Chapter 225

225. Chapter 223: All Parties Gather

Golden meteorite fell into the Wushan Mountain Range!

In the modern age of advanced information, videos soon appeared online, and even footage of the meteorite falling within the mountain range surfaced.

Layered peaks rose, clouds roiled and mist surged; only a golden light could be seen pouring down from the heavens like a waterfall cascading a thousand miles, falling among the mountain peaks. Those unaware of the truth thought it was a celestial body from the Ninth Heaven plummeting down.

The golden light stirred countless ripples; even the dust kicked up was tinged gold, like hundreds or thousands of golden fish surging forth, entwined with massive waves that blew the surrounding trees this way and that.

From the footage one could see many trees snapped at the trunk; it was truly shocking.

And at the spot where the meteorite had made a depression, a corner of an ancient structure was revealed, resembling the shadow of an ancient tomb!

Originally I thought it was just an ordinary meteorite falling, but I never expected it to cause such a commotion, even blasting out a huge ancient tomb, instantly attracting many people's attention.

This video was quickly deleted by major networks, yet it still stirred up a huge uproar in Great Xia.

Mei le lu you qi: 【What did I see! Golden legend! This meteorite couldn't be made of 24K pure gold, could it?】

Lian ni nian hua: 【This is just a pile of RMB, I'm already excited, any brothers want to go dig the meteorite together?】

Ningmeng juice suan: 【Digging a meteorite? The upstairs brother really is a genius, I'm surprised you could think of that.】

Mai nühai de xiao huochai: 【This meteorite really knows how to pick a landing spot, and it even blasted out an ancient tomb.】

Mei ganqing jiu juejiao: 【Ancient tomb: 'Nobody even feels a bit of pity for me, speaks up for me? This is just terrible luck!'】

Zhi liu zai zuotian: 【The tomb owner is the most unfortunate, sitting in the tomb when a meteorite falls from the sky; I never imagined being blown out of the grave by a meteorite in this lifetime!】

Xiang wang yu jianghu: 【I really feel sorry for the tomb owner; I originally thought being buried deep in the mountains would stay unknown, but now the whole country knows.】

Yi fu yi mu de xiongdi: 【If the tomb owner knows down there, they'd probably be so angry they'd rise as a corpse and smash this meteorite to pieces.】

Online, everyone was discussing the meteorite and the ancient tomb, even surpassing the earlier uproar about the monsters on Longyuan Mountain, after all, public attention is easily drawn to new things.

The monsters of Longyuan Mountain have no pictures or truth; although Song Ze and others have appeared to speak, nothing compares to the stimulation of that video of the meteorite falling from the sky, and its visual impact is even greater.

Because this matter is highly heated, many domestic journalists and self-media outlets have rushed to the Wushan Mountains, hoping to obtain firsthand information.

Not only in Great Xia, but other countries have also detected this meteorite emitting special power, seemingly containing enormous energy.

The fall of the golden meteorite is a first worldwide, enough to prove this meteorite is not simple; if some substance is discovered inside it.

For example, a kind of rare extraterrestrial mineral would absolutely count as a new breakthrough in science and a valuable experience for exploring the universe.

These countries are like wolves that have smelled blood, each sending their sharpest special forces to investigate the meteorite's origin, and it would be even better if they could claim it for themselves.

The 749 Bureau and the scientific team also received the news, after all, the government attaches great importance to this.

Song Ze couldn't help muttering, 'At this critical juncture, how could a meteorite fall?'

Wang Xuehao didn't think much of it, saying, 'The meteorite fell in the Wushan Mountains, quite far from Longyuan Mountain; it shouldn't affect our operations.'

Song Ze seemed to think of something, quickly picking up the geological map beside him to look at, his expression suddenly changing slightly.

'No, the Wushan Mountains and Longyuan Mountain ranges are connected; with such a commotion, what if we disturb the monsters inside the mountains?'

The people of the 749 Bureau thought Song Ze's worry was a bit excessive, 'Professor, aren't you overthinking? Even if Longyuan Mountain really has monsters that get stirred up, why would they be interested in a meteorite?'

Song Ze's gaze fell into the void, and he sighed softly, 'I hope I'm just overthinking.'

Peaks rose like waves, pine gusts came in waves; as the archaeological team advanced toward the meteorite's landing site, light and shadow grew dimmer, a few specks of dust floated in the air like tiny sprites.

The surroundings fell into extreme silence; only the sound of their footsteps on dry twigs and leaves could be heard, with no insect chirps or bird calls, inexplicably making people feel somewhat oppressed.

It seems that just earlier, because the meteorite suddenly descended, all birds and beasts scattered in panic; those that couldn't escape lost their breath in the blast's impact.

As they drew nearer, the dust around them increased until it was almost visible to the naked eye, and the temperature rose considerably.

The surrounding trees were tilted and broken, some even snapped at the trunk, and the ground bore scorched marks, looking somewhat shocking.

A strong and ancient aura surged forth, for some reason everyone's heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

Not far away, a deep pit could be faintly seen; the archaeological team members were quickly drawn to the scene inside, unable to help but open their mouths wide.

'Professor Zhang, you, look over there!'

Amidst the broken walls and ruins, a deep opening was revealed; judging by the surrounding traces, it appears to be an ancient tomb, likely the depression left by the meteorite's impact.

Having searched high and low in vain, we find it without effort!

Who would have thought the ancient tomb they had searched everywhere for would actually be right here!

This isn't just any meteorite; it's practically their lucky star, leaving the archaeological team members excited and speechless for a moment.

'Great, we've finally found the ancient tomb.'

Because the meteorite fell from the sky, the ancient tomb hidden deep in the mountains has seen the light of day again, even saving everyone the trouble of digging anew.

The archaeological team members immediately sprang into action, donning professional gear; after detecting no toxic gas inside the tomb, the agile Sun Min led the way into the tomb.

'Professor Zhang, there's no problem for now; you can come down.'

From the deep cave came Zhang Min's muffled voice; everyone, holding flashlights, cautiously entered, the passage being somewhat narrow, forcing them to bend over.

As they went deeper, the passage ahead gradually became more open.

The long, dark cave seemed bottomless; ahead lay endless darkness that even the flashlight beams couldn't penetrate, as if it led straight to hell, making the whole team feel as if they had entered another world.

Sun Min walked in the lead, others following behind; apparently accustomed to the surroundings, they didn't even find it overly dark.

Suddenly Sun Min seemed to have discovered something, he stopped, and Professor Zhang quickly asked, 'What's wrong?'

'Professor Zhang, don't you think it's a bit too bright in here?'

The others didn't immediately grasp Sun Min's meaning, 'Bright? Where is it bright? We're holding flashlights.'

Professor Zhang looked around, his gaze shifting slightly, and he quickly noticed something off, 'Everyone, turn off your flashlights.'

Although no one understood Professor Zhang's intention, they still complied.

As the flashlights went out, instead of the surroundings plunging into total darkness as expected, the pitch-black tomb emitted a faint golden glow!

The scene before them completely exceeded expectations: only a faint golden light enveloped their surroundings, like fireflies, giving a dreamy feeling, as if they were not in a dim tomb but gazing at a splendid starry sky.

'What, what is going on?'

'How can the tomb emit light?'

It's really too amazing.

In an instant everyone was shocked to the extreme, staring in disbelief at the scene before them; someone reached out to touch the golden light, only to find it had no substance, like a thin mist floating in the tomb.

This thing is very thin; at first they had their flashlights on, so it wasn't noticeable, but after turning off the flashlights it appeared, allowing the archaeological team to see in the dark.

"I've never seen a tomb that can light itself before; this is too convenient."

Everyone here works in archaeology; they've entered dozens if not hundreds of tombs, yet they've never seen such a scene, and many looked on in wonder.

"Just who is the owner of this tomb, and how did they manage this?"

"Could it be that they coated the walls with phosphorescent powder or something like that?"

"It doesn't look like that either; maybe it's some kind of mineral that emits night light?"

While everyone was marveling, Professor Zhang was carefully observing the golden light, frowning slightly and saying, "No, this golden mist is not coming from inside the tomb."

Sun Min also nodded beside him, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, it should belong to that meteorite."

Everyone recalled that golden meteorite, with golden dust covering the sky and earth; looking at it now, it really does seem possible.

"Professor, come over here and take a look!"

Accompanied by a cry of surprise, the team made another discovery: a layer of black stuff lay piled in the corners of the walls.

"What is this?"

"Looks like some kind of bug."

Someone turned on their flashlight to get a closer look; the sight that met their eyes was so horrifying it made their scalp tingle, their body jerked, and they almost dropped the flashlight to the ground.

It turned out to be countless dead poisonous insects!

The sight was enough to trigger trypophobia in anyone.

They were piled layer upon layer, too many to count; now they were completely stiff, motionless, clearly dead, and some of the psychologically weaker felt like vomiting at the sight of the heap of poisonous insect corpses.

The archaeological team sucked in a breath of cold air, "These are all poisonous insects!"

"They must have been kept here by the tomb's owner as a means to prevent future grave robbing."

Such a method is truly hard to defend against; imagine, in the pitch-black tomb, these tiny insects hide in the darkness, making them impossible to guard against.

These poisonous insects look like they died not long ago; it's hard to believe, but if they were still alive and one accidentally bit you, it could be life‑threatening!

For a moment everyone felt a chill down their back.

"So many poisonous insects, and they're all dead?"

"How exactly did they die?"

Sun Min was also bold enough to squat down and examine them closely, saying, "These poisonous insects were probably killed by the meteorite."

Professor Zhang also nodded and said, "Right, have you noticed? There's more golden mist around the poisonous insects."

Following his pointed direction, everyone examined closely and, sure enough, circles of golden mist surrounded the poisonous insect corpses.

Other members of the archaeological team couldn't help but shiver, stammering, "What on earth is this meteorite? It actually killed all the poisonous insects inside the tomb."

Now when people look at the golden mist, they no longer feel admiration; instead they feel deep fear, dreading even the slightest contact.

But there is simply too much golden mist in the tomb; even putting on a gas mask now would be too late.

Seeing everyone's grim faces, Professor Zhang reassured them, "Don't worry; judging from the current situation, this mist should be harmless to the human body."

After all, they've been down in the tomb for a while; if there were toxic gas, they'd already feel unwell, so how could they still be completely fine?

Thinking this through, everyone managed to calm down a little, and the panic on their faces lessened considerably.

Their luck has been not bad: the meteorite's impact revealed a tomb they couldn't find otherwise, and thanks to the golden mist it inadvertently eliminated the threat of the poisonous insects.

All along the way things have gone smoothly; moreover, the collapse and strong tremors caused by the meteorite's fall have destroyed the tomb's original mechanisms, rendering any anti‑grave‑robbing measures useless.

Everyone has hardly encountered any danger.

As the archaeological team went deeper, their view opened up; judging from the clues they'd gathered, this should be the tomb of ancient nobility and royalty.

Looking at the scene before them, everyone stared agape, unable to hide a look of regret.

A towering ancient bronze gate stood before them, its surrounding stone pillars carved with a soaring dragon in lifelike detail, as if it might come alive any second.

What should have been a majestic, imposing structure is now only half intact; the gate wobbles on the verge of collapse, the dragon's head has fallen off, and its tail is chipped, leaving it headless and tail‑less, looking rather pitiful.

"What a pity—this tomb was hit by a meteorite, smashing even the gate; I don't know whose grave this is, but their luck is terrible."

"I hope the relics inside aren't damaged; otherwise it would truly be a shame."

"Let's pick up the pace; we should be near the main tomb soon."

While discussing, they quickened their steps and entered the main tomb chamber; upon seeing the interior clearly, everyone's eyes lit up involuntarily.

Even Professor Zhang, who had seen many storms, felt his eyes spark with excitement.

Because lying at the back of the tomb chamber was a golden meteorite!

Seeing this meteorite, it was entirely golden yellow, small in size, emitting a mysterious luster, unlike the usual dull black stones they were used to.

Around this meteorite floated a thick golden mist, like auspicious clouds, much denser than the mist outside.

Enveloped by the golden mist, everyone felt as if they were soaking in a hot spring, every pore opening as a warm current flowed in, making them feel extremely comfortable.

"Wait, does this meteorite have something on it?!"

A shout from the team woke everyone's senses.

"Impossible, how could there be anything on a meteorite?"

Professor Zhang leaned in for a look; the meteorite bore many mysterious lines that seemed chaotic and haphazard at first glance, yet actually filled with an inexplicable rhythm.

"These lines are really strange."

They don't look natural; they look man‑made!

Professor Zhang was startled by a sudden thought that popped into his mind.

"How could it be man‑made?"

This meteorite fell from the sky; they witnessed it themselves and are the first to arrive here, so there shouldn't have been anyone else before them—if the lines on it are man‑made, then doesn't that mean they formed in the universe?!

This is simply impossible.

The universe is vast and boundless, filled with endless mysteries; so far, aside from Earth, humanity has not discovered any other planet harboring life.

Professor Zhang's expression grew ever stranger, and even the others felt this meteorite was too bizarre.

Besides that, everyone also discovered that something seemed to be embedded in the meteorite, but that thing was pressed underneath, and they couldn't see it clearly for a while.

The archaeological team had clearly come for the ancient tomb, but at this moment their attention was completely drawn to the meteorite.

Longyuan Mountain.

The beautiful, winding mountain ranges twisted and coiled like a slumbering giant dragon. White mist spread, enveloping the peaks; clouds and mist intertwined, and each summit that pierced the haze seemed to float in midair.

Yet deep within the forest below lay a scene like a utopian paradise: golden fields where wheat waves rolled, and even wooden cabins stood in rows.

Inside one of the wooden cabins came an indescribable smell, as if the food had been burnt.

What they saw was a tiger-like figure the size of a small hill rising up, an apron tied around its waist, one hand holding a pot, the other a shovel, looking rather proper.

"Strange, where exactly did something go wrong? I followed the steps exactly, so how did the food get burnt?"

The Northeast Tiger was utterly baffled, its tiger eyes fixed on the stove, yet it was as if facing a great enemy,

All that could be seen in the pot was no longer recognizable as food—a black, shapeless mess that some even believed to be poison.

"Attempting a new dish, 101st failure."

Just as the Northeast Tiger was about to start over, it suddenly sensed something, and even the swinging pot‑shovel froze mid‑air!

"Huh?"

"This fluctuation is quite special, and there's also a strange aura."

The Northeast Tiger felt a bit doubtful, looking around, sensing that faint aura; a bright yellow Spiritual Power emanated from its body, pointing the way forward.

"Something's not right—I need to go check what's happening!"

"Roar!"

Accompanied by a tiger's roar, there was no trace of the Northeast Tiger left in the wooden cabin—only a scattering of vegetable leaves.

Between the mountains and forests, the trees swayed; a bright yellow afterimage shot away at such speed that even the breeze could not keep up, and the direction it headed was precisely the Wushan Mountain Range! (End of chapter)