"Hey, that's easy. Those Taoist priests are all frauds. They don't have any elixirs of immortality, let alone the ability to live forever."
"You're right. Do you two think so too?"
Partridge Whistle thought for a moment and said, “That’s only one reason. Alchemy has existed since ancient times. It’s definitely not just a deceptive practice. Even if those Taoist priests couldn’t concoct an elixir of immortality, they should have been able to refine some longevity-promoting pills. But they didn’t. In fact, most emperors who took these pills died even faster. That’s what you really want to ask, senior.”
Chen Yulou also understood what Lu Xuan meant.
“That’s right. If I were an alchemist and actually created an elixir of immortality, I would never give it to the emperor. If there’s anything in ancient times that could surpass imperial power, it would probably be immortality. No one can resist the temptation of immortality.”
Lu Xuan didn't explain his answer to the two men, but instead turned to face the Black and White Impermanence. He then extended his right hand, a visible surge of energy enveloping it. With that, he tore open the corpse's large belly. From there, Lu Xuan pulled out a golden pill.
"It seems you're right, no one would give up the chance to live forever."
Everyone stared at the grape-sized pill, almost forgetting to breathe.
"This...this is the elixir of immortality?"
"What are you thinking? If it really were an elixir of immortality, this guy probably wouldn't have died. He just probably thought he had succeeded and then ate it himself."
Looking around, he realized the situation had become critical. He dragged the mummified corpses over and covered himself with them. Then he swallowed a pill, trying to escape some danger. Looking at his body now, there are no other wounds, so let's assume he escaped. But the pill killed him.
"Those who pursue immortality die because of their hope for it," Partridge Whistle remarked with some emotion. His Taklamakan tribe also pursued immortality, but for them, immortality meant simply living past forty.
"Hey, you scared me! I really thought it was an elixir of immortality!"
"Immortality is not that simple. Can you really make an elixir of immortality from a pile of dried corpses? Seeking immortality in a tomb is the most absurd thing in the world."
Although he said that, Lu Xuan didn't destroy the pill in his hand. Instead, he put it away, intending to study it. After all, a pill that could be considered successful must have some extraordinary qualities.
He found many jade bottles around him that contained pills, and put the inner core he had obtained from hunting the flying centipede into the bottles along with the pills he had just taken.
He then took a gold medal from the corpse, on which were written the four characters "Guanshan Taibao".
"It seems I was right. The last person to oversee this alchemy furnace was indeed Guanshan Taibao."
"I wonder if the Guanshan Taibao still has any lineage in the world. If so, these people are probably not easy to deal with," Chen Yulou echoed.
"Hehe, after the Han and Tang dynasties, the two major official bandit groups, the Tomb Raiders and the Grave Robbers, became folk traditions. The Unloading Ridge and Moving Mountain sects never even entered the imperial court. But the Mountain Guardians were at least imperial patrons during the Ming and even Yuan dynasties. The fact that they could stand firm for so many years proves that they must have some real skills to intimidate the royal family, and also that they are extremely good at the inheritance and operation of their sects."
This school of thought can absolutely not be allowed to die out. Having relied on the royal family for many years, they likely have a firm grasp on the methods of tomb raiding and grave robbing. In the realm of tomb raiding, perhaps no one can surpass them.
Lu Xuan remembered that the final boss of the Ghost Blows Out the Light series was apparently created by the last Guanshan Taibao. The main trio only managed to defeat him by using their special abilities.
"Looks like I'll have to be careful of these bastards, but then again, where's my treasure? All I have are some bottles and jars, nothing of value. Just this alchemy furnace, I can't get this out of here."
"Forget it, there's no treasure here. Or rather, not the treasure you're looking for. Haven't you discovered a huge loophole yet?"
Lu Xuan looked around, and everyone looked blank. Only Partridge Whistle showed an expression of sudden realization.
“There is no tomb here at all! We’ve come to the wrong place. From beginning to end, this underground palace is just a place for alchemy, and it has nothing to do with the Yuan Dynasty tomb we are looking for. There is absolutely no trace of a burial site here. We’ve come to the wrong place; the real tomb is not here.”
"Not here? After all this time, there's no grave here at all. Are you all taking advantage of my lack of education? Hurry up, where's the real grave? Don't waste my time."
Chen Yulou also realized this.
“At the top of the mountain.” He and Partridge Whistle spoke almost simultaneously.
“All tombs in the world are buried as low as possible. Because the lower the tomb, the closer it is to the earth’s veins, which is more reasonable from a feng shui perspective. But the tombs on Ping Mountain should correspond to some kind of apotropaic technique, used to suppress something. That’s why the tombs are buried on the mountaintop.”
Chen Yulou's explanation makes sense. However, Lu Xuan doesn't think it's correct. The simplest question is: what is being suppressed?
Aside from that giant centipede, there were no other powerful creatures at the foot of the mountain. Moreover, using tombs and feng shui arrangements to suppress it was completely ineffective against a monster like the giant centipede.
Furthermore, there's a crucial issue: the yin energy surrounding this underground palace isn't nearly as heavy as Lu Xuan had imagined. He originally thought this underground alchemy chamber would be the place with the heaviest yin energy. After all, alchemy inevitably involves gathering qi. With the feng shui arrangement broken, this qi should have transformed into yin energy and filled this place.
But no, although the yin energy here was heavy, it was far less than Lu Xuan had expected. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the others come down.
The yin energy at the core of the formation had dissipated, but Lu Xuan had difficulty sensing where it had gone. The chaotic feng shui arrangement around him weakened his perception. However, even if he couldn't sense it, he could guess what it was, because it was just too obvious.
He increasingly felt that the adventure was taking a different turn than he remembered.
The group emerged from the underground palace at midnight. They could only rest for now and explore the Yuan Dynasty tomb the next day.
Commander Luo was unhappy, but seeing that his subordinates were all exhausted, he didn't say anything. The key was that although the underground gains weren't much, there was still something. It was enough to allow him to get a decent night's sleep.
Lu Xuan didn't sleep, and even unusually, he didn't meditate. Instead, he left the camp and, in an open area, tried to use the Plum Blossom Divination method to predict the upcoming journey.
Having begun his cultivation journey, the theoretical knowledge he had previously acquired was starting to show results. The Plum Blossom Divination was one of them.
However, the final divination result left him bewildered.
fierce!!!
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Chapter 195 This chapter is about flirting with girls, subscribe with caution (Second update, please subscribe)
Lu Xuan had long viewed divination as something that existed only if you believed in it, and not if you didn't. Due to his early atheism, he was somewhat resistant to such things. It was only after he began cultivating immortality that he took some time to study them.
He almost never actually acted according to the divination. Because it's better to have your own destiny in your own hands.
The divination indicated misfortune. This was undoubtedly bad news. Lu Xuan's intuition was also subtly warning him that continuing might be dangerous.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind him. Without looking, Lu Xuan knew it was Hong Guniang. She was still holding the fox spirit in her arms. This fellow had only been here a day, and he already knew the pleasures of being in a woman's arms. Now he was glued to Hong Guniang's side all day long.
"Couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk," the girl in red blurted out. Lu Xuan chuckled softly. He stood beside her on the hillside.
"I'll give you a task tomorrow."