Mao Changan, due to certain reasons, found himself in a position where he needed everyone's help. Thus, he seized the opportunity, his tone immediately softening.
...
Following this, Mao Changan began to explain to everyone what the greatest benefit they could obtain here was.
Legend had it that in such a malevolent land, where cultivators of the Purple Mansion stage and above were buried, after tens of millions of years, a celestial item called Law Crystal would condense.
The greatest use of this celestial item, the Law Crystal, was to allow Nascent Soul stage cultivators to sense the fluctuations of law power in advance, laying a solid foundation for their future advancement to the Purple Mansion stage.
According to Mao Changan's explanation, there were many such Law Crystals, and each person could at least receive several, so there was no need to fight over them.
Unfortunately, Wu Jian, Wu Tao, and the others did not believe a word of Mao Changan's claims.
They were almost certain that there were falsehoods in what Mao Changan said.
Either he had ulterior motives, or there weren't as many Law Crystals as he claimed, perhaps even just one!
...
However, Wu Jian, Wu Tao, and the others were still not entirely familiar with the area and indeed needed someone experienced.
And Mao Changan was a good candidate.
...
Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Changan, Pang Wei, Wu Tao, and the other surviving cultivators hesitated at Mao Changan's proposal.
Fortune favors the bold, but boldness can also lead to ruin.
Success brings wealth, failure brings death.
Mao Changan claimed that following his method, there would be no problem and treasures would definitely be obtained.
Celestial items like Law Crystals, setting aside any other potential uses, even the single ability to allow Nascent Soul cultivators to sense law power fluctuations in advance and lay a foundation for reaching the Purple Mansion stage was enough to make all cultivators fight for it.
If this news were to leak, not to mention early Nascent Soul cultivators like Wu Jian and Wu Jian, many late Nascent Soul cultivators would also be tempted and rush to snatch them, and even more fiercely.
And before Mao Changan uttered these words, the other twenty-odd people had no idea about this matter.
Given this, since Mao Changan could have kept it all for himself, what reason did he have to bring along more than twenty people to share the treasure with him?
Such a simple logic, yet Mao Changan avoided mentioning it. Since everyone was not foolish, they naturally harbored doubts.
...
However, the group's greed was too great. Even though they knew it was not right, even though they knew there was a trap, they decided to take a gamble.
After all, until the very end, no one knew the outcome.
Therefore, they ultimately acknowledged Mao Changan's leadership.
"Since everyone agrees, I won't hide anything further and will speak more plainly!"
"The main reason I am so confident about obtaining the Law Crystals is because I have already spent countless efforts memorizing the specific characteristics of all the major feng shui spiritual穴 (xué)."
"Of course, during the process of searching for the Law Crystals, everyone's help will be needed."
"Because, during this process, there might be some dangers, and I dare not venture alone..."
"Therefore, I thought we should do this together. I won't be greedy. Whatever Law Crystals we find, we can all share equally."
Having said this much, Mao Changan had completely laid his cards on the table, and Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Changan, Pang Wei, and the others had no reason to object.
...
Wu Tao, hidden among more than a dozen late Core Formation stage cultivators, looked at Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Changan, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, and Ma Nanning, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Mao Changan speaks nicely, but in the end, not only will there be no Law Crystals, but he probably won't even let us keep our lives!
And even though these people knew this in their hearts, their greed made them pretend not to know anything.
Each of them believed they would be the ultimate winner.
The hardship of the path of seeking immortality could only be truly understood by those who experienced it.
Cultivators first fight against heaven, then against others, and then against themselves. Embarking on this path means there is no turning back; one can only push forward with determination.
And this path is fraught with danger; a single misstep can lead to a fall into an abyss from which there is no salvation!
Furthermore, one cannot stand still on this path, for to stop is to regress, and regression means being close to death.
This is why the saying "Once one enters cultivation, they are no longer human" came about.
At the location of the central tomb, streams of demonic energy converged to form a deep and vast demonic palace.
And at the center of the demonic abyss, the most terrifying place on this demonic land was this majestic and towering tomb chamber.
Although the tomb chamber was ancient and broken, it was grand and magnificent, almost comparable to a city. Its style was extremely ancient, giving it a sense of profound age.
Xiong Tongtian frowned and asked, "Are we going into the tomb chamber to steal the Law Crystals?"
Upon hearing this, Mao Changan's expression became extremely solemn, and he said with great seriousness, "Yes, we must enter the tomb chamber to find the Law Crystals!"
"Although there is a feng shui formation in this tomb chamber, this feng shui formation cannot stop me."
"The name of this formation is the Eight Trigrams Immortal Spirit Grand Formation!"
"The eight formation spirits, Qian, Kun, Xun, Dui, Gen, Zhen, Li, and Kan, guard the central tomb chamber from all directions!"
"As long as you follow behind me, you can avoid the gaze of the eight formation spirits."
With that, Mao Changan led Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Changan, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and twenty others, walking forward according to specific positions and steps.
Upon reaching the grand entrance of the central tomb chamber, Mao Changan tapped his storage bag and took out the Feng Shui Secret Source, a sacred artifact of the feng shui world.
With a pained look at the Feng Shui Secret Source, Mao Changan gritted his teeth and crushed it with one hand.
A rich feng shui power spread throughout the bodies of the twenty-odd people, simultaneously masking their human aura, which was precisely how they could evade the eight formation spirits!
Mao Changan, bit by bit, searched for the flaws in this feng shui formation according to his memory, peeling away layer by layer, repeatedly transitioning, passing through tents and crossing gorges, perilously delving into the core of the tomb chamber.
"Brother Mao is truly amazing..."
Ma Nanning exclaimed in admiration.
Although the others said nothing, their expressions were filled with respect.
Mao Changan chuckled and replied, "The art of feng shui first relies on observation and surveying, and second on concealing objects. If I didn't have even this meager skill, I wouldn't deserve to be called a feng shui grandmaster..."
Upon reaching this point, Mao Changan took out a feng shui compass from his storage bag. Looking at the direction indicated by the needle, his brow furrowed.
Pang Wei, with sharp eyes, saw this and, for a rare occasion, spoke proactively, "What happened? Your expression suddenly changed, Brother Mao."
...
"The bricks and tiles here are very strange. I've probed this area and found a feng shui deadly trap, but I can't figure out where it's hidden."
Mao Changan replied with a rather grim expression.
...
As everyone listened, exchanged glances, and looked at each other in bewilderment, Ji Nian'an, the eldest among the group, coughed and then indicated that he knew what these colorful bricks and tiles were.
Ji Nian'an's eyes held a complex look, clearly recalling something.
After a long pause, he finally spoke to the expectant faces of the crowd, "After I advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, I left the Chu Domain and traveled to the Yan Domain."
"At that time, some friends and I discovered a tomb at the foot of Mount Tianhuo in the Yan Domain. We noticed the strangeness of these five-colored bricks and tiles, but none of us paid much attention..."
"Subsequently, after we broke into the tomb, unimaginable horrors ensued. Of the eleven who explored, only I survived."
"Later, after consulting numerous ancient texts, I learned that these five-colored bricks and tiles are also called 'Five-Poison Insect Bricks'."
"'Five-Poison Insect Bricks' require human blood as a medicinal guide, mixed with five types of highly toxic蛊 (gǔ) worms and exotic insect eggs, which are then poured into the bricks and tiles, finally solidifying through the power of curses."
"These venomous demonic insect eggs are sensitive to sound and hatch very quickly. Moreover, the demonic poison of these insects is potent. Once infected, even Nascent Soul cultivators would find it difficult to expel it in a short time..."
"Furthermore, the bodies of these demonic insects are very tough, and ordinary magical artifacts can hardly harm them. Once surrounded by such a swarm of demonic beasts, even Nascent Soul cultivators would be doomed."
Looking at the terrified crowd, Ji Nian'an took a breath and said, "Don't worry, I have a way to deal with these demonic insects."
"Ancient texts record that candles refined from the brain oil of the divine beast Man-faced Whale Kun can block these demonic insects!"
Ji Nian'an took out a candle made from Man-faced Whale Kun brain oil and lit it. The dim candlelight flickered uncertainly, and soon everyone smelled a lingering scent of clear oil.
Then, Ji Nian'an smiled and extended a finger. A wisp of clear smoke rose from behind his head, like a thread, continuously flowing and gathering into a vast expanse of auspicious clouds.
With his gesture, it fell upon the surrounding five-colored bricks and tiles, and then the clear smoke surged, transforming into boundless clouds and mist that descended all around!
The smoke and mist spread, extending for a hundred miles until it covered every corner of the tomb chamber.
...
Xiong Tongtian looked at the candle in Ji Nian'an's hand and exclaimed in wonder.
"The Man-faced Whale Kun resembles a human but is not, resembles a whale but is not, resembles a Kun but is not. Its brain oil possesses all sorts of marvelous properties. Now I see it is indeed extraordinary!"
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