Chapter 159: The Gongyang Codex

Tang Long had no idea what was going on. They had descended at least a hundred meters from above. If this side was connected to the cliff opposite, as long as the two of them climbed down this "Ghost Soul Wood" tree, they should be able to reach the bottom.

Ghost Soul Wood?

Tang Long was ill-informed and had truly never heard of such a thing. He knew of the "Sun-Returning Herb," but he had never heard of "Ghost Soul Wood."

Tang Long patted Yang Wuchan on the shoulder. She was not the fragile, delicate type of woman; she grabbed the vines and slowly climbed down, inch by inch.

They finally made it down, with roughly twenty meters left to the ground!

"This tree is so tall!"

It was a tree whose peak could not be seen when looking up, and it grew in a very strange manner.

Yang Wuchan lowered her voice and explained, "Legend has it that 'Ghost Soul Wood' is a tree species originating from hell. It uses the departed souls as nourishment to sustain itself, and it is extremely difficult for it to survive in the world of the living, unless it is in a place of utmost yin."

Tang Long shrugged. There were simply too many legends, and very few of them were believable. Why, there were even people in this world who claimed to be "gods"!

"Let's go!"

Tang Long took the lead and walked forward. As for what would happen to Bao Hu, Leopard Print, and the other team members up above, he had no idea. Right now, he was completely baffled himself; what qualification did he have to worry about others?

"We climbed down over a hundred meters from top to bottom. Tell me, why would it be like this?" Yang Wuchan asked closely behind Tang Long, unable to help herself.

Tang Long rolled his eyes and ignored her. How was he supposed to know why it was like this? He certainly hadn't created this place.

However, this "Ancient God Temple," though called a temple, felt more like a giant pit. Ever since they entered, they had simply been walking deeper and deeper into a pit.

Tang Long walked forward a few steps, then suddenly frowned and stopped!

He turned his head to look at Yang Wuchan and asked, "What is your Yang family looking for by coming to the Ancient God Temple?"

What were they looking for?

Naturally, they were looking for the "Sun-Returning Herb." Yang Wujiang was still lying in the hospital, waiting for the "Sun-Returning Herb" to save his life.

Guessing what she was thinking, Tang Long shook his head and said, "No, I mean from the past. Ever since your third uncle started poking around the Ancient God Temple, he must have come more than once or twice, and he definitely had a purpose, right? Also, why did you stop coming after your last entry into the Ancient God Temple five years ago?"

Don't talk to me about losses being too heavy. No matter how heavy the losses were, with the financial resources of the Yang family, they could easily endure them. Therefore, Yang Wuchan's claim that the last expedition was sent five years ago simply didn't make sense. Either Yang Wuchan was lying, or there was some special reason that forced the Yang family to temporarily abandon the exploration of the "Ancient God Temple."

Yang Wuchan fell silent and did not speak immediately!

Tang Long stared at her. Remaining silent did not mean she had nothing to say; it all depended on whether this young miss of the Yang family was willing to talk.

Ever since her third uncle, Yang Lingjiao, discovered the "Ancient God Temple"—regardless of where he found it, he had found it anyway—there must have been something attracting members of the Yang family to tunnel into this deep, primeval forest. To put it bluntly, if there were no profits to be made, why would the Yang family keep running in here, and continue doing so for decades without stopping?

What could possibly be inside the "Ancient God Temple" to possess such immense allure?

Ordinary things like gold, silver, jewelry, and antiques would not even catch the eye of the Yang family, given their financial power. Therefore, the reason that had kept the Yang family from giving up on this place for so many years definitely could not be antiques or wealth.

"My third uncle's diary says that there is a wisp of soul fire inside the Ancient God Temple. Once this wisp of soul fire is obtained, the family will prosper for ten generations without decline!"

Hearing Yang Wuchan's words, Tang Long frowned, suddenly chuckled, shrugged, and muttered, "Does your old man look like someone who is that easy to hoodwink? If you don't want to talk, then fucking don't talk. Why don't you just say that your family's founding ancestor lives in here?"

With that, he lifted his foot and walked forward.

Soul fire, my ass! Tang Long didn't believe it at all. Whatever was attracting the Yang family must be something tangible that could be seen and touched, not some mythological legend.

Yang Wuchan watched Tang Long's retreating back. Hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "Legend has it that during the war years, the Japanese devils once collected a batch of secret martial arts manuals, and among them were our Yang family's 'Ram Manual,' along with hundreds of tons of gold and treasures."

"The Ram Manual?"

Tang Long was stunned for a moment. He stopped, looked back at her, and asked curiously, "So, ever since your third uncle's generation, you haven't actually found any treasure map at all, right?"

"No, we found one!" Yang Wuchan shook her head and said, "Back then, our Yang family was coerced by the Japanese to come here. Many people came, and many people died inside. That treasure map was passed down from that period."

Tang Long looked at Yang Wuchan, his mind spinning rapidly. Things inside here were indeed not simple. Even including Yang Wujiang, they might all be trapped within "a trap within a trap."

The problem was, no matter who set the trap, getting himself dragged into it was just plain fucking annoying. You guys go ahead and play your games; I was just peacefully nestled away in my mountain valley, developing my Fish Head Village. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all minded our own business?

"I really didn't lie this time!"

Yang Wuchan looked at Tang Long, her expression rather unsightly as she spoke.

Tang Long said nothing. It wasn't that he didn't believe Yang Wuchan's words; whether it was the third uncle's treasure map she spoke of, or the Yang family's ancestral "Ram Manual," either of them could be true. But what the hell did any of this have to do with him?

He couldn't care less about the affairs of the Yang family!

"How did the Japanese know there was an 'Ancient God Temple' here back then?" Tang Long muttered to himself as he walked forward.

It didn't sound like a question, nor was he demanding an answer from Yang Wuchan!

"Have you people from the Yang family ever seen the 'Sun-Returning Herb' inside the Ancient God Temple?"

Yang Wuchan shook her head: "Probably not!"

Tang Long frowned. Yes meant yes, and no meant no; what did "probably not" even mean? In fact, ever since he reached the bottom of the cliff, he had begun to figure things out.

That "Mountain-Suppressing Tablet" and the "Ancient God Temple" archway represented the temple gates at the foot of the mountain. All this time, as they kept moving forward, they were actually marching in the direction of the temple. To put it bluntly, they hadn't even reached the Ancient God Temple yet; at best, they were still "on the way."

Although the Ancient God Temple was not built on a mountain, the rules should be identical. When you go up a mountain to worship Buddha, who doesn't arrive at the foot of the mountain first? Temple halls are never built right at the base.

This "Ancient God Temple" worked on the same principle, except it was built underground. Once you figured this out, everything became very easy to explain.

They hadn't even stepped foot inside the "temple" yet; right now, everyone was just on the road leading to the "temple."

Since members of the Yang family had entered not once or twice, and even Yang Wuchan's third uncle, Yang Lingjiao, had lost his life inside, having investigated this for decades, they didn't even know these basic things?

Who on earth would believe that?

No matter why Yang Wuchan was hiding things from Tang Long, it clearly indicated she was up to something shady.

"If we do see your Yang family's 'Ram Manual' inside the 'Ancient God Temple,' and you were given a choice, would you choose to take the 'Ram Manual' or the 'Sun-Returning Herb' to save your younger brother, Yang Wujiang?" Tang Long suddenly thought of an amusing question, smiling as he asked with curiosity.

Yang Wuchan's expression shifted slightly. Frowning, she said, "Needless to say, I would naturally choose the 'Sun-Returning Herb' and take it back first to save my younger brother Wujiang!"

"Good!" Tang Long smiled and said nothing more. No matter what she chose, that was her right. However, one thing was certain: Tang Long hadn't come in here to find some "Ram Manual" for the Yang family; he was solely here to find the "Sun-Returning Herb" for Yang Wujiang.

Therefore, even if he laid eyes on the "Ram Manual," Tang Long would absolutely never carry it out. If it was left in here, it would remain forever within the Qinling Mountains. Since the Qinling Mountains belonged to the land of China, even if it stayed buried, it would stay buried on their own territory.

The Yang family's surname was Yang, but could that prove the "Ram Manual" belonged to their sheep?

Tang Long didn't like being threatened, nor did he like being exploited by anyone. Even though Yang Wuchan had actively thrown herself at him the night before, he didn't feel that would change anything. They were both consenting adults, so there was no such thing as who took advantage of whom or who got the short end of the stick. They both had a good time, right?

Yang Wuchan followed closely behind Tang Long, remaining relatively silent as she wondered what was running through her head.