Chapter 909: Nine-Layered Coffin of the Mythological Era
After fiddling with it for a while, they still couldn't open it.
"This is bizarre!" Duan De kept pressing on the carvings, certain that triggering some pattern should open it, but despite all efforts, it remained seamless, without a single gap.
This small stone coffin was too solid. It looked like it was carved from a single piece of stone, a complete whole. The group exchanged glances. Aside from its ancient appearance, it didn't emit even a trace of divine aura.
"Leave this to this Emperor!" The big black dog suddenly charged over, finally seizing an opportunity. It bit Fatty Duan and dragged him away. The dog lay on the ground, biting hard with its large paws pressing down, trying to pry it open. The result? It nearly broke its teeth without damaging the coffin in the slightest, then howled in pain while holding its cheeks with its paws.
The others laughed. This greedy dog clearly wanted to snatch the treasure, but only ended up torturing itself.
The stone coffin was passed among Qi Luo, Ye Fan, the Monkey, and the others. They channeled divine power into it, trying to trigger something, but it was like throwing mud into the sea—no effect at all.
"This is undoubtedly a divine ancient coffin, terrifyingly old. Moreover, it should have been buried in the Nine Heavens above, never sinking into the yellow earth. I don't know why it ended up in the ancestral temple." Duan De's expression turned serious as he re-examined it, carefully flipping the stone box and pondering repeatedly.
The coffin was only four fingers wide, less than a palm in length. The carvings on it were blurry, but upon careful inspection, one could make out sun, moon, stars, flowers, birds, fish, insects—all ancient, timeless things.
The most mysterious part was that within the carvings among the sun, moon, and stars, there were extremely intricate tiny runes, nearly worn smooth by time. Duan De could only see them with his Heavenly Eye; otherwise, they were completely invisible. This was also the basis for his judgment.
The time was too distant. These bizarre flying runes were too profound. The group tried hard to decipher them but found them obscure and incomprehensible—no one could understand them.
Duan De judged that this palm-sized, mysterious stone coffin likely had an astonishing origin. According to his knowledge of burial secrets, this was an extremely ancient divine coffin, containing many incomprehensible mysteries.
The so-called "not entering the yellow earth, not entering the mortal world, buried in the Nine Heavens" meant placing it beyond the sky, i.e., burying it in the desolate universe, traveling alone in eternal darkness.
This was because the mortal world was unworthy of burying it. The divine were flawless, pure even in death, and only the Nine Heavens were their final resting place, their ultimate destination in the uninhabited universe.
"This kind of divine coffin buried in the Nine Heavens has always been a legendary thing, never seen before. The Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty back then was truly omnipotent to have obtained such a thing. How many star domains did they explore?" Duan De was filled with astonishment.
The others were also stunned. Such an unremarkable little coffin had such a huge origin—it was truly terrifying. There must be something incredible inside!
The Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty of that time was at its peak. They had Five-Colored Altars that could reach beyond the domain, but no one knew where they had been. What was seen today was enough to confirm their unprecedented power!
"Such a powerful Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty was still destroyed by someone..."
"Not necessarily. It was said earlier that they might have given up their rule voluntarily."
Either way, it was a terrifying thing, full of mystery and the unknown, offering a glimpse into a corner of the past—the glorious years of those peerless heroes, wielding supreme authority and combat power.
"Is it also a divine coffin?" Ye Fan naturally thought of the bronze ancient coffin pulled by nine dragons, which was far more grand and majestic, shaking the soul.
"Stop talking about that. Hurry up and open this coffin." The big black dog couldn't sit still, more anxious than anyone.
Finally, the Monkey went all out. His golden fur stood on end. With his innate divine strength, he grabbed the small coffin and pressed it against his leg, trying to break it apart. But he grimaced in pain—he couldn't budge it.
Ye Fan was amazed. He took it and used all his strength to try to twist it apart. His golden blood energy surged like a tidal wave, covering the sky, but it was still useless.
"Try dripping blood on it. Maybe that's how to open it." Ji Ziyue suggested, thinking of the blood altar. The others paused, then nodded.
Pang Bo and Dongfang Ye tried first, dripping a few drops of blood, but it had no effect—no change at all.
"Maybe it needs the blood of a Saint." Ji Ziyue blinked her big eyes. There was dried Saint blood on the stone box, and the living sacrifice back then might have been meant to open it.
Finally, everyone looked at Qi Luo. He was only half a step away from becoming a Saint. The blood in his body should be terrifying, possibly useful for opening the mysterious stone box.
"You all need to think carefully. If this palm-sized stone coffin opens, who knows what might come out," Qi Luo said.
"It's fine. I bet Yao Guang brought the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Cauldron and such. If something big happens, just throw it at them—it'll definitely suppress it." Black Emperor was still nursing his sore cheeks. If he didn't open it, he wouldn't be satisfied.
Drops of blood fell from Qi Luo's finger, each one bright and brilliant, emitting a terrifying light pattern that made people fearful. He was usually smiling, but who knew he harbored such terrifying power inside?
Yet, it was still ineffective. The blood landed on the small stone coffin with no reaction, leaving everyone stumped. If even a Half-Saint like Qi Luo couldn't do it, did they need a true Saint?
"Maybe Ye Fan and Brother Monkey's blood can work." Ji Ziyue blinked her big eyes, because these two had special physiques with heaven-defying bloodline power.
"Let me try." Ye Fan took it. A golden blood bead rolled from his fingertip and dripped onto the stone coffin, instantly making it tremble.
"It really works! A few more drops!" the big black dog shouted, as if it wanted to bleed Ye Fan dry to soak the coffin.
When six drops of golden blood fell, the palm-sized stone coffin let out a "crack" sound. A gap appeared on its surface, and a line emerged on what was originally a solid stone wall.
"This is really bizarre. Just now it looked like a solid rock, but now the lid is showing—it can actually separate." Everyone marveled.
Ye Fan dripped three more drops of blood. "Crack, crack" sounds came as the lid revealed itself, automatically separating into a black gap, from which a mysterious ripple flowed.
"Step back!" Ye Fan signaled.
On the ground, only the small stone coffin remained. The others had already retreated far away. Ye Fan used the Weapon Art to lift the lid, keeping the Divine Maiden Furnace and other items for protection. He had to be careful, because anything involving the divine could lead to unknown consequences—no one dared to be careless.
"Slap"
The lid fell to the ground. Aside from a mysterious ripple, nothing unusual happened. It was quiet there, only the wind moving.
"This is just the outer shell. There's another layer of coffin inside." Duan De said as the others gathered around.
Sure enough, there was a slightly smaller coffin inside, nested within. When taken out, it was still seamless, with no gaps. Clearly, more blood was needed.
Ye Fan didn't hesitate. This time, he dripped eighteen golden blood beads. The small coffin absorbed them before opening with a "crack." When they lifted the lid, they were stunned to find another small coffin inside, even smaller.
"No way!" Duan De's expression changed.
"It's fine. Keep going!" Ye Fan started dripping blood again. This time, twenty-seven golden blood beads fell before the lid opened.
"Damn it! There's another small coffin!" The big black dog was going crazy, holding its cheeks and howling, but this time it didn't dare bite.
"Grandma's bear! How many layers are there?" Pang Bo was also puzzled.
Ye Fan refused to give up. He kept dripping blood, opening six layers in one go. Each time, there was a coffin within a coffin. The last time consumed fifty-four drops of Ye Fan's golden Saint blood.
Everyone was freaked out. They wanted to smash it open but didn't dare. This small coffin definitely had a big problem—it was coffins within coffins, with no end in sight.
"Could it be nine layers? Nine returns to one." The Monkey showed a shocked expression, his mind wandering as if remembering something.
"Stop opening it. This small stone coffin can't be touched now. If it really opens, something heaven-defying might happen. I seriously suspect..." Duan De's face turned ugly, a bit pale. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Nine nines make the truth, see the returning one."
Dongfang Ye scratched his head and asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Duan De said, "I think this stone coffin was indeed fished back from beyond the heavens. It really has nine layers, but it probably doesn't hold a god anymore. Instead, it might be the legendary ancestor of the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty."
"I poke! You're too far-fetched. Was the ancestor of the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty a mouse? Stuffed into such a small coffin—that's too cramped for themselves." Black Emperor didn't believe it.
"It looks small, but I think this thing could even fit Mount Sumeru inside." Duan De said.
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying a Great Emperor wouldn't let his coffin look so petty." Black Emperor said. He had followed Wu Shi and felt that all Great Emperors were grand and sweeping, crushing everything.
"Brother Monkey, your expression doesn't look good. What's wrong?" At this moment, Ye Fan noticed the Monkey's dazed look and couldn't help asking.
"In the ancient times, I was too young. My memories are blurry now." The Monkey rubbed his temples, as if trying hard to recall something. "I think I heard my uncle talk about the legend of the nine-layered stone coffin. It must not be touched. If seen, one should pay respects. It should be buried beyond the heavens and released into the depths of the universe."
Upon hearing this, everyone's face turned pale. They knew they were in big trouble. Thinking carefully, they realized that even the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty had enshrined this coffin, and the offering was an immortal material—Immortal Tear Green Gold.
The more they thought about it, the more creeped out they became.
The Monkey said, "I remember a bit more. My uncle told it to me as a story at the time. It seemed to happen in the Mythological Era. It was said that a first-ranked royal clan, second only to the imperial clan, obtained the nine-layered stone coffin, and the entire clan was wiped out. According to legend, someone later sent it into the depths of the universe, which stopped the terrifying chaos."
"Could it be that the fall of the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty was related to this small stone coffin?" Everyone shuddered. Thinking of the ruined state of this place and the giant handprint on the ancestral vein—a single strike that shattered millions of miles—it was hard to connect such a vast blow with such a small stone coffin.
"The altar where the small stone coffin sits is very particular. You all should have noticed. We've walked through so many temple small worlds, and only that layer had a stone tablet inscribed with 'Thirty-Three Layers of Heaven'!" the Old Blind Man said.
Everyone was stunned.
Buried in the Nine Heavens above, placed on the Thirty-Three Layers of Heaven—did that mean the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty had sensed something?
It's almost New Year's, and there's really a lot to do. Tomorrow I have to go to the airport to see someone off, then return to my parents' house. I definitely won't be able to write during the day, but the evening chapter won't be missed. During the New Year period, there will definitely be various social engagements and such. For me, the pressure is high on those special days each year. In these few days, Chen Dong can only guarantee daily updates, with at least one guaranteed chapter. Two chapters will be very difficult, but as long as I have time, I'll try to write more. Thank you for your support!