Gu Cheng and Hu Bayi quietly followed the footprints.
They discovered that the creatures had entered the Jin General's Tomb.
The two exchanged a look. Seriously?
Crouching at the entrance, they peered inside and saw dozens of enormous beasts gnawing on the Black Flood Dragon.
"Holy shit! What are those monsters?!"
Gu Cheng let out a hushed exclamation.
Hu Bayi supplied the answer. "Those are Steppe Giant Ground Sloths!"
"Steppe Giant Ground Sloths?"
Hu Bayi gestured for them to leave before discussing it.
Gu Cheng nodded.
They retreated a good distance, then hurried back as Hu Bayi explained, "Steppe Giant Ground Sloths are extinct creatures. These days, if you want to see what they looked like alive, your only option is to visit a museum and look at fossils or reconstructed models."
"Fatty and I saw one in a museum before. Its fossil looked so much like a dinosaur that it really stuck with us."
"These Steppe Giant Ground Sloths mainly live in underground caves deep beneath the grasslands. They're enormous, with tough hides and thick flesh, and mostly eat meat. Their favorite foods are giant bats, giant ground rats, pythons, and the like."
"I never imagined we'd see them here. If word got out, it would definitely be another astonishing discovery."
Gu Cheng sighed. "What a waste of all that Black Flood Dragon Meat!"
Then he felt relieved. Fortunately, he had packed the Black Flood Dragon Heart and the Black Flood Dragon Core into portable containers and put them in his backpack.
Otherwise, he really would have suffered a huge loss.
"What else can we do? The few of us are definitely no match for them."
"Let it go. Fortunate to gain it, fated to lose it."
"Ah, I suppose that's all we can tell ourselves."
After they reunited with Fatty and Yingzi, Hu Bayi told them what they had found inside.
Fatty was so furious that he grabbed his gun on the spot, ready to go in and fight the creatures to the death.
"My Black Flood Dragon Meat!"
"My Black Flood Dragon Blood!"
"God, this is killing me!"
Both exasperated and amused, Hu Bayi soothed him. "Enough, Fatty. We've already gained plenty on this trip. Our ancestors said that contentment brings happiness. There's no need to get greedy."
Yingzi agreed. "Fatty, those Mountain Monsters really aren't to be trifled with. Whenever my father and I see them, we steer clear."
"Fatty, let's head back and recuperate first. Then we can work out a plan."
Gu Cheng had the final say.
Dragging their exhausted bodies along, the four made their way back into the cave through the ammunition depot, then returned to the forest.
Only when they emerged from the cave did they realize it was already broad daylight outside.
"Holy shit! We can finally stand in the sunshine again."
"It feels like we were in there forever. It's been so long since we saw sunlight."
Fatty Wang spread his arms and stretched in the sunshine.
The other three also basked in the sunlight, their faces relaxed.
By the time they returned to the Village Stockade,
it was dark again.
Gu Cheng couldn't wait to take a bath. He was practically stewing in his own stink.
He had finally managed to cleanse his body and marrow of impurities.
He certainly didn't want to let those impurities soak back into him.
He washed for a full two hours, almost scrubbing his skin raw, before he finally got clean.
While bathing, Gu Cheng took stock of what he had gained on this trip into the mountains.
The Mountain-Splitting Axe, the Corpse-Suppressing Bronze Mirror, the Golden Cup Longevity Fruit, the Black Flood Dragon Heart, and the Black Flood Dragon Core.
All of them were good stuff.
It was a real shame that he hadn't brought out the Black Flood Dragon Meat or the Black Flood Dragon Blood.
But Gu Cheng was already satisfied.
After all their years of collecting, the Gu Family still only had six divine artifacts.
No, wait.
Five.
That Mutton-Fat White Jade Seal was a fake.
What he had gained on this one trip already matched everything the Gu Family had accumulated over so many years.
Gu Cheng was extremely pleased.
He would recuperate for a few days, then venture into Empress Dowager Xiao's Tomb. Perhaps he could double his haul!
Especially the Golden Cup Longevity Fruit.
He had now experienced the benefits of the Golden Cup Longevity Fruit firsthand.
In his battle against the Black Flood Dragon and the fight in the secret chamber, if the Golden Cup Longevity Fruit hadn't advanced his Fetal Breathing Method to the third layer,
multiplying his physical capabilities, how could he possibly have defeated the Black Flood Dragon?
Let alone that White-Haired Jiangshi and the two Little Ghost Kings.
Of course, the Little Divine Edge had also played an indispensable role. Without it, he couldn't have killed the Black Flood Dragon, much less slain the White-Haired Jiangshi and the Little Ghost Kings with a single strike each.
In short, it all came down to one thing.
Divine artifacts were fucking awesome!
His desire for divine artifacts was growing stronger and stronger.
Who knew what other treasures lay in those legendary thousand-year-old tombs? Jingjue Ancient City, Yunnan Worm Valley, Dragon Ridge Labyrinth, the Seven-Star Lu Palace...
And Qin Shi Huang's Tomb, Emperor Wu of Han's Tomb, Cao Cao's Tomb, Li Shimin...
Could the Ultimate, which they'd searched for over so many years in Old Nine Gates, actually be some divine artifact that granted immortality?
Holy shit! I had to stop thinking about it, or I'd never get to sleep tonight.
He slept like the dead.
When Gu Cheng woke, it was already the following afternoon.
The driver had woken him.
Gu Sihai had called to say that Yanbei City would be holding an auction in the next couple of days-a Divine Artifact Special-and told him to hurry back.
A Divine Artifact Special?!
Gu Cheng's interest was immediately piqued.
He went to find Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang. "Originally, I planned to rest for a few days before heading to Empress Dowager Xiao's Tomb, but something has come up in Yanbei that I need to go back and handle. I'm definitely going to Empress Dowager Xiao's Tomb. Once I've taken care of things in Yanbei, I'll come back."
"Will you stay here and wait for me, or come back to Yanbei with me and return next time?"
There are just over forty thousand words left before this goes behind a paywall.
Dear readers, please give me some support with the stats. I'll try to finish those updates within three days, then release a flood of chapters when the paid release begins.
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