The tomb's library wasn't large, holding only a few hundred to a thousand books scattered about.
After testing the synthesis, I confirmed it was possible to obtain information from the books.
"You continue searching this tomb," Lu Wen instructed the women, before fully concentrating on synthesizing and acquiring information from the paper books.
Synthesizing the content of each book didn't consume much energy, but there were over a thousand books here.
It was already noon, so Lu Wen took out ingredients and tools from his dimensional space, allowing Saeko Busujima and the others to prepare lunch in the tomb structure.
After lunch, it took another half-day for Lu Wen to finish synthesizing all the books. He organized them briefly and started reading through their contents.
Most of them were about Traditional Chinese Medicine, while a small portion were Buddhist and Daoist scriptures.
There were quite a few pill recipes, but very few cultivation techniques or magical skills.
Ancient alchemists were more like scientists; they dared to use any material for alchemy, then taste them to see their effects on humans.
The ingredients used in pill recipes spanned a wide range, from metals like gold, silver, copper, iron, and lead, to plants like ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, and Fo-ti, not to mention animal products like earth dragon, sky dragon, silkworm sand, and noctua.
There were also materials from monsters unique to this world and celestial treasures.
This world's extraordinary abilities were real, but it had entered a "末法时代" (End of Dharma Age) today, and extraordinary beings could only survive precariously in special environments.
If the materials in these pill recipes were collected and then refined using the alchemy techniques, these pills might actually have the effects described.
However, in this era, the remaining monsters mostly relied on "阴气" (yin energy) and "煞气" (malefic energy) for survival. Pills made using these monsters were also biased toward evil and demonic effects.
For instance, the centipede that Lu Wen had slain this morning was also a medicinal ingredient. There were pills in the recipes that used centipedes as the main ingredient; they could calm the wind, stop spasms, promote circulation, relieve pain, and attack poison to break up nodules.
But the main ingredient, centipede, contained a large amount of "阴气" (yin energy) and "煞气" (malefic energy), which reversed the effect of the pills. What was originally meant to promote circulation and relieve pain would now transform into "煞毒" (malefic poison) entering the body and burning up the meridians, causing excruciating pain.
The cultivation techniques were basic techniques from Buddhism and Daoism, using breathing exercises, meditation, and absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth to refine "法力" (magical power) or "佛力" (Buddhist power).
The "渡化法门" (Conversion Technique) that Lu Wen had been seeking was finally discovered within the Buddhist spells.
Of course, the spell's name and effect wouldn't be explained so straightforwardly.
It was called "佛光普照" (Buddha's Light Shines Everywhere). When chanting its scriptures, it allowed believers to enter a state of calmness, making it easier to understand the scriptures' meanings.
Over many years, believers would comprehend Buddhist teachings and eventually attain enlightenment, ultimately becoming devoted followers of Buddhism.
In essence, it was mental and illusionary attack. Several such spells were obtained this time, and Lu Wen planned to learn them and synthesize them for reinforcement.
Having finished organizing the information from the books, Lu Wen asked, "Saeko, did you find any other traces of extraordinary power in the tomb?"
The women all shook their heads. Saeko Busujima said, "There were no other traces of extraordinary power in the tomb, but we did discover a lot of gold and silver treasures."
"Alright, take the gold and silver with you, but leave the antiques behind." Lu Wen wasn't surprised.
This used to be the Flying Centipede's lair; other extraordinary creatures would have been driven away. As for equipment imbued with extraordinary power, they would have become ordinary objects with the passage of time.
In times of turmoil, gold is king; in prosperous times, antiques are precious. Without a strong channel, it was no easy task to quickly sell these antiques.
Lu Wen even felt that they were taking up space in his dimensional space, so he simply chose to abandon them.
The women had no objections. Lu Wen packed the gold and silver into his dimensional space and led them out of the dim tomb.
After retrieving all the "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors), Lu Wen and the women rode the Flying Centipede, flying upwards along the cliff face.
On the way, Shizuka Marikawa saw many precious medicinal herbs growing on the cliffs and exclaimed, "Lu Wen-kun, how can such precious herbs grow in piles on this cliff face?"
"I don't know either." Lu Wen shook his head. He wasn't omniscient, so how could he know the reason?
But these were normally growing herbs, so Lu Wen wouldn't miss them. He summoned some "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) and asked the women to help him carefully collect them.
He himself rode the Flying Centipede to the top of Bottle Mountain. It was unremarkable, but even though Lu Wen didn't understand Feng Shui, he could sense the convergence of "阴气" (yin energy) and "煞气" (malefic energy) beneath his feet.
The flow of "阴气" (yin energy) and "煞气" (malefic energy) was very subtle, and Lu Wen could only detect this slight movement through his electromagnetic field.
He summoned "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) and followed the path the Corpse King had taken, soon reaching the tomb.
Even though this tomb was built on top of the mountain with great expense, its interior was simple, with only one main tomb chamber.
The murals on the walls of the tomb chamber had faded and fallen with the passage of time, but the coffin in the center was still intact, giving off an aura of darkness and silence.
There were some burial goods piled on the floor of the tomb chamber, mostly pottery and porcelain, with a few bronze and gold objects.
Lu Wen collected the gold objects on the floor, had the "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) carry them out, and put them in his dimensional space.
Then he observed the coffin in the center of the tomb chamber.
Taking a closer look, Lu Wen was surprised and thought, "This coffin is actually a magical artifact? It gathers "阴气" (yin energy) and "煞气" (malefic energy). It must be because of this artifact that the person in the coffin became a Corpse King."
He recalled the Emperor's Banner and immediately smiled. "This item is destined for me. After synthesizing it with the Emperor's Banner, its energy gathering ability will greatly reduce my energy consumption."
Thinking about this, Lu Wen was determined to get this Corpse King's coffin.
The tomb chamber was narrow, so Lu Wen controlled two teams of "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) to ambush on either side.
"阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) were made of paper and souls; they had no life force, so the Corpse King in the coffin wasn't awakened.
Lu Wen controlled the "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) to open the coffin lid. The incomplete artifact's energy absorption ability dissipated, and the Corpse King, sensing the anomaly, was awakened.
But the "阴灵战士" (Yin Spirit Warriors) surrounding the coffin were prepared. The moment the coffin lid opened, twenty weapons were plunged towards the Corpse King.
The Corpse King had only just sensed the anomaly and hadn't even reacted before the weapons arrived, piercing forty holes in its body.
These weapons were specifically aimed to avoid the bones and pierced through the gaps. Even the Corpse King's tough, impenetrable skin couldn't withstand this.
This Corpse King couldn't even withstand mundane divine weapons, let alone artifacts created from paper magic.
In an instant, the Corpse King was severely injured. The weapons weren't withdrawn; the second wave of attacks targeted its vital points.
The heart, spine, and head were all pierced by weapons, completely eliminating this Corpse King.
Lu Wen could clearly sense that it took more effort to pierce the Corpse King's bones.
With the Corpse King dealt with, Lu Wen breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that the Corpse King would develop some kind of anomaly, making it even stronger.
It seemed that even if he completely destroyed the plot, the will of the current world wouldn't intervene and create a mess.