Tomb raiding: Carrying a coffin during a funeral procession, rewarded with the Dragon Elephant Prajn

Ma Liang is neither an archaeologist nor a tomb raider, so he has no interest in this.

Sun Xiaomei whispered, "Brother Wu, my dad has something he wants to say to Master Li."

Wu Xie was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then turned to look at Li Changsheng, who was standing not far away in front of the Immortal Palace gate, and shook his head.

"You'll have to talk to your older brother about this; I can't make that decision for him."

Hearing this, Sun Xiaomei gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and walked over.

Li Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back in front of the Immortal Palace. In front of him were ninety-nine white marble steps, layer upon layer leading to the palace above.

These white marble steps are steeper and narrower than the pier, and even standing on them gives you the illusion that you are about to fall into the deep valley.

Sun Xiaomei rubbed the hem of her clothes and said timidly in a low voice, "Master Li, my father knows the origin of the palace..."

Li Changsheng had his back to Sun Xiaomei, remaining noncommittal.

After a long while, he turned around and nodded.

To be honest, he was actually very curious about the origins of the King Xian and about this Zhelong Mountain.

In the original storyline, most of Hu Bayi and his companions' actions were based on speculation, but many things were not explained!

For example, how did King Xian, the ruler of the ancient Dian Kingdom, a small border country, know so many Taoist secrets and even the method of corpse liberation to become an immortal?

Furthermore, where did King Xian obtain the Muchen Pearl, and how did he research and discover how to borrow the power of the Serpent God from the Muchen Pearl?

Perhaps only the descendants of the King Xian's personal guards, the people of Zhelongzhai, can unravel these mysteries.

Li Changsheng approached Professor Sun.

At this moment, Professor Sun was blind, his upper face was burned and disfigured, and his hair was disheveled. He had completely lost the composure he had as a university professor.

But perhaps because of the great changes he had experienced, his mentality became calmer, and he was no longer as violent as he had been at the mountain temple.

Upon hearing that his daughter had invited Li Changsheng over, Professor Sun gave a wry smile and said, "Master Li, I was blind to your greatness. I will accept whatever punishment you may give me. However, my daughter meant no harm, so I hope you will not take your anger out on her."

Li Changsheng waved his hand, not caring.

"It's alright, little sister said you know the origins of Lingyun Immortal Palace?"

Professor Sun nodded, and then slowly recounted a story that had been sealed away for more than two thousand years.

"Two thousand years ago, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a prince in the ancient Dian Kingdom who was fascinated by the esoteric arts of Gu poison and also enjoyed seeking immortals and Taoist masters. So he traveled to the Central Plains and became a disciple of An Qisheng, a Taoist priest from the East Sea. This An Qisheng was proficient in alchemy and the secrets of longevity, and it is said that he lived from the pre-Qin period all the way to the Han Dynasty."

"The prince of the ancient Dian Kingdom also had a senior brother named Li Shaojun. Li Shaojun was also exceptionally talented in cultivation. The two brothers spent their days discussing immortality and the Dao, and their relationship was extremely close."

"However, after more than ten years of cultivation, the two still failed to obtain the true method of achieving immortality and longevity, and gradually became dissatisfied with An Qisheng. Not long after, Li Shaojun accidentally discovered that An Qisheng's ability to enjoy longevity was not entirely due to himself, but because he possessed a supreme treasure called the Phoenix Gallbladder! An Qisheng was able to live for hundreds of years thanks to the divine power of the Phoenix Gallbladder."

"Li Shaojun told the prince about this, and the two of them conspired to steal their master's treasure, so that they could enjoy immortality together after the deed was done."

"But in the end, although the treasure was stolen, the prince kept it for himself and fled back to the ancient Dian Kingdom overnight. And within a few years, he became the king."

"Li Shaojun knew that he was outnumbered and outmatched by the prince who was already the ruler of a country, so he sought refuge with Emperor Wu of Han and revealed the whole story of the phoenix gall."

"Emperor Wu of Han was already very old at the time, and naturally he was unwilling to let go of the opportunity to achieve immortality. So he sent a large army to prepare to attack the ancient Dian Kingdom. But who knew that before the army could set off, Emperor Wu of Han had already passed away, and the matter was left unresolved."

"On the other side, the prince became the King Xian of the ancient Dian Kingdom, unaware of Emperor Wu of Han's death. To protect the Phoenix Gallbladder, he forced the people to relocate with him into the deep forests of the Lancang River region, and conquered the local mountain people, making hundreds of thousands of ancient Dian people build him an unprecedented immortal tomb!"

"King Xian followed An Qisheng in cultivating Taoism for many years, but he could never unravel the secret of the Phoenix Gallbladder. He could only use the second method, combining his own Gu poison techniques with the Taoist arts he had learned, to artificially construct a divine cave, hoping to achieve immortality through corpse liberation with the help of the Phoenix Gallbladder!"

Professor Sun told the whole story in one breath.

The people listening to the story were horrified by its contents.

It turns out that the tomb of King Xian has such a tortuous and bizarre story.

Wu Xie frowned, as if remembering something, and whispered, "I know this Li Shaojun. He's recorded in history. It's said that he was a highly accomplished Taoist master during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. His most famous deed was that before he died, he told everyone that he knew the secret technique of corpse liberation to become an immortal, so that everyone wouldn't worry about him."

"After Li Shaojun died, his body was buried. But a few days later, someone saw Li Shaojun in front of his tomb. Emperor Wu of Han was shocked and immediately sent people to dig up Li Shaojun's tomb, only to find that there was only a corpse inside the coffin. From then on, Li Shaojun's reputation for achieving immortality through corpse liberation spread far and wide, and he is one of the most famous masters of achieving immortality through corpse liberation recorded in Taoism."

That's the story, but the truth behind it may not be.

After pondering for a long time, Ma Liang speculated, "Could it be that Li Shaojun didn't actually die, but was just using a smokescreen? He wanted to fake his death to escape and infiltrate the army attacking the Ancient Dian Kingdom, so he could take the Phoenix Gallbladder?"

"It's not impossible, but Li Shaojun probably didn't expect that man proposes, God disposes, and Emperor Wu of Han would also pass away not long after. Moreover, Prince Xian had long since hidden deep in the mountains and forests, so he couldn't find him even if he wanted to."

Compared to Wu Xie and Ma Liang's guesses, Li Changsheng smiled faintly, with another more plausible theory in mind.

Phoenix Gallbladder, also known as Muchen Pearl.

This thing isn't something just anyone can use!

Historically, those who could borrow its power were either descendants of the Demon Kingdom or the Queen of Jingjue.

Clearly, it must be a paper doll with a special bloodline.

So, is there any possibility?

An Qisheng's identity is not simple!

Historically, An Qisheng was a real person, whose real name was Zheng Anqi, also known as the Northern Immortal, who once practiced cultivation on Phoenix Mountain...

In addition, Li Shaojun's tomb was excavated in the 1980s, and the coffin contained only clothing and accessories, but no remains.

He was An Qisheng's apprentice. In addition to the common Taoist murals, the most common items in the tomb were statues and murals of the Queen Mother of the West.

Coincidentally, An Qisheng lived from the pre-Qin period, that is, the Eastern Zhou period, until the Han Dynasty.

Is it possible that An Qisheng did indeed meet the Queen Mother of the West and conducted research on immortality with her?

The Queen Mother of the West ultimately chose the Jade Cave, while An Qisheng, with his special bloodline, was able to control a portion of the power of the Serpent God, which is why he has lived for so many years!

Of course, these are just guesses, but Li Changsheng felt they were very close to the truth.

It is at least more logical than the story of the King of Xian, a small border country, who accidentally obtained the Muchen Pearl, taught himself profound Taoist arts, and learned the secret technique of Taoist corpse liberation to become an immortal.