Chapter 97: Divine Ability Slaughter and the Fangshi's Account (Second Update)

The green elixir brimmed with vibrant vitality, its surface adorned with rings of golden patterns, like golden auspicious clouds swirling within.

Although during the refining process this gang of tomb raiders suddenly broke in, fortunately it caused no effect, and the final elixir outcome remained quite good.

After many days of alchemy, Ye Qin had grasped considerable experience, and his success rate greatly increased.

Ye Qin swallowed it, feeling the elixir instantly dissolve, a hint of sweetness flowing through his snake's belly, like a spring breeze carrying dew, moistening his five viscera.

At the same time a transparent film formed, attaching inside, allowing the acquired qi to condense and not disperse.

As the medicinal effect took hold and spread, soon a thin thread of gas arose in the five viscera, flowing with the blood toward the heart's position.

Not far from the heart, there was a cloud-like mass where mist surged, as if coming from the cosmic void, filled with endless mystery.

This thread of qi quickly gathered there; compared to the beginning, the qi mass had enlarged considerably, formed from countless acquired qi, gradually reaching this scale.

The qi mass did not affect the heart, staying peacefully in its place, as if it had merged with the entire five viscera, becoming like a sixth organ, an indispensable part of the life cycle.

All Ye Qin needed to do was continually expand the qi mass, then finally compress it, letting quantitative change bring about qualitative change, ultimately forming a qi elixir.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the tomb raiders seeing Ye Qin swallow the green elixir were practically driven mad.

Everything that happened tonight was scouring their worldview; the string named reason in their minds finally snapped completely!

"How could a snake possibly refine elixir! This is a monster! We're doomed; after the monster eats the elixir, the next one will come to eat us!"

"This time we're all going to die here."

Among the group, the timid ones had already begun to speak incoherently.

Although they were tomb raiders and had seen much, they were ultimately ordinary people; they had never even seen a corpse fake, let alone now seeing a monster.

Everyone stood frozen in place, their expressions somewhat dazed; under the immense panic, their minds were truly blank.

The rustling sound drew ever closer, the unique noise of serpent kind crawling; everyone felt their scalps tingle, their bodies trembling more severely.

In the darkness, a green serpent scale flashed a dim light, like the arrival of the Death God.

Soon the snake came before their eyes, its cold pupils scanning them up and down, as if pondering where to bite best.

Under the immense panic, the tomb raiders' knees went weak and they knelt down directly,

"Serpent Lord, spare our lives, we merely passed by here, meant no offense, spare us, our meat isn't tasty."

The tomb raiders hurriedly begged for mercy, knocking their heads with a thumping sound.

"Serpent Immortal, as long as you spare us, we will surely offer you a longevity tablet, burn incense daily, and never let the supply of chicken, duck, fish, and meat run out."

Moreover, the tomb raiders, calling the snake 'Serpent Immortal,' made promises.

"These are the treasures we found; if the Serpent Lord is interested, we'll give them all to you."

The tomb raiders began to pull out the antique objects from their persons; these were originally their livelihood money, but now they could no longer afford to care.

Soon books, bronze ware, porcelain, and the like were scattered all over the ground.

These items were covered in dust and even mud; at a glance they looked just dug up from the soil, plus these people's sneaky behavior.

Their identity was about to be revealed.

It turned out to be a group of tomb raiders.

Even Fifth Master's backpack, which he always carried on his back and was considered a precious treasure, was opened by him, revealing inside an exquisitely crafted three-legged cauldron!

Fifth Master Bang! put the cauldron down, revealing a flattering smile, "Serpent Lord, you aren't fond of alchemy, are you? This cauldron is for you; it's said this cauldron has remarkable effects."

Fifth Master, in order to survive, also began spouting nonsense.

Moreover, everyone could see that this old monster indeed possessed wisdom, clearly able to understand everyone's words.

Ye Qin glanced at it; the cauldron was quite exquisite, but just one look gave the impression of great age, though he couldn't tell the exact period.

Its surface was carved with various patterns and symbols, motifs covering it, intricate designs, appearing quite valuable.

Ye Qin crawled around the cauldron once; for him it was neither too big nor too small, about one meter high, half a meter in diameter, three-legged, and the material was also somewhat special; though he didn't know what it was, its sturdiness need not be mentioned—it was indeed quite suitable for alchemy.

At least it was far better than his own cracked vat.

Now, as the number of alchemy sessions kept increasing, that large vat was about to be burned through.

Seeing that his attention was truly captured by this cauldron, the tomb raiders couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Serpent Lord, let these things be our offering to you, elder."

Although without these things, this trip would be in vain, they wouldn't earn money, not to mention their reputation would suffer, and they still hadn't reported to their employer behind the scenes.

But compared to their lives, these meant nothing!

Seeing Ye Qin take no action, everyone instinctively stepped back a few paces.

This time those jackals and hyenas acted as if they hadn't seen, paying no heed to their behavior.

The tomb raiders, seeing an opportunity, thought they could escape calamity.

But they never expected Ye Qin had no intention of letting them go.

These people's mouths held not a word of truth; if they were let down the mountain, perhaps the next day they'd bring people to exterminate him, or even want to capture him for laboratory research.

This bunch even profits from corpse money; what kind of black-hearted money do they not earn?

Human hearts are the most unable to withstand challenge; Ye Qin also didn't want to gamble his own safety, nor did he believe that a so-called 'snake spirit' could frighten humans.

Moreover, he didn't expect a few tomb raiders to possess any noble quality capable of keeping secret what they had seen today.

Therefore the best course was a one-time solution, to avoid putting himself in peril.

So……

Crackle!

A burst of dazzling thunder-light suddenly flashed, making the tomb raiders blink repeatedly, thinking it was lightning from the sky, but upon closer look they discovered a gleam of light flashing on the snake's forehead; more precisely, that gleam came from a scale of unusual color emitting light.

Within it, electric arcs continually intertwined, emitting a continuous sizzling electric sound.

Soon the sound grew louder, the light grew brighter; the electric arcs, initially as thin as a hair, had become as thick as a thumb, visible to the naked eye.

This was the divine ability Ye Qin had comprehended while contemplating thunder, which ultimately fed back onto his forehead scale.

This divine ability is somewhat like Thunder Law, but different; it requires no chanting or spellcasting, more like Ye Qin's innate divine ability formed after his contemplation.

Ye Qin's realm is limited, so his divine ability's might is also limited; for instance, when he releases lightning it cannot leave his body far, only about four or five meters away—any farther and he can barely reach it, and he cannot maintain it for long, or the drain on himself would be too great.

As for its power, it certainly doesn't match the strength of 'Thunder Method,' but dealing with a few grave robbers should be no problem.

And upon seeing the scene before them, the grave robbers and others gaped, their minds going blank.

How could a snake possibly discharge electricity?

"Demonic arts, it must be demonic arts!"

A gang of grave robbers cried for their mothers and fathers, trying to flee, but it was already too late.

Crack!

As Ye Qin focused his gaze and concentrated, the lightning on his forehead grew brighter, finally shooting forth like a palm thunderbolt.

Purple lightning split the night sky, suddenly tearing a rift in the darkness, and with the speed of thunder—too fast to cover one's ears—it struck the crown of one of them.

Aoo!

Only a painful howl was heard, drifting through the entire mountain forest.

That person's body spasmed and twitched, and he soon collapsed to the ground.

"Xiao Liu!"

Everyone who saw this scene almost had their eyes burst from their sockets.

Fifth Master suddenly turned around and witnessed a scene he would never forget.

The snake raised half its body upright, as if a deity had descended, filling the air with supreme majesty; its beastly eyes looked down on them, as if gazing at corpses.

The icy cold made him terrified to the extreme, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.

At the center of his forehead, lightning intertwined, flashing with a unique luster. A bolt of arc shot out from there, the thick lightning especially clear in the dark night, also stinging him so he could barely keep his eyes open.

Miserable screams came from his companions beside him; when he looked again, another person had collapsed.

Everyone panicked and ran without choosing a path, but how could their speed possibly surpass Ye Qin's, or the speed of lightning?

Soon, as the people around him fell one by one, only Fifth Master remained.

Watching the corpses of those around him charred by electricity, his spirit finally collapsed completely at this moment, ushering in his own moment of death.

Crack!

Accompanied by a thunderclap, seemingly mixed with the force of thunderous might, Fifth Master's body also slowly toppled over.

From then on, the entire band of tomb raiders was wiped out.

Ye Qin glanced at these corpses; besides the small cauldron that interested him, there were also many books that caught his interest, so he simply commanded the animals to bring them all back.

As for the other bronze vessels, porcelain and such, Ye Qin had no interest in them, so he simply left them where they were.

It was fortunate that the tomb raiders brought this cauldron; using it for refinement seemed quite good.

Moreover, the ancients, when refining elixirs, mostly used the cauldron as a vessel.

It must be somewhat particular.

"Looks like there is an ancient tomb nearby."

All the animals on the hill could serve as Ye Qin's eyes and ears; finding an ancient tomb was not difficult, so he relayed the command downward.

Soon Ye Qin discovered the tunnel dug by the tomb raiders.

"It looks like they should have gone down from here."

Ye Qin surveyed the surrounding terrain; this place was open on all sides.

The mountain peak protruding to the east resembled a divine steed, as if a fine horse galloped across the plain; the continuous ridges to the west were like a lively great bird spreading its wings and soaring high.

The tomb's approximate area lay here, the terrain slightly lower, with mountains to the north—just right for a place that gathers wind and qi.

The mountains on all sides lock in mist and clouds; burying here would allow descendants to enjoy this shade and blessing, with profound and enduring prosperity.

Now, as an animal, Ye Qin's perception of heaven and earth's nature is strong; although he knows little feng shui, he can sense the natural profundity of this place.

"It seems the tomb's owner was buried here for a reason—either he himself understood feng shui, or he had previously hired an expert to survey it."

Ye Qin entered the tomb; the burial chamber was still fairly large, perhaps to save time, the tomb raiders had not explored the entire tomb.

The feng shui terrain here is good, and with the tomb being cool and shady, Ye Qin felt very comfortable.

Around there were many murals; besides those, the large bronze vessels, porcelain, and some scriptures could not be moved by the tomb raiders.

"If one were to cultivate here, it would actually be a not-bad choice."

Ye Qin had a premonition; judging by the tomb's scale, it was not a small tomb, and although the tomb raiders' recent visit had been dealt with by him, it would surely stir up trouble.

"Who knows, maybe others will come up the mountain later."

Ye Qin is not afraid of trouble, but he also does not want to provoke it deliberately.

"It seems necessary to reduce daytime activity time, lest the sight of beasts carrying medicine be too obvious and invite unnecessary trouble."

Ye Qin left the burial chamber, already having a plan in mind.

As the sky faintly revealed a glimmer of light, steaming up with a touch of special color, the dawn's rosy clouds and the moon's silver radiance intertwined, mingling into a dreamlike picture.

After Ye Qin absorbed the heaven-and-earth Qi and completed a circuit, he also let the medicinal effects fully diffuse to every part of his body; sensing that his internal qi mass had grown considerably, he immediately left this place.

……

Although it was still early, the town was already bustling with traffic, and the early-rising crowds were thronging.

The local town government received the news; the municipal archaeological survey team would arrive that same day, requiring their cooperation.

They even mobilized police forces to jointly assist the archaeological survey mission, escorting the experts up the mountain.

Heading this archaeological survey team was Professor Zhang Xuedong, who had respectable achievements in this field, was quite renowned in the industry, and specialized in researching Han and Qin dynasty history.

Professor Zhang's temples were flecked with white, yet his spirit was very vigorous; he appeared very approachable.

Because of the fatigue from travel, they had originally wanted to let the professor rest in town for a while, but Professor Zhang, eager to leave, indicated he wanted to set off immediately.

Dozens of vehicles were traveling on the highway, among them police cars.

Professor Zhang sat in one of the brown-colored vehicles, with several students seated beside him.

"Teacher you came rushing from the city, but it's still better to rest first; anyway the tomb is right there and won't grow legs and run away—what if your body can't take it?"

"Professor Zhang waved his hand dismissively."

"I'm not yet so old that I need to catch my breath after a few steps; back in my younger days I traveled south and north, went days and nights without sleep, and constant work was the norm—so you can rest easy."

"Seeing Professor Zhang's spirited state—energetic, somewhat excited and enthusiastic, with no sign of fatigue—everyone also felt reassured."

"Over these years, as he's grown older, Professor Zhang has rarely led excavations himself; most of the time he waits for artifacts to be unearthed and brought back to the institute before studying them."

"Now that he has voluntarily offered to lead the team down into the tomb, it's inevitable that people are curious."

"\"Professor Zhang, you haven't done this kind of field mission in a long time—why did you choose to personally go out this time? \""

"Professor Zhang wore an inscrutable expression, saying, \"You wouldn't understand; according to the information, this tomb is comparatively valuable for research. \""

"Someone couldn't help but tease, \"Professor, which tomb we've ever dug up hasn't had research value? \""

"Professor Zhang laughed and said, \"You should all know that since the Qin and Han dynasties, fangshi have been prevalent—first Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu overseas to seek the immortal islands, then Emperor Wu of Han pursued immortality, fangshi spread across the land, and they even built fairy mountains for this purpose, only realizing the truth in their old age. \""

"Hearing this, everyone grew even more curious, asking, \"Professor, is this tomb related to those things? \""

"Besides a few core figures in the institute, most people aren't clear about this tomb; they only know it should be from the Han dynasty."

"Professor Zhang nodded, saying, \"That's right—the occupant of this tomb is a fangshi practitioner. \""

"\"The Book of Han, Treatise on Literature and Arts\" notes that during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, when summarizing the Hundred Schools of Thought, it mentioned a \"school of divinities. \""

"It says: \"Those who pursue immortality seek to preserve the true essence of life while wandering outside; they aim to calm the mind and equilibrate emotions, to share the realm of life and death, and to have no fear in their hearts…\""

"Some believe this is the \"school\" to which the fangshi belong."

"Besides Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han was also deeply influenced by this, even to a greater extent, which later led to the infamous \"Witchcraft Calamity. \""

"Afterward, people avoided discussing it deeply, and the fangshi doctrine gradually calmed down, no longer intensifying as before, and its former glory faded."

"In fact, it wasn't just them; many people have also sought immortality through various means or by taking elixirs, hoping to remain youthful forever, which has caused quite a few incidents."

"Nevertheless, it's undeniable that fangshi left a vivid mark in history, leaving future generations countless realms to explore."

"The crowd's expressions were somewhat wistful, saying, \"Ancient people simply believed too much in fangshi claims, allowing opportunists to exploit them and bring disaster—thus we see these feudal superstitions are truly harmful, and the idea of seeking immortality is nothing but Baseless Talk. \""

"Professor Zhang's view differed from theirs; he merely smiled."

"\"You're still too young; I've taught you before that everything has two sides, and you shouldn't judge things by appearance alone. \""

"\"What is honey to one is arsenic to another; some fangshi indeed cause great harm, but from another perspective they also contributed to the progress of medicine. \""

"The crowd couldn't help but show doubtful expressions."

"\"But I recall reading that many people have died from recklessly taking drugs, believing those shamans' words, and not a few; some fangshi are especially harmful. \""

"\"That reasoning is sound, but you need to consider the conditions and environment of the time. \""

"More accurately, fangshi refers to techniques and calculations; the techniques in ancient times included medical canons, prescriptions, divine arts, bedroom arts, etc.; the calculations referred to the numerology of yin-yang, the five phases, and the eight trigrams—generation, control, and transformation."

"Because fangshi flourished, it also spurred developments in medicine, astronomy, the five phases, and numerology."

"\"Precisely because these fangshi flourished, many people studied them, and by happy accident they also drove other developments; moreover, later some fangshi merged with other scholarship. \""

"(End of chapter)"