One of my fairy-like friends

The three continued deeper into the tomb. The tomb was quite large, but there were no traps inside. Occasionally, they could hear something crawling inside, which they assumed was the same red-haired monster they had encountered before.

The cemetery was planted with many medicinal herbs. The three of them picked them as they went. Before long, they found a tomb chamber with a stone coffin inside.

The three exchanged glances, and the young man said, "This coffin... is probably the possession of the owner of this tomb... there might be some funerary items buried inside..."

"Are we going to have to pry open someone's coffin?" Ming Yan's lips twitched slightly. "Wouldn't that be a bit too unethical...?"

Zeng Qi thought for a moment, picked up a small stone from the side, and threw it toward the stone chamber. Before the stone even got close, the stone chamber lit up and shattered the stone into pieces.

“There are restrictions on this stone pavilion, so it probably can’t be opened easily,” Zeng Qi said, frowning.

"With our strength, it's too dangerous to rashly open this stone chamber." The young master shook his head. "Let's look for something else. Don't touch this thing; one wrong move and we might lose our lives."

"Let's split up. It's quite bright here; even if the red-haired monster attacks, we'll spot it quickly." Zeng Qi's eyes flickered as he glanced at Ming Yan and the young master. The young master thought for a moment and nodded. "It's good for each of us to seek our own opportunities. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Splitting up wasn't a good idea, but the other two clearly wanted to act alone and didn't want to share what they found with the other three anymore, so Mingyan had no choice but to nod.

The three then split up from the tomb chamber to continue exploring the ancient tomb.

The young master and Zeng Qi left quickly. Ming Yan stood before the stone pavilion, bowed, and said, "Senior, I apologize for any offense..."

This counts as tomb raiding. I hope this senior won't be too blaming him when he finds out.

Mingyan straightened up and then left the tomb.

He wandered around the tomb for a while and found a flower field. Mingyan was quite curious. This place should be underground. Without the sun, how did the flowers grow?

He looked up at the flower field and noticed something mysterious. There seemed to be some mysterious laws engraved above the flower field, shining with a gentle light that illuminated it.

This elder even had the inclination to create a flower field when he repaired his own grave...that's quite unique.

Mingyan looked around among the flowers. They were all exotic flowers he had never seen before. They were fragrant, full of vitality, and very beautiful. He thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea.

Ordinary people's Qi Sea cannot hold living things, so planting flowers in it is impossible; the flowers will wither quickly. However, spiritual fruits, once picked, are considered inanimate and can be placed in the Qi Sea. My own Qi Sea is different from that of ordinary people; it has a sun and a moon... I wonder if I can plant flowers there?

Mingyan thought for a moment, then carefully dug up a flower from the flower field, put it into his Qi Sea, and planted it on the ground within his Qi Sea.

It will take some time to know if the plant will survive. Mingyan looked up at the other plants in the flower field and noticed a few rather unusual flowers.

The plant was ice-blue, giving it a mysterious and noble appearance, while the petals were pure white, like a crescent moon, exuding tranquility and peace. He approached to take a look, reached out and touched the petals and leaves, finding them icy cold to the touch... Mingyan pondered for a while but did not pick them.

He stood up and began to explore the rest of the area.

Many small holes could still be seen in the wall. Mingyan was very vigilant, in case a red-haired monster suddenly rushed out of these small holes and attacked him.

After searching around, Mingyan found a room. He walked into the room and found that everything inside was well preserved, including a bed, a table, and even a wine pot and wine glasses.

Mingyan was slightly surprised. This senior had lived here for a period of time before his death? Perhaps he knew his death was near, so he simply stayed here, waiting until he was on his deathbed before lying in his coffin...

Mingyan remained silent for a while. As long as one's cultivation level is high enough, one can sense the exhaustion of one's lifespan and quietly await one's death. This feeling must be very unpleasant.

Mingyan looked around and found a book by the bed. He examined it for a while and found no trace of any restriction before picking it up and opening it to read.

I don't know what material this book is made of, but it must have been left behind by some predecessor. It has survived for one or two thousand years and is still well preserved.

The contents appear to be the diary of this senior, in which he wrote down some things that happened when he was about to die.

"My lifespan is coming to an end. Although I am already very happy to have cultivated to the Human Welcome Realm, it is a bit of a regret that my life ends here. In recent days, I have tried some things that I usually ignore. I tried to live like an ordinary person. I went outside and picked many rare flowers. Those few Quiet Half Moons were especially beautiful. I inscribed arrays on them. Human lifespan cannot be extended by arrays, but flowers can. I hope that after I die, they will still bloom smoothly. Many years later, if someone comes to this place, they will also be amazed by their beauty."

A tranquil half-month? Mingyan blinked. Could it be those few flowers he saw before?

"In seven days at most, my lifespan will be completely exhausted. I originally wanted to donate everything I have collected in this life to others, but after thinking about it, I gave up the idea. It's pitiful that I have cultivated for two thousand years, but I have no partner and no offspring. In the end, I have given up too much for cultivation... But I think that after I die, someone will find this place. I put everything I have collected outside the coffin, hoping that they will take the things and leave, and not disturb my peace."

"I've arranged everything else, but I don't know where to put this dragon tendon. It's far too precious. It's a pity I obtained it too late; otherwise, I would have already used it to forge my own weapon. I've thought about it for a long time and decided to bury it under an array in the flower field. If someone who loves flowers is willing to water it, they will be able to obtain it..."

Dragon tendons?!

Mingyan was somewhat taken aback. He had only been curious about what this senior, who knew his life was about to end, was thinking before he died, but he hadn't expected that it would be recorded in these things. Mingyan put the diary away and returned to the flower field.

There was no water here, so Mingyan thought for a moment, then opened his palm and condensed spiritual energy into rainwater to water the flower field.

This action consumed a lot of Mingyan's spiritual energy, but fortunately the spiritual energy in this cemetery is abundant, which can be replenished at any time.

After Mingyan watered the flowers, the vibrant blossoms in the flower field appeared even more exquisite. An array flickered beneath the flower field, and then an ancient-looking long box appeared at the edge of the field. Mingyan squatted down and tried to open it, discovering a translucent, faintly shimmering tendon inside, radiating a strong yang energy. This must be the dragon tendon mentioned in the book by his predecessors, right? Mingyan tried to pick it up, but found it extremely heavy, beyond his strength. After a moment's thought, he stored it in his dantian.

Ming Yan had just put it away when he sensed a strange noise behind him. Almost instantly, he dodged and turned around to face it, only to find that it was that red-haired monster trying to ambush him again. The red-haired monster was completely covered in red fur, obscuring its ugly face. After being discovered, it hurriedly tried to escape, but Ming Yan used the Wind Spirit Step recorded in the Wind Spirit Scripture to quickly catch up with the red-haired monster and stomped its head into the ground, crushing it instantly!

He was almost ambushed... These red-haired monsters have such perfect timing; they always manage to strike when Mingyan is distracted. We really can't let our guard down...

Mingyan looked up and heard some noises again, but this time it seemed to be people, not the red-haired monster. Mingyan hesitated for a moment, then hid.

Before long, several cultivators appeared in the flower field and discovered the corpse of the red-haired monster.

"It seems we're too late; someone has already been here."

There were three cultivators in total: two female cultivators and one male cultivator. The male cultivator was handsome and dashing, and the female cultivator was also quite beautiful. Ugly men and women who cultivate immortality are extremely rare, and most of the cultivators Mingyan encountered were quite good-looking.

"Someone beat me to it... I guess that person also took those medicinal fields before. Don't let me find him, or I'll make him give them back." The male cultivator said indignantly.

"Come on, it's first come, first served. Your way of thinking is too robbery." The female cultivator who spoke first rolled her eyes.

Mingyan, hiding in the shadows, noticed that all three of them wore waist tags with special markings, quite similar to the waist tag he wore that represented a disciple of Fenglingyueying. Mingyan's heart skipped a beat; could these people be disciples of the Holy Land?

"Hmph, that depends on whether he has the strength to defend it."

“Let’s keep going. I heard that another disciple from the Holy Land entered before, so don’t let your guard down.” The other woman, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “After this is over, we still need to participate in the operation. We can’t let Gu Hanshuang return to Nanzhou smoothly.”

"Yes..."

The group left shortly afterward. Mingyan frowned. He couldn't let Gu Hanshuang return to Nanzhou.

Ming Yan had heard of the name Gu Hanshuang before. When Yue Wuxia introduced the special physique, she mentioned that the number one genius in Nanzhou was this Gu Hanshuang, who possessed the Tai'a Physique and was born with a natural affinity for weapons.

These appear to be part of a plan to assassinate Gu Hanshuang...

Having heard something extraordinary, Mingyan pondered for a moment but did not reveal himself. Instead, he continued to study the notes left by that senior, Yingjing, hoping to make further discoveries.

Chapter 51 You are on the first floor, I am on the second floor

During this final period, the cultivator who had reached the Transcendent Realm recorded a large number of trivial matters, which seemed somewhat nagging. Most of them were idle chatter that was of little use to Ming Yan, but Ming Yan still read them all and extracted some useful information.

For example, regarding the strange flowers in the flower field, this person even taught him how to distinguish those flowers when he had nothing else to do. After learning it, Mingyan finally confirmed that the special plants he had discovered earlier were indeed the Tranquil Half-Moon.

The calendar he used to record time was the Wan Kong Calendar 22057. These calendars seem to be calculated from the time after the Great Emperor attained enlightenment, which means that this was more than 20,000 years after that Great Emperor attained enlightenment... At that time, the current Empress Qingzi had not yet attained enlightenment and become an emperor.

These tranquil crescent moons have been growing for at least 1,500 years.

The book mentions that the lifespan of the Tranquil Half Moon is only twenty-five years, but because of his formation, he has successfully extended his lifespan to such a long time.

Mingyan remained silent for a moment. "It's almost turned into a flower fairy, isn't it?"

Even emperors only live for about 20,000 years and cannot extend their lives further, yet these fragile plants can successfully extend their lifespan to such an immense length...

Is this the fairness of the Great Way?

The book also details precautions to take when picking these flowers to ensure they don't get damaged or wither. To this end, he even taught a formation to prolong the flowers' lifespan...

This senior must have valued these flowers very much. However, he probably also knew that after his death, these flowers would either wither away when the formation failed or be picked by someone. That's why he thought of leaving the formation behind, hoping that even if the person who reads this book wanted to pick them, they would try their best not to let these flowers wither.

He died peacefully.

Mingyan turned to the last few pages, which contained the content from the last day or two.

"Death is drawing ever closer. I can already smell the suffocating odor. My life will end in the next two days. I have left too many regrets in this life. I wonder if there is such a thing as reincarnation. If I could make a choice, perhaps I could enjoy a hundred years as a mortal and then pass away. Long life is a taboo for humans. It makes people have too many inappropriate thoughts."

"In about two hours, my lifespan will be exhausted. These days I have been reflecting on my life, recalling the comrades who fought alongside me, and the fairies I once admired. There was a time when I was glorious, but in two hours, I will be nothing more than a corpse. My position is awkward, neither high nor low. I suppose no one will care about the life or death of a mere cultivator at the Transcendent Realm. They will only care about those top geniuses, such as Fairy Qingzi, or the King of the Yun family... They have all reached the King Realm and can compete for that one and only opportunity to attain the Dao."

"This long life, two thousand years, after stepping into the path of cultivation, what have I gained? In the end, I will also turn into a handful of yellow earth. Even the King of the Yun family and Fairy Qingzi will eventually die and disappear. Even if some of them prove the Dao and become emperors, what then? Even emperors cannot escape death... I have realized that if one cannot achieve immortality, a long life is meaningless."

"But... I've just realized that I'm not able to face death calmly at all. How many years has it been since my heart beat this fast? Am I going to lie down in that restaurant, close my eyes, and calmly face my own death?"

"But what else can I do besides this?"

That concludes the record; there is no further text.

The entire article was a collection of notes written by this cultivator before his death, but Ming Yan found a lot of useful information in it.

Dragon tendons count as one, tranquil half-moon counts as one, the formation that prolongs the lifespan of flowers counts as one, and the Yun family king counts as one.

There is quite a grudge between Mingyan and the Yun family. If the Yun family finds out that he saved Huang Feiyan back then, he will probably be resented by the Yun family... Of course, things are different now. Even if the Yun family wants to cause trouble for Mingyan now, they will have to think twice, because he is backed by the Fenglingyueying Holy Land.

The text mentions the King of the Yun family and Fairy Qingzi. If there are no surprises, Fairy Qingzi must be the current Empress Qingzi. When Mingyan read it before, he could clearly feel that the two characters Qingzi were shining brightly and dazzlingly... After attaining enlightenment, is there such mystery in simply writing her imperial name?

In that era, the Yun family also had a top-tier Human King who once competed with the current Empress Qingzi for the throne. However, it seems that Empress Qingzi won. Moreover... since Huang Junru dared to directly kill the Yun family's genius, it means that when that Human King competed with Empress Qingzi for the throne, he not only failed but may have even died.

This is the path to becoming an emperor—bloody and ruthless, where the success of one emperor is built upon the bones of countless others.

This cultivator, who was from the same era as Empress Qingzi, has also reached the pinnacle of his cultivation.

With Empress Qingzi's attainment of the Dao and her rule over the world, the golden age has come to an end. Before Empress Qingzi's fall, no one will be able to attain the Dao. The geniuses born in this era were truly born in the wrong time.

Mingyan closed the book and stored it in his dantian. He couldn't let anyone else know about the dragon tendons, otherwise, if anyone found even a trace of them, it might bring him trouble.

The dragon race is an ancient divine race. When the ancient gods reach adulthood, they seem to be only slightly weaker than the Great Emperor, but stronger than ordinary human kings. In other words, the dragon tendons are basically equivalent to the remains of the Great Emperor... The tendons and bones left behind by such top-level beings are definitely extremely rare and powerful.

Even if those cultivators at the Transcendent Realm knew about this, they would probably be tempted and try to seize it.

Mingyan came to his senses and remembered the flower in his dantian, so he entered his dantian and observed it.

Living things cannot be stored in the Qi Sea. If a flower is moved in, it will wither immediately. So if he had taken that flower into his Qi Sea and planted it now, it should have withered by now, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

After entering the Qi Sea, Mingyan quickly discovered the anomaly.

Even after the flower was planted in his dantian, it remained as beautiful as ever.

After Mingyan practiced the "Wind Spirit Scripture", there was a slight flow of air in his dantian, and the flower swayed gently in the wind, which was very beautiful.

Mingyan was very surprised. Although he did feel that his Qi Sea was different from that of ordinary people, which was why he conducted this experiment, he did not expect that his Qi Sea could actually store some living things... Thinking about it, could his Qi Sea hold people?

Well, there's no one he can experiment with right now...

Mingyan returned to the garden and carefully dug out the few Tranquil Half-Moon flowers, soil and all, according to the method recorded in the book. He then stored them in his Qi Sea. Since these plants would not wither in his Qi Sea, Mingyan had no further worries. He could simply transplant them into his own Qi Sea and plant them there. He would then give them to his master and senior sister when he returned to the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Holy Land.

The dragon tendon is probably the most precious thing in this tomb. And since I've been here for so long, other treasures have probably been taken away. There's no need to waste any more time here; it's time to leave.

After making his decision, Mingyan headed back the way he had come.

But soon, Mingyan encountered other people.

Someone was walking out of the formation and encountered Mingyan, who was about to leave.

The man, dressed in purple and wearing a strange mask, stared at Ming Yan after emerging from the formation.

The mask was engraved with eerie patterns, and it looked like a vengeful ghost from ghost stories. Being stared at by it made Mingyan feel uneasy.

"Why did this fellow Daoist leave? Since you've entered this secret realm, why didn't you explore it?" The purple-clad man's voice was deep, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was male. Ming Yan felt that his eyes were cold and made him extremely uncomfortable.