However, when the waist tokens fell, they no longer looked like waist tokens. Instead, they had transformed into pendants resembling wolf fangs, inscribed with mysterious runes that outlined arcane Daoist charm, as though blessed by a certain power, exuding an incredible might.
This was the Mo Jin Talisman.
It could protect its wearer from evil and ward off malign spirits.
When tomb raiding, encountering bad omens and malevolent entities was routine—it could happen at any moment. The Mo Jin Talisman served as a powerful protective charm. Once one became a Mo Jin Captain, they had to continuously refine and empower their talisman. The stronger the talisman, the better one's odds of surviving the treacherous paths of tomb raiding. Without it, death might come before one even realized it.
The military waist tokens spun once inside the black heavenly coffin and were then transformed directly into these talismans. This was a clear recognition of their new identity.
Three thousand soldiers were now transformed into three thousand Mo Jin Captains.
"The heavenly coffin bestows its blessing—nothing is forbidden—may the Dao of Tomb Raiding endure forever!!"
Cao Cao shouted aloud.
At that moment, the black heavenly coffin began to ascend, lifting high into the heavens. Even the Heavenly Eye seemed intent on blocking it but to no avail. The coffin, having been formed from the qi-luck flood dragon of Great Wei, was, in essence, still qi-luck. With the fall of Great Wei, its qi-luck returned to the heavens. This was the rule of the world and could not be stopped.
Cao Cao's founding of the Dao of Tomb Raiding had become an inevitable fact.
No one could change it.
"The Dao of Tomb Raiding—established!!"
The heavenly coffin vanished, and a heavenly proclamation echoed across all directions.
Since it existed, it was deemed legitimate.
The heavenly coffin had returned to the heavens. The establishment of the Dao of Tomb Raiding was now a reality. The will of heaven did not object. At the same time, a beam of golden light descended from above and fell upon Cao Cao.
Immediately, his aura began to shift at a pace visible to the naked eye.
"Merit Infusion."
Yi Tianxing watched with gleaming eyes and murmured softly.
That golden light was clearly merit, and it was vast. It wasn't only the merit from founding the Dao of Tomb Raiding—it included the merit from the days when the Great Wei Dynasty protected and governed the people, guarding one region and caring for the human race. All of it was now pouring into Cao Cao's body.
Merit is unreasonable. It doesn't care about cultivation methods, cultivation realms, or bottlenecks. Once it merges into you, your cultivation base skyrockets at inhuman speeds. There are no bottlenecks, no tribulations. It simply rises—just like that.
Even an ordinary person could become an immortal in one leap.
Of course, such a person might become an "immortal" in name, but not in power. That would be a false immortal.
Still, a Merit Infusion results in a cultivation upgrade with no side effects, so to any cultivator, merit is an invaluable treasure. Great Wei wasn't destroyed by war—it was Cao Cao's choice to sacrifice the qi-luck flood dragon. Thus, the merit of Great Wei was not nullified, and it now descended upon him, becoming the fuel for his transformation.
Cao Cao's cultivation rapidly evolved.
From forming the soul in the Dharma Phase Realm, the process was smooth and instant. Dharma Body, Soul Cohesion, Soul Condensation—all occurred in an instant without any tribulation.
Upon reaching the peak of Dharma Phase Realm, he stepped effortlessly into the Nascent Soul Realm.
His Dharma Phase transformed into a Nascent Soul, capable of sensing the heavens and earth.
Countless mysterious Daoist principles poured into the Nascent Soul under the influence of merit.
His comprehension of the Dao deepened. In the blink of an eye, 500 Dao Crystals had formed within him—meaning he had accumulated 500 years' worth of cultivation in mere moments.
This triggered the Three Great Tribulations.
Yet, only a glimpse of Heavenly Lightning Tribulation appeared before it was swept away by the power of merit.
"Is this even a tribulation anymore?"
Yi Tianxing's mouth twitched involuntarily, a strange expression on his face.
He had to personally confront his own Three Tribulations—once by force, once by evasion. But now? In front of merit, even the Three Tribulations were meaningless.
Indeed, using the merit of an entire dynasty to empower a single person produced unbelievable results. After reaching the First Tribulation of the Nascent Soul, in the blink of an eye, Cao Cao accumulated another 500 years of Dao cultivation and passed the Second Tribulation, entering the Second Tribulation Nascent Soul Realm.
Just as Yi Tianxing thought he would continue on to the Third Tribulation, possibly even breaking through to the Yang God Realm, the golden light of merit suddenly vanished.
"Thankfully, it stopped. If he had kept going and broken the heavenly seal, the entire world would have been thrown into chaos. The strong would wage war, and all living beings would suffer in the flames."
Yi Tianxing sighed in relief.
Honestly, he had been worried. If Cao Cao kept rising and shattered the limits of the heavenly seal, the consequences would be unimaginable—and certainly not something he wished to see.
"Father has reached the Nascent Soul Realm..."
Cao Jie's jaw dropped in awe.
The further one advanced, the harder it became to improve. Any cultivator would understand this. To leap from Dharma Phase to Nascent Soul, and even reach Second Tribulation, would take a normal cultivator hundreds or thousands of years. Cao Cao had achieved it in a few moments.
It was a scene akin to a divine miracle.
"He sacrificed the qi-luck true spirit of Great Wei and absorbed the dynasty's merit—such a dramatic transformation is only to be expected. If he hadn't broken through, that would've been suspicious."
Yi Tianxing laughed.
"Today, the fall of Great Wei marks the rise of my Dao of Tomb Raiding. As this is its founding day, how could it pass without a tomb to plunder? The Tomb of the Pharaoh shall no longer be suppressed. Today, it shall rise!"
Cao Cao's voice rang out.
Suddenly, the entire city of Xuchang began to tremble violently. The ground cracked, city walls collapsed, and countless buildings crumbled. It was as though a cataclysmic earthquake had struck.
In the city center, a giant fissure split the earth open.
This rift was pitch black, like a terrifying abyss ready to devour all life. From within, wails of the dead and howls of ghosts echoed, while a dense black cloud gathered in the sky. Within the cloud, countless tiny black specks buzzed about—like some kind of insect—filling the air and then falling like a black rain.
This rain came suddenly, sweeping across the land. It began in Xuchang and spread outward in all directions.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Wherever the black rain touched, holes opened in the earth as though it were being corroded. But this wasn't simple corrosion—it was the erosion of life itself. All vegetation around Xuchang withered rapidly, the vitality within utterly extinguished. The process was apocalyptic.
Those who witnessed it were struck with horror.
Extinction. True extinction of all things.
Where the black rain fell, not even a blade of grass remained. And not just temporarily—the effects of this Black Rain of Death would persist, suppressing the growth of all living things. This region would become a lifeless wasteland.
"Black Rain of Death!!"
Outside Xuchang, many alien warriors saw it and turned pale. They recognized the rain. It was the result of extreme death energy—when concentrated enough, it formed a black rain, purging life from the land.
"Wei Prefecture is finished. After this rain, most of the land will become barren and uninhabitable. No food, no plants. Worse than a desert. That Pharaoh's Tomb really is terrifying. Just its emergence releases so much death energy. No wonder your father used Xuchang to suppress it. He feared this outcome."
Yi Tianxing sighed.
"Damn it! This black rain… this land is doomed."
The Flame Lion King's expression darkened. He had hoped to claim this land for the Beastmen, but now, it was tainted by death. Even if the rain didn't engulf all of Wei Prefecture, the majority would become a desert of death.
"Hmph. My Great Wei is dead. Why should I continue suppressing the tomb? Let this land be the burial ground for Great Wei!"
Cao Cao said coldly. Clearly, this was a result he had long foreseen. If not, he wouldn't have built Xuchang atop the tomb. But now, it was too late for regrets.
"Where are the Mo Jin Captains!?"
"At your command!"
Cao Cao looked toward the viewing platform, where thousands of Mo Jin Captains stood, and declared:
"Follow me into the tomb! All tombs beneath the heavens belong to our Dao of Tomb Raiding! Mo Jin Captains—nothing is forbidden!"
With a wave of his hand, all three thousand captains stepped forward without hesitation, entering the black chasm. Their expressions and movements were steady and fearless—this was their path, the road they had chosen.