol of soldiers as soon as he arrived at the entrance of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. He was shot in the leg while trying to escape and was then captured by soldiers under General Yang.
"How dare you offend His Majesty!" General Yang, standing to the side, couldn't help but darken his expression and reprimand Guo Lin.
Then, looking at Guo Lin's rather pretty face, he turned to Li Ling and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the conditions here are harsh, and we have been unable to build a palace for Your Majesty. However, I think this woman, though wild, is also a beauty, and is perfect for serving Your Majesty in bed. When Your Majesty returns to the Central Plains, I will search the land for the most beautiful women to fill Your Majesty's harem!"
“No need.” Li Ling refused directly. He was not a lecherous devil. Although Guo Lin was not bad-looking, Li Ling did not think much of her. Moreover, there was Gu Ziyun, who had also transmigrated to this world.
“However, she knows the location of Shangri-La. Take her away and interrogate her thoroughly,” Li Ling instructed.
As Ziyuan's daughter, Guo Lin must know the location of Shangri-La.