"Our collaboration with the Daoist is meant to carry out a great archaeological undertaking!"
Lin Xian declared forcefully, "It is to restore the truth of history, protect cultural heritage, preserve the crystallized wisdom of Ancient Antiquity's sages, and explore and verify the evolutionary and cultivation journeys of all races. It will inspire future generations and carries immense, milestone-level historical significance."
"Archaeology?" Ye Fan coughed and said quietly, "Isn't that just tomb raiding?"
"That is not quite right."
At the mention of tombs, Duan De's expression changed. He perked up, shedding his previous wretched air and instead displaying the heroic bearing of one who commanded the world. He proclaimed, "Little friend, you are mistaken. Tomb raiding—ptui—archaeology is a great undertaking."
"How many predecessors and sages buried divine materials and immortal ingredients underground, leaving treasures covered in dust and unseen by later generations?"
"Our mission is precisely to excavate these hidden treasures and bring the miracles of Ancient Antiquity back into the Human World. This is an act of immense merit!"
"The dead must make way for the living."
"Only the living can continue civilization."
Ye Fan could not help clicking his tongue. Duan De had truly stunned him. He had climbed aboard this fast?
Lin Xian glanced sideways at him, his gaze subtle. The dead must make way for the living—what a line.
Ruthless's completion of the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art probably owed something to you as well. What she borrowed from back then was definitely more than just the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art.
One stole treasures from tombs, while the other stole corpses from tombs. You are the true founding patriarch of the Heaven-Swallowing Lineage.
No wonder you would later come to control half of the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar.
Lin Xian pondered this and suddenly realized that seemingly ordinary events contained immense Causality. Every sip and peck—could it be that all had been predetermined, with every outcome having its cause?
The reason he could not see through it was because he stood too close, yet too far away. Only by reaching a true height could one glimpse the whole picture.
Or perhaps, as now, only by drawing closer and experiencing it firsthand could one perceive the subtle changes within.
"Could it be that fellow Daoist has heard of my, Duan De's, reputation?"
Duan De's face glowed red, his spirits soaring. It seemed he had rarely encountered someone so like-minded, and he could not help becoming more talkative. Excitedly, he asked, "You know my story?"
Lin Xian looked at Duan De's round face and clicked his tongue. "No need to say more. Your face is filled with stories. You must be a grand feng shui master."
"Fellow Daoist, your judgment is truly precise!" Duan De's body shook as he said with immense excitement, "I am the greatest Ancient Scholar in the Big Dipper cultivation world!"
"Ancient Scholar? What an archaeologist!" Lin Xian laughed heartily and stepped forward. Their two powerful hands clasped tightly together.
The two were like old friends reunited after many years, excitedly shaking each other's arms without the slightest sense of unfamiliarity.
At that moment, it was not the progress of an individual, but the meeting and fusion of Earth's archaeological world and the Big Dipper's archaeological world.
No one understood archaeology better than Duan De. He was the reincarnation of the Netherworld Emperor, with Reincarnation Seals forged within his body. He swore to become immortal after death, pursued the Dao through corpses, and dominated tombs. He had lived through the Chaotic Ancient Era, the Mythic Era, Primordial Antiquity, Desolate Antiquity, and several other eras—a genuine old antique, an ancient corpse.
Lin Xian wondered how much power Duan De could unleash if he were given a bottle of Sequence Three Ancient Scholar Potion and sent to another universe.
He would probably melt the instant he drank it, pull out the historical projection of the Desolate Heaven Emperor, and battle the Original Creator in reverse.
Duan De, meanwhile, was thinking that having another laborer while exploring tombs would be quite useful. If nothing else, he could drag someone along to cushion the blow.
"Yesterday's matters died yesterday; today's matters are born today." Duan De declared righteously, "I am no longer a tomb raider. I am a great archaeologist with lofty ideals, dedicated to sorting out the course of humanity and recreating true history through underground mausoleums."
Lin Xian readily agreed and praised, "Good, good, good. I happen to know of several great tombs. We can join forces right now."
Ye Fan, however, still retained some of an Earthling's moral values and hesitated. "Is this really a good idea?"
"The predecessors and sages took all the resources for themselves, leaving us juniors to struggle miserably. What does it matter if we borrow a few things from them now?"
Lin Xian coughed, then said meaningfully, "You should know that the Sacred Body's cultivation is difficult. The early stages are manageable, but the Immortal Path is long. Every step forward increases consumption tenfold. If this continues, growing tenfold at every stage, then forget the later stages—even barely reaching the middle stages would require an unimaginably astronomical amount."
"Breaking through to the Dao Palace requires one hundred jin of Source. Dao Palace Second Heaven requires one thousand jin, Dao Palace Third Heaven ten thousand jin, Dao Palace Fourth Heaven one hundred thousand jin, Dao Palace Fifth Heaven one million jin, and breaking through the Four Extremes requires as much as ten million jin of Source!"
"Ten million jin of Source?!" Ye Fan's expression changed. He immediately said sternly, "This junior is duty-bound to contribute to the cause of archaeology. I ask that you two seniors must take me along."
"Sacred Body? You are a Desolate Ancient Sacred Body?" Duan De was startled and reassessed Ye Fan. After a long while, he clapped his hands. "The legendary Desolate Ancient Sacred Body—wonderful, wonderful."
"The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is immune to all evils. Its physique and vital blood possess an innately powerful resistance to all manner of unclean forces. It truly is the finest physique for tomb raiding—cough, cough—archaeology!"
"Little friend, I, Duan De, am willing to respectfully call you the Innate Archaeological Sacred Body!"
Yin Tombs were filled with evil spirits. At a critical moment, throwing Ye Fan out as an offering would make him immune to all evils!
Lin Xian admired Duan De's astonishing talent. As expected of the Netherworld Emperor's reincarnation; even he had not thought that the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body could be used this way.
"Ah!" Ye Fan was instantly dumbfounded. On the path of cultivation, because he required too many resources and could not cross the Four Extremes Heavenly Gate, people called him the Desolate Ancient Waste Body. Yet he had never expected to make great strides in archaeology instead.
Many years later, when facing the Emperor Tribulation, Heavenly Emperor Ye would recall that distant afternoon when Duan De had brought him into archaeology.
If Heavenly Emperor Ye's teacher, Lin Xian, had not chosen me, I might still be grinding away on the path of cultivation. An invincible physical body that can challenge a Great Emperor is not bad, but archaeology has given me a far broader horizon.
"Fellow Daoist, do you have the locations? Let's act quickly." Duan De spoke excitedly, itching to show his skills immediately.
"Look at you, getting impatient again."
Lin Xian pointed at the radiant light still flying across the sky and smiled faintly. "The opportunity here has not yet ended."
"The weapons here are more precious and possess greater spirituality than the sentient weapons outside. Wait a little longer."
As he spoke, streams of radiant light shot toward them and landed at the feet of the three.
Many cultivators rushed over and searched the mountain peak. From time to time, they glanced around and cursed, "Why is it all scrap metal, rubble, and earthen walls?"
"Damn it, damn it!"
"Let's go... wait..."
Several cultivators suddenly spotted the sentient weapon in Duan De's hand. A glint of viciousness appeared in their eyes, and their leader shouted, "Throw over the weapon, and we'll spare your lives."
Duan De and Lin Xian exchanged a glance, then immediately smiled and said in unison, "Wonderful!"
Lin Xian stood at the peak of the Divine Bridge realm. Though Duan De's realm was relatively low, he was a genuine reincarnation of the Netherworld Emperor. As for Ye Fan, he possessed the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and an invincible physical body; even if he could not win, he could take the hits.
How could several ordinary cultivators be their match? In an instant, divine rainbows shot into the sky. Their robbery failed, and they were robbed instead.
Sacrificing a Book: Villain Protagonist