A few minutes later, the private jet landed at the drastically different airport in the capital. After a wait of over an hour, it flew on to Inner Mongolia.

Having meticulously planned, Ying Caihong had already prepared a large convoy outside the Inner Mongolia airport, consisting of a group of dozens, ready to set off at any moment.

After a few hours of waiting, Wang Kaixuan, Big Gold Tooth, Mark, and others arrived on a passenger plane, and the convoy directly headed into the grasslands.

The vast grasslands rolled endlessly, looking like an enormous gray-green emerald from above, breathtaking and captivating. The desert's encroachment made the grassland's climate unpredictable; sometimes the wind roared like a mad lion, other times it was as tranquil as a refined lady in her boudoir.

This seriously affected the speed of the convoy, which only arrived at the grassland contracted by Global Mining Group by evening. The evening grassland transformed, with the gray-green earth bathed in the dazzling sunset, gradually dimming as time passed.

As night fell, fog enveloped the surroundings, shrouding visibility in a hazy gloom.

Inside a chilly tent, Cao Yi sat on a military cot, holding the first volume of a spell book in his left hand and a flashlight in his right. On his lap lay a board about half a meter square, covered with yellow talismans, an unused brush, and an empty inkstone.

"Corpse-Binding Talisman."

Cao Yi stared intently at the image of the Corpse-Binding Talisman in the spell book. He had spent 3.75 million dollars at the Christie's auction to acquire the jade to make this talisman.

Taking a deep breath, he set the spell book aside, picked up the bottle containing the jade from the ground, opened it, and held his breath. The last time he had inhaled its scent, the aftereffects lasted a day and a night, so he dared not smell it again.

Tilting the bottle, he poured the jade into the inkstone, then added cinnabar. A fragrant white smoke wafted up, indicating that the materials for the Corpse-Binding Talisman were ready, according to the system's previous information.

"There's not much material; I can't afford to make a mistake."

Cao Yi muttered to himself as he took up the brush.

His first attempt at drawing the talisman failed.

Then, the second attempt also failed.

Anyone less composed would have panicked.

Cao Yi steadied himself, and as his mind calmed and he forgot everything else, the brush tip touched the paper, completing the talisman head. With a fluid motion, he finished the talisman body.

With one final stroke, the brush left its mark on the paper.

A chilling, heavy pull emanated from the Corpse-Binding Talisman, and Cao Yi immediately felt a small portion of his spiritual energy being drawn away.

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The talisman shook violently, and astonishingly, the temperature in the entire tent dropped several degrees.

As Cao Yi frowned, soft explosions began echoing in the air, signaling the legendary communication with the essence of heaven and earth.

"It worked."

Cao Yi sighed in relief.

With this talisman in hand, he had the means to protect himself against thousand-year-old zombies.

Considering that one talisman could be unreliable, he continued drawing.

With experience came speed; he completed the second talisman much faster than the first.

After drawing more than ten talismans, an unprecedented fatigue washed over him. Whether it was the jade's influence or the toll of drawing the Corpse-Binding Talismans, he couldn't tell.

Setting everything aside, Cao Yi collapsed onto his cot and fell asleep.

The next morning, Cao Yi was awakened by the sound of an explosion.

"It has begun."

He turned over and got out of bed.

According to the plot, Wang Kaixuan, who did not understand how to measure graves, was about to make the grasslands look like a pockmarked face.

"Daoist Priest, are you awake?"

Yoko's voice came from outside.

Cao Yi unzipped the tent and saw Yoko shivering, her calves turning blue from the cold.

Truly a beauty in the chill!

"Daoist Priest, Wang Kaixuan knows nothing and is blasting away haphazardly. Master sent me to ask if you have any solutions," Yoko said, a mixture of respect and fear in her demeanor.

"Has Hu Bayi not arrived yet?"

Cao Yi asked deliberately.

"No," Yoko replied, somewhat irritated.

After spending hundreds of thousands, no knowledgeable person showed up, leaving her feeling duped by this braggart.

"Fine, I'll go with you to take a look," Cao Yi said.

Yoko led the way, and before long, they arrived at a hillside.

Not far away, Ying Caihong, Mark, and a group of subordinates stood solemnly, and the flamboyantly dressed Big Gold Tooth stood out prominently beside them.

On a slightly lower hill a few dozen meters away, Wang Kaixuan was blindly directing operations with a walkie-talkie, causing unsightly craters to erupt across the grasslands.

"This scammer."

Yoko clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.

"Let's go."

Cao Yi moved toward where Ying Caihong was standing.

After multiple divine appearances, his efforts were not in vain.

Both Ying Caihong and Mark, along with Big Gold Tooth, wore respectful expressions.

"Daoist Priest."

"Daoist Priest."

"Daoist Priest."

The three led the call, followed by dozens of workers echoing in unison.

In the vast expanse of this land, their voices traveled far.

Cao Yi felt a bit like a gangster boss from a movie.

Bang! Another explosion erupted, and a small mushroom cloud billowed in the distance.

Uh-oh, another failure.

Yoko, unable to endure any longer, grabbed Big Gold Tooth, the tomb raider's agent, fiercely, and demanded, "Is this tomb raider you found a fraud?"

Big Gold Tooth, tense, began to babble nervously, unable to stop.

Yoko, enraged, kicked Big Gold Tooth between the legs.

"Ah!"

Big Gold Tooth yelped in pain, clutching himself.

The men present all shivered involuntarily.

Yoko snatched a walkie-talkie from someone in a suit and shoved it next to Big Gold Tooth, coldly saying, "Wang Kaixuan, do you hear me?"

On the hillside a few dozen meters away, Wang Kaixuan looked over with binoculars.

Then the walkie-talkie crackled with his angry voice: "Why are you hitting people?"

Yoko sneered, "Hitting you is the least of your worries. According to the contract, if you can't locate the tomb, I'll bury you alive here."

"What ridiculous terms! Isn't it just about finding the tomb entrance?"

Wang Kaixuan's voice came back, still furious.

"Then find it quickly!"

Yoko's tone turned stern.

"Daoist Priest, why are you here?"

Wang Kaixuan's voice suddenly turned excited over the walkie-talkie.

Yoko was taken aback, looking up to realize Cao Yi had somehow arrived at Wang Kaixuan's hillside.

"Just came to see how you haven't found the tomb entrance after so long."

Cao Yi said casually, surveying the morning grassland.

"Measuring graves has always been Old Hu's job; I don't understand it at all."

Wang Kaixuan set down the walkie-talkie, scratching his head and speaking honestly.