The surrounding traps and formations had already been severely damaged by Zhang Tian and others.
Even a noob would likely be able to pass through easily.
Glancing at the broken stone tablet on the ground, Zhang Tian lost all interest in looking further.
"Let's move to the next level," Zhang Tian said. Everyone nodded and then walked towards the tomb door within.
"According to the design of the underworld, this tomb should have a Yellow Springs Road and an Other Shore flower. It will only get harder from here," Hu Bayi remarked, and Zhang Tian's eyes lit up.
Hu Bayi's words sparked an idea in Zhang Tian. This way, it was highly likely that many medicinal herbs would grow here. If they could obtain the corresponding herbs, refining other pills to nourish ghosts might become much easier.
"Indeed, let's keep a close eye out and try to get as many herbs as possible," Zhang Tian said. "Among them, the Other Shore flower has the most uses. It's not just capable of refining one type of medicine; it's a component in almost all pills that nourish ghosts."
Zhang Tian explained, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"I want to try alchemy," Zhang Qilin uttered. It was evident he wanted to try his hand at alchemy. Since acquiring the alchemist skill, Zhang Qilin had never truly practiced alchemy.
"Don't worry, you'll have your chance," Zhang Tian said, patting his shoulder.
As they walked and talked, the group arrived at the tomb door on the next level. In front of the tomb door, Zhang Tian noticed some runes, densely packed and black, covering the entire door.
"Boss, these runes look so familiar," Fatty said, smacking his lips as he looked at the runes.
"They are the same ones we encountered in the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, virtually identical," Hu Bayi said with a serious expression as he looked at the runes.
"Someone has likely been here before. It could be the legendary witch. Everyone be careful," Zhang Tian said calmly, suspecting the witch had been here.
"Little Master Zhang, is the witch you mentioned the one who set up the curses? Have you seen her?" Xie Yuchen asked, his voice filled with confusion.
Zhang Tian shook his head seriously. "I haven't seen her, I've only heard of such a person existing. However, someone who can set up curses must be quite capable."
Xie Yuchen nodded thoughtfully, very curious about what the witch looked like. Upon hearing about the witch, Fatty quickly withdrew his hands.
"Back when I was a sent-down youth in the village, I heard the villagers mention a mysterious witch deep in the mountains. Wherever the witch went, people would fall ill," Hu Bayi recalled, as if reliving the past. "Everyone called the witch the 'Poison Witch.' Legend has it that the witch was very beautiful, more beautiful than any fairy."
"The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is," Xie Yuchen murmured thoughtfully.
Zhang Tian hadn't expected to encounter traces of the witch in the Ghost Bureau. He had no idea what the witch was doing here. Without further ado, they entered the tomb door.
Upon entering the second level, faint lights began to appear intermittently, emitting a soft glow. A unique fragrance also permeated the air. In the darkness, small patches of green light were visible ahead.
"Boss, are those fireflies?" Fatty exclaimed.
Zhang Tian rolled his eyes at Fatty and then turned on his flashlight. As the light illuminated the surroundings, everything came into view.
Xie Yuchen instinctively took a step back. Even Fatty hid behind them. The path ahead was covered with small plants. These weren't just any small plants; they were a species called Corpse Ginseng. They were a sea of green, even blooming with flowers.
The entire tomb chamber was filled with Corpse Ginseng. They all tilted their heads, looking at Zhang Tian and the others. Green liquid dripped from their peculiar flowers. The faint lights they had seen earlier were likely the eyes of these Corpse Ginseng.
"Holy crap, boss, what is this? It's so disgusting, and it looks like people!" Fatty exclaimed, his scalp tingling at the sight of the dense growth that almost surrounded the entire cavern. This was definitely a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.
"This is Corpse Ginseng, a type of ginseng that grows in tombs. It's highly poisonous and resembles human form. It's usually about the size of a regular ginseng and is also known as Ghost Ginseng," Zhang Tian explained. However, as he looked at the Corpse Ginseng before him, Zhang Tian fell silent. These things were not the size of regular ginseng at all; they were about half a meter tall, and their flowers seemed to contain heads. They looked extremely eerie, with green liquid constantly flowing from those heads. They were not only dense but also repulsive.
"I've seen this at the Xie family's. Usually, Corpse Ginseng is only the size of a palm and can be used in hospitals for anesthesia. It's extremely expensive. But I've never seen any this big," Xie Yuchen chimed in. Fatty's eyes lit up.
"Boss, if these things are this big, can we take a few back? Wouldn't we be rich?" Fatty asked, blinking. He envisioned a golden ticket to wealth.
"Fatty, look at the heads inside the flowers of these Corpse Ginseng. Those are likely the heads of previous intruders. If you take these things back, you might not live long enough to spend the money," Zhang Tian pointed at the heads in the flowers, indicating they were the heads of tomb raiders.
"The Corpse Ginseng here must have mutated, specifically to eat people, which is why they've grown so large. However, they should have a weakness," Zhang Tian said. Hu Bayi took out his Bagua mirror and scanned the surroundings.
"Boss, these Corpse Ginseng are mentioned in ancient texts. Corpse Ginseng are extremely Yin creatures, and while they thrive in Yin, they fear Yang," Hu Bayi said, his gaze fixed on the dense Corpse Ginseng.
"Fatty can see it. They're afraid of fire, aren't they? Little Ginseng, Fatty is coming for you!" Fatty said, taking a step forward. The next moment, the surrounding lights began to illuminate.
"Fatty, you stepped on a trap! Damn it, these Corpse Ginseng are all awake!" Hu Bayi cursed, seeing the situation. You don't fear a god-like opponent as much as a teammate who doesn't activate the crystal at a critical moment!
Fatty stood frozen, a sheepish grin on his embarrassed face. "Old Hu, can I say it wasn't intentional?" Fatty started sweating profusely.
The next moment, ghost fires blazed, and the surroundings were revealed. It was a spacious tomb chamber, filled with numerous burial objects and antiques. Zhang Tian and the others stood at the edge. A path was completely covered with Corpse Ginseng, and in the center, a giant Corpse Ginseng had appeared.
The Corpse Ginseng resembled a massive vine, its flowers blooming a devilish red. Inside one of the flowers, there seemed to be a human-like structure, appearing like a symbiotic system. Looking at everything around them, Zhang Tian was bewildered. He hadn't expected the area to be so vast. And this Corpse Ginseng was enormous, easily five meters tall.
"Boss, it's so big, Fatty likes it very much," Fatty said, drooling as he looked at the giant snake-like Corpse Ginseng. If he could take this back, wouldn't he strike it rich?
"Fatty, look at the mess you've made. We could have snuck past them, but now we have to face this thing," Hu Bayi said discontentedly, glancing at Fatty.
Zhang Tian waved his hand. "It's happened. No use saying more. Get ready, second brother, master, prepare to attack." Zhang Qilin nodded, his Black Gold Ancient Saber already in hand.
After Fatty triggered the trap, the giant Corpse Ginseng awoke. A tiny corpse within the Corpse Ginseng opened its eyes and scrambled out with incredible speed, forming a blur as it lunged at Zhang Tian and the others. The surrounding half-meter-tall Corpse Ginseng also spewed green, highly toxic liquid.
Unfortunately for the Corpse Ginseng, only Hu Bayi and Fatty were susceptible to poison among Zhang Tian's team. Zhang Tian, Zhang Qilin, and even Yi Mei Daoren were immune. Dealing with the Corpse Ginseng was surprisingly straightforward.
"Old Hu, these things are shooting out green liquid," Fatty complained while dodging.
"This liquid is likely poisonous, let's be careful not to touch it," Hu Bayi said, not dwelling on Fatty's earlier mistake of triggering the trap. Hu Bayi's expression was serious as he searched for valuable items nearby. The Corpse Ginseng, naturally, was left to Zhang Tian and the other two to deal with. The situation became quite intense.