Chapter 908: The Divine Spirit Coffin Buried in the Nine Heavens
Many cultivators fled for their lives, with quite a few nearly scared out of their wits. These two worms lived up to the name "God-Slayer"; they were likely not far from pure-blood ancestral worms. They possessed the cultivation of saints, and their physical bodies were even stronger—absolutely capable of slaying saints, invincible against anyone!
"Run!" The crowd fled without looking back, rushing toward the thirty-second layer temple world, preparing to leave this place completely and not delve deeper.
At this moment, even a legendary saint weapon was barely sufficient. It was estimated that everyone who entered might be completely annihilated. Only by offering an imperial weapon could one preserve their life, but only a few divine dynasties and holy lands possessed such things.
However, while everyone was fleeing outward, some people went against the current, charging directly toward the thirty-fourth layer temple world, vanishing through the stone gate in the blink of an eye.
People's thoughts differ, and their intentions cannot be the same. No matter the circumstances, there will always be madmen who fear neither death nor danger.
In an instant, the thirty-third layer temple world became quiet. Everyone had fled. Even a half-saint like Qi Luo ran with all his might, not daring to pretend to be profound.
"I say, chief of assassins, with your fearless assassination spirit, now would be the time to snatch the chestnuts from the fire and bring out that heaven-defying stone box," the big black dog urged.
Everyone had seen it—on that altar was placed a piece of immortal material: Immortal Tear Green Gold. Who knew what even more heaven-defying thing might be inside the stone box, since two saint-level divine worms were guarding it.
Qi Luo said nothing. He simply sat down on the big black dog, who was as large as a bull, using him as a mount and nearly crushing him flat.
"Woof! You rotten old man!" the black emperor barked.
Qi Luo didn't want to be remembered by this black dog who could carve great emperor slaughter formations, so he didn't overdo it. He pushed off the dog's back and leaped forward.
"Grave robber, don't you have some special skill? You could give it a try too," the big black dog persisted, sidling up to Duan De.
Duan De's heart stirred. He actually stopped, lost in thought.
"Fatty, you're not actually tempted, are you? That thing eats even primordial spirits. If it catches you, it's complete annihilation of body and soul," the old blind man warned.
"I think that stone box really looks like a small coffin. Although it's only as long as a palm, its shape is exactly like the legendary Divine Spirit Ancient Coffin," Duan De muttered to himself.
"Is there a palm-sized divine spirit?" the monkey sneered. Having survived since the ancient times, he knew far more about the legends of divine spirits than the others.
"Although it's too small, the style is right. I have a deep study of ancient coffins," Duan De pondered.
"Hurry up and leave!" Qi Luo kicked him in the backside. Now was not the time to be distracted, as any misstep could cost them their lives. Even he couldn't handle this.
"No, those two dragons—or divine worms—are dead, not alive!" Dongfang Ye suddenly spoke up. Having lived in deep mountains and great marshes all his life, he was most sensitive to the aura of various primordial savage beasts.
Everyone was startled. The two god-slaying worms hadn't chased after them. This indeed defied common sense. Beings more fearsome than ancient ferocious beasts, once enraged, would destroy heaven and earth.
Initially, four half-saint-level divine worms had revived and charged out, creating a preconception that naturally made everyone assume the two dragon-like god-slaying worms were also alive.
By now, they had already fled out of the thirty-third layer. The stone gate hadn't closed yet completely. Peering inside, they didn't see the two saint-level divine worms appear.
"Going back like this is very risky. If they're alive, we'll die for sure," Qi Luo said.
"I'm going back. Otherwise, I was planning to find a way to the deepest part of the ancestral temple anyway," Ye Fan said.
"I'm certain. Those two divine worms really have no life fluctuations," Dongfang Ye stated firmly.
"The wild man's intuition has always been accurate. He's dealt with primordial savage beasts all his life, so he's most likely not wrong. We don't have time now. Others might figure it out soon too," Duan De said.
"How about this: don't all go in, just in case," Ye Fan suggested.
In the end, he and Qi Luo brought the Devouring Demon Jar with them, preparing to enter. Meanwhile, Ji Ziyue insisted on staying by Ye Fan's side no matter what. Everyone else waited outside.
The stone gate hadn't closed. After Ye Fan and the other two entered, they began imitating various screams, making them sound extremely miserable, transmitting them into the thirty-second layer temple world.
The fleeing cultivators, hearing the agonizing sounds coming through the stone gate, were terrified. Their hearts pounded with fear as they fled even faster. They knew well that even ancient saints would meet their end here. As long as those two god-slaying worms were alive, they were absolutely invincible!
Ye Fan, Qi Luo, and Ji Ziyue jointly offered up the Devouring Demon Jar, suspending it above their heads. Beams of black light cascaded down, tightly protecting them.
They returned to the altar. Although the stone blocks had been split open, the blood in the stone troughs still flowed, forming an ancient and eerie pattern that sank into the altar's interior.
The one-meter-tall stone palace was nearly perfect, a true masterpiece of divine craftsmanship. If magnified a thousandfold, it would definitely be a towering, immortal heavenly palace.
The two god-slaying worms coiled around it, their bodies glowing all over, as domineering as true dragons. Their forms were vigorous and powerful, inspiring awe.
"They're really dead!" Qi Luo said.
Ye Fan observed carefully and let out a long breath. The divine source that had sealed them had two holes. No one knew from what era, but they had definitely come out at some point. Although they later crawled back in, they had ultimately broken the seal.
Qi Luo pried open the divine source blocks and pulled out the two god-slaying worms. They were dead but not decayed. Although their essence had mostly dissipated, a trace of saintly pressure still remained.
If not for the Devouring Demon Jar being here, ordinary people would have no way to approach the moment the two divine worms left the source blocks. Such was the might of these dragon-like divine worms.
"This is truly a fine treasure. When ancient saints pass away, they usually return to the Dao, melting themselves into heaven and earth. Few manage to preserve their physical bodies."
Qi Luo's single eye shot out brilliant divine radiance. This was a rare divine material that could be used for an external incarnation. These two divine worm corpses were far more powerful than the bodies of ancient saints. For the old assassin, it was like gaining a pair of divine spirit wings.
"This really does look like a small coffin," Ji Ziyue said in wonder, picking up the stone box.
The three of them carefully examined the area again and were startled. The blood flowing down the troughs would enter the stone palace, then follow the dotted lines inside the palace to eventually converge on this small stone coffin.
How eerie was this? Was it meant to bathe this peculiar small coffin in blood? What purpose could this serve? They were utterly baffled.
"In ancient times, someone once bathed it in blood. Moreover, it was at least saint blood!" Ji Ziyue said, running her delicate hand over the stone box. There were indeed bloodstains on it. Even though over two hundred thousand years had passed, and the essence had long dissipated, it was still saint blood—still crimson, dried on the surface, not vanished.
Ye Fan and Qi Luo both felt their scalps tingle. What kind of thing was this, to require saint blood to bathe it? Then they immediately understood. The damaged altar, with its blood troughs, served a great purpose. This was no ordinary blood sacrifice!
"The blood flowing in the troughs is saint blood..." Even Qi Luo shuddered.
Could it really be as Duan De had said—that this was a divine spirit ancient coffin containing something heaven-defying? Looking at the ancient carvings and style on the stone box, they felt a sense of vicissitude.
"Let's leave here first. Find a secluded place to open it," Ji Ziyue said.
They transformed into three beams of light and left the area, quickly reuniting with the monkey and the others. Then they vanished into the rainy night, disappearing into a corner.
The thirty-second layer world was dim, the earth hard and dry, with shadows of trees swaying and ribbon-like black mist swirling. This was an extremely dangerous world. Heavenly generals were active here, all having severed the Dao. They moved silently, their strength formidable. Countless people had died trying to pass this level.
Just as Ye Fan and his group had hidden themselves, many people came charging back. The various holy lands had returned, bringing reinforcements. The pressure of imperial weapons was spilling out.
"Fellow Daoists, the situation has changed! The various sects outside have conferred and are sending reinforcements to rescue everyone!"
Someone shouted within the small world, spreading such news, informing everyone that the forces entering from each sect were no longer limited to just two or three people.
"This clearly means a large-scale assault. Are they deploying imperial weapons?" the monkey asked in surprise.
"Boom!"
Soon after, a thread of imperial might rose, transmitting through the stone gate from the thirty-third layer small world. Ye Fan and the others saw a celestial sword like an ancestral dragon hanging in the air, exuding an aura that suppressed all heavens and myriad realms, as if it could shatter past, present, and future.
The Supreme Emperor Sword!
This was the Supreme Emperor Sword of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty. A group of people approached, pushed over the blood altar, and inspected it inside and out. Finding nothing, they all looked at each other in confusion.
"The danger of the ancestral temple exceeds imagination. The four divine dynasties and the Yaoguang Holy Land are all filled with fear. After reconferring with the various sects, they're getting serious."
"The last few layers will likely be even more dangerous. Without imperial weapons, it will probably be impossible to move even an inch."
People knew the critical moment had arrived. Now, the various sects were willing to use their deepest foundations. Who knew what might appear in the last few layers of the ancestral temple? The situation was bound to change dramatically.
Duan De fiddled with the stone box, turning it over and over. A strange expression appeared on his face, then turned serious.
As soon as Ye Fan returned, he handed the stone box to the "professional" and watched from the side. Calling it a coffin, yet it had no lid. It was forged as a single piece, seeming solid, as if carved by someone.
"This really is... a seamless divine spirit coffin!" Duan De's expression was extremely grave. Having robbed tombs his entire life, this was the first time he had seen such a legendary coffin. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
According to him, this coffin was terrifyingly ancient, likely from before the ancient times. Its carvings were archaic, with patterns resembling flowers, birds, fish, and insects, impossible to decipher.
The monkey shook his head in rebuttal. During the ancient times, coffins were almost never used. All races buried their dead without coffins. This shouldn't be from that era.
"I don't know as much about the ancient races as you do, but when it comes to coffins, I know far more than you. There isn't a coffin from ancient times to the present that I don't recognize. I can tell just by smelling it," Duan De said proudly.
He claimed that even in the ancient times, coffins weren't absolutely unused. Only those nearly divine would have coffins. Such beings would occasionally use coffins to honor their fallen subordinates.
Coffins seemed to hold special significance for those nearly divine.
"I dare say that when your old man, the Battle Saint Emperor, finally buried himself, he must have had a unique coffin. Perhaps even more magnificent than the Immortal Emperor's Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree coffin," Duan De said. His words left everyone speechless. Even the monkey couldn't find a good reason to hit him.
"Has anyone here ever seen a divine spirit this small? It's not even as long as my palm," Pang Bo scoffed.
"That's true too. How could a divine spirit use such a small coffin? But then... why use two saint-level divine worms to guard it? Could there be some artifact comparable to a divine spirit inside?" Duan De muttered to himself, then stroked the patterns. He was shocked, having discerned some clues. "This is indeed a divine spirit ancient coffin, and one with a great origin. It should have been buried in the nine heavens above!"
No one could remain calm. They finally decided to open it right now and take a look. If there really was a problem, they could just toss it over to where the Supreme Emperor Sword was.