Chapter 57: Nonexistent Generous Teapot

The deceased lay on a straw mat, with a few pieces of dried skin still clinging to the skull, giving it a particularly gruesome appearance.

"The skeleton seems very complete."

Nian Songyu also jumped down, scrutinizing it closely. Suddenly, his expression changed: "It's complete, but not all the bones are in their original positions."

He pointed to the deceased's hands and feet, which were still covered by soil: "Dig away the dirt."

At this point, He Lingchuan had no choice but to comply.

Once they dug it up, everyone let out a long gasp of surprise.

"He was eaten too?!"

Several bones clearly showed burn marks and knife cuts.

"Eaten first, then buried?" It was Nian Songyu's turn to be puzzled. "What was special about this person?"

"Here!" Maotao had just finished digging away the dirt on the other side of the grave and found something clutched in the deceased's hand.

Upon retrieving it, they saw it was a small deerskin-wrapped parcel.

Even with Sun Fuping's extensive experience, his heart couldn't help but quicken.

Finally, they were one step closer to the truth.

He personally untied the deerskin, revealing a handwritten journal inside.

Everyone watched with excitement as he opened the journal. The writing inside was dense and became increasingly messy towards the end. The deerskin had preserved it well, though the paper had yellowed and become brittle.

But then, they couldn't understand it.

They had no choice but to wait for the Imperial Advisor to translate. However, Sun Fuping read slowly, word by word, afraid of missing even the slightest piece of useful information, all while contemplating its meaning.

He Lingchuan finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He went outside to relieve himself and returned just as Sun Fuping tilted his head back to drink water.

"Imperial Advisor, what exactly does the journal say?" He asked, pointing at the burial mound. "Was it written by this dead person?"

"No, it's a final message left by the companion who buried him, the last survivor of this tomb-raiding expedition," Sun Fuping slowly explained. "This person is Tao Bo, the grand-disciple of Zhu Gen."

"This journal records his mission, starting from when he accepted it from Grandmaster Zhu Gen, all the way to the near annihilation of their entire team. They found the entrance to the illusionary realm in front of the temple in the desolate city of the desert, prematurely triggering the Raging Sand Season. However, they were subsequently attacked by vengeful spirits. The Great Wind Army, in particular, was formidable, causing heavy casualties to the entire team. Only five of them managed to escape into this place, and the vengeful spirits did not pursue them further."

"The events preceding this are not detailed, as we have all experienced them. The key part is what happened next: After entering the illusionary realm, they failed to achieve their goal. They found neither the Great Square Flask nor an exit. Their supplies of food and water dwindled constantly until they ran out of everything."

Sun Fuping spoke slowly and meticulously, not solely to clarify for the three others, but also because he himself needed time to digest and ponder the information.

"This place, though seemingly peaceful and harmonious, is actually no different from the great desert. It lacks only the extreme cold and scorching heat, but it is equally unsuitable for sustaining life. Those who cannot find a way out are ultimately doomed." Sun Fuping casually flipped a page. "These tomb-raiders eventually ran out of water and food. They were forced to resort to cannibalism, deciding the victims by drawing lots. We have already seen their remains in the Chen residence."

Nian Songyu asked curiously, "So what's the story with this burial mound?"

"The third person to draw the fatal lot refused to be eaten and attempted to resist. As a result, Tao Bo and Yu Qingyuan jointly killed him. This person was very difficult to handle; Tao Bo alone couldn't manage. After some more time, it was down to the last two to gamble their luck, but Yu Qingyuan voluntarily took his own life, giving his last chance of survival to Tao Bo."

The three fell silent. To live for dozens of days in despair and fear, and then to willingly surrender the last shred of hope for survival – they admitted they couldn't do such a thing.

"Moved by his noble act, Tao Bo erected this mound for him and left his own journal along with it, as a gift to future arrivals."

Maotao gave a wry smile: "Meaning us unlucky ones."

"Watch your words," Nian Songyu said, not considering himself unlucky. "Surely there's something useful written in the journal?"

"Relying on food, water, and his companions, he lived in the illusionary realm for over sixty days, searching every corner of Panlong City and venturing into the wilderness a few times. However, there's a boundary thirty li outside the city; he couldn't go any further." Tao Bo's journal was essentially a diary, recording daily observations and thoughts, which inevitably made it fragmented. Imperial Advisor Sun simply summarized the key points: "Grandmaster Zhu Gen had many hypotheses about Panlong City and the Great Square Flask. Tao Bo, as his grand-disciple, tried diligently to verify them here but failed. In the end, he even gave up on finding the Great Square Flask, hoping only to find a way to escape."

"Of course, he also understood that these two things were fundamentally one and the same."

"The biggest problem with living in this illusory city was not knowing where to begin. Countless attempts had ended in failure. Just after Yu Qingyuan died, leaving him as the only living person in the entire city, Tao Bo drifted aimlessly for several days. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind: Could the reason he couldn't find the Great Square Flask be that it wasn't here at all?"

The three were stunned. "What do you mean?"

Without the Great Square Flask, how could this illusionary realm exist?

Nian Songyu's face instantly turned grim. "Are you saying we've been looking in the wrong place?"

"The wheat fields outside the city and the buildings within it all indicate that Panlong City enjoyed peace and was untouched by war during this period," Sun Fuping said slowly. "Without war, people wouldn't make offerings to the gods, and the Mitian God naturally wouldn't bestow the Great Square Flask, which is used for war!"

War was the beginning of all subsequent tragedies.

Without war, there would, of course, be no Great Square Flask.

"Absurd! So we came here to die for nothing?" Maotao wanted to retort but opened his mouth and couldn't speak. He Lingchuan murmured, "It does seem that way, doesn't it?"

What else could they do here? "If we can't find a way out of here, then this illusionary realm is a dead end, a hopeless situation!" Nian Songyu's eyes gleamed. "There can't be such a formation or secret realm in the world; it goes against the principles of nature!"

Even in a man-made death trap, there must be a path to survival, however slim the chance. Otherwise, such a trap couldn't even be created. This is a fundamental law of this realm, as undeniable as water flowing downhill or the sun rising the next day. Nian Songyu had studied divine powers and understood this principle deeply.

"So, why does this Panlong City world exist?" Sun Fuping rattled the journal in his hand. "As Grandmaster Zhu Gen's direct grand-disciple, Tao Bo proposed a theory. Who do you think would like Panlong City during this period?"

Like?

The three exchanged glances. He Lingchuan tentatively asked, "Everyone?"

Who wouldn't like a peaceful, prosperous haven beyond the borders, untouched by war?

"Exactly, everyone! All the people, living and dead, who once inhabited this land—their ideal home in their minds would look exactly like this. Therefore, the Great Square Flask created this world for them, according to the vengeful spirits' desires in life!" Sun Fuping continued, "Tao Bo even suspected that this illusionary realm has been beautified and enhanced, making it far better than Panlong City ever was in its history, which is why the vengeful spirits would feel at peace here."