Chapter 527: Hell's Seven-Heart Lotus

Before their shock could subside, they saw Zhang Xuan, long saber in hand, slash without the slightest pause at the corpse sticking out of the coffin.

As soon as the corpse met the saber energy, it immediately disintegrated into dust, scattering everywhere.

"Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, with bones as hard as diamonds! How could it possibly turn to dust under saber energy?"

Upon reaching Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, one's soul power increases, and their physical body becomes flawless and impenetrable, like a diamond, immune to decay and impervious to axe blows. Even dead and protected by the crimson-gold coffin, it should have been invulnerable. How could it have instantly turned into powder?

"Is Master Zhang's saber art truly that powerful?"

"No, that's not right. Although Master Zhang's saber art is formidable and his saber energy is strong, he still couldn't instantly split open the crimson-gold coffin and reduce the physical body of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert to dust!"

Jin Conghai walked over, his eyes grim. Having taken a medicinal pill promptly after his injury, he had already recovered considerably.

"What happened?"

"Let's just watch. Master Zhang will surely explain."

Jin Conghai shook his head.

Everyone looked forward in unison.

After slicing the tomb owner's corpse to pieces with one saber strike, Zhang Xuan still did not stop. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, a few silver needles appeared in his palm, and he thrust them straight downwards.

"Ah... what are you doing?!"

As the silver needles descended, everyone immediately heard a sharp cry. It was the same voice as before. This time, the arrogance he displayed earlier was gone, replaced by utter terror and disbelief.

"Nothing much, just digging you out!"

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan used his long saber to pry at the ground beneath the coffin. *Whoosh!* A dark lotus appeared before everyone.

This palm-sized lotus was strangely unsettling, exuding an eerie, sinister aura. Black energy swirled around it, and a silver needle was obliquely inserted into each of its leaves. The silver needles Zhang Xuan had just thrust were precisely meant to pierce this object.

Hidden in the bottomless tomb, beneath the impenetrable crimson-gold coffin, was such a bizarre lotus. Even seeing it with their own eyes, everyone gasped in disbelief.

Although it sounds complex, only a few breaths had passed from the moment the tomb owner attacked Zhang Xuan until now, and the halo emitted by the Dragon Scale Amulet had just disappeared.

"Could it be..."

Watching this unfold, Luo Zhu, standing to one side, pondered for a moment. Suddenly realizing something, his pupils sharply constricted, and his voice trembled again: "The Seven-Heart Hell Lotus?"

"The Seven-Heart Hell Lotus? What's that?" This time, it was Pavilion Master Sai who was perplexed. Although he was widely learned, he didn't recognize everything. Items related to Witchcraft Masters were particularly obscure.

"Legend has it it's a supreme treasure of Witchcraft Masters," Luo Zhu couldn't help but explain, "It can be used to re-condense a physical body, and what's more, the body condensed will possess an Innate Constitution!"

"An Innate Constitution?" Pavilion Master Sai's eyes widened.

An Innate Special Constitution, once activated, grants cultivation speed far surpassing that of normal cultivators, inspiring awe. To be able to condense a physical body, and an Innate Constitution at that... This was simply too terrifying!

"Indeed, but... something feels off!" Luo Zhu said, his face then clouding with hesitation.

"What's wrong?"

"The Seven-Heart Hell Lotus thrives by absorbing energy," Luo Zhu explained. "If I'm not mistaken, the tomb owner's corpse must have been devoured. Otherwise, a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan corpse couldn't possibly turn to dust with just a touch!"

"Hmm!" Pavilion Master Sai nodded. They had been wondering earlier how a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan corpse, hard as diamond, could turn to ashes upon contact with saber energy. Now it seemed its energy must have been completely devoured by this strange lotus growing beneath it.

"Nourishing the lotus with a corpse," Luo Zhu mused, "Logically, this lotus should have quickly transformed into the tomb owner's physical body, allowing him to roam the world. Why... is it still dormant in the tomb, and even trying to possess us?"

"This..."

Pavilion Master Sai and the others were also stunned. That's right. Since such a sacred object as the Seven-Heart Hell Lotus existed, capable of transforming into a physical body, why bother possessing others? Why even make everyone cultivate the Soul-Guiding Art, going through so much trouble? That wouldn't make any sense; what was going on?

"I don't understand either," Luo Zhu said. "Master Zhang must know, otherwise he couldn't have directly broken open the coffin and dug out this lotus!"

"Hmm!" Everyone looked over again.

Ahead.

"You... release me!"

As the black lotus was dug out, a terrified voice rang out from within. The tomb owner, who had just intended to kill them all, was hiding inside it. No wonder the source of the voice couldn't be found. Hidden in a lotus beneath the coffin, how could anyone have found it?

"Release you? So you can continue trying to kill us?" Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes.

"You, you..." the voice stammered, "Just release me, and we can discuss anything! I'm a Witchcraft Master, and I've collected many treasures; I can give them all to you. Even this Seven-Heart Hell Lotus, I can bestow upon you..."

"Give it to me? I don't even want it..." Zhang Xuan snorted, "Besides, regarding treasures, if I'm not mistaken, all your treasures were exchanged for spirit stones and fed to this lotus, right?"

"How do you know?!" a terrified voice came from within the lotus.

"How do I know?" Zhang Xuan scoffed, "The lotus is surrounded by powder from shattered spirit stones; it's not like I can't recognize that!" The lotus hadn't been buried in the ground; rather, it was surrounded by spirit stones whose spiritual energy had been completely devoured, turning them into powder. From a distance, it had only looked like ordinary dust on the ground. Having used spirit gathering formations in his cultivation to extract energy from spirit stones, he had produced a lot of such waste and thus recognized it instantly. Furthermore, these residues were completely different from the low-grade spirit stones he used for cultivation; their pale color indicated they were likely from mid-grade spirit stones. To have used so many mid-grade spirit stones, likely tens of thousands, to produce such a quantity of waste — even for a 6-star Witchcraft Master, this might have represented their entire fortune. Realizing all this, how could he possibly be swayed?

"You, you..."

The lotus trembled continuously, as if it had seen a ghost. It seemed he had never won a single exchange against this individual. The other party seemed omniscient, knowing all of his experiences with startling clarity.

"All of you, come here!"

Ignoring the tomb owner's trembling inside the lotus, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and called out. Only then did everyone file in from the passage and approach.

"Master Zhang... what exactly is going on?" Zhao Feiwu couldn't hold back and looked over. Everyone else was also filled with confusion, completely bewildered. Events had unfolded too quickly. Just moments before, the tomb owner had been arrogant and triumphant, holding their lives in his hands, yet in the blink of an eye, he had been dug out from underground... It was all too bizarre, leaving them completely disoriented.

"What happened? Or why don't you explain..." Zhang Xuan patted the black lotus in front of him.

*Whoosh!* The black lotus swayed twice, and the voice that had been speaking earlier seemed to have turned mute, falling silent. It seemed that being exposed and then "beaten" by a mere Transcendent Mortal 1-dan had left it utterly frustrated and speechless.

"Do you think not speaking will work?" Seeing that it wasn't cooperating, Zhang Xuan raised a finger, and a silver needle reappeared at his fingertip, which he thrust straight towards the lotus.

"Ah..."

Immediately afterwards, a miserable cry and a pleading voice rang out from within the lotus: "You... I'll tell you, I'll tell you..." The voice sounded much weaker. It was clear the silver needle had struck a vital point, and its strength might have even been affected.

"Then hurry up and begin!" Pulling out the silver needle, he again infused it with true qi, causing cold light to radiate in all directions. It was clear that if the entity didn't speak, he would stab it again.

"Yes..." Seeing his threat, the lotus trembled slightly and quickly began to speak: "I am a 6-star Witchcraft Master, whose cultivation reached the peak of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan. Unfortunately... in the end, I couldn't break through that final step. Although my soul is immortal, my physical body's lifespan reached its end!"

While the lifespan of cultivators in the Transcendent Mortal realm doubles, it's still only around two hundred years; even with heaven-defying talent, three hundred years is the absolute limit. As long as one doesn't break through further, the physical body will eventually perish. It's an unavoidable truth. Although a Witchcraft Master can continue to possess others, their own body is always the most suitable in terms of compatibility.

"It was at this moment that I discovered this... Seven-Heart Hell Lotus!" The voice continued, "This object is a supreme treasure of us Witchcraft Masters. Once refined, it can completely transform into a physical body, and an Innate Constitution at that. With this reliance, I might be able to break through that final barrier and ascend to a higher realm! So, I began to make arrangements for my passing, exhausting my family fortune to build this tomb, precisely so I could peacefully refine this object."

"Hmm!" Everyone nodded. They had been wondering earlier: since Witchcraft Masters don't die and can possess corpses, why did he expend so much effort and energy to build a tomb and hide it beneath the pond? Now it seemed his purpose was simple: to refine this lotus away from prying eyes. This object was rare in the world; if other Witchcraft Masters knew, it would be disastrous. Therefore, he faked his death. Although Witchcraft Masters can achieve soul immortality, they still undergo the Five Decays and eventually perish. By building a tomb and burying himself underground, other Witchcraft Masters would believe him dead and wouldn't possibly suspect he had obtained a Seven-Heart Hell Lotus.

"Since it was for refining this object, how come you haven't succeeded yet?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking over. Witchcraft Masters had been annihilated tens of thousands of years ago, and this tomb was undoubtedly even older. After such a long time, it should have been refined long ago, so why had it not succeeded yet? If it had succeeded, it would certainly have transformed into a physical body long ago. How could it still be trapped within, unable to leave?

"I..." Hearing the question, the lotus hesitated for a moment before replying, "After the tomb was completed and I faked my death, I began to refine this object. I thought with my strength and experience, it would be easy, and I would quickly succeed and be resurrected. Who knew... I never dreamed... it failed!"

"Failed?" Zhang Xuan found it strange. "Since you faked your death, you must know how to refine this lotus. How could you fail?" This individual had prepared for so long, converting all his treasures into spirit stones, burying them underground, and even going so far as to hire a Heavenly Artisan to design the tomb and a 6-star Artificer to forge the coffin. How could he possibly fail?

"Because... because..." The tomb owner's voice trembled, as if he had recalled something terrifying. "This... this isn't a Seven-Heart Hell Lotus. It's... a Nine-Heart Lotus!"