Too much information-my brain crashed

Remains?!

Upon hearing Monk Shenshu's words, Xu Qi'an was taken aback, then immediately recalled many details.

Judging from the murals, the owner of this tomb was clearly that Daoist priest, but what emerged from the bronze coffin was a yellow-robed mummified corpse who claimed to be a subordinate.

How could a subordinate dare to wear a yellow robe? That's highly suspicious.

In addition, the mummified body had many burn marks, consistent with being struck by lightning.

All of these details were explained after the monk Shenshu revealed the identity of the mummified corpse.

Is this corpse the old body left behind by that Daoist priest who failed to transcend his tribulation? And what about the Daoist priest himself? Did he successfully transcend his tribulation and enter the first-grade realm, or did he possess another body? Xu Qi'an's thoughts uncontrollably shifted to the Daoist priest himself.

Immediately, something seemed amiss. Master Jinlian had said that if one successfully completed the second-grade Tribulation Transcending stage, one would become a terrestrial immortal.

Failure would turn one to ashes, but this Daoist was able to retain a physical body. Did he somehow avoid being completely annihilated? Or was it that Daoist Jinlian's level was too low, his knowledge limited, and he exaggerated the heavenly tribulation?

"You want to extract information about my lord?" The mummy's hideous face revealed a disdainful expression.

The language of the mummies is very similar to the modern Great Feng Mandarin, but there are subtle differences in pronunciation.

Humans have occupied the Central Plains since ancient times. Although there are gaps in history, humans have always existed, and their language has not changed much.

This guy is very loyal to his predecessor. Well, after all, they are the former and current bodies. Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

The monk Shenshu said gently, "Those who cultivate swordsmanship within the Daoist School need to rely on the flow of Qi to cultivate. Even if you didn't say it, this humble monk could guess the background of that Daoist."

Ren Zong!

That Daoist priest was from the Human Sect. No wonder the murals had such a strong sense of déjà vu. This explains why the Daoist priest wanted to kill the emperor and usurp the throne. It's a pity Luo Yuheng wasn't a man, otherwise... Danger! Emperor Yuanjing... Danger!

Xu Qi'an thought with considerable regret.

The mummified corpse paused for a moment, offering no rebuttal. "Given your status, it's indeed not difficult to see."

Monk Shenshu nodded. "You don't want to know your lord's whereabouts? We can exchange information."

This time, the mummified corpse didn't hesitate, "Okay!"

The skill of negotiation lies in grasping what the other party wants. As long as there is a need, there is room for negotiation. Xu Qi'an listened to the conversation between the two big shots while enriching his inner monologue.

"What dynasty did he live in?" asked the monk Shenshu.

The Great Liang Dynasty.

"The Great Liang Dynasty. Do you know it?"

Monk Shenshu frowned, and his last question was directed at Xu Qi'an.

Then, he answered his own question, and Xu Qi'an's voice came from his mouth. "Master, I am just a crude martial artist, not Confucian School disciple. I haven't even read the history books of the Great Feng."

"I'm just a martial artist, you can't make me bear pressure that this system shouldn't put me under, "Xu Qi'an humorously retorted.

"Judging from your appearance, I seem to have been asleep for far too long." The mummified corpse uttered a hoarse, low voice, as if its vocal cords had decayed.

"During the Great Liang Dynasty, tens of thousands of years had passed since the extinction of Gods and Devils. At that time, various kingdoms were divided in the Central Plains. The remaining bloodline of Gods and Devils still ravaged the land. However, they were already in the form of embers and could hardly become great."

"Besides the human race, the Demon Race race is also a force to be reckoned with. However, just as the human race is divided into numerous warlords, the demon Demon Race is also centered around tribes and clans. Although they unite with each other, they are generally a disorganized mess. Only when they engage in a major war with the human race will the various Demon Race unite."

After the Gods and Devils, the human race and the Demon Race race fought for supremacy. How long did this period of history last? I feel like the history of this world is a mess, with too many unverifiable past events.

Even a top scholar like Chu Yuanzhen didn't recognize the clothing depicted in the mural.

"This world needs a Sima Qian," Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

"How did the Gods and Devils fall?" Xu Qi'an forcefully took over the line, temporarily regaining ownership of the "account".

The mummified corpse shook its head.

"Well, there are too many historical gaps, and a complete cultural system hasn't formed. These messy things will probably never surface. Hmm, unless we go to the Abyss in the Southern Frontier and ask the Gu God. "Xu Qi'an continued, "..."

What are the ranks of Gods and Devils?

"Grade?" the mummified corpse asked rhetorically.

"Oh, the current nine ranks to one rank are a concept proposed and personally defined by the Confucian School sage. The owner of this tomb lived in an even earlier era. "Xu Qi'an suddenly realized and corrected himself:

"What kind of strength?"

"Your question is too vague; I cannot answer it. Every god Gods and Devils has different combat power, so it cannot be generalized. The most powerful Gods and Devils and demon is immortal and capable of destroying the world." The mummified corpse shook its head.

Can I interpret this to mean that the most powerful Gods and Devils possess strength beyond their grade? Xu Qi'an fell into deep thought and remained silent.

The monk Shenshu took over the "account" and asked, "In your era, how many powerful beings possessed the highest level of Gods and Devils status?"

"After the extinction of Gods and Devils, no one has ever reached the level of a peak Gods and Devils. The only surviving Gu God was the strongest being at that time," the mummified corpse replied.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an was stunned for a moment. It seemed that the reason for the extinction of Gods and Devils was a huge misconception, and that it was not because humans and Demon Race destroyed Gods and Devils.

Furthermore, that Daoist lived during a period when there was a "generation gap" of powerful beings surpassing their rank.

Monk Shenshu frowned. "Where is Daozun?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an immediately realized something was amiss. How could there be no other beings surpassing his rank? The fact that the mummified corpse didn't know about Buddhist School meant that the Buddha hadn't yet attained enlightenment during the time he existed.

The same principle applies to the sorcerer god.

However, since there was a Daoist who usurped the throne, he must have come after the Daoist Master, since the Daoist Master was the founder of the Daoist School.

Isn't the Dao Venerable an existence that transcends rank? How could there only be one being who transcends rank, the Gu God?

"What Daoist Master?" the mummified corpse asked, sounding bewildered.

Xu Qi'an was speechless for a moment, his mind completely blank.

He doesn't even know the Lord?! He doesn't even know the Lord?!

How could a cultivator not even know the Dao Venerable?

"You don't even know the founding patriarch of Daoist School?" Xu Qi'an asked in a low voice.

"The Daoist School?" The mummified corpse thought for a moment and said, "I've never heard of it. It must be a force that emerged after the Great Liang Dynasty."

I've never heard of Daoist School, but the Daoist priest in the mural is a real person. Does this mean that the concept of Daoist School may not have existed at that time?

But even the Daoist Master had never heard of it, which is very illogical.

Xu Qi'an immediately thought of Wei Yuan's description of the martial arts system. It was not something that could be created overnight, from nothing to something. Rather, it was the result of generations of martial artists who cultivated strength, relying on their own wisdom and talent, constantly exploring and innovating, and only after countless years did the current martial arts system take shape.

Is it possible that Daozun was not the founder of Daoist School, but rather that there was a general system at the time, and everyone was following this path? In the end, Daozun was the one who perfected it, successfully transcending ranks and becoming a deity.

Did the Daoist School emerge after that?

I remember when I was looking Daoist School the classics of the three schools of Daoism in the archives, it was recorded that the birth year of the Daoist master was unknown, which could not be verified and was consistent with the phenomenon of historical gaps.

It's a pity that there was no Confucian School at that time, and no one knew how to compile books, so the hypothesis about the great synthesizer of Daoism was difficult to verify. Xu Qi'an thought regretfully, when he heard the monk Shenshu say:

Tell me about yourself.

"After the lord failed to transcend the tribulation, the Yang God shed his old body. He enlightened the remnant soul remaining in the old body and collected the souls wandering in the world to complete the remnant soul. Thus, I was born."

"Later, he built this grand tomb and entrusted me with the jade seal that embodied the destiny of the Great Liang Dynasty. He told me to take good care of it, as he would return to retrieve it one day. But countless years have passed, and he has never returned, until you entered the tomb."

The mummified corpse looked at Xu Qi'an with a hint of anger at being deceived. "The aura you possess is exactly the same as that of our lord back then, which is why I mistook you for him."

"Isn't every emperor destined for greatness?" Xu Qi'an asked.

The mummified corpse sneered, "If I knew, I wouldn't have mistaken it."

Xu Qi'an spoke in the voice of the monk Shenshu: "An emperor is born with a destiny, but the destiny does not belong to him, but to the dynasty. Therefore, emperors can be replaced."

"You are different. You possess a refined destiny, unique to you. That Daoist priest must also possess it, which is why he mistook you for one."

The refined fortune... Xu Qi'an's heart sank.

After answering Xu Qi'an's question, Shen Shu continued, "The current legitimate dynasty of the human race is the Great Feng Dynasty, which is probably more than ten thousand years away from your era."

"As for the whereabouts of your lord, this humble monk can tell you that after the Great Liang Dynasty, there were beings with the highest Gods and Devils status, including the God of Gu, the God of Witchcraft, Buddha, Daoist Venerable, and Confucian School Sage."

"Among them, the Confucian School sage perished, and the Daoist master disappeared after transforming into the Three Pure Ones. As for the others, well, they all encountered some problems."

This brings up a point that I've never been able to understand: how could Confucian School sage only live to 82? Also, what does it mean that the others all had some problems?

This statement is chilling to think about. Xu Qi'an felt his brain was overwhelmed, absorbing too much, too complicated, and too advanced information.

Forcing myself to analyze it gives me a headache.

"Whether your lord is among them is for you to decide. If not, then he has either already perished or is still gathering strength. If he is, why hasn't he returned to find you? Ha, even this humble monk doesn't know."

The mummified corpse stared at him and asked, "Aren't you among them?"

The monk Shenshu shook his head and then said, "I will give you two choices. First, I will kill you now. Second, you can stay in the tomb and continue to wait, but this time, you will not be able to sleep anymore and will endure loneliness and solitude without end."

"I... I choose to wait. This is my mission," the mummified corpse whispered.

"That is also the meaning of my existence."

What a kind old man! Xu Qi'an was somewhat moved. Then he heard the monk Shenshu say, "He will return within ten years to repay your good fortune."

"Okay." The mummified corpse nodded.

"What are you doing?" Xu Qi'an's face suddenly froze.

At that moment, his ears twitched as he heard strange footsteps. The footsteps landed with varying degrees of lightness and he seemed to be approaching a cripple.

"Someone's here," Monk Shenshu frowned and said in a deep voice, "I need to continue sleeping, otherwise I won't be able to control my urge to devour."

"Don't worry about me. The more luck you absorb, the better it will be for me."

The sound gradually faded into silence and disappeared.

The sound of footsteps, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, drew near. From the entrance of the main tomb, now a ruin, a disheveled head slowly emerged, cautiously peering inside.

"What are you looking at!" Xu Qi'an shouted.

She was startled and quickly shrank back. A few seconds later, she poked her head out again, very cautiously.

This time, Xu Qi'an was right in front of her.

Zhong Li was so frightened that she sat down on the ground.

Xu Qi'an knew she wouldn't dare use her Qi-Watching Technique to spy on him, so he deliberately tried to scare her, saying in a sinister tone, "I'm just hungry, little girl, your skin is so delicate, hehehe."

Zhong Li shuddered and dragged herself backward on one leg, like a frightened rabbit.

"What happened to your leg?" Xu Qi'an frowned and asked in a normal tone.

Zhong Li tilted her head back, her eyes, hidden in her hair, staring at him for a moment. "You, you're not dead, you haven't been possessed."

There was a hint of excitement in his voice.

"I have great luck protecting me, I won't die." Xu Qi'an stared at her legs. "Why did you come back?"

"I came back to find you." After saying this, Zhong Li lowered her head sadly. "My leg was broken by a falling rock on the way."

What else can I say? This is basic stuff for a fortune teller!

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Qi'an said, "Alright, let's go back together then."

Zhong Li breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't been scolded.

So she followed Xu Qi'an with a limp, returning with him. Her legs were twisted, and bright red blood seeped from her trouser legs.

In order to catch up with Xu Qi'an, she could only jump around as much as possible, which aggravated her injuries.

Xu Qi'an was in front, suddenly stopped and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Mmm," she responded softly.

"This is the price of being brainless." Xu Qi'an cursed, turned back, and squatted down on the ground. "I'll carry you out."

Zhong Li moved closer, opening her arms to pounce, when Xu Qi'an suddenly stood up and slammed his head into Zhong Li's chin with a "bang," causing her to scream and fall backward.

Xu Qi'an said with relief.

He picked up his poor fifth senior sister and carried her out, explaining guiltily, "I... I was thinking that if I carried you on my back, a rock might fall on your head and blow your skull apart."

Zhong Li's tongue was bleeding, and her speech was slurred. "It wasn't me."

Xu Qi'an nodded. "That's why I suddenly got up just now, intending to hug you."

Zhong Li: "It's my bad luck."

Xu Qi'an scoffed, "You're really unlucky."

Zhong Li buried her face in his arms in shame.

"I dealt with the mummified corpse in the tomb. I dared to leave it behind because I had a backup plan. I know my limits, but you don't. Don't you understand how unlucky you are?"

Xu Qi'an steered the conversation back on track, warning, "Next time something like this happens, just run away. Don't let me die before you do."

"I... I'm worried about you," she said.

"Get lost, you're not my wife, mind your own business," Xu Qi'an spat.

I'm destined to be a prince consort.

P. S.: While typing, I suddenly realized a bug: the language barrier.

So I did some research and found that the official language of the Tang and Song dynasties was Shaanxi dialect. Throughout history, the official language may have changed depending on the capital city, but the language itself has always existed. Moreover, it has not changed much since ancient times, unless the people in a certain region all die out, in which case the local language will disappear.

So I cleverly fixed the bug.

In addition, this chapter is full of valuable information and is written with great thought, which is why I typed it so slowly.