In the thirteenth year of anchoring, ancient texts such as the "Book of Documents," "Poetry," and "Rites" resurfaced, igniting a fervent yearning among scholars for that lost era of history.
By the fifteenth year of anchoring, the emperor fell gravely ill. Desperate to extend his life with an elixir of immortality, he dispatched an army of over a hundred thousand to excavate ancient tombs in search of traces of such elixirs.
Though many court officials voiced their subtle objections, none dared to openly oppose the emperor's decree.
Regrettably, the elusive elixir remained unfound. Despite the excavation of over a hundred ancient tombs, no trace of it was discovered.
At the year's end, the emperor passed away with regret, bequeathing the throne to the Prince of Langya.
Thus, Li Fan once again subtly took control of the realm.
Under Li Fan's influence, the fervor for exploring ancient tombs intensified across the land.
In the seventeenth year of anchoring, a hunter in the mountains discovered an ancient tomb, earning the favor of the Grand Tutor and was ennobled as a marquis. Thereafter, the populace became even more enthusiastic and frenzied about exploring ancient sites. No matter how remote the forests, groups of explorers could be seen.
Time flowed on, reaching the twenty-third year of anchoring.
Li Fan stood in the Grand Tutor's residence, reviewing the compiled clues from years of official and civilian explorations.
Previously, this world had only three thousand years of recorded history, spanning twenty-three dynasties.
However, as more ancient tombs were unearthed, the previously lost history gradually filled in.
Before these twenty-three dynasties, there were sixteen more, tracing back approximately six to seven thousand years.
The earliest dynasty discovered was named Qi.
"Six to seven thousand years, that roughly aligns with the Great Migration Era," Li Fan mused.
He then ordered his subordinates to focus on excavating the ancient tombs of the Qi dynasty.
He also offered a reward to the entire realm, promising to ennoble anyone who could find a Qi dynasty tomb.
The news spread rapidly, and countless young people embarked on the path of exploring ancient sites.
No matter how deeply buried history was, it could not withstand the fervent exploration of the entire realm.
In the twenty-fifth year of anchoring, the tomb of Yi Xing, the first emperor of the Qi dynasty, was finally discovered.
Upon hearing the news, Li Fan led his trusted aides to the site and sealed off the surroundings.
Over the past decade, the Great Xuan Kingdom's tomb excavation techniques had advanced rapidly, culminating in an extremely effective method for opening tombs.
Even though the tomb of the first emperor of this world was vast and filled with countless traps, the efforts of the exploration team managed to carve a path to the main burial chamber in just over a month.
With all obstacles cleared, Li Fan, surrounded by his entourage, entered the ancient tomb.
The main tomb passage stretched for several hundred meters, with walls adorned with vivid murals. Despite the passage of thousands of years, they remained clearly visible.
Li Fan slowly walked along, observing the murals.
The murals were divided into several sections.
The first section depicted the protagonist, Yi Xing, the first emperor of the Qi dynasty, seated atop a mountain. Above the ethereal white clouds, several immortal figures seemed to be speaking to him.
The second section showed the descent of a dark calamity, with red representing blood spilling across the land. Under Yi Xing's leadership, the survivors boarded tools resembling large ships, traversed the vast sea of clouds, faced countless dangers, and finally arrived at a vast plain. There, they settled and made it their home.
The third section depicted Yi Xing, supported by the people, proclaiming himself emperor and establishing the Qi dynasty.
The fourth section illustrated various events during Yi Xing's reign.
...
After viewing the murals, Li Fan arrived at the main burial chamber.
The chamber was four to five stories high and spanned several thousand meters in length and width. The ceiling was designed to mimic the stars, inlaid with thousands of luminous pearls.
Inside the chamber, the layout resembled a mountain gate, with peaks rising amidst a sea of clouds.
This cloud sea, somehow generated, remained fixed within the chamber, never drifting. Even after thousands of years, it had not dissipated.
Invisible paths connected the peaks, and as the group walked through, they marveled and praised the sight.
"Truly the handiwork of immortals," Li Fan thought to himself.
At the highest peak stood a simple thatched hut, with the fields outside long abandoned.
Upon entering, they discovered that the thatch was intricately woven with countless fine gold threads.
Clearly, this hut served as Yi Xing's coffin.
At Li Fan's signal, the group opened the door to the hut.
To everyone's surprise, there was no sign of Yi Xing's remains inside.
Only a wooden tablet stood silently within.
The tablet bore golden characters: "Grave of Yi Xing, Outer Disciple of the Taiyan Sect."
Beyond that, there was nothing else.
"It seems that although this person joined the sect known as the Taiyan Sect, he remained an outer disciple and never embarked on the path of immortality. Ultimately, he was exiled to this place by the immortal cultivators."
"Even in death, he remained devoted to his sect, identifying himself as an outer disciple of the Taiyan Sect rather than as an emperor."
"However, according to Kou Hong's previous accounts, all sects in the world should have vanished during the great calamity before the Great Migration Era. It seems there is more to this story."
Li Fan pondered deeply.
"Yi Xing must have been entrusted by the immortal cultivators of the Taiyan Sect to oversee the Great Migration of this world. The question is, can we find the flying boat used for the migration?"
With no results from the main burial chamber, Li Fan ordered the exploration team to excavate the surrounding area, hoping to find clues in the accompanying tombs.
Several days later, bad news arrived, filling Li Fan with immense anger and frustration.
It turned out that the exploration team found records mentioning a flying boat among the inventory of an accompanying burial chamber. Unfortunately, this chamber had been looted long ago.
Judging by the damage, the theft occurred over a thousand years ago.
"Again and again! Every time I glimpse hope, it turns out to be nothing but an illusion!"
In a rare display of fury, Li Fan smashed several items around him.
Those nearby fell silent, as if in fear.
After a long while, Li Fan calmed his tumultuous emotions.
He continued to order the exploration team to excavate ancient tombs in search of traces of the immortal boat, but he returned to Xuanjing, seemingly without much hope.
Another ten years passed, bringing the timeline to the thirty-fifth year of anchoring, when a turning point emerged.
One day, Li Fan received an urgent report.
"An immortal's tomb discovered?" Li Fan was initially taken aback, then overjoyed, and inquired further.
It turned out that over the years, although Li Fan had grown somewhat disinterested, the public's enthusiasm for exploring ancient sites had not waned. Countless ancient tombs were unearthed across the Great Xuan Kingdom.
As the larger tombs were exhausted, people began to focus on the previously overlooked smaller tombs.
A few days prior, a group of young explorers, while excavating an inconspicuous burial site, were suddenly injured by an unknown force, suffering heavy casualties.
The survivors immediately reported the incident to the authorities.
It was known that in decades of exploration in the Great Xuan Kingdom, injuries were typically caused by traps. Encountering such a mysterious event before even opening a tomb was unprecedented.
The exploration team dared not delay and dispatched investigators overnight.
Despite the combined efforts of experienced veterans and fully armed soldiers, they could not budge the small tomb.
The team was both alarmed and delighted, promptly reporting the matter to Li Fan.
Upon hearing the news, Li Fan arrived and, after employing the immortal miasma, finally disrupted the unnamed force surrounding the tomb.
Inside the tomb, among the burial items, was a small wooden boat.