The surrounding chatter subsided, and Elder Duan seemed to age considerably. He shook his head and led his family directly out of the main hall.
They were leaving.
Qin Chuan, on the other hand, felt his departure was a stroke of luck, as he didn't know how many people would actually escape.
Human greed was too great; since such a hidden mechanism, a death cell, had been set up here, there must be something to keep people here.
At least something for two or three days, otherwise the mechanism would be useless.
Elder Duan's actions had calmed the Hu family; they hadn't come looking for Qin Chuan and Long Yuanchong for a long time.
Whether they wanted to search for treasure first or were intimidated by Qin Chuan's methods, they were keeping a distance from Qin Chuan and Long Yuanchong and showed no intention of attacking.
Many people were searching the surroundings, looking for their own opportunities. This was an imperial tomb; there were bound to be good things here, it was just a matter of who would be favored by heaven.
Qin Chuan did a quick search, and his treasure-hunting beast also investigated. Actually, Qin Chuan wasn't the only one with a treasure beast; some others did too, but their beasts were of a lower level than Qin Chuan's.
Qin Chuan's treasured beasts were all at the Immortal Emperor level, while most of the people here were also at the Immortal Emperor level, but their treasured beasts were of very low level—not even half-step Immortal Emperors, let alone Immortal Emperors.
However, Qin Chuan sensed that the aura here wasn't just intimidating for no reason; it was so subtle that very few people could actually detect it.
Therefore, Qin Chuan was certain this was a trap, a deadly one, only he didn't know what the bait was.
But he was certain the bait would be incredibly attractive; after all, such a massive trap required the best bait.
Furthermore, the bait wouldn't make anyone feel like they were facing certain death. Even if they discovered it was a trap, they wouldn't realize it was a dead end.
It probably wasn't a dead end, otherwise anyone with a brain would avoid it. Treasures are attractive, but you also need to be alive to enjoy them.
Therefore, this trap definitely offered a chance of survival, and a considerable one at that, but it also felt very dangerous. Fortune favors the bold, so the more dangerous it was, the more people would stay here.
Qin Chuan had been guessing what the bait was, but it hadn't appeared yet. Some people were losing patience; nothing had been found around them.
Even the treasure-hunting beast hadn't been spotted, so many were considering giving up and trying their luck elsewhere.
Suddenly
, the hall trembled violently, a tremendous sound like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting. Many people's expressions changed drastically.
Qin Chuan, however, wasn't afraid, because he knew the bait had arrived.
Long Yuanchong's face turned pale, but seeing Qin Chuan's composure, he quieted down and began to pay attention to the source of the commotion.
Suddenly,
a huge lotus flower appeared in the center of the hall, with five petals of five colors: gold, cyan, green, red, and yellow.
A Five Elements Lotus!
This was a Five Elements Lotus! Qin Chuan's eyes lit up. This lotus was enormous, radiating pure Five Elements power.
Many people's eyes lit up, and they began greedily breathing in this pure energy from the air. This energy continuously entered their bodies, slowly cleansing them.
The benefits were unimaginable; it was like a complete transformation.
Some tried to approach, even attempting to seize the Five Elements Lotus, but were utterly unable to get close. After many attempts, they quieted down, sat cross-legged, and waited to accelerate their absorption.
Qin Chuan understood; the bait was undoubtedly the Five Elements Lotus. Moreover, the aura here allowed for a complete transformation in just three days of absorption.
By the time this time was reached, the main hall's doors would be sealed shut. However, if absorption didn't reach this point, the effect would be greatly diminished, perhaps only a fraction of its original value. But if absorption was completed for three days, the effect would be tenfold.
This difference was immense. Besides, many here were unaware of the danger; who would abandon three days of absorption and leave prematurely?
"The Imperial Mausoleum is truly a wonderful place. I never expected to encounter the Five Elements Lotus! This is great; everyone can sit down and absorb without fighting. It's truly a fair share. This is a legendary item; I never thought we'd actually find it!" someone exclaimed happily.
"Yeah, don't waste time, hurry up and absorb it! Look at what everyone else is doing."
"Exactly, hurry up, the sooner you absorb it, the stronger you'll become. The energy of this Five Elements Lotus isn't inexhaustible, so let's do it quickly!"
"Do you think there might be any danger here?" someone asked cautiously.
"Fortune favors the bold. This is the Five Elements Lotus, perhaps a gift left by the Great Emperor for future generations. Don't think too much about it. Who knows if there's any danger? Are we going to leave such a good thing untouched? Are we stupid?"
"That's right, with so many people, what danger could there be?"
Qin Chuan also sat down cross-legged and began to absorb. Many others absorbed only one of the five elements' energy.
Qin Chuan, however, absorbed all five elements' energy at once. At first, it was very slow, very slow. Anyway, Qin Chuan wasn't in a hurry. After all, it was impossible to absorb it for three days. If he couldn't absorb it for three days, he wouldn't bother. He would absorb as much as he could; some things can't be forced.
Let it be!
Qin Chuan had a good mindset, absorbing slowly and steadily, without rushing, calm and peaceful. As time went on, Qin Chuan found that the absorption speed was getting faster and faster.
This surprised Qin Chuan, because the speed was so fast that he found it somewhat unbelievable.
This was a good thing, though. At this rate, Qin Chuan felt he might be able to complete the absorption within three days.
Everyone has a limit to their absorption capacity, and Qin Chuan felt he could absorb to saturation within three days, and all five elements at that.
However, this didn't make Qin Chuan feel he absolutely had to absorb to saturation, because he knew the gate's movement speed was also increasing. He
had previously estimated three days, but wasn't sure if he could last three days, so Qin Chuan calmed himself down and decided to leave in two days at most, regardless of how much he absorbed.
Calming down, Qin Chuan fully entered the state of absorption. His physique was exceptionally strong, and his absorption speed far exceeded that of ordinary people.
The surroundings were quiet; everyone was immersed in this frenzied absorption and enhancement, a feeling rarely experienced in a lifetime.
This was a windfall, and many people forgot the danger, forgot everything else, only fearing they hadn't absorbed enough.
The Lord was also absorbing, but he would occasionally open his eyes to look around. His brows furrowed slightly, and he would look towards the gate.
However, the gate was a mystery, because it didn't move when directly looked at, and couldn't even be seen with ordinary eyes.
Therefore, he couldn't be certain of anything.