Chapter 22: The Bronze Coffin Suppresses the Demon
Everyone's spirit was utterly exhausted; their souls had nearly left their bodies moments ago. The roar of the world-dominating Crocodile Ancestor possessed an inconceivable power, as if it could seize a person's soul.
Had it not been for the strange metallic resonance emitted by the ancient bronze coffin, the fate of those present would have been uncertain.
A fierce and tragic aura swept in from the distance like a tsunami surging forward. The great demon that had broken free from beneath the Great Thunderclap Monastery stopped advancing and halted there, but the sheer force of its natural aura was still unbearable, causing souls to tremble.
Murderous energy rolled and surged, shaking the heavens. The sandstorm instantly stilled before it. There, demonic aura towered to the sky, and in the darkness, two blood-red eyes like lanterns stared unblinkingly at this spot.
Its true form could not be seen; black clouds churned there, obscuring the stars and moon, covering the heavens.
Though it had not approached closely, the aura of this world-dominating demon ancestor was still not something mortals could withstand. Many on the five-colored altar nearly collapsed to the ground, unable to resist even with divine relics in hand.
Was this the great demon personally suppressed by the Buddha? A being from mythological legends, now seen in reality, truly appearing not far away—it felt like a dream.
As modern city dwellers, who had ever witnessed such a terrifying scene? Everything felt so unreal to everyone; what they saw and heard now was truly shocking to the world!
The Crocodile Ancestor had now broken free, but endless ages had passed. The seas had changed, the heavenly palace had collapsed, and the Great Thunderclap Monastery had long been abandoned. Things were different, and the deities were gone—who could still suppress it?
"Roar..."
Suddenly, the Crocodile Ancestor let out a thunderous bellow, like ten thousand bolts of lightning crashing beside their ears. Among those present, several people immediately collapsed to the ground. It was not a true attack, merely the vibration of sound waves, but even so, it was unbearable. Several people had blood seeping from their ears and noses.
A rustling sound came from outside the five-colored altar. Dense and pitch-black, countless divine crocodiles gathered, quickly piercing through the light barrier and surging onto the five-colored altar. The Crocodile Ancestor was commanding these smaller crocodiles; it seemed wary of the bronze coffin itself and sent its descendants to test it.
"Get up, hurry up!"
Several classmates who had collapsed, with blood from their ears and noses, were utterly exhausted and could barely move. They could hardly hold onto their Buddhist artifacts, showing how terrifying that roar had been.
With everyone's calls, a few finally stood up, but two were too late. The divine crocodiles, rushing in like a tide, directly overwhelmed them.
No miracle occurred. Two muffled groans sounded, the divine relics slipped from their hands, and in the blink of an eye, two fresh lives vanished forever. Blood splattered there as the divine crocodiles fought to burrow into their torsos and heads. Red blood and white brain matter were especially glaring.
The others had no time to rescue them. Surrounded by thousands of divine crocodiles, everyone could barely look after themselves.
So far, thirteen people had lost their lives, and the remaining seventeen were in imminent danger. Life was fleeting; death was so sudden, ready to strike at any moment.
Light flashed as everyone swung their divine relics, fending off the cold-blooded killers around them, trying to carve out a path to survival. Even the naturally timid female classmates had long forgotten to cry or scream; now, they had no choice but to fight for their lives.
But the most dangerous thing still happened. Those using Buddhist artifacts found themselves in peril, unable to move freely, constrained by them.
"Roar..."
In the distance, the Crocodile Ancestor roared again. Seeing no unusual reaction from the bronze coffin, its arrogance soared to the heavens. It spewed clouds and mist, slowly approaching. Its blood-red eyes, as large as washbasins, gleamed in the darkness like two blood-red suns hanging in the sky.
When it drew near, no one could remain standing. That fierce and tragic aura was surely condensed from the slaughter of countless living beings, making everyone's three souls and seven spirits tremble, as if they would burst from their physical shells.
It was less than ten meters away, but its true form still could not be seen—only the two blood-red eyes. Everyone was nearly in despair.
"Woo..." Suddenly, a demonic wind swept through heaven and earth, like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of gods, many times more violent than the earlier sandstorm, as if ten thousand bolts of lightning were splitting the sky and tearing the earth apart.
In the surging black mist, a massive black hand reached down, grabbing toward the five-colored altar. Its shape was no different from a human hand, but it was enormous—each finger alone seven or eight meters long, black, shiny, and sinister, scaring many out of their wits.
This was the world-dominating great demon personally suppressed by the Buddha!
Even after being suppressed for endless ages, upon its first emergence, it still shook heaven and earth with unparalleled might.
At that moment, the Taiji Bagua diagram in the sky finally took complete shape, supplemented by the divine power contained in the blood of the divine crocodiles. The eight trigram symbols all shone simultaneously, emitting dazzling light, and the Star Gate reappeared.
"Boom"
With a dull rumble, the Taiji Bagua diagram fully opened like a gate, revealing a mysterious and massive passage leading to an unknown destination, pitch-black inside.
The reaching hand was pushed aside by a mysterious force. At the same time, the nine massive dragon corpses, which had been still and silent, suddenly began to tremble.
Even as cold corpses, the dragons standing alongside deities would not tolerate desecration. A powerful dragon aura flowed forth, and all the divine crocodiles on the five-colored altar trembled in fear, prostrating themselves on the ground, then shaking like sieves, completely subdued. Finally, they retreated like a tide.
The altar was left with a ground full of crocodile corpses and a few human bodies, instantly becoming clear.
"Go, enter the bronze coffin!" Ye Fan was the first to stand up, then helped Pang Bo up.
It wasn't that they were weak, but the world-dominating great demon was truly extraordinary. Its mere aura was enough to be fatal to ordinary people; the demonic aura soaring to the sky could easily shake mortals to death.
Everyone staggered to their feet, unanimous in their decision to enter the giant bronze coffin. The Star Gate had already opened, but relying on their physical bodies alone, they probably couldn't travel the Stellar Ancient Path. Entering the bronze coffin was a choice of last resort. The coffin was eerie and unsettling, but at this moment, they had no choice but to rely on it.
In the darkness, the Crocodile Ancestor's gaze grew even colder. Its blood-red eyes hung like red suns. Suddenly, it shot out two piercing beams of blood-red light, crossing to seal the Taiji Bagua diagram in the sky.
Seeing this, everyone's faces changed!
This world-dominating great demon was unwilling to let things go. It displayed the Heavenly Demon Profound Art, trying to seal the Stellar Ancient Path and block their way. At the same time, the black hand reached down again, easily breaking through the dim light barrier, grabbing toward the altar.
Terrified, everyone quickly entered the bronze coffin, retreating with heavy footsteps. The pitch-black hand grabbed downward, but its target wasn't the people—it was this ancient bronze coffin!
"Clang"
The black hand seized the giant bronze coffin, producing a metallic sound. Everyone's hearts sank. This world-dominating Crocodile Ancestor possessed boundless magical power, suppressible only by the Buddha. If the mysterious bronze coffin showed no unusual reaction now, they truly had no way out.
Just as everyone felt a chill of terror, the Crocodile Ancestor's black hand withdrew as if avoiding a venomous snake. Bright demon blood flowed from its palm and fingers, falling onto the altar like a small river, radiating beams of blood-red light. It seemed the giant bronze coffin had injured its hand.
But the ancient coffin showed no movement, still lying quietly on the altar. Not far away, a bone-chilling cold laugh sounded—the Crocodile Ancestor gnashing its teeth, the sound making everyone's scalp tingle.
"What do we do? The Stellar Ancient Path is sealed by this giant demon. How can we leave?" Many were panicked. Just as escape seemed possible, their way was blocked, causing fear and anxiety.
"Energy... we need mysterious energy to open the Stellar Ancient Path!"
"What's happening? The divine relics in our hands are losing their divine radiance..." someone cried out.
At that moment, whether it was Ye Fan's ancient bronze lamp, Pang Bo's Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque, or Zhou Yi's alms bowl and others, the divine radiance within them flowed out continuously, converging together.
Suddenly, a laugh like a night owl's cry rang out. Right outside the giant bronze coffin, a figure nearly two meters tall appeared abruptly. Everyone was shocked. The divine radiance flowing from the various divine relics was surging toward this spot.
This figure exuded demonic aura to the heavens, surrounded by churning black mist, its features unclear. But everyone could sense it was the Crocodile Ancestor from before! It had manifested on the altar, about to enter the giant bronze coffin. Ignoring everyone, its blood-red eyes stared directly at the coffin within the coffin!
This was a being who had crossed hands with the Buddha, stepping from myth into everyone's sight. This scene was unforgettable for a lifetime, truly shaking the soul.
"Boom"
Facing the world-dominating Crocodile Ancestor's demonic aura, all the divine relics seemed to ignite, bursting with dazzling brilliance. Converging together, they enveloped the Crocodile Ancestor.
At the same time, the ancient bronze lamp, the Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque, the alms bowl, the vajra pestle, the fish drum, and all other Buddhist artifacts shone with ten thousand rays of light, rising into the sky on their own, then pressing down toward the Crocodile Ancestor to suppress it!
An icy, sinister cold laugh sounded, chilling to the bone. The world-dominating Crocodile Ancestor lightly shook its body, and black light burst forth, demonic flames soaring to the sky.
All the Buddhist artifacts were fixed before it. The cushion, the ruler, and several other artifacts emitted cracking sounds. With a "puff," the cushion shattered first, followed by the ruler and others. Four divine relics in succession turned to dust.
The four Buddhist artifacts transformed into four dazzling beams of light, all dissipating on the five-colored altar, providing powerful mysterious energy for the Star Gate.
The nine massive dragon corpses all trembled, then rumbled as they slowly rose into the air!
Startled, the Crocodile Ancestor dodged the ancient bronze lamp and a few other divine relics, soaring into the sky. Its right hand rapidly enlarged, covering heaven and earth, reaching for the nine massive dragon corpses.
At that moment, the ancient bronze lamp, the Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque, and others, as if sentient, each shot out a most intense divine light, blinding to the eyes, sweeping toward the Crocodile Ancestor.
The sky was filled with endless, dazzling light, too brilliant to look at directly. No one could see clearly. The nine dragon corpses were temporarily halted by the Crocodile Ancestor.
"Clang," "clang"...
Clear sounds came from the altar. The Buddha relic rosary, the Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque, the alms bowl, and others all fell, dim and lusterless. Even the ancient bronze lamp went out.
"The nine dragon corpses are blocked. What do we do?" Everyone was anxious.
The giant bronze coffin did not rise. The nine dragon corpses were halted mid-air, unable to enter the Star Gate.
Everyone stepped out of the coffin, quickly picking up the dim Buddhist artifacts. Pang Bo even deftly collected the water bottles from the corpses.
Ye Fan took off his shirt and gathered a large bundle of crocodile corpses from the ground.
Just then, a violent tremor came from the sky. Startled, everyone rushed back into the bronze coffin.
The giant bronze coffin emitted a metallic resonance. The nine dragon corpses swung their massive tails, all striking the Crocodile Ancestor's black hand with a "bang," forcing it back.
"Boom"
A loud crash came from the sky. The nine massive dragon corpses slowly rose toward the Star Gate. With a "clang," the giant bronze coffin shook and flipped, making everyone feel as if heaven and earth were spinning.
The Crocodile Ancestor's blood-red gaze was extremely cold. Before the coffin lid closed, it tried to rush in, its target still the coffin within the coffin!
But at that moment, the rust-covered coffin walls, with their carvings of ancient ancestors and deities, as well as bronze patterns of ancient ferocious birds and savage beasts, all emitted a hazy light, making the Crocodile Ancestor halt. It seemed to suddenly remember something. Its eyes shot out two beams of icy blood light, and it quickly retreated a few steps in the void.
With a loud "clang," the bronze coffin lid closed. The nine massive dragon corpses pulled the bronze coffin slowly into the air, breaking through the blood-red seal set by the Crocodile Ancestor, and vanished into the Star Gate.
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