Chapter 645: Grantham's Tomb

The Great Tomb of Tartarus.

"Hurry up!"

"Or I'll kill you!"

A team of alchemists, accompanied by slaves, were secretly excavating.

The Tartarus ruins, where they were currently located, was known as the "Demon Cave of the Earth" in the age of ancient Babylonian mythology.

According to the oldest records, this was where Grantham, the Alchemist Emperor—the man who dared to approach the gods—once ruled a vast transcendent dynasty. During his reign, he built the Adolph Giants to excavate the earth and measure its subterranean dimensions.

"He built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to measure the height of the sky, ascended to meet the gods, created the Adolph Giants, and excavated deep into the earth to measure its dimensions."

"Ultimately, the Alchemist Emperor buried the Hanging Gardens, transformed into his tomb, deep within the Demon Cave of the Earth."

Filmos, an imperial nobleman dressed in magnificent aristocratic attire, stood gracefully high in the subterranean mine, looking down at the slaves below.

"This man from the age of myth, the most fearsome monster of ancient times, departed too soon," he remarked.

"Yet, even the Origin Demon God and the Underworld Emperor, two terrifying supreme deities, profoundly admired this man. One can only imagine his true might... Today is our moment to explore this ancient tomb."

He excitedly licked his lips, and the surrounding mercenary group members' faces were flushed with excitement.

Yes.

Now was the time!

Previously, no one would have dared to desecrate this ancient tomb while those two beings ruled the world.

But the Origin Demon God had departed, the Underworld Emperor was about to fall into slumber, and everyone else was vying for control of the Demon Realm.

As for them, they knew their own capabilities. Contesting for sovereignty over the Demon Realm?

Don't be ridiculous. So, taking advantage of this terrifying wave of contention, they pursued a lesser goal: the tomb of the ancient mythical wizard kingdom.

"In the deepest part of the earth!"

Several of the Grand Potion Masters present commanded a group of third and fourth-rank slaves to dig.

*Crack, crack...*

The earth was continually reinforced as they secretly dug deeper.

A clang echoed, as if they had struck a hard, intricately patterned stone wall.

"Found it!" someone couldn't help but shout, dropping their pickaxe.

Filmos, his face alight with excitement, strode over, clearing away the dirt and sand to fully reveal intricate patterns and bas-reliefs. These incredibly delicate and complex carvings featured a series of elaborate, precise doorways, each adorned with a double-sided hourglass and flanked by angels supporting the door.

"That's right, this is the tomb! The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, back then, had this very alchemical pattern style! These are the bas-reliefs of the Babylonian Alchemical Dynasty. If the ancient records are correct, this gate is precisely the 'Gate of Alchemy' described by Hermes, the God of Wisdom, to mortals on earth—a symbol of the divine gift of alchemical civilization."

The imperial nobleman was extraordinarily excited, gesticulating wildly.

"And the hourglass on the Gate of Alchemy symbolizes the alchemists' principle of equivalent exchange! The turning of the hourglass signifies that matter in the world is interchangeable, that the world is a transference, not something that appears or disappears out of thin air, maintaining a constant quality for all things. The sand in the hourglass is the legendary... 'Prima Materia,' but the Alchemical Dynasty of that era never found that fabled mysterious substance!"

Everyone was filled with excitement.

The most ancient tomb of an alchemical civilization, the resting place of the monarch emperor who once witnessed and sought out deities—his tomb would now be fully opened, and various lost alchemical wonders would see the light of day once more.

*Crack!*

*Crack!*

They broke through the stone wall and entered.

There was no resistance. Time, the most brutal weapon, had shattered eras and extinguished deities. Seven millennia of long history were more than enough to destroy all anti-theft measures and mechanisms.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

Along the way, within this garden, they encountered many decayed slimes, withered into dried corpses.

"I heard that in the age of alchemy, these slimes were used to power energy machines. But why do they look like they only recently died?" asked a scholar wearing alchemical spectacles.

Filmos lowered his head, examined a slime, and chuckled, "According to necromantic calculations, they died about eight hundred years ago. This means that eight hundred years ago, the tomb's security and anti-theft mechanisms were still operational, and slimes were still reproducing and living here, serving as a power source."

What??

Everyone present was stunned.

Eight hundred years ago?

Doesn't that mean this power source, the tomb's anti-theft mechanism, was maintained for a full six thousand years?!

As a race of tomb guardians, had the slimes already established an internal self-sustaining ecosystem? Were they providing energy for the anti-theft alchemical mechanism?

How many Potion Dynasties would have risen and fallen in that time?

It was almost the entire six millennia of the Potion Era!

Everyone was astonished, looking at the entire Hanging Gardens. It was so vast, like a myth from an epic. The mechanism of this tomb was utterly thrilling!

"The Age of Alchemy, an ancient civilization from myth."

Filmos proceeded with a magic lamp, and along the way, he saw historical murals on both sides, almost ecstatic with wonder. "Look! That's the story of the Alchemist Emperor's rise, his encounter with the Seven Little Witches, his conversation with Queen Lilith of Babylon, the Battle of Destiny where he defeated Medusa, and the establishment of the Alchemical Dynasty..."

Their eyes shone brightly as they moved forward, observing mural after mural.

The Alchemical Dynasty was prosperous and formidable.

The development of ancient alchemical academies, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Adolph Giants—the creation of various world-class wonders.

Eventually, they saw the Alchemist Emperor's old age. During a dark and turbulent era, the Alchemist Emperor was assassinated but escaped. It was then that he encountered a young Almin. He miraculously journeyed, ultimately developing the Bloodline Potion, living a second life.

He returned as a youth.

Everyone looking at the murals felt overwhelmed with intense emotion, stirred and incredibly excited!

It was as if they had returned to the distant seven millennia ago, witnessing the oldest thousand-year-old mythical empire!

They saw the initial epic of civilization, where Medusa and Almin—the dominant deities spanning seven millennia—existed only as supporting characters during that period.

"What a glorious mythological Babylon that was!"

They gradually proceeded along the murals.

They saw the Seven Little Witches being wedded, a grand spectacle of the era. As time continued to advance, the Alchemist Emperor faced his second decline into old age.

"He grew old and died again..."

They couldn't help but clench their fists, extremely tense.

"Could the Alchemist Emperor live a third life!?"

But as they continued along the murals, they were disappointed. The Alchemist Emperor did not live on, reaching the end of his lifespan, just like Almin today, on the verge of decline.

"Time is the tool that destroys everything, just as the ancient Daoist Monarchs from the neighboring Immortal Realm cannot resist the terrifying torrent of years!"

They sighed with emotion upon seeing a final mural.

A crowned slime stood before the tomb, and a hazy, bird-like figure was bidding him farewell.

Filmos almost lost his voice. "My goodness! By the God of Wisdom!! Is the legend true? The Alchemist Emperor met Hermes, the God of Wisdom... The legendary supreme deity descended to personally bid him farewell?"

"That's an unparalleled honor!" someone exclaimed, stunned.

And at that time, the legendary Hermes, the mysterious and terrifying oldest ninth-rank deity, was still alive?

Everyone felt profoundly shocked at that moment!

To this day, almost everyone knows that back then, during the Alchemist Emperor's reign, the Gigantes, the eye of the storm, and the Land of Gods, where ancient deities led by Hermes resided, all vanished, encountering an unknown, mysterious ill omen!

Today, the Hermes worshipped by the Church of Light is merely a condensation of faith and Hermes' residual soul.

A terrifying thought had always lingered in everyone's mind.

The Land of Gods...

Hermes, the ancient gods—why did they disappear and die?

No one knew.

What kind of ancient mythological war had truly taken place? What other worlds did they fight against? No one could say!

But undoubtedly, a huge shadow of fear still weighed heavily on their hearts!

In the ancient era, even the ninth-rank Hermes fell. Would such terrifying enemies return? Would they descend upon this world once more?

If so, what would they use to resist this time?

Almin, the Origin Demon God, and the Daoist Monarchs had all departed successively...

Unless the Alchemist Emperor returned?

An incredible thought emerged in someone's mind.

"But seven thousand years ago, during the Alchemical Dynasty, Hermes and the gods were still alive." Filmos felt his entire body trembling, yet he could only continue forward, looking at the new murals.

They witnessed the Alchemist Emperor's demise, and the entire world plunged into lamentation.

Both enemies and friends silently bid him farewell. Even the wizard factions that intended to rebel and seize power did not take advantage of the situation, silently waiting until the Alchemist Emperor was interred before initiating their conspiracies.

"A symbol, a benchmark of an era."

Filmos took a deep breath, looking at the tomb before him. "Quick! This is the main tomb now. If I'm not mistaken, Grantham is inside... That is the most terrifying alchemical body, possessing unparalleled power! The Alchemist Emperor used that very body to rule the entire era!"

They blasted open the tomb's door.

They saw countless exquisite treasures, emitting a golden glow.

"These funerary objects! We're rich! Ancient alchemical tools, various weapons!" Filmos roared, looking at the golden coffin in the center, intricately carved with mysterious patterns. "The Alchemist Emperor's remains, open it!"

Beside him, someone who had seen the murals couldn't help but urgently say, "That's the legendary Alchemist Emperor! A great man who ushered in an era, an existence even the Origin Demon God and the Underworld Emperor respected, and one who witnessed a great ancient deity, the God of Wisdom. Wouldn't doing this be sacrilege? We might encounter misfortune..."

No one knew what terrifying contingency such an ancient being might have left behind!

After seeing his life depicted on the murals, everyone felt both awe and profound fear, captivated by his kingly charisma.

Filmos roared, drew his sword, and with one swing, killed the dissenter, sneering, "Once you're here, there's no turning back! You! Open the coffin for me!"

He pointed at a fourth-rank slave, then led his group back to a safe distance, fearing some terrifying unforeseen event.

"Ancient Hero-King, Alchemist King Grantham, please do not punish me... I am merely being forced, I mean no harm.... May the God of Wisdom protect me!"

The fourth-rank slave prayed devoutly, then cautiously and fearfully pried open the coffin.

*Creak!*

Inside the coffin, a slender, exquisitely handsome man lay quietly, as if asleep. His hands were clasped over his chest, holding an hourglass filled with countless spherical, transparent beads, emitting an endless aura of light.

It seemed like the most mysterious divine artifact, brimming with infinite vitality, giving them the feeling that he was merely sleeping and could awaken at any moment.

"Alive?"

"Could it be that the Alchemist Emperor had a contingency for a third life? Does he intend to return?"

"Could it be... the legendary Prima Materia... in that hourglass?"

At that moment, everyone who had helped pry open the coffin was overcome by an irresistible, intense fear. They felt as if a seven-thousand-year-old dark hand had enveloped them, an invisible conspiracy having traversed countless ages to unfurl its prelude.