"This truly is the Beast Tomb!" The expression on True Man Jing Tao’s hand trembled slightly, as if trying to suppress a burst of elation, his gaze fixed on the distance. "Countless beast carcasses, suffused with the miasma of death. This is definitely the Beast Tomb!" Silence descended upon the entire fleet.

Even the previously bustling vassal ships quieted down. Clearly, many among them possessed broad knowledge. "This is only the periphery.

These beast corpses died in conflict." Zong Shou looked toward the foot of the distant giant mountain. "The true Beast Tomb must lie beneath that mountain." It was the intelligent high-level essence beasts and malevolent spirits, knowing the Beast Tomb was inaccessible, who still gathered here due to these essence beasts killed in battle. All the corpses either perished in struggles or were hunted down en route to the Tomb.

Their beast crystals and flesh had been entirely plundered, leaving only bones and fragments of useless, tattered hides. Zong Ling also narrowed his white eyebrows. "There are no Yin Veins here, yet the Yin energy is so potent.

One wonders what manner of things perished to generate such an accumulation..." Everyone fell silent. Every trace and phenomenon aligned perfectly with the legends of the Beast Tomb. Without needing further urging from Gu Liekong, all the Cloud Ships sequentially accelerated their speed, pressing forward eagerly.

Several hundred Spirit Masters swiftly expanded the range of their illumination spells. In just a moment, countless skeletal remains suddenly appeared before their eyes. Marking ten li ahead as a boundary, the masses of beast bones and carcasses piled up like seas and mountains...

At a single glance, their number reached hundreds of thousands. "God damn it all, these are at least Fourth-Rank!" Hu Zhongyuan’s body shook slightly, then his pupils contracted as if sensing something. "Impossible?

How can these beast corpses, piled up for untold centuries, still not have decayed?" "It is common within the Beast Tombs! Where the Beast Crystals converge, the spiritual energy is so abundant it rivals that of Spirit Manor holy lands. Only the sheer density of death energy makes it unsuitable for cultivation." Jing Xiu remained unconcerned, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

"Intact beast corpses and Soul Stones—that is the true value of the Beast Tomb. Judging by the scale here, it is likely at least forty-five thousand zhang across, with beast corpses numbering in the millions. Now, the only question is how many Sixth-Rank beast corpses there are..." He then turned, his tone sincere.

"This site was discovered by City Lord Zong; we should not harbor greedy thoughts. However, some materials here truly stir this old man’s heart. I wonder if the City Lord might spare some?

Should the City Lord find it inconvenient, Jing Tao is willing to purchase them at market price!" Hearing this, Zhao Yanran immediately let out a sneer. "What a fine 'spare some.' Truly worthy of the Lingyun Sect... Look at this so-called righteous major sect; even when seizing without right, they cloak their actions in such dignified language." Zong Shou, however, seemed utterly unconcerned, his smile brilliantly wide.

"True Man, you are being far too formal. Given the friendship between the Lingyun Sect and my Qiantian Mountain, such formalities are unnecessary. I could not possibly take all these beast corpses in one go.

How about this: the Lingyun Sect may take whatever Fourth-Rank beast corpses they wish. For those above Fifth-Rank, we must negotiate. I will grant your Lingyun Sect a ten percent share.

Within that ten percent, the transaction will be at a seventy percent market rate. However, upon our return journey, the Lingyun Sect must be responsible for ensuring the safety of my fleet. Though Zong Shou respectfully holds the title of Master of Qiantian, I must look out for my subordinates.

Acting fairly is essential to commanding the masses. What does True Man Jing Tao think?" Jing Tao’s face was, after all, not entirely thick-skinned. He was first flushed by Zhao Yanran’s words, but upon hearing Zong Shou’s latter proposition, he was immediately overjoyed.

He cared little for Fourth-Rank corpses; the Lingyun Sect didn't lack those, they were merely supplementary. But a ten percent acquisition share for those above Fifth-Rank—that was a vast amount. He nodded hurriedly: "That is only right!

Since the Lingyun Sect gains benefits, there is no reason for us to stand aside. City Lord's magnanimity, Jing Tao thanks you!" Zhao Yanran curled her lip in disdain, thinking to herself that Zong Shou truly was the raw material for a Demon King, his smile too unnervingly false. Then she saw Zong Shou’s fingers point toward her and Xuan Yunlan.

"The same applies to both of you—one tenth! The conditions mirror those offered to the Lingyun Sect." Zhao Yanran's eyes lit up, and she slapped Zong Shou’s palm without hesitation. "Deal!

One tenth is settled!" Xuan Yunlan also showed a hint of joy, bowing respectfully. "My Lord’s great kindness, Yunlan thanks you on behalf of the Qingyin Gate! One tenth of the beast corpses, I shall not refuse." True Man Jing Tao felt a slight discomfort upon hearing this.

However, considering that both the Seven Spirit Sect and the Qingyin Gate possessed strength only slightly below the Lingyun Sect, and their relationship with Zong Shou might be far more intimate, he conceded that even if he were in Zong Shou’s position, he couldn't rely solely on the Lingyun Sect. Thus, he suppressed his discontent. Zong Shou laughed heartily upon hearing their acceptance and returned to his throne, seating himself with imposing authority.

"Inform all ships, those who saw today share in the bounty! Tell them to hurry and load those beast corpses onto the vessels. Upon returning, the division will be based on effort contributed.

All armored soldiers shall receive generous rewards! And one final warning in advance: any who hoard or conceal gains, my Qiantian Mountain will surely execute them!" Moments later, thunderous cheers erupted from the entire fleet. Faintly, shouts of 'The Lord is wise!' could be heard rising like mountain torrents.

Some accompanying city lords rushed directly to Zong Shou’s flagship, kneeling in thanks. All wore flushed excitement, and some even showed hidden relief. They had originally expected that a four or five-tenths harvest compared to previous years would be excellent, or perhaps they would return empty-handed.

Unexpectedly, Zong Shou had delivered such an immense surprise at the end. The current haul was estimated to be ten times greater than previous years! They suddenly understood why this new Demon King had instructed them to bring so many merchant ships.

Now, many were filled with regret for their doubts at the time, which led them not to obey the order fully. If they had known, they would have brought more ships, even risking their lives to do so. Zhu Junhou felt the deepest pang of heartache.

While the strength of Xuanshan City might not surpass Qiantian's, its control over its subordinate territories far exceeded Zong Shou’s at this moment. If he had mobilized fully, a thousand merchant ships could have been gathered easily. Wouldn't that mean being able to haul out even more beast corpses?

For anything above Fourth-Rank, whether bone or hide, commanded a significant price. And intact, undamaged beast corpses were astonishingly valuable, sometimes fetching prices several times higher than their Beast Crystals! One thousand eight hundred Cloud Ships sailed into the Beast Tomb at almost full speed.

Then, almost everyone felt a powerful pressure weighing on their minds. Zong Shou and the others merely knitted their brows slightly before paying it no mind, in fact, their spirits subtly relaxed. They knew clearly that this must be the very reason the essence beasts and wicked creatures dared not enter.

It appeared to be a wisp of martial dao intent left behind by some great human powerhouse from the ancient Cloud Desolation Era, lingering here for ages. While it posed a massive threat to those essence beasts, for humanity, it served as a reliance they could leverage. Following this, the entire fleet gradually descended.

A full seven hundred thousand people busied themselves like worker bees, diligently loading the beast corpses onto the ships. It was a pity they had brought too few vessels. Almost without any explicit order from Zong Shou, everyone very consciously began hauling only the Fifth and Sixth-Rank beast corpses.

Among the Fourth-Rank ones, they only took the rarest and most precious varieties. For the rest, they only extracted the Beast Crystals, Soul Stones, hides, and tendons. These items took up no cargo space.

Zong Shou and Xuanyuan Yiren also collected heavily. Both carried small Qiankun Bags, and neither was small in scale, resulting in their bags overflowing with bounty. This left True Man Jing Tao, Zhao Yanran, and Xuan Yunlan looking on with envy.

Although they also carried Qiankun Bags, according to the prior agreement, they were only permitted to collect corpses below Fourth-Rank, leaving them merely as observers. The scale of this Beast Tomb was vast, far exceeding Jing Tao’s previous estimation. Ten thousand years of accumulation was no small matter.

Even with seven hundred thousand armored soldiers, each capable of bearing at least a thousand jin, it took a full two days to load all the Fifth and Sixth-Rank beast corpses. Due to the haste, the total yield could not be accurately calculated immediately. However, based on the rough estimation by Tan Tao and the others, the value of the Beast Crystals alone was equivalent to at least fourteen million Fourth-Rank Beast Crystals.

And if they included the beast corpses that could fetch exorbitant prices, the total was immeasurable. Hu Zhongyuan spent an entire day in a daze. This time, besides the Zong Clan of Qiantian, their Iron Tiger clan contributed the most effort.

Upon returning, they would certainly receive a million Fourth-Rank Beast Crystals, which was already ten times the entire beast crystal treasury of the Iron Tiger clan! It could cultivate countless powerhouses within the clan. The rest of the entourage felt similarly, unable to settle their minds.

More, however, displayed expressions of deep regret. It was on the fifth day, precisely at noon, since entering the Sea Spirit Plain, that this enormous Beast Tomb was finally emptied completely. Zong Shou’s methods were exceedingly ruthless.

If he could not have it, no one else would. All the Fourth-Rank beast corpses that could not be carried away were ruthlessly destroyed, drastically reducing their value. Afterward, Zong Shou stood by the deepest layer of the Beast Tomb, silent, his eyes fixed in thought.

He gazed toward a valley ahead, wide enough to span nine hundred zhang. The towering mountains on either side were composed of rock ten times harder than Iron Gang Stone. And deep within the valley lay the source of that strand of martial dao intent.

The surrounding onlookers found this strange but dared not speak, interrupting Zong Shou’s contemplation. True Man Jing Tao, however, showed no such restraint, speaking with a touch of curiosity: "My Lord, why do you linger? Is there something amiss here?" Since gaining such a huge benefit, Jing Tao's tone had become infinitely more polite.

Calling him 'My Lord' was treating Zong Shou as a true monarch. Zong Shou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, Finally, you take the initiative to ask. It was not easy.

On his face, however, not the slightest emotion showed, only a slight nod. "Indeed, something is strange! I observed just now that the essence beasts nearby, those of Sixth-Rank, are mostly in their prime—far from their destined end.

Yet why would they enter the Beast Tomb, risking death to charge into this very gorge?" (To be continued)