Chapter 914: Ancient Giant Tomb

“What is this, Senior Dayan? Have you ever seen it?” Han Li asked through spiritual sense, his brows deeply furrowed.

“Do you truly believe I know everything and am omniscient? I have never heard of this item before. However, since it can resist the penetration of your spiritual sense, it can indeed be called a rare treasure. Ask the other party in detail how they acquired it. Then, whether to accept it is entirely up to you,” Senior Dayan said grumpily.

Hearing this, Han Li smiled inwardly, not taking offense. His gaze flickered, and he retracted his spiritual sense, allowing the bubble to return to normal before placing the jade box back on the table.

“How is it? Do you recognize this item, fellow daoist?” Jin Yuan asked eagerly.

“My apologies. My experience is limited, and I truly cannot identify this object,” Han Li said with an apologetic expression.

“Brother Han, you don’t recognize it either? I just saw something unusual happen to it, and I thought you might know its purpose!” The old man's face was filled with disappointment, subtly tinged with a hint of suspicion.

Han Li chuckled, explaining nonchalantly, “That unusual phenomenon was merely caused by enveloping it with a large amount of spiritual sense. Although I don’t know what it is, it is indeed unusual enough to be called a rare treasure.”

“Oh! Is that so?” The old man seemed half-believing, half-doubting. His gaze fixated on the golden bubble in the box, and he, too, released his spiritual sense.

Han Li watched the old man's actions quietly, his expression unchanged.

After a moment, the bubble indeed pulsed with golden light, expanding and contracting slightly.

The old man exhaled a long breath. A hint of fatigue appeared on his face. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment before opening them again.

“I am not as capable. You must be laughing at me. But Brother Han, your spiritual sense is truly extraordinary,” Jin Yuan said, his face showing envy.

He believed that Han Li's cultivation was similar to his own, yet Han Li's previous actions were effortless, while his own had been arduous. This, he reasoned, was because Han Li was born with such a powerful spiritual sense. Such an individual would undoubtedly be a key disciple in any sect, with limitless potential.

Han Li smiled slightly, offering no refutation.

“Brother Jin, where did you acquire this item? It certainly looks unique. Does it have any special origin? Of course, if it’s inconvenient to say, then never mind,” Han Li said calmly, appearing indifferent.

“There’s nothing to keep secret about its origin. But I’m afraid you won’t believe what I say once I tell you,” Jin Yuan said, a bitter smile spreading across his face after a moment of hesitation. “Because this matter is truly incredible.”

“If you don’t tell me, how will you know I won’t believe you? Besides, knowing its origin might help me figure out what it is. After all, it’s just a lifeless object; I can’t deduce its origin from that alone,” Han Li said with a casual smile.

From the other person's tone, it seemed the item truly had a story behind it.

“Actually, there’s nothing to conceal about this item’s origin. It’s just that several of my close friends died because of it, which is why I’m reluctant to bring it up,” Jin Yuan said with a sigh.

Han Li paused, surprised. Seeing the other person contemplating, he knew they would continue, so he remained quietly silent.

“You should be able to guess that I am a rogue cultivator, and one who cultivates earth-attribute techniques. My other abilities are quite ordinary, but I was born with an Earth Spirit Body. I have some minor accomplishments in earth-escape techniques. If my spiritual roots weren't so inferior, many major sects would probably have vied to take me as a disciple,” the old man said, his face filled with regret as he spoke.

“So, once I achieved some level of cultivation, I often enjoyed venturing into desolate mountains and secluded areas, searching for ancient cultivators' dwellings, hoping to find some spiritual land ruins and turn my fortune around overnight. But those ancient cultivator caves and spiritual objects are not so easy to find. Although I wouldn't say I gained nothing, it was negligible compared to the time I wasted there. Until three years ago...”

Jin Yuan's voice unnaturally paused, then he continued in a deep tone:

“Three years ago, I accepted an invitation from a friend who claimed to have discovered what appeared to be a massive ancient cultivator's tomb from antiquity. We planned to explore it together, leveraging my earth-escape techniques. If any treasures were truly found, I would naturally receive a share. Upon hearing this, I was naturally delighted and immediately agreed to go. As it turned out, several other close acquaintances also went with us. At that point, I already knew that this ancient tomb was probably highly unusual. Sure enough, after we entered the tomb, we discovered...” The old man’s voice began to tremble slightly.

“...We discovered that the ancient tomb was actually the grave of a renowned emperor from ancient times. That person was King Xuan, known for his ferocity in antiquity, a truly legendary figure. When we saw this, we were greatly disappointed, thinking it was a wasted trip. After all, no matter how extraordinary this person was among mortals, what could they possibly have for us cultivators? But who knew, after entering the main tomb chamber, we found rare materials and magical artifacts used by cultivators among the burial objects. We were naturally overjoyed and were about to take the items when suddenly, many of the mummified corpses buried in the tomb came alive and transformed into unkillable walking corpses. No matter what magical artifacts or techniques we used on them, they were useless. Immediately, most of our fellow daoists were caught off guard and torn to shreds. Strange movements also came from the main coffin, as if the legendary King Xuanye himself was about to revive. Fortunately, I was proficient in earth-escape techniques. Realizing the danger, I immediately escaped underground. Otherwise, I would have perished in that ominous tomb. But the others weren't so lucky.” When Jin Yuan spoke of this, his face turned slightly pale. It seemed the scene back then had genuinely shocked him.

“Then what is this thing...?” Han Li felt a slight surprise, but still pointed to the jade box and asked.

“This item was placed on the main coffin as an offering, and I took it when I left. I originally thought that since it was so unique, it must be a rare treasure. But who knew, after asking around in various markets, no one recognized what it was. Although they knew it was unusual, no one was willing to pay a high price for it. So it has just remained in my possession ever since,” Jin Yuan said directly, without much concealment, though the frustration on his face was obvious.

“Since it was buried with an ancient emperor, it’s not surprising that no one knows what it is. After all, many things from ancient times have already become extinct in today’s cultivation world. However, for a mortal emperor to possess cultivator items and for the corpses to turn into walking dead... that seems to be a serious issue. Did you not try to find people to explore that tomb again?” Han Li asked, a strange expression on his face.

“I naturally went back to look for that ancient tomb, and even brought a large group of high-level cultivators with me. But who would have thought? When I returned to the original location, the ancient tomb had inexplicably vanished. There was only a vast wasteland left in its place. I truly couldn't believe what I was seeing. Yet, I was certain I hadn't mistaken the tomb's location. Even the secret marks I deliberately left at the tomb's entrance were clearly visible.” As Jin Yuan spoke, his face suddenly darkened.

Han Li frowned. If all this was true, and only the old man survived, plus the tomb couldn't be found, then it went without saying that the old man's life would not have been easy afterward.

“Fellow daoist, where did you find that ancient tomb? Could you tell me?” After a moment of thought, Han Li calmly spoke again.

“Where else could it be? Naturally, deep within the Snow Ridge Mountains,” the old man said, gritting his teeth slightly.

“Snow Ridge Mountains. If I recall correctly, you mentioned that cultivators often go missing in these mountains. Is there a connection to this incident?” Han Li said slowly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Perhaps. I’m not entirely sure either. However, if you’re interested, I can give you the ancient tomb’s location. Perhaps Brother Han might have a chance to visit and make some discoveries!” The old man hesitated for a moment, then said this.

Then he pulled a jade slip from his robe, inscribed something into it while holding it, and casually handed it to Han Li.

“Alright. If I have time, I’ll go take a look,” Han Li said calmly after a moment of silence, reaching out and taking the jade slip.

“Haha! It seems I truly feel an instant connection with you, fellow daoist. I haven't shared this frustration I've carried for so long with anyone. How about this: I see Brother Han seems quite interested in this item. I'll sell it to you cheaper. Just give me one hundred spirit stones, Fellow Daoist Han, and you can take it. How does that sound?” The old man said with a beaming smile.

“One hundred spirit stones? That’s certainly very cheap. But I can't let Brother Jin suffer a loss. How about this: I’ll give Brother Jin two hundred spirit stones for this item.” Han Li smiled, seeming a little embarrassed as he said this. He then produced the spirit stones in his hand and handed them to the old man opposite him.

Seeing they were mid-grade spirit stones, Jin Yuan couldn't help but smile. He politely exchanged a few words and then took them. The golden bubble in the jade box was, of course, then readily pushed towards Han Li.

Han Li, in front of the old man, casually put the jade box into his storage pouch. Seeing this, the old man's face was filled with relief, though he seemed quite reluctant to part with it.

Just then, a spirit beast pouch at Han Li's waist stirred and emitted a faint chirping sound.

“What is this...?” The old man was startled, staring at the spirit beast pouch at Han Li's waist, asking with some curiosity.

“Nothing, just a low-level spirit beast I keep. It probably likes hunting and is just a little interested in this item,” Han Li said nonchalantly, glancing down at the spirit beast pouch.