Chapter Forty: Secret News

"Kid, come out. I promise not to kill you. Don't disturb the Apothecary Beast Immortal."

"Sure, sure. If you dare to come in, I'll call you Dad." Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to argue. He simply shut the door, leaving the Mountain-Moving General outside, alternating between threats and coaxing.

At last, he had a moment to take in his surroundings. The layout of the third floor was strikingly simple—at its center stood an oversized, square coffin. The sheer size was unusual, yet the surrounding space was completely bare, making the entire chamber feel eerily empty.

"The Tomb Keeper used the Yin-Yang Twin Brocade, summoned the Qin Yuan, and even sent in the Mountain-Moving General… Such an elaborate setup. But what exactly is hidden in this tomb?"

His Wu Gang Axe had been destroyed in the previous battle, so he picked up the Prison Dragon Staff to use as a crowbar. As expected, the coffin was exceptionally sturdy. He had to exert all his strength just to pry open a tiny crack.

Shining his flashlight inside, he caught sight of a round, plump ear covered in curly white fur.

"Hmm? An animal? Isn't this supposed to be an immortal's tomb?"

Frowning, he rubbed his eyes and checked again—there was no mistake. The confusion in his heart deepened. With renewed effort, he widened the gap, but this time, he remained cautious, positioning himself at an angle to avoid any unexpected surprises—like a grasping hand lunging out.

When the opening was finally large enough, he quickly stepped aside, wary of any sudden movement from within.

After a long silence, when nothing happened, he cautiously poked his staff inside, sweeping it around. Still nothing.

Summoning his courage, he straightened up. But the moment his eyes fell on the contents of the coffin, he froze in shock.

Inside lay a bizarre creature—a horse-headed beast covered in white fur, with a single horn protruding from its forehead.

Making sure it wouldn't suddenly wake up, Chen Fan pried off the rest of the coffin lid. Only then did he see the full body of the tomb's occupant. The lower half was entirely that of a horse, complete with two equine legs and a long tail—nothing even remotely human.

"This thing… is supposed to be an immortal?" Chen Fan frowned, his gaze sweeping the coffin's interior. There were no burial treasures—just an empty chamber.

"Strange… A tomb of this scale, and not a single funerary artifact? I risked my life to get here, and this is all I find?"

Then, he noticed something odd.

"Wait… Could this be a decoy tomb?"

He hesitated briefly before reaching inside.

"The fur looks valuable… Maybe I can sell it for a good price?"

Just as his fingers brushed against the creature's body, it instantly disintegrated into a fine purple powder, swirling into the air and momentarily blinding him.

When the haze cleared, Chen Fan was stunned to find himself back at the tomb's entrance. The coffin was now fully open.

Inside lay another strange beast—a hybrid of horse and elephant, with tiger-like legs. It was small, taking up only half the space in the coffin.

Its withered hands sent a chill down Chen Fan's spine. In an instant, he realized—this was the very thing that had pulled him in earlier.

But now, it lay motionless, as if all life had drained from it.

Growing wary, he reached into his pocket for his protective talismans. Before he could react, a sudden force yanked him upward. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the surface.

"Chen Fan, you're back!" Zhao Gu rushed forward excitedly. "I knew you'd be fine! Master, Chen Fan's back!"

"Mm, Chi Ya already told me," Ge Weng nodded slightly. "Chen Fan, from today onward, you are officially a disciple of our Artifact Forging Sect. Though we lack the numbers of the Kaiyun Sect, we uphold fairness—your rewards will always match your efforts. If your current strength is insufficient to handle what you obtain, I will safeguard it for you until the time is right."

"Master, I have a question." Chen Fan hesitated before asking, "In all your years of raiding immortal tombs, have you ever encountered a case where the tomb's owner was a beast? Or… is it only humans who can attain immortality?"

"What did you see?"

"The one inside the coffin… had the body of a horse and the legs of a tiger. That's why I find it strange."

"Impossible!" Ge Weng's brows furrowed. "Humans are the spirits of all living things. In this world, where spiritual energy is scarce, even a human must endure ten lifetimes of cultivation to have a chance at ascension. As for common beasts? They are born ignorant—how could they possibly cultivate divine nature?"

Zhao Gu chimed in, "Are you sure you weren't seeing things? Or maybe… Chen Fan, Master has traveled across the mortal realm for many years and has never seen such a bizarre tomb. Were you fully conscious when you opened the coffin? Did anything strange happen?"

"Now that you mention it…" Chen Fan's eyes flickered. "The moment I opened the coffin, something grabbed me and dragged me inside. But when I came to, it was as if nothing had ever happened."

He deliberately omitted certain details about his experience. Something so far beyond common understanding—without solid proof, they would never believe him. Rather than waste time arguing, it was better left unsaid.

"That explains it," Ge Weng chuckled. "Some coffins are rigged with traps, some even have hallucinogenic effects. That's nothing unusual. I remember when Xiao Yuer first entered a tomb, he got caught in a trap and passed out for an entire day. Almost got carried off by a beast, hahaha."

As Zhao Gu spoke, a young boy silently appeared behind her like a ghost.

"I've told you—stop calling me 'Xiao Yuer.'" The boy's voice was cold, his gaze sharp as a blade. "I don't care who you are. I won't tolerate it."

Ge Weng remained unfazed. "Xiao Yuer, starting tomorrow, you will teach your junior the craft of boat-making."

The boy's expression stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "...Yes, Master."

That night, Chen Fan lay on his bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. This time, it wasn't the pounding bass from the next room that kept him up—it was the lingering thoughts of the day's events.

"Strange… It all felt too real. Was it really just a hallucination?" he muttered, turning over.

As he shifted, a few medicine bottles slipped from his arms and rolled onto the floor.

Picking them up, he was delighted. "These are the pills I took from the attic!"

He hurriedly checked himself, but the notebook he had taken was gone—he must have lost it during his escape.

Still, he wasn't too disheartened. Because at that moment, he noticed something—

The bottles were engraved with the same strange symbols as the notebook.

"Could it be… that the tomb's owner and the person who died in the human-faced, eight-legged spider's lair came from the same place?"