I, a cultivator, have ended up in the world of tomb raiding.

Looking at the surrounding mountains and their shapes, Ping Mountain can definitely be considered a small paradise.

If there were cultivators here, sects, families, and other powerful forces would surely surround the mountain and set up formations to use them for their own purposes.

"Such a good spiritual vein was suppressed by the Yuan people who built tombs there. Various poisonous insects and ferocious pythons have been entrenched here for a long time, and the innate spiritual energy has been suppressed. Furthermore, it has been occupied by demons and evil spirits, which has caused this spiritual vein to completely lose its beauty and essence under the suppression."

Thinking that he had now absorbed Yin energy and would probably no longer be able to draw spiritual energy into his body for cultivation, Li Yue felt a pang of emotion.

However, he will not feel regretful or depressed because of this.

As the saying goes, everything is predestined.

Taking a completely different path might just lead to a different kind of success.

Just as this place is filled with yin energy, if I can absorb it all, my cultivation will definitely improve greatly.

Having seen countless ethereal mountains and jade palaces in his previous life, Li Yue was not overly captivated by the misty clouds that shrouded Ping Mountain, a marvel of nature.

He then turned to observe the bandits from the Unloading Ridge gang who were collecting centipede-shaped ladders next to them.

When this group of bandits arrived, each of them carried a huge bamboo basket on their back.

The basket contained none other than their unique secret weapon for overcoming dangers – the Centipede Mountain Ladder!

The object looked much like what Li Yue had envisioned; it was made by assembling sections of bamboo tubes, each about the thickness of a forearm.

It is said that the materials used are all old bamboo with the most resilience, and they have been repeatedly soaked in boiling oil dozens of times. Even if they are bent into a full bow shape, they will never break easily.

Look at that bamboo tube, all brown and shiny, it's said to be almost certainly genuine.

The people working on the mountain were busy disassembling and assembling the ladders, while the engineers and porters threw the lime they had just painstakingly carried up into the valley.

All venomous creatures, such as snakes and insects, prefer shade and coolness. At this time, when the yang energy is at its peak, they must be lurking in the shadows, which is exactly when they make their move.

Bags of lime were poured into the deep ravine.

Some of them shattered and scattered before they even hit the bottom of the valley, and the lime powder in the bags immediately boiled and scattered when it was exposed to the wind.

Although the quantity of these limestone mounds is negligible compared to the vast valley floor, and many were blown away by the mountain winds,

However, lime is extremely pungent, and this scattering and splashing caused the insects and clammy creatures below to be severely choked.

The colorful mist that lingered deep in the valley gradually faded away.

On the other side, two mountain ladders were quickly assembled.

Chen Yulou planned to send two or three agile men down to scout out the situation below.

Among the accompanying band of thieves, there were already quite a few skilled individuals eager to stand out and gain recognition.

Upon hearing that the bandit leader had chosen the vanguard, they knew this was their chance to make a name for themselves, and two of them immediately stepped forward.

"The little ones are as lively as monkeys!"

"I'd rather kick the ground than venture down the cliff!"

Seeing that the two men responded so readily, Chen Yulou looked them up and down, then gave them an approving look: "Good, you've got guts!"

He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "You two go down to scout ahead. Be careful of the poisonous insects and monsters in the ravine. Once you get down there, check carefully. If there is nothing unusual, use a signal arrow as a warning."

Although he was extremely arrogant, he also cared for his brothers. The depth of this ravine was unknown, and its fortunes were unpredictable. It was always better to be cautious.

"Yes!" The two bowed and accepted the order.

He immediately took the pigeon cage used for testing the poison, slung a Mauser pistol and a knife around his waist, put a five-poison medicine cake in his mouth, and covered his mouth and nose with a black gauze, taking all necessary precautions.

Then, two skilled climbers, each dragging a centipede-shaped ladder, descended from the cliff mouth through the clouds, their figures quickly disappearing into the mist.

After this, the people on the cliff waited for a long time, but there was still no movement or signal coming back from below, and they gradually became anxious.

Luo Laowai kept taking out his pocket watch to check the time.

The others were also peering down from the cliff edge at the summit, occasionally calling out the names of "Saihuohou" and "Dili Chui".

The rift valley remained completely silent and still.

"Chief Chen, I heard you say before that the underground palace here is as big as a city. The treasures inside must be piled up like mountains. We're afraid the baskets we brought won't be enough."

After checking his pocket watch for what felt like the umpteenth time, Luo Laowai, growing increasingly impatient, finally asked Chen Yulou if the underground palace truly contained a vast collection—he was simply too restless to wait any longer.

With no news coming back from his men after so long, Chen Yulou was starting to feel uneasy.

He remained calm on the surface and said indifferently, "Commander Luo, this cliff valley is extremely deep, and it will take some time to explore it. If you really want to retrieve those treasures, you will have to be patient."

"That's right, that's right." Old Luo nodded repeatedly.

"The underground palace below is indeed as large as a city," Chen Yulou continued. "I have already figured out some of the secrets by listening to the shape of the mountain. There are at least three or five caves inside Ping Mountain, connected by passageways. The largest underground palace is located under this cliff."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll set off as soon as we hear news of my two brothers. Just wait patiently.

Upon hearing this, Luo Laowai had no choice but to suppress his anger: "Alright, I'll do as Chief Chen says!"

Unlike the anxious Chen Yulou, the restless Luo Laowai, and the group of sneaky Xieling bandits, Li Yue sat alone at the back of the group, looking calm and not in a hurry at all.

On the surface, he was watching the bandits of the Unloading Ridge continue assembling the Centipede Mountain Ladder, but in reality, he was secretly circulating the Qi-guiding technique, devouring the Yin energy that was rising from the surroundings.

The evil and malevolent aura lingering on the mountaintop is harmful to the human body.

If it weren't for the fact that it's noon now and the yang energy is abundant...

Furthermore, the combined strength of the Unloading Ridge bandits and the engineering battalion, along with their combined ferocity and malevolent aura, countered the chilling, poisonous air emanating from the valley.

Otherwise, the time spent waiting alone would be enough to gradually deplete everyone's energy, and those with weak constitutions would even develop hidden illnesses.

Li Yue slowly drew the surrounding Yin energy into his body, channeling it into his dantian, where he gradually refined and condensed it.

In his previous life, he was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and his dantian was much wider than when he first started cultivating.

Although I devoured the corpse yin of the mortuary last night, the amount was still a little short, and my cultivation was still stuck at the bottleneck of the second level of Qi Refining.

Fortunately, he was already very familiar with how to overcome the obstacles during this retraining.

At that moment, he slowly drew upon the Yin energy within his body, which surged against the barrier like waves.

Just as the Yin energy was fully charged and had not yet burst forth, a whooshing sound suddenly arose from the bottom of the valley ahead.

Almost at the same moment, a soft sound came from within Li Yue's dantian barrier.

Yin energy flowed into his body, filling his Qi Sea, which had just broken through to the third level, once again, allowing him to settle steadily at the third level of Qi Refining.

At the same time, the "Mysterious Origin Body Forging Technique" also reached the first level.

The "Mysterious Origin Body Forging Technique" was obtained by Li Yue through a fortuitous encounter in his previous life.

This technique is divided into thirteen levels, and with each level, the body's functions will be significantly improved.

The first level is the Skin Forging Realm.

The skin and flesh will become tough, and ordinary bumps and knocks will not cause damage.

It is not easy to break the skin if it is scratched by fists, feet, wooden sticks, or ordinary knife blades.

This level of power is almost nonexistent under the attack of a Core Formation demon.

However, it can withstand about 70-80% of the mandibles and legs of ordinary insects and centipedes.

Li Yue opened his eyes.

Looking up, I saw a signal arrow piercing through the fog.

"call out!"

Accompanied by a sharp screech that shot straight into the air, it was the safety signal sent by the two tomb explorers.