"What a treasure!"
Wu Tao exclaimed in admiration upon seeing this.
"This divine beast, the human-faced whale-kun's brain oil, refined into a candle. I've only read about it in ancient books and never actually seen it before. I never expected this guy to have it..."
"Tsk, tsk, it seems these old fossils really do have a lot of good things on them."
Having truly entered the main chamber of the tomb, Mao Chang'an, Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty people saw the true appearance of the tomb's interior.
A vast, sprawling architectural complex, spanning underground, revealed itself from the long slumber of ages.
This was a tomb palace that could be described as world-changing and magnificent!
The builders had used great spatial divine abilities to tear open space, merging an unformed minor world into this tomb, greatly expanding its area.
From the outside, the tomb did not appear that large.
However, upon entering the main chamber of the tomb, one would discover that it was at least a million li wide.
...
Palatial walls, exquisite pavilions, and grand avenues presented the grandeur of ancient times, spanning tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of years, before the eyes of these tomb robbers.
Within the tomb were altars, heavenly walls, jade tablets, red pavilions, corner towers, offering halls, and spirit platforms, all complete, and all crafted from the finest spirit materials.
Mao Chang'an, Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty people were so astonished at this moment that they were temporarily speechless.
They gaped, their mouths opening and closing like fish out of water.
...
"This is the core of the tomb, the true burial chamber of the tomb's owner!"
Ma Nanning said, trembling.
A tomb of this caliber was likely not much inferior to the tomb of the Liu family's Immortal Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Various ancient-style statues were carved with lifelike detail. They stood on jade steps, and further below were bronze statues of phoenixes, qilin, true dragons, and other mythical beasts and spirit birds.
On the surrounding walls, there were also many bas-reliefs depicting the customs and traditions of the human race in ancient times, such as sacrifices, warfare, celestial worship, imperial sacrifices, as well as music and dance, enfeoffment, hunting, and alliances.
In the very center was a giant purple crystal coffin.
...
Inside the coffin lay a corpse, a male corpse!
The male corpse was clad in black, wearing a jade crown. Around the coffin were placed several treasures imbued with the essence of laws.
Mao Chang'an, Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty people, from a distance of tens of miles, stared directly at the purple crystal coffin in the center.
The treasures within the coffin were undoubtedly the most valuable in the tomb.
However, with the master of the tomb lying right beside them, even though Mao Chang'an, Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty were blinded by greed, they dared not gamble with their own lives.
...
"Go!"
With a clean, decisive word, Mao Chang'an ordered everyone to split up, so that they could find the essence of laws as quickly as possible.
Immediately, the group began to cautiously search for the essence of laws within the tomb.
When wealth is present, human hearts are unpredictable.
This was true for mortals and cultivators alike, especially for high-level cultivators, who were all prone to trickery.
And these twenty-odd individuals who had survived the sifting of tens of thousands of cultivators were certainly not simple characters.
However, on at least one point, they were largely in agreement: they all wanted to harm others, yet feared being harmed themselves.
When Mao Chang'an saw the movements of the others, he gave a sneer, and then revealed a well-hidden expression of disdain.
Mao Chang'an strode forward, his eyes scanning all directions, taking in everything he saw.
Although this tomb was large and contained many items, Mao Chang'an naturally had his own methods for finding the essence of laws.
Indeed, after a short while, Mao Chang'an found a treasure that was crystal clear, neither gold nor wood. Its natural纹理 was imbued with mystery, and it emanated a strange light.
This treasure, emitting an aura that could drive people mad, was all-encompassing, as if all the truths, all the daos, all the laws in the world were contained within it...
...
However, before Mao Chang'an could rejoice for long, he found himself surrounded by others.
No one was foolish. They had long suspected that Mao Chang'an was deliberately hiding something, so while searching for the essence of laws, they had also kept a close eye on him.
When a look of joy appeared on Mao Chang'an's face, everyone knew he must have obtained something.
Therefore, they all converged on him from all directions.
"Everyone, we are now in the tomb together, our lives intertwined. If even one person makes a move, it will alarm the tomb's owner. Do you all wish to die together?"
"I know you all helped me a great deal on this journey, so I am not being greedy. According to our previous agreement, this essence of laws in my hand naturally belongs to me..."
"There are definitely other essences of laws in this tomb. Everyone, search carefully, and you will surely find more."
"Even if you find nothing in the end, I can compensate you with a large amount of spirit stones as a reward, so that your trip will not be in vain!"
"Are you all satisfied with this arrangement?"
Mao Chang'an's handsome face bore a gentle smile as he addressed Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty-odd people.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately expressed dissatisfaction.
...
"Brother Mao, your words will not deceive us."
"First of all, whether there are other essences of laws in this tomb is debatable. The key point is that your actions truly make us uneasy!"
"If we truly listened to you and fanned out to search for the essence of laws, you would likely disappear in the next second..."
Xiong Tongtian said with an unfriendly tone.
...
"Exactly. Do you not know how much effort and risk we took to help you enter this place?"
Wu Jian and Wu Jian's words also revealed strong dissatisfaction.
The others, though silent, held the same thoughts.
Those who could survive to reach the core of this tomb were not to be trifled with. The gazes they cast at Mao Chang'an now held a fierce glint.
If not for their fear of awakening the tomb's owner, driven by the pursuit of profit, they would likely have attacked Mao Chang'an immediately, tearing him to shreds.
...
"Oh, then how do you all think the distribution should be made to be proper?"
Mao Chang'an's expression remained calm, as if he completely ignored the fierce glares around him. He merely smiled faintly and replied.
"Hmph, naturally, you should hand over the essence of laws in your hand, otherwise, hehe..."
Xiong Tongtian said.
...
Meanwhile, Wu Tao, looking at the calmly composed Mao Chang'an, felt something was amiss and instinctively took a step back.
After a moment of hesitation, Wu Tao seized the opportunity when everyone's attention was focused on the essence of laws and slipped away from the tomb.
...
After Xiong Tongtian finished speaking, Mao Chang'an extended his right hand, revealing his middle finger. A surge of potent spiritual energy erupted from it.
"Presumptuous!"
"Seeking death!"
"Bastard!"
"..."
Everyone in the field looked at Mao Chang'an's action with expressions of shock and anger.
Seeing that the mask had been torn off, no one made any pretense of restraint. Dozens of magical treasures were unleashed, flying towards Mao Chang'an.
Unexpectedly, Mao Chang'an was not only unafraid but let out a long laugh, his eyes revealing a hint of pity.
He said with a touch of mockery, "It's a pity that fellow Daoists have cultivated for so many years, only to die here today..."
"What a pity... it's truly a pity!"
...
"Damn it, if anyone dies, it will be you first!"
Ma Nanning shouted fiercely.
The others also cursed.
At this point, everyone understood.
Mao Chang'an had not only used them as pawns but also intended to let them die here.
...
Dozens of magical treasures tore Mao Chang'an, who stood motionless, to shreds.
However, the crowd did not seem particularly happy. Xiong Tongtian's face sank, and he exclaimed, "Substitute puppet, Mao Chang'an, you scoundrel!"
On the other side, Mao Chang'an had already reached the tomb's main entrance.
At this moment, everyone was still some distance away from Mao Chang'an, enough for him to escape.
With the treasure in hand and escape within sight, even the scheming Mao Chang'an could no longer suppress the surge of joy in his heart.
The remaining individuals followed behind, each with a ferocious expression and murderous intent.
...
The thought of being tricked ignited their anger, killing intent, regret, and a myriad of other emotions, which erupted all at once.
At this moment, they wished they could immediately capture Mao Chang'an and torture him for a hundred or eighty years, otherwise, they could not swallow this humiliation.
But now, they could only watch as Mao Chang'an, carrying the valuable treasure, smugly escaped the tomb, with no way to stop him.
This vast disparity placed Mao Chang'an and the other dozen or so people in direct opposition, a matter of life and death.
Just as Wu Jian, Wu Jian, Mao Chang'an, Pang Wei, Ma Nanning, and the other twenty-odd people were desperately giving chase, half of Mao Chang'an's body had already crossed the threshold of the tomb's entrance, about to escape to freedom.
But with this half-body distance, Mao Chang'an's plan failed, and he would never step out.
An unexpected turn of events suddenly occurred.
At the main entrance, the Nascent Soul stage blood demon corpse vine, the protective treasure of the Wu family, emerged and dealt a fierce blow to the unsuspecting Mao Chang'an.
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