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In the 13th year of the Anchoring Era, ancient texts such as The Book of Documents, The Book of Songs, and The Book of Rites were unearthed, and scholars across the land became increasingly fascinated with the lost history.
In the 15th year of the Anchoring Era, the Emperor fell gravely ill. Desiring to seek the Elixir of Immortality to prolong his life, he dispatched over a hundred thousand troops to excavate ancient tombs in search of any traces of the Elixir.
Although many court officials expressed their disapproval, there was no large-scale opposition.
Unfortunately, the Elixir of Immortality proved elusive. Despite the excavation of hundreds of tombs, no trace of it was found.
At the end of the year, the Emperor passed away with regret, bequeathing the throne to Prince Longyang.
With this, Li Fan finally regained control of the land in secret.
Under Li Fan's influence, the trend of visiting ancient tombs and exploring history grew even more fervent.
In the 17th year of the Anchoring Era, a mountain hunter, having discovered an ancient tomb, won the favor of the Grand Tutor and was ennobled as a Marquis. This event further fueled the enthusiasm and madness of the people, and groups of tomb explorers could be seen in even the most remote forests.
Time passed, and it was now the 23rd year of the Anchoring Era.
Li Fan stood in the Grand Tutor's residence, reviewing the clues gathered over the years from both official and civilian explorations.
Prior to this, the world only had historical records spanning three thousand years, covering a total of twenty-three dynasties.
However, as more tombs were excavated, the lost history began to be pieced together.
Before the twenty-three dynasties, there were sixteen more, dating back to about six or seven thousand years ago.
The earliest dynasty that could be found was called the Qi Dynasty.
"Six or seven thousand years, that roughly aligns with the Great Migration Era," Li Fan mused.
He then ordered his subordinates to focus on excavating tombs from the Qi Dynasty.
He also offered a reward to anyone who could find a tomb from the Qi Dynasty, promising them a noble title.
The news spread quickly, and people across the land shared it with excitement.
Countless young people formed groups and set out on journeys to explore ancient tombs.
No matter how sealed the history was, it could not withstand the fervent efforts of the entire nation.
In the 25th year of the Anchoring Era, the tomb of Yi Xing, the first Emperor of the Qi Dynasty, was finally discovered.
Upon hearing the news, Li Fan led his trusted subordinates to the site and secured the area.
Over the years, the techniques for excavating ancient tombs in the Great Xuan Dynasty had rapidly advanced, and a highly effective method for opening tombs had been developed.
Despite the grand scale and numerous traps of the first Emperor's tomb, the efforts of the tomb explorers led to the successful creation of a passage to the main chamber within a month.
With all obstacles cleared, Li Fan, surrounded by his followers, entered the ancient tomb.
The main corridor stretched for hundreds of meters, with walls adorned with vivid murals that remained clear even after thousands of years.
Li Fan slowly walked along, examining the murals.
The murals were divided into several sections.
The first section depicted Yi Xing, the first Emperor of the Qi Dynasty, sitting atop a mountain peak. Above the misty clouds, several figures of immortals could be seen, seemingly speaking to him.
The second section showed the arrival of a dark calamity, with the land covered in blood. Led by Yi Xing, the survivors traveled on large ship-like vessels through vast clouds, facing numerous dangers, until they reached a vast plain where they settled.
The third section showed Yi Xing, with the support of the people, declaring himself Emperor and founding the Qi Dynasty.
The fourth section depicted various events during Yi Xing's reign.
...
After viewing the murals, Li Fan arrived at the main chamber.
The chamber was about fifty meters high and thousands of meters long and wide. The ceiling was designed to resemble the night sky, embedded with thousands of night pearls.
The interior of the tomb was modeled after a mountain gate, with peaks and forests submerged in a sea of clouds.
The cloud sea, mysteriously generated, remained fixed within the tomb, neither dispersing nor drifting. It had endured for thousands of years.
The peaks were connected by invisible paths, and everyone marveled at the sight, filled with admiration.
"Indeed, Immortal Techniques," Li Fan thought to himself.
At the highest peak was a simple thatched hut, with the surrounding fields now overgrown.
Upon closer inspection, the thatch was found to be made of countless fine gold threads.
Clearly, this thatched hut was Yi Xing's coffin.
At Li Fan's command, the group opened the door of the hut.
To everyone's surprise, there was no remains of Yi Xing inside.
Instead, there was a wooden tablet standing quietly, inscribed with golden letters: "The tomb of Yi Xing, an outer disciple of the Taiyan Sect."
Apart from this, there was nothing else.
"It seems that although he joined the Taiyan Sect, he remained only an outer disciple and never ascended to the path of immortality. In the end, he was exiled to this place by the cultivators."
"Even in his final moments, he remained devoted to his sect, identifying himself as an outer disciple of the Taiyan Sect rather than an Emperor."
"According to Kou Hong's previous account, all sects should have been destroyed in the great calamity before the Great Migration Era. This suggests there is more to the story."
Li Fan pondered deeply.
"Yi Xing must have been entrusted by the Taiyan Sect cultivators to oversee the great migration of this world. I wonder if we can find the Flying Boat used for the migration."
Failing to find anything in the main chamber, Li Fan ordered the tomb explorers to excavate the surrounding areas, hoping to find clues in the accompanying tombs.
A few days later, a bad report reached Li Fan, filling him with anger and frustration.
It turned out that the tomb explorers had found a record mentioning the Flying Boat in the inventory of a nearby accompanying tomb. Unfortunately, this tomb had been looted long ago, likely a thousand years before.
"Again and again, just when I see a glimmer of hope, it turns out to be a mirage!"
Li Fan, rarely losing his temper, smashed several items around him.
Those around him were silent, intimidated by his rage.
After a long while, Li Fan calmed his complex emotions.
He continued to order the tomb explorers to search for traces of the Flying Boat, but he returned to Xuanjing City, no longer holding much hope.
Another ten years passed, and it was now the 35th year of the Anchoring Era, when a turning point emerged.
One day, Li Fan received an urgent report.
"An immortal's tomb discovered?" Li Fan was taken aback, then overjoyed, and began to inquire in detail.
It turned out that although Li Fan had lost some interest over the years, the enthusiasm for exploring ancient tombs among the people had not waned. Countless tombs had been excavated across the Great Xuan land.
As the large tombs were exhausted, people began to focus on the smaller, previously overlooked tombs.
A few days earlier, a group of young people, while excavating an inconspicuous tomb, were suddenly injured by an unknown force, suffering heavy casualties.
The survivors immediately reported the incident to the authorities.
In the many years of tomb exploration in the Great Xuan, while there had been casualties, they were mostly due to traps. This was the first time such a mysterious occurrence had been encountered before the tomb was even opened.
The tomb explorers did not dare to be negligent and sent people to investigate immediately.
Despite the combined efforts of experienced veterans and fully armed soldiers, they could not breach the small tomb.
Shocked and delighted, they promptly reported the incident to Li Fan.
Upon hearing the news, Li Fan arrived at the scene and, using the Mortal Immortal Miasma, finally destroyed the unknown force surrounding the tomb.
Inside the tomb, among the various burial items, a small wooden boat was prominently displayed.
(End of Chapter)