67: Chapter 67: The Vanished Ancient Book and the Difficult Situation of the Kun Kingdom.

Over the next few days, Lu Hu remained in the Kun Kingdom. Besides contemplating the ancient kun script, he also inquired about news regarding the god-slaying thatch, demon-transforming fruit, and fire dragon tree.

Ji Jing claimed not to know, but Lu Hu's senses were sharp; he noticed the hesitation in Ji Jing's expression. He definitely knew something.

Lu Hu promised that if there was actual, authentic news, he would gift the Kun Kingdom a green lotus seed—the very holy lotus they claimed could restore youth.

Although Lu Hu didn't have any on hand right now, the green lotus he had planted had already produced seeds. There were nine seed pods in total. Once they matured, the number of lotus seeds would certainly be significant; giving away one would be of no great consequence.

These three Grandmasters were all very elderly and did not have long to live. Barring any accidents, they would pass away one after another within thirty years.

The green lotus was vital to them. With a single green lotus seed and proper cultivation, even if it didn't grow as well as the one Lu Hu planted, blooming three lotus flowers would be more than enough.

The temptation of longevity made the three Grandmasters' breathing quicken, leaving them caught in a painful dilemma.

Finally, Ji Jing wailed in grief, "Ancestors of the Ji family, I, Ji Jing, have failed you!"

With that, Ji Jing led everyone to a hidden cluster of graveyards. He actually intended to...

Dig up his ancestors' graves!

As a great nation with a thousand-year heritage, even though it was in decline, its foundation remained. These ancient tombs, for instance, held the ancestors of the Ji Clan from over a thousand years ago.

At that time, the inheritance of the ancient kun script had not yet been broken. Among the burial goods of these ancestors were many books recorded in the ancient kun script.

These were all left by the Ji Clan ancestors for their descendants.

Although the descendants of the Ji Clan knew these books contained great secrets—perhaps even the clan's lost ultimate techniques and cultivation methods—the loss of the ancient kun script's inheritance meant they could only stare at the profound script and weep in frustration.

"Who would have thought that after a thousand years, the measures left by our ancestors could still protect us."

Ji Jing sighed with emotion and kowtowed heavily several times before an ancestor's tombstone. He then turned his back. Deciding to dig up an ancestral grave was already a great act of disrespect; if he did it himself, he would never have a peaceful night's sleep again.

"Brother Potian, you do it!"

Bang!

Li Potian bowed, then kicked down the tombstone and began digging with a shovel on his shoulder.

Although the Ji Clan was royalty, they differed from other royal families. They never built grand mausoleums; after death, there was only a coffin, a mound of earth, and a tombstone.

If not for the need for a mound and a tombstone so descendants could identify the location and the identity of the deceased, they wouldn't have even wanted those.

This was also related to their cultivation methods. They spent their lives pursuing the Illusionary Path, seeking to merge with heaven, earth, and nature. After death, they were unwilling to dig large mausoleums that would damage the natural environment, requiring only a small pit to allow themselves to become part of nature.

A Grandmaster digs quickly. In just over ten minutes, a coffin that had not rotted despite the passage of a thousand years was unearthed.

Looking at this thousand-year-old coffin, Lu Hu even felt a bit of anticipation, wondering if a "big zongzi" might hop out.

But this was essentially impossible. Over a thousand years, as the Ji Clan passed from generation to generation, there were always a few descendants curious about their ancestors' 'safety' who would dig them up to check.

If there really were a zombie, they wouldn't be so calm.

Crack!

The coffin lid was pried open, revealing a complete skeleton inside. This person had been a Prince of the Kun Kingdom in life, with the cultivation of a Grandmaster; his bones glowed like precious jade.

Although this Prince's strength wasn't the absolute peak a thousand years ago, he was still a core combat power. He had many burial goods, with a layer of jewelry covering the surface, though compared to the burial items of other princes and generals, it could be considered simple and unadorned.

"Ancestor, forgive my disrespect!"

Ji Jing muttered as he pulled a rectangular wooden box from the coffin. The box was exquisitely carved and clearly unusual. According to him, the box contained this Grandmaster's weapon as well as some ancient books.

Those ancient books were their goal.

Ji Jing opened the wooden box. A ball made of ordinary clay sat inside; other than that, there was nothing else.

Ji Jing's expression turned unnatural. He turned the box upside down to check, but besides that stone ball, there was nothing.

"How can this be?"

Sweat broke out on Ji Jing's forehead. He ran directly to a nearby burial mound, ignoring all propriety. He struck out with his palm, and Master-level true qi surged forth.

Boom!

The underground coffin was blasted out. Ji Jing slapped the lid away and hurriedly checked inside.

It was the same as before. The burial jewelry was still there, but the weapon and the ancient books were gone. Or rather, not entirely gone—the weapon had been replaced by an ordinary object.

"What on earth is going on?"

Ji Jing's face was grim. When had the ancestor's burial goods been swapped?

Had an outsider dug up the ancestors' graves?

Impossible. The Ji Clan's ancestral tombs were hidden so well that without a guide, even a Grandmaster couldn't hope to enter.

It absolutely couldn't be an outsider. If it were, why were the ancestor's remains and other burial goods left untouched?

"Brother Xuan Kun, go and bring the Emperor here!"

Ji Jing said coldly. Aside from him and Old Xuan Kun, the only person who could enter the ancestral tombs was the Emperor.

"Uncle Jing, please forgive me. I was forced by circumstances!"

Before long, Emperor Kun arrived. He admitted he was the one who did it, taking the ancestors' weapons, but he had his reasons.

Over the past century, the Qian Kingdom had grown powerful, constantly expanding its territory. Grandmasters appeared one after another; openly, there were nine Grandmasters presiding over the kingdom.

The Qian Kingdom's wild ambitions were known to all. If they hadn't been wary of the Kun Kingdom's non-existent, fake foundations and feared a desperate, mutually destructive final battle, the Kun Kingdom would have perished long ago.

Yet even so, the Qian Kingdom's desire to destroy Kun never died. Its vassal states constantly offended the Kun Kingdom, leading to the outbreak of wars.

The Kun Kingdom's three Grandmasters were elderly; they could not easily go into battle, nor could they leave the Kun Kingdom's borders.

Ten years ago, the Kun Kingdom was presided over by four Grandmasters. That fourth Grandmaster had a fiery temper and could not tolerate the provocations of mere small nations. He left the Kun Kingdom to teach those small nations a lesson.

As a result, he was besieged by multiple Grandmasters, and even his remains could not be recovered.

The Qian Kingdom's Grandmasters had been watching like hawks. They were wary of any remaining foundations in the Kun Kingdom and didn't dare approach, but the moment a Kun Grandmaster left the kingdom, they would show their fangs without hesitation.

The Qian Kingdom also kept ordering its vassal states to frequently spark wars, draining the Kun Kingdom's national strength and its experts.

If there was a gap in the Kun Kingdom's martial artists, then having only three Grandmasters would be no different from the kingdom's downfall.

The kingdom could not afford to lose Grandmasters, and Masters and First-Class experts similarly could not withstand such attrition.

But the initiative in war was not in the Kun Kingdom's hands. Especially after that plague, the kingdom's strength was so depleted that most martial artists didn't even have a decent weapon, putting them at a disadvantage when clashing with martial artists from other nations.

In his desperation, to reduce casualties among Masters and First-Class experts, Emperor Kun turned his attention to the ancestors sleeping beneath the earth.

Although the Kun Kingdom was in decline, it was one of the few ancient nations in the world with a complete thousand-year heritage. It had produced many Grandmasters in the past, and most of their cultivation methods and weapons were buried underground.

The nation is on the verge of collapse; what use are these divine weapons buried underground?

Thus, Emperor Kun quietly dug up the ancestors' graves and removed those divine weapons.

This matter was immoral, so Emperor Kun had not dared to speak of it.

"Fine, you took the weapons, but what about the books?"

Ji Jing's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Emperor Kun. He was on the verge of an outburst; should Emperor Kun's answer be unsatisfactory, he might well kill him on the spot.

Emperor Kun answered quickly and bluntly, even with a hint of pride.

"Sold them! I sold them for a high price."

"You!!"

"Brother Ji, calm down."

"You mustn't, you mustn't!"

Ji Jing was so furious he was about to strike Emperor Kun dead on the spot, but Old Xuan Kun and Li Potian hurriedly stopped him.

At the same time, Old Xuan Kun turned back and began cursing at Emperor Kun.

"You profligate son! You even sold the things left by the ancestors. Even if you were going to sell them, couldn't you have kept the originals and sold copies?"

"What I sold were the copies!"

"..."