Tomb raiding: It all started with shocking the archaeological team.

"Captain Chen, is there any explanation for this?"

Wang Haichuan stared in shock at the scene of 'a thousand coffins hanging in the air' before him. Although he was an archaeological expert, he had some research and understanding of this kind of cliff-side hanging burial.

This is actually an ancient burial method, placing the coffin on a cliff, which is still very common in modern society.

But Wang Haichuan felt that the thousand coffins hanging in the air before him were probably not quite the same as what he knew.

Chen Yibai narrowed his eyes and said, "There shouldn't be anything special about it, it's just that the burial standards are slightly higher than those for ordinary commoners and slaves..."

Wang Haichuan instantly understood the meaning behind Chen Yibai's words.

In the slave society of that time, people were divided into different classes with very clear hierarchical distinctions, as exemplified by the practice of funerary sacrifice.

The lowest-ranking slaves were used as sacrificial offerings, and only commoners were eligible to be buried alive with the emperor, but they were all buried in mass graves.

Only princes, nobles, and concubines who were buried alive with the emperor were entitled to a coffin.

Therefore, this thousand-coffin hanging burial site should be a special burial pit, where the deceased were all princes and nobles of the Kangxi Dynasty and prominent figures of that time.

Even among the princes and nobles of that time, there were very clear distinctions in class and rank.

Perhaps due to the limited space in the cave's stone walls, the wooden coffin at the bottom was less than a meter long, appearing very tiny and miniature. Moreover, it was made of ordinary wood. Due to the passage of time, most of the coffin had weathered and decayed, revealing the skeleton inside, which was bound with hemp rope in a kneeling posture, facing the direction of the Dragon-Locking Pillar.

This is a typical form of burial sacrifice in slave societies, where the sacrificial victims are bound into a kneeling posture facing the tomb owner, symbolizing eternal worship.

The middle coffin was of normal size and made of slightly better wood. Only a portion of it was cracked, and the decayed bones and burial objects made of gold, stone and jade could be vaguely seen through the cracks in the wooden coffin.

Even those who were buried alive were given funerary objects, depending on their social status at the time, including precious vessels that they had been awarded or honored during their lifetime.

Each coffin contained burial goods, so what is the concept of a thousand coffins hanging in the ground?

For tomb raiders, it's like opening blind boxes, and they can open so many that their hands get tired.

Unfortunately, Chen Yibai did not come alone.

The future home of these burial objects should be major museums across the country.

The higher the rank, the more elaborate the burial rituals, and the larger the coffins became.

Especially at the top, about thirty meters above the ground, a huge square niche was specially carved out, which is like the top of a pyramid in this burial of thousands of coffins.

Inside the niche, facing south, sits a huge, gilded wooden coffin, which is quite impressive.

Furthermore, four guardian beasts stood around the gilded wooden coffin, which is the highest standard among funerary sacrifices.

Because this coffin is only slightly shorter than the Kang King's coffin on the Dragon Locking Pillar, there is no doubt that the owner of this coffin must have had a social status second only to the Kang King during his lifetime!

As for his exact identity, it's too early to say.

"That topmost gilded wooden coffin must have some history..."

Chen Yibai narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the gold-lacquered wooden coffin on the top floor, and muttered to himself.

"Captain Chen, what gilded wooden coffin? Can you see further in the dark?"

Hearing Chen Yibai muttering to himself, Yan Wanlei, who was standing next to him, asked in surprise.

Yan Wanlei held the torch high, but could only see up to seven or eight meters high. All he could see were miniature coffins, and above that was pitch black. Where did this gold-lacquered wooden coffin come from?

"Uh... I've always had slightly better night vision than the average person..."

Chen Yibai had actually forgotten that he possessed night vision, which made his vision different from theirs, so he just gave a perfunctory reply.

It's normal for everyone to have different physical constitutions and senses.

Wang Haichuan didn't pay attention, but upon hearing that there was a 'gold-lacquered wooden coffin' up there, he became even more curious and moved closer, standing on tiptoe and raising the torch high above his head. However, all he could see were the dilapidated coffins below.

"Gluck... cluck..."

Just as everyone was curious about the 'gold-lacquered wooden coffin' that Chen Yibai mentioned, a sudden 'clucking' sound came from the darkness above, like a woman's ghostly laughter, extremely loud, sharp, and piercing.

"Ghost... ghost..."

The eerie laughter instantly sent chills down everyone's spines, making their scalps tingle and their first thought was of ghosts.

In this place, if you hear a woman's laughter, there's nothing else but a ghost.

Chen Yibai also frowned slightly, somewhat surprised.

An old saying goes: "Red-clad men are fierce, smiling corpses are dead; the laughter of ghosts is not as good as the weeping of ghosts!"

I'd rather hear ghosts wailing than ghosts laughing.

The wailing of ghosts indicates wronged spirits, while the laughing of ghosts indicates fierce and malevolent spirits!

So for tomb raiders, hearing ghostly laughter in an ancient tomb is truly a stroke of incredible luck!

"Gluck... cluck..."

In the darkness, the woman's wild and wicked laughter continued unrestrainedly, growing louder and louder, creating a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

Normally, in this situation, I would run without even thinking.

But at this moment, Chen Yibai stared sharply at the gold-lacquered wooden coffin on the top floor, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, he raised the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice to Yan Wanlei, "Captain Yan, give me the climbing rope. I'll go up and see what's going on!"

Since we can't find King Kang, let's test the knife on this female ghost!

Chen Yibai wanted to see what this female ghost was capable of, that she dared to laugh so arrogantly and loudly in front of the tomb raiders.

Go ahead and laugh all you want now, or I'll make you cry later!

"what?"

When Wang Haichuan heard that Chen Yibai was going up, he exclaimed in surprise, thinking he had misheard.

Shouldn't the person in this situation be running?

"Captain Chen, the torch..."

Compared to Wang Haichuan's surprise, Yan Wanlei readily handed a bundle of climbing ropes to Chen Yibai, along with a torch.

Since Chen Yibai killed Zhulong, Yan Wanlei has developed an inexplicable trust in Chen Yibai.

"We don't need torches!"

Chen Yibai slung the crimson sword over his shoulder, took the climbing rope, quickly tied a knot around his waist, and then found a suitable climbing route. He began to climb up the stone wall, heading straight for the gold-lacquered wooden coffin at the top.

Chen Yibai wasn't entirely certain that the ghostly laughter was coming from the top gilded wooden coffin, but it was highly likely.

Fortunately, the rock face here wasn't too steep, and it's possible that there were many places to stand when the coffin was placed. With the help of the expanding rock nails, Chen Yibai climbed up very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Yibai's figure completely disappeared from everyone's sight and melted into the darkness.

A height of tens of meters requires a strong mental fortitude, even for people who are not afraid of heights.

It requires not only strong mental fortitude, but also a very strong physique.

Now that Chen Yibai has inherited the bloodline of the Candle Dragon, he is no longer the weak and feeble-bodied man who would pant after taking three steps.

It only took less than ten minutes.

Chen Yibai climbed to the top of the Thousand Coffins Burial Site, then with a graceful somersault, he jumped into the niche in the cave wall.

The entire square niche is over four meters high, about ten meters wide, and seven or eight meters deep.

In the very center of the niche stood a huge wooden coffin, with four exaggerated human-bodied, animal-faced tomb guardians standing at the four corners. Their fierce expressions were full and vivid, and their protruding eyes were menacing and ferocious.

As for the huge wooden coffin in the middle of the tomb guardian beasts, its surface is painted with bright gold paint, just like the gilding process of bronzeware. Although thousands of years have passed and it has been completely exposed to the air, it has not weathered at all and is still as bright as new.

The four sides of the lacquered wooden coffin were not carved with overly complicated patterns, but were decorated with auspicious cloud patterns. There were three sealing nails on each side of the coffin lid, and another nail on the front, which was the 'main nail', for a total of seven nails.

Because the coffin nails were embedded very deeply, the coffin lid was completely sealed. As for whether the body inside had decomposed, that remains to be seen.

The wicked and arrogant laughter had already disappeared when Chen Yibai had climbed halfway up the mountain.

At this moment, Chen Yibai stood in front of the gilded wooden coffin. The surrounding air was deathly still, yet it also appeared extremely gloomy and eerie.

Chen Yibai didn't hesitate. He drew the crimson sword from his back, embedded the sharp blade into the gap in the coffin lid, and began to pry it up with all his might!

quack quack...

The coffin lid was nailed very tightly, and as Chen Yibai pried it up with all his might, it made a 'crackling' sound, like the sound of grinding teeth, which was very unpleasant.

Even the archaeological team dozens of meters below could vaguely hear the commotion.

Bang!

With one last burst of energy, Chen Yibai forcefully ripped open the massive coffin lid, his movements somewhat rough.

But the main selling point is its imposing presence!

After the coffin lid was opened, a putrid smell, like fish and shrimp that had been sitting for thousands of years, hit us.

Chen Yibai gripped the crimson ancient sword in his hand cautiously, subconsciously holding his breath as he carefully peered into the coffin.

The first thing that caught Chen Yibai's eye was a splash of red inside the coffin!

Upon closer inspection, the bottom of the coffin was covered with a layer of dazzling gold, jade, and jewelry, and on top lay the corpse of a woman wrapped in a red robe!

The female corpse was not decomposed!

Not only was she not corrupted, but her body was still upright and full, even as she lay flat. Her hands were crossed and placed on her abdomen, her fingernails were long and sharp, and her skin was white, smooth, and even had a sheen!

Looking at the woman's face, she wore a phoenix and golden crown, her face was covered with a layer of white foundation, and her skin was also white and smooth, like the delicate skin of a baby. Her features were exquisite, her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her nose was straight, her lips were vermilion, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned...

It looks like it's smiling at Chen Yibai...