Chapter 178: The Dirt Workers and the Golden Treasures

“Aren’t we really going into the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb anymore?”

The Long-Legged Lady just couldn’t let it go; this was already the fifth time she’d asked Ye Rong.

You couldn’t blame her. Players pouring into the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb showed no sign of slowing down even now.

Just in the last half hour, probably another twenty thousand players had surged inside, through every available entrance.

But the first floor of the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb was so vast. Not only could it easily hold tens of thousands of players, even increasing that number tenfold wouldn’t cause any crowding.

“Didn’t you see the post on the Jiuyu Pavilion forum? With the Shushan Sword Alliance and the Herbal Hall included, it became an alliance of nineteen factions. You know what that means, right? It means every player faction of any size, sending in large numbers, is now united. Other small groups or solo players trying to snatch loot in front of this giant?”

Ye Rong had figured it out clearly. The alliance of nineteen factions gave them the confidence to say no to any player without hesitation.

And an alliance like this stood the greatest chance of pushing the farthest, of opening up new territory within the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb.

“See, aren’t we doing great right now? All thanks to your set of Giant Yellow Turban Talismans!”

Ye Rong hovered in mid-air, his job was to manifest giant hands, constantly grabbing piles of loose soil and throwing them onto the nearby mountainside.

Meanwhile, twelve Yellow Turban Warriors stood working. These warriors were twenty feet tall, covered only by sweatbands around their vital areas, revealing impossibly bulging muscles like forged steel blocks. They held all kinds of weapons, each large and intimidating.

After determining the location of an underground passage, Ye Rong and the Long-Legged Lady became dirt workers, searching for the rumored golden treasures.

Although hitting the ground with a flying sword instantly blasted large craters, the soil still had to be cleared away. Otherwise, blasting into the channel quickly got them nowhere; the debris piled up too fast.

The workload was immense for just the two of them. They struggled to keep up; it felt overwhelming.

Besides, the Long-Legged Lady clearly wasn’t suited for manual labor. Seeing her get caked in dust was difficult even for Ye Rong to watch.

If they took too long, other players might catch on to this method and compete with them.

Thankfully, the Long-Legged Lady had many treasures. She pulled a set of Giant Yellow Turban Talismans out from her Universe Pouch. The set held twelve talismans. Lighting one summoned a Yellow Turban Warrior, which would obey orders and fight for one hour.

However, the Yellow Turban Warriors’ combat power was very ordinary; they couldn’t even fly. Normally, she wouldn’t give such weak helpers a second glance.

But in this situation, they were perfect, incredibly useful and completely appropriate.

After all, Yellow Turban Warriors were originally created to help cultivators handle chores and heavy labor.

Ye Rong putting them to work blasting soil and hauling earth was simply making full use of their design, maximizing their function.

True to form, the twelve Yellow Turban Warriors lived up to expectations and performed exceptionally well.

The ground wasn’t some ultra-hard substance, just normal, soft earth. With their immense brute strength, the Warriors could blast it open easily. Their greatest advantage – incredible strength – shone through perfectly here. Ton after ton of soil was swiftly hauled away.

Even if Ye Rong used his Kasyapa’s Thousand Hands and Primordial Qi Grasping Technique nonstop, his efficiency in moving soil paled compared to the Yellow Turban Warriors.

His grasp spells were still low level, nowhere near the power of moving mountains or capturing rivers. Moving one ton of soil at a time was exhausting work. This was especially true for Kasyapa’s Thousand Hands, which felt like it could snap or shatter at any moment.

“If the founders of these Dao Spells knew what I was using them for… Oh, wait, they’re probably ascended, not underground… surely they wouldn’t blame me for ‘wasting’ their techniques just to move dirt?”

The Long-Legged Lady only had a simple task: occasionally shoot a blast of Sword Light into the giant pit.

“Humph! These factions are despicable! I curse them to hit incredibly powerful restrictions and all come back empty-handed!”

She floated in the air, gazing towards the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb while bitterly cursing their fortune.

She clearly placed little importance on Fourth or Fifth-Rank Magic Treasures that might be found in these passages. They offered her no personal power boost. This suggested the Long-Legged Lady came from privileged means in real life, unused to scarcity. Otherwise, selling Fourth or Fifth-Rank gear could mean months of wages for ordinary folks.

But Ye Rong was different. First, he needed to gather enough Fifth-Rank gear to trade with that Lei Laohu guy for the Myriad Mother Brocade Pouch.

Second, to build the Green Emperor Alliance’s strength quickly, these Fourth and Fifth-Rank items would be invaluable. They could instantly fill the Faction’s Public Warehouse, motivating players to spend Gang Contribution Points and strive even harder.

Moreover, for him, each Fifth-Rank Magical Treasure potentially equaled a month’s, even several months’, living expenses. How could he pass that up?

“Yijian, are you sure you aren’t in the wrong spot? I heard others found treasures almost right away!”

This digging operation had gone on for nearly half an hour. The pit, dug directly opposite the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb entrance, was now over two hundred feet deep and twenty feet wide.

But there were no treasures, just dirt. They hadn’t dug up so much as a rusty nail.

“Patience! Look, here we go!” Ye Rong knew luck played a big role. He was certain treasures existed in these passages, but excavating everything would be an impossible task for two people.

So, when his eyes caught a glint of gold, excitement surged. His azure giant hand snatched it right up. He instinctively cast the Liuchen Divine Illumination Technique but got the prompt: “Level insufficient. Cannot appraise.”

Kaiyuan Golden Axe | Fifth-Rank Magical Treasure.

“See? What did I say?” He waved it triumphantly under the Long-Legged Lady’s nose before storing it in the Myriad Mother Brocade Pouch. Finding the first treasure proved his idea worked. Digging like this could yield treasures leaking out from the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb.

“Get your Yellow Turban Warriors digging hard towards where we found the Kaiyuan Golden Axe! Let those factions fight tooth and nail inside the main tomb. We’ll stay out here digging dirt and picking up treasure.”

Since she’d given up a Seventh-Rank Flying Sword to him, Ye Rong felt no need to feign politeness over this Fifth-Rank item. He pocketed it directly. He’d remember the debt; surely a chance to repay her would come later.

Deep down, Ye Rong silently vowed to find the Long-Legged Lady a truly worthy treasure someday. A Ninth-Rank might be too much to promise, but nothing below a Seventh or Eighth-Rank would be presentable.

It seemed their luck had turned. Within the next few minutes, they uncovered three more Magic Treasures and a Flying Sword.

Specifically: a golden Fourth-Rank small pot, two shiny Fourth-Rank round shields, and one Fifth-Rank Golden Ge (a dagger-axe weapon).

Word was, all treasures unearthed near the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb shone gold. Seeing it firsthand confirmed it. Every item gleamed like platinum plating or pure gold.

Finally, the twelve Yellow Turban Warriors’ hour ran out just as they finished excavating the entire tunnel, leaving a line of small dirt mounds nearby. This arduous dig concluded.

Their final finds: five golden Fourth-Rank arrows, three golden Fourth-Rank Flying Swords, one golden Fifth-Rank oil lamp, and one golden Fifth-Rank large drum.

By the end, Ye Rong was bleary-eyed. Everything looked like streaks of gold. Glints of light kept flashing in his pupils. He was dog-tired, practically ready to fall asleep.

“What the…?! This wasn’t much easier than grinding levels nonstop! Feels as tiring as a massive battle! My whole body feels drained!”

Though complaining, looking at the solid weight of treasure inside the Myriad Mother Brocade Pouch brought a wave of joyful satisfaction.

BOOM!

Right then, an earth-shattering explosion rocked the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb!

The shockwave nearly flipped the nearby mountain peak where they stood. Ye Rong himself staggered in the air.

“What happened?!”

“Something terrible inside the tomb? Did they trigger some high-level restriction?” The Long-Legged Lady could only guess; being outside, they were completely blind.

The explosions weren’t a single blast. After a pause, another roared out… and another. Over ten blasts shook the world. Structures near the tomb’s surface crumbled and collapsed into dust.

A colossal plume of yellow energy erupted violently from the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb! It punched through the sky, stretching a thousand feet long into the starry heavens.

“Something huge definitely happened! Likely that Shushan Sword Alliance coalition tried breaking into the second layer of the tomb… and ran into terrifying restrictions. Probably massive casualties!”

Ye Rong was sure. If the outside was this chaotic, major trouble inside was undeniable. Casualties were guaranteed.

He immediately logged onto the Forum. Trying to enter the tomb now was pointless; monitoring the latest updates was vital.

As soon as he opened the Forum, a huge, bolded thread title dominated his view:

Coalition Stymied! Encountered First Floor Final Restriction!