Chapter 1446: Old Secrets

Seeing her leave, Zu An and the others breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly began circulating the Grand Genesis Scripture to heal his injuries.

Just then, several figures rapidly approached, shouting, "Nv Ba is here!"

Vaguely, one person was seen waving their sleeve, and the pervasive dust and smoke around them were instantly sucked into their sleeve, greatly improving visibility.

A group of people dressed in strange, shaman-like attire were gathered not far away, surrounding what appeared to be a dilapidated corpse.

It was clearly Nv Ba's corpse.

Now, it seemed only her head remained, her body having vanished.

Zu An couldn't help but marvel at Nv Ba's astonishing cultivation; the power unleashed earlier was greater than a nuclear bomb, yet a head still remained?

The leader of the group sighed, "Nv Ba, why put yourself through this?"

Nv Ba did not answer; she was already dead.

Her eyes were open, seemingly filled with unwillingness and rage.

The group collectively sighed, then began chanting strange syllables, seemingly a eulogy. Nv Ba's expression slowly softened, and her eyes finally closed.

Witnessing this scene, Zu An and the others found it miraculous. Was this a scripture for salvation?

At this point, the shamans noticed their presence and quickly surrounded them, glaring with unfriendly expressions.

Only then did Zu An get a clear look at them. To call them human was, frankly, a stretch.

Each of them had an extremely bizarre appearance. Some had faces painted with colorful oils, others wore ferocious masks, and a few wore massive necklaces made of what looked like unknown animal bones, making them appear utterly terrifying.

"They're with the Golden Crows! Kill them and avenge Nv Ba!" one of them declared indignantly.

Zu An's heart stirred. It seemed these shamans and Nv Ba were allies, putting them in an opposing camp to Xi He and her group.

He immediately explained, "Senior, you've misunderstood. We are not allied with those Golden Crows. On the contrary, we have a vendetta against them."

"Nonsense," the same person scoffed. "I clearly saw you in Xi He's golden chariot just now. If you're not allies, what else could you be?"

"That's because we were captured by her," Zu An quickly replied. "We went to Tang Valley to deal with the Golden Crows, but Xi He discovered us. We were no match and she seized us... Later, when Xi He engaged Nv Ba in a full-scale battle, she was too preoccupied to pay attention to us, which allowed us to escape amidst the chaos."

The shamans' expressions turned strange. "With your strength, you intended to go to Tang Valley to confront the Golden Crows?"

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue showed signs of shame. Ordinarily, they were prominent and respected powerhouses, known throughout the land. Yet, now they were being scorned for their perceived weakness.

They couldn't refute it, as the power of Xi He, Nv Ba, and even these shamans was unfathomable. Both women felt a sense of powerlessness. Although they had prepared for the dangers of the Unknown Land, they hadn't anticipated it would be this perilous. No wonder no one had returned alive from the Unknown Land for thousands of years.

*Hmm*, how exactly did Zu An manage to escape from such terrifying secret realms? And listening to his past accounts, it seemed he had entered more than just one Unknown Land.

Zu An, too, was secretly lamenting. The sum total of his previous experiences in Unknown Lands didn't match the horror of this one.

This was beginning to feel like a mythological world.

However, given the situation, he could only press on with a thick skin: "Previously, we were simply arrogant and underestimated the Golden Crows' strength, which led to our capture. Fortunately, you all appeared in time, distracting them and giving us a chance to escape."

The shamans exchanged glances, their expressions showing a mix of belief and doubt. His story was clearly quite outlandish.

The lead shaman, however, nodded slightly. "Indeed, Xi He has always been arrogant. I've never heard of her having human friends, nor would she allow humans to ride in the same chariot as her."

"But I am very curious, why did Xi He let you go? Although she's not bloodthirsty, she has always been indifferent to humans. How could she possibly carry prisoners like you along?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the shamans stared at them intently, ready to strike if anything seemed amiss.

Zu An was quick to react, immediately saying, "Because at that moment, I had a flash of inspiration and claimed we knew the reason for the ten Golden Crows' sudden rampage. That's why Xi He temporarily spared our lives before rushing off to pursue the Golden Crows."

"Oh, you know why the ten suns appeared?" The lead shaman's gaze sharpened.

Zu An gave a wry smile. "That was just a desperate measure to save our lives at the time. Of course, I don't know the real reason. Thankfully, you arrived; otherwise, if she had interrogated us later, we would have been in danger."

Anyone with a sound mind would now realize that the sudden emergence of the ten Golden Crows wasn't merely due to playful mischief, as initially rumored. There was likely some grand conspiracy at play.

Fearing he would be utterly destroyed if implicated, he naturally wanted to distance himself.

"I see." As the shaman pondered, he suddenly noticed a corner of a mulberry leaf peeking from Zu An's clothes. "Where did you get that mulberry leaf?"

"The great mulberry tree in the mulberry forest gave it to us earlier," Zu An replied, subtly observing their expressions. "It said it was to dispel the miasma from Dongting Lake and help us heal our injuries."

Upon hearing this, the shamans visibly relaxed. "Since the old mulberry tree gave you this leaf, it proves you are indeed not bad people."

"You are badly injured. Come back to our place and rest."

With a wave of his hand, several strange beasts appeared on the ground to carry them.

The shamans also summoned their own mounts, all of them strangely shaped and unidentifiable.

Despite their awkward appearance, these mounts moved incredibly fast, as if flying through clouds.

While thanking them, Zu An seized the opportunity to ask, "Are you the legendary Ten Shamans of Mount Ling?"

The shamans chuckled. "So you've heard of us."

Only Yu Yanluo and the other two women blinked, looking bewildered, but they didn't voice their confusion at that moment.

Zu An was astonished. "I've heard many legends about you, but I don't know which ones are true..."

He then briefly described the plots he had read in his previous life from the 'Primordial Era' genre, leaving Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen utterly shocked. *Could such powerful beings truly exist in this world?* they wondered.

Yu Yanluo, meanwhile, wondered if Zu An was flattering them. She had to admit, it was an incredibly clever form of flattery, praising them without leaving any obvious trace.

The shamans' old faces flushed. The leader quickly waved his hand. "Exaggerated, exaggerated! We are not that powerful, nor are we descendants of Pangu the Great God... We are merely a few leaders of the Witch Tribe. I am Wu Xian, their elder brother, and they are Wu Ji, Wu Pan, Wu Peng, Wu Gu, Wu Zhen, Wu Li, Wu Di, Wu Xie, Wu Luo..."

He then introduced them one by one.

Zu An and the other three also introduced themselves. After getting acquainted, their attitudes became increasingly relaxed and friendly.

"By the way, was that Nv Ba a friend of yours just now?" Zu An took the opportunity to ask.

Wu Xian sighed. "She was our old neighbor, so I suppose she could be considered a friend."

"She's so pitiful. Why did those ten Golden Crows attack her?" Yu Yanluo's voice was full of sympathy.

She was already exceptionally beautiful and amiable, and the aura of the Sacred Spirit Pearl on her made the Ten Shamans of Mount Ling feel even closer to her. So, Wu Xian replied, "This involves an ancient secret, and it all revolves around the Elixir of Immortality."

"The Elixir of Immortality?" Zu An and the others were immediately startled. Since entering this Unknown Land, they had heard legends of the Elixir of Immortality several times. Initially, they were skeptical, but realizing how many events seemed connected to it, they couldn't help but believe.