Chapter 248: Lying in a Coffin

The last time Zhang Yun came here, it was in the middle of the night. Not knowing the exact location, he had first arrived at Old Tomb Ridge, called Zhang Long, and followed the ringtone to find his way. Ultimately, he only located this Ancient Tomb by tracking the footprints they left behind while fleeing in panic.

Back then, with unclear clues and a creepy environment, despite knowing there were four or five people around, no one had answered his calls.

Now, things were different. Under the bright, broad daylight, Zhang Yun easily got his bearings along the way. He had even spotted the Ancient Tomb from the hill he just crossed.

He also noticed an issue: the Ancient Tomb was built on the shaded side of the mountain and situated at the bottom of the slope. It only received a brief period of direct sunlight exactly at noon; throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, it remained veiled in the mountain’s shadow.

Because of this, he had to hurry. Even though he already knew what to expect, out of sheer superstition, entering the tomb when Yang Qi was at its absolute peak would give him some peace of mind.

Zhang Yun took a hoe out of his Personal Space in advance. Following the slope, he arrived in front of the Ancient Tomb and inspected it closely. Since he had buried the entrance and placed the tombstone back in the dark of night during his last visit, he couldn’t spot any visible differences now.

Using the hoe, he scraped away the dirt. The tombstone with its blurred inscription had only been placed there temporarily to begin with, so he pulled it out with ease, instantly revealing the hole.

Zhang Yun had been down there before, so he knew there wouldn’t be enough toxic gas to poison him. Without needing to let the air cycle through, he grabbed his flashlight and crawled right in.

This time, he was prepared and wouldn’t be easily startled. He entered the pit first, then slid down the inner passageway.

The Underground Palace where the coffin lay was several dozen feet below ground. Down here, there was no difference between day and night, though psychologically, it felt different.

Furthermore, having been here once and having even met the tomb’s occupant, the Female Ghost, Zhang Yun naturally didn’t find the place spine-chilling anymore.

He reached out and stroked the coffin. Over such a short period, it hadn’t managed to accumulate any new Spiritual Qi.

Sticking close to the walls of the Underground Palace, Zhang Yun circled the coffin once and knocked on it.

“Senior, we’ve already met,” he said. “I’m here to pay a special visit this time. Pardon the intrusion.”

Zhang Yun had drawn his Blood Demon Blade beforehand. He was just about to jam it into the gap between the rivets to pry off the lid, but to his surprise, the coffin lid shifted the moment he applied force!

“Is it really that easy?” he wondered.

Holding the flashlight in one hand, Zhang Yun gave a forceful shove with the other!

In the dim environment, the CREAK of the coffin lid rubbing against its frame sounded rather eerie. However, Zhang Yun paid it no mind; his entire focus was on the widening gap.

He pushed it open a few inches.

Then halfway.

With a bit more strength, the coffin lid slid diagonally against the outer wall, exposing half of the interior space.

Shining his flashlight inside, he saw that the coffin was completely empty!

“Good lord!” he thought. “It really is empty!”

If she were a traditional ghost, her skeletal remains should be in here. For a corpse to get up and run outside, it would have to be a zombie. Was the Female Ghost he had encountered earlier a zombie?

Obviously not.

This confirmed Zhang Yun’s hypothesis: she was hiding in the coffin to cultivate, much like the Ancient Tomb Sect!

And when the Female Ghost felt that he had taken something from her, it must have been because he had absorbed the coffin’s Spiritual Qi.

No wonder the structure of this place was so different from a normal grave. It had a passageway, and the tombstone was easily movable—it was all designed for easy access.

As for the coffin…

Having confirmed that there was nothing truly supernatural going on, Zhang Yun no longer felt that the coffin was an omen of bad luck. Without hesitation, he climbed up and lay down inside it.

Just as he settled down inside the coffin, the wooden boards suddenly emitted a loud CLACK. The lid he had pushed to the side was actually closing on its own!

Zhang Yun was startled. A haunting shouldn’t be happening at high noon, so was someone else hiding in the tomb?

Did she hear the commotion when he moved the tombstone and jump out to hide?

But there was nowhere to hide down here; he had already checked the perimeter…

“Is she trying to seal me alive in the coffin?” he thought in a panic. “Like Noble Consort Yang in the Demon Cat Legend? Am I going to claw at the lid until my fingers bleed and suffocate to death?”

Zhang Yun quickly flashed his light around, and only then did he relax. No one was pushing the lid from the outside. Instead, the coffin was fitted with some sort of spring-loaded latch. When someone lay inside, their body likely pressed against a hidden mechanism that automatically pulled the lid shut.

Besides, he had the Blood Demon Blade in hand. Even if someone really tried to seal him inside and nail the lid down, he could easily slice his way out. This wasn’t a Stone Coffin or a bronze sarcophagus, after all.

Since the Female Ghost could lie in the coffin to cultivate, she definitely must have left ventilation holes, so he didn’t need to worry about suffocating.

Shining his flashlight upwards, Zhang Yun saw many lines and nodes carved onto the inside of the coffin lid. It looked quite similar to a Star Constellation Map.

“Wait, that’s not right!” he thought. “Why would anyone carve a Star Constellation Map for cultivation? It must be some sort of cultivation diagram for an Inner Power Heart Method!”

Zhang Yun instantly grew excited. If this was a discount version of the Ancient Tomb Sect, were the carvings above a discount version of the Nine Yin Scripture?

He illuminated the entire surface with his flashlight, trying to memorize all the patterns. But it felt too difficult. Without any foundational knowledge, they just looked like a mess of irregular shapes.

He decided to take out his phone and use the flash to snap a few pictures of the diagrams first.

After finishing his task, Zhang Yun tried to pull the coffin lid to the side from the inside, only to find that it wouldn’t budge an inch!

“Can it only be pushed open from the outside?” he wondered.

He checked his phone; there was no signal down here, so calling for help was out of the question.

“Am I really going to have to hack the coffin apart?”

That made no sense. If the Female Ghost could lie down in here and still go outside, there absolutely had to be a mechanism.

“Right, how did it close just now?”

Zhang Yun recalled the sequence of events. The coffin lid had shut automatically right after he lay down. That meant the mechanism had to be right under his back!

He quickly propped his upper body up and pulled the coffin lid to the side again. Sure enough, it slid open easily. Pressing down on the mechanism while lying flat was what locked the coffin dead!

Come to think of it, that was probably a safety measure. While lying inside in secluded cultivation, the coffin would be difficult to pry open from the outside, offering an extra layer of protection and a bit of a buffer.

The only reason he had opened it so effortlessly earlier was because there was no one inside.

Zhang Yun no longer had any desire to lie in this coffin. Once the lid was pulled halfway open, he immediately climbed out and pushed it closed again.

Having confirmed the Female Ghost’s identity and obtained linear patterns that resembled a Cultivation Technique, Zhang Yun was already highly satisfied with this trip.

Entering at high noon gave him more confidence, but it also meant he could be easily discovered. If anyone happened to pass by, they would be able to see the excavated Ancient Tomb from a distance. Even though very few people came this way, he still shouldn’t overstay his welcome.

Zhang Yun shone his flashlight around the coffin once more, scanning the entire area carefully to ensure there were no other Cultivation Technique diagrams.

Checking the time, he realized he had only been down there for a little over ten minutes. It was unlikely anyone had coincidentally shown up, so he could bury the entrance again without a soul knowing.

He swiftly climbed back up the passageway into the upper pit, then began to squeeze his way out through the tombstone opening.

Something was wrong!

Before he even poked his head out, Zhang Yun sensed that something was off!

He couldn’t articulate exactly what it was, but it felt as if there was danger lurking outside. Pausing his ascent, he took off one of his shoes and gently tossed it out first.

BAM!

The moment the shoe flew out, it was violently struck by a rock and knocked to the side.

Someone was waiting in ambush!