Chapter 421 - 418: The Opened Coffin

Chapter 421: Chapter 418: The Opened Coffin

"He appeared mysteriously, then vanished just as mysteriously before his lifespan was up... Even the construction of this Water Mansion was never recorded in any text."

’Li Hansi’ had an indifferent expression as he reached out and grasped the Water Bead in his palm.

"Add to that the mystical talk of reincarnation and resurrection, and it’s clear this Water Mansion is no ordinary place. Are you still willing to risk moving forward for the legacies of Tier Four Beast Taming and Puppetry?"

Bai Zichen infused his True Essence into the Water Bead and could feel three Forbidden restrictions within it.

The water receded, and the thirty-six Celestial Spirit Copper Pillars faded from view, revealing the path forward.

"Reincarnation is nonsense. It’s just something useless Cultivators tell themselves to feel better, cowards pinning their hopes on the next life... Junior Martial Uncle, your Swordsmanship is divine; I’d say you’re no worse than the Core Disciples of those major Sword Sects. With our help, how could we possibly enter the Water Mansion and leave empty-handed?"

After the heir of the Yuanming Lineage fled the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, he settled in the Eastern Domain, serving as a Merchant Elder and even a Nascent Soul Great Guest Elder.

Although he was stuck at Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivation and passed away early, he took on an outstanding second-generation heir in Chen Ze.

His Water and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots were unexpectedly a perfect match for the Dragon Transformation Scripture. Reaching Late-Stage Core Formation in just over two hundred years, he would meet the standards for a Core Disciple even in a Super Major Sect.

If he were still on Hornless Dragon Island, his Cultivation would have made him a strong contender for the position of lineage head.

The last time the five main lineages gathered, Li Hansi was absent. Among the remaining four, aside from the Yuanming Lineage, the highest Cultivation was only Mid-Stage Core Formation.

Two of the lineages had even been reduced to a single member, who only managed to reach Core Formation by relying on the Sect’s Cultivation resources left on the mainland.

Chen Ze figured that if even Elder Shen could obtain the Water Mansion’s legacy, his group would certainly have no problem. They just needed to be careful not to get tainted by the Nether Qi and turn into the same kind of neither-human-nor-ghost monster.

"Those two Water Qius were so hard to deal with. I suspect they were a product of the Beast-Taming-and-Puppet-fusion technique created by Wuu Sanzang. If we could obtain that legacy, it would be immensely useful to us... Even if we recall the Hidden Veins, our Sect would have fewer than a hundred disciples. We’re stretched so thin we can’t possibly control Hornless Dragon Island."

"If we had a large number of creatures like those Town Spirit Beasts, it would solve many of our problems. We’d even have more cannon fodder for the trip to the Overseas Immortal Mansion."

At the mention of the Overseas Immortal Mansion, Bai Zichen’s interest was piqued, and he played along. "You’re not wrong. The Immortal Mansion is a long way off."

"Exactly! It’s millions of miles from Hornless Dragon Island, and we have to cross the territories of two Transformed Great Demons on the way. Back then, after the founder obtained the Holy Beast Essence Blood and the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, who knows why he left a few other Treasures inside? Now we have to go through all this trouble!"

Chen Ze and the others only knew about the Fish Dragon Sect from what their masters had told them; they had never read the Sect’s legacy records themselves.

They probably knew even less about the origin of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword than Bai Zichen did.

’So that’s the Immortal Mansion where the Holy Beast Essence Blood and the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword were discovered! That Nascent Soul True Monarch used these gains to lead the Fish Dragon Sect to unprecedented heights.’

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was the only Divine Technique he had ever seen that could manipulate the Power of Time.

Such things were as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin’s horn in the entire Cultivation Realm. Supreme Divine Powers like this only existed in myths and legends.

The most recent, proven example would have to be the Taibai Sword Sect’s Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Extinguishing Sword Formation.

Known as the Sword of Space, once the Sword Array was formed, it created countless pocket dimensions.

It could reach the highest Azure Heaven and descend to the deepest Yellow Springs, encompassing everything within.

The Holy Beast Essence Blood hadn’t shown much use so far, but its potential was limitless. After all, it was something even a peak Tier Four Great Demon would do anything to obtain.

After taking those two items, that True Monarch had reached his limit and had no choice but to be teleported out of the Immortal Mansion.

’He never expected that the five main lineages of the Fish Dragon Sect still had a way to re-enter the Immortal Mansion. It was a good thing he’d had the sudden impulse to keep Li Hansi’s Essence Blood, or he would have never learned this secret.’

’The remaining Treasures in the Immortal Mansion, even if they aren’t on the same level as the Holy Beast Essence Blood, are surely things that even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would dream of obtaining.’

’Looks like I have to maintain this Li Hansi persona. Otherwise, no one will lead me into the Immortal Mansion...’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Bai Zichen took the lead and started down the passage ahead. "If he had taken all the Treasures at once, they might have fallen into the hands of the Dragon Monarch by now. Who’s to say?... Stay alert. If you encounter anything sinister, shout immediately, and we’ll activate the Water Bead Restriction to teleport out."

"We must be careful. We need to get our priorities straight between the legacy here and the Treasures in the Immortal Mansion."

Upon entering the second level of the Water Mansion, the style changed abruptly. Huge, rough-hewn stones filled with a primitive aura lay strewn about, supporting the grand hall.

Draped from above were curtains woven from the pelts of Demon Beasts, and Demon Beast skulls of unseen species were mounted high on top of the great stones.

This barbaric, unadorned style was the most popular one during the Ancient Era.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ancient period that jade became fashionable, with the proportion of jade products used in the construction of halls increasing steadily.

"This Water Mansion really is a relic from Ancient Times. Wuu Sanzang merely repaired and expanded it. Only from this point on can we say we’ve truly entered the Water Mansion."

Chen Ze gripped an ancient-looking, long-handled bronze battle-axe, subtly positioning it to protect both himself and the Kong Family brothers.

Though he spoke with confidence, he remained highly vigilant, having already taken out the ancestral Treasure of the Yuanming Lineage.

The four of them carefully circled the area and found no restrictions in the great stone hall, only the claw marks carved into the boulders, which faintly hinted at the ferocity and power of Ancient Demons.

In the center of the stone hall stood a stone pillar with two hollowed-out recesses on top, which were filled with stacks of Bone Fragments.

"The Beast Taming Technique and the Puppet Grand Ceremony. Two legacies of Tier Four skills, but there’s nothing about the Town Spirit Beasts."

Each Bone Fragment was covered in dense, fly-sized characters, exhaustively detailing the complete legacies of the Tier Four Beast Taming Technique and Tier Four Puppetry Skill.

Bai Zichen glanced over it and handed it to Chen Ze with some regret.

Those two Water Qius had left a deep impression on him. Despite only having the strength of Tier Three Low Grade, they had managed to stall a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator for so long.

’If I could station a Town Spirit Beast like that at each of the Qingfeng Sect’s branch campuses, it would alleviate the Sect’s current shortage of Core Formation True Men. Even without a Tier Three Array, they could handle the vast majority of emergencies.’

"This is good enough. Back in the day, only the Guanming Lineage of our Sect had a Tier Four Beast Taming legacy, and it specialized in Water Beasts, so they weren’t very good with other Demon Beasts... As for Puppetry, very few families were proficient in it. Otherwise, the cost of large warships wouldn’t be so exorbitant."

Chen Ze seemed to be a staunch advocate for the Sect’s revival; he would mention the Fish Dragon Sect in every other sentence.

"Junior Martial Uncle Li, why don’t we each make a copy?"

"Alright."

Bai Zichen took the Beast Taming legacy while Chen Ze took the Puppetry legacy, and they each began to engrave the contents onto blank Jade Scrolls.

Even for two Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivators, the task took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Afterward, they exchanged the original Bone Fragments.

Several passages in the stone hall led to different structures that, based on their design, seemed to have been used as an Alchemy Room, Beast Cages, an Artifact Refining Chamber, and so on.

With the passage of time, everything inside had decayed and crumbled. Many objects turned to dust at the slightest touch.

It was not until they followed a winding stone staircase several dozen zhang down that a sight appeared before them that left all four of them dumbfounded and utterly shaken.

"What a huge coffin! Elder Shen’s White Bone Divine Power seems to originate from this thing. It’s the same as this Nether Qi!"

Kong Fanyun cried out in shock. The coffin before them had been pushed open, and it was empty inside.

Nether Soil was scattered all around it, and wisps of Nether Qi were gathering inside the coffin, clinging to its surface.

"This is an Underworld Nether Coffin. To think there’s really one in the Water Mansion... The rumors about resurrecting Wuu Sanzang might not be baseless after all. It might actually be happening, but there’s no telling what kind of monster will awaken when the time comes!"

’Li Hansi’ knew his fellow sect members had never seen an Underworld Nether Coffin, so he explained.

"These things were common in the Ancient and Middle Ancient eras, but then they vanished overnight. Only a few were ever found... Lying inside one brings about incredible changes, but the so-called power of reincarnation has never been proven."

"So this is the Underworld Nether Coffin! I’ve read about it in Ancient Books, I just didn’t recognize it right away!"

Chen Ze stepped forward with great interest, then suddenly stumbled back several steps, his face pale as a sheet.

"Someone was in the coffin!"

A chill ran down Bai Zichen’s spine. In his Dantian Qi Sea, the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box began to spin, ready to fly out at a moment’s notice.

Looking closely, they saw a clear five-fingered handprint on the coffin’s surface. The sight struck each of them like a sledgehammer to the chest.

"The fingers lifted away the Nether Soil, and new Nether Soil hasn’t covered the print yet. The owner of this handprint can’t have left the coffin long ago... It’s even possible that while we were in Combat just now, he pushed open the lid and climbed out of the Underworld Nether Coffin!"

An icy chill shot through his entire body. Bai Zichen suppressed his voice and backed away.

"Go! Let’s get out of here first!"

The four of them retreated the way they came, only letting out a long breath of relief after they had exited the Water Mansion and were back outside.

Fortunately, the mysterious figure from the coffin had not appeared, allowing them to escape safely.

Bai Zichen activated the Water Bead, sealing the entrance to the Water Mansion.

"Could there really be a Heaven-Defying method to defy death and be reborn..."

Chen Ze’s expression was blank, clearly staggered by the immense shock.

"Resurrection is possible, but the one who comes back to life might not be you."

Bai Zichen had read the Ghost Spirit Sect’s records on the Underworld Nether Coffin, especially a manual left behind by the White Bone True Man.

As the first Core Formation Cultivator to lie in one and emerge alive, his words carried extremely high reference value.

"When the Underworld Nether Coffins were first created, their purpose was indeed to pursue reincarnation. But as one Great Power after another failed, the powerful Divine Thoughts trapped within the coffins became a unique existence—a monster born from the obsession with eternal life..."

’Li Hansi’s’ voice turned cold. He left behind a single sentence and departed in a flash of light.

"I have urgent business to attend to. Once I am finished, I will come find you at Lankao Mountain, and we will go to the Overseas Immortal Mansion together!"