This thing is a treasure for everyone else; even if it can't prolong life, it can add decades to their lifespan. It's a potent tonic.
A natural inner core from a giant snake. No wonder this Snake King is so formidable; it's because it already possessed an inner core.
Excellent, excellent.
Zhou Lin's gaze upon the alchemical furnace was akin to his gaze upon stacks of red banknotes.
The netizens watching were utterly bewildered.
"What the hell, what's up with the big shot? What's in that alchemical furnace? Why is he looking at it so strangely?"
"How could he not look strangely? The big shot only gets that look when he sees money. This thing might be very valuable."
"Exactly. The last time he had that look was when the president of the biological association promised him money. What kind of treasure is this that makes the big shot so interested?"
"Big shot, please explain, please explain!"
...
Zhou Lin happened to see the situation in the live stream and chuckled heartily.
"Do you know what this is? This is an inner core. It takes thousands of years to condense just one, and even then, it's not guaranteed to condense completely. What you just saw, that thing, is..."
"Imagine how precious this thing is! This is an inner core. For an ordinary person, eating it would prolong their life. Who would gamble with their life?"
The more Zhou Lin spoke, the more excited he became, as if seeing a lot of money beckoning them.
In the live stream.
"Holy crap, an inner core? Prolong life? Damn, this Snake King has such a thing? No wonder it was guarded so carefully."
"Yeah, I've never heard of such a thing before. Does it really have such abilities? Is it real?"
"I think it must be real. We've seen the big shot's abilities; it should be real."
"Damn, this thing is so big. Just a tiny bit could prolong life, maybe even add decades. Damn, this is a life that money can't buy."
"This is equivalent to gaining decades of life."
...
As soon as Zhou Lin spoke, the archaeological team and the president of the biological association, who were closely following the live stream, had their eyes bulge out.
Inner core?
Do inner cores really exist in this world? Is this real?
Holy crap.
The biologists were even more shocked.
Their lips trembled several times, and in the end, they couldn't utter a single word.
Their minds were reeling.
Is this a dream? Can such a thing be researched?
This tomb expedition was truly worthwhile. Any one of these items could shock the world!
In the conference room, the only sounds were heavy, ragged breaths. No one spoke.
At this moment, in the archaeological conference room.
The dean of the archaeological institute was utterly stunned as he watched Zhou Lin speak.
His eyes bulged as he stared at the live stream, then he looked at the experts in Zhouyi beside him.
Their nature was similar to that of Taoist priests; they should understand inner cores better than them.
Just as the dean was about to speak, he saw that the Zhouyi experts were all displaying expressions of shock.
They looked as if they had been struck by lightning, all dumbfounded.
That settled it; there was no need to ask. The matter of the inner core was definitely true.
The dean of the archaeological institute nodded with satisfaction at the scene before him.
This tomb expedition was not a complete sacrifice of those archaeological team members. If they could truly explore the tomb to its depths this time, it would bring some solace to their souls in heaven.
At this moment, the internet in Great Xia was in a frenzy.
All platforms were broadcasting videos about this inner core.
The click-through rates on all websites had been blown up by netizens, who also commented.
"Holy crap, an inner core! I'd only ever read about it in novels before. I never thought it was real, that it actually exists."
"No way, has this world turned into science fiction? This Snake King has an inner core? I thought only sci-fi blockbusters had such things."
"An inner core, this is something many people desire. No wonder this Snake King could command all the snake swarms; it's the king of kings among them."
"I've truly opened my eyes. My life hasn't been lived in vain."
"I want a bite too. If I eat it, will I be able to live for a few more decades?"
"Seeing the big shot Zhou Lin's expression, it's obvious this is about money. Don't you have money? He won't give it to you if you don't."
"Right, right."
...
At this moment, some foreign experts were closely following the archaeological excavations in Great Xia. When they saw the inner core, all their networks exploded.
Netizens abroad were already starting to discuss.
The networks in the Eagle Country had exploded.
"OMG, this is my first time hearing about an inner core. Such a big snake, is this a genetic mutation?"
"My God, this kind of thing is too spectacular. The tombs in Great Xia are too terrifying."
"Bastard, what is this thing? How can such a creature exist? And is that an alchemical furnace? I've only seen them in museums."
Sakura Country:
"This is truly terrifying. Hey, what did the tombs of Great Xia encounter?"
"Our Sakura Country would never have such a Snake King. This kind of thing must be because Great Xia angered something."
"It must be. It's truly terrifying."
Great Han Country:
"Our Great Han Country has also seen this kind of Snake King before. There's nothing to be shocked about."
"Exactly, exactly. You small fries are ridiculous."
"Our Great Han Country is the chosen one. This Snake King must have been blind to go anywhere, truly shameful."
...
The dean of the archaeological institute was watching the live stream when he received a phone call.
"What is it?"
The dean looked at his phone, his tone becoming much more respectful.
...
In the tomb.
Zhou Lin watched the Snake King glare at him menacingly but wasn't in a hurry. As long as he had what he cared about, nothing else mattered.
"You know fear now?"
Zhou Lin's eyes gleamed, his gaze fixed on the alchemical furnace.
He then drew his Ling Shuang sword.
The Snake King let out an angry roar, and the surrounding small snakes swarmed towards Zhou Lin as if they had no regard for their lives.
Zhou Lin chanted a spell, then extended his sword finger and pointed towards the small snakes. They instantly froze into ice blocks and fell to the ground.
The Snake King, witnessing this, knew that this human intended to snatch its inner core. It then opened its mouth wide and spat towards Zhou Lin.
Finally, it opened the lid and swallowed the inner core in one gulp.
"Damn it, you bastard... no integrity! How could you eat it? That's my money!"