Chapter 908: Twenty Thousand-Year-Old Daoist Boy Reappears

Qi Luo said nothing, carefully replacing each layer of the small coffin lid. To everyone's astonishment, each lid, as it was lowered, seamlessly transformed into a complete, integral part of the coffin. By the time the outermost lid was secured, the coffin had become a single, solid entity, like a stone core, as if it had grown together naturally. "This is eerie!" Even Duan Fatty, who had dealt with tombs his entire life, was at a loss for words. What kind of power did this small stone coffin possess?

"There's nothing more to say," Qi Luo stated, his expression exceptionally grave, as if he had perceived something profound. "If Ye Fan can cross the starfield, he should send it into a spatial node along the way and bury it in the depths of the universe. Some things are simply not meant for us to touch." Duan De and the Black Sovereign immediately sprang up, united in an unprecedented way. The two greedy, shameless fellows had a thousand reasons for their vehement opposition. Duan De declared himself a great archaeologist, claiming that encountering such an "immortal coffin" for the first time was a historical monument of great significance to humanity. Though it wasn't suitable for opening now, he insisted it should be thoroughly studied later, even with the aid of Emperor Weapons. As for the Black Sovereign, it spoke effusively, conjuring up fantastical concepts like "nine reversals against heaven" and "six paths of reincarnation," eventually elevating the discussion to a matter of life and death for all humanity. But everyone knew its flaw: it couldn't walk away from treasure and often "betrayed acquaintances." This was clearly just its usual greedy self. Ultimately, Qi Luo pushed the stone coffin into Ye Fan's arms, sternly advising him that if he truly managed to leave, he must bury the coffin deep in the universe. This object absolutely could not be kept.

They followed the group ahead into the thirty-fourth temple's small world. The moment they stepped inside, everyone's expressions changed; this place was utterly horrifying! Ghosts covered every mountain and plain, their chirping cries making scalps crawl. What kind of world was this? It was incomprehensible. Black shadows were everywhere, and wild corpses, like dense vegetation, occupied every inch of land. Black ghostly hands writhed endlessly, like a field of weeds, and the chilling cold penetrated their bodies, making them shiver uncontrollably. Pang Bo was stunned speechless, Dongfang Ye stumbled and quickly recited a war god's incantation, while the Black Dog's fur stood on end as it barked incessantly. This sight was too terrifying, almost unbelievable. Everyone stood frozen. All of this felt so unreal, like a nightmare. They had seen malevolent spirits before, but never so many at once. Was this still the human realm? It would be no exaggeration to call it hell; it was a paradise for malevolent spirits!

Ahead, a mountain resembling a volcano was shrouded in wisps of demonic mist. Its mouth continuously spewed black gas, accompanied by wails of ghosts and howls of spirits. Densely packed malevolent corpses crawled out from it incessantly. A pall of gloom hung heavy; ghosts were everywhere in this small world. The group who had entered earlier, trying to avoid the God-slaying Insects by taking a different path, had been there for some time, but not a single one had survived. Their shattered corpses were visible just inside the entrance. "Damn it, ghosts everywhere!" the Black Sovereign yelled. "There's a huge one, over four meters long! Duan De, where are you? Professional, hurry up and use your ultimate move! I say, catch these ghosts!" They were almost overwhelmed. Ahead, reinforcements from powerful sacred lands like Great Xia and Yaoguang were also shouting, and the fluctuations of Saint Weapons could be felt, indicating that they were encountering the same trouble.

Ancient corpses and malevolent ghosts, one after another, emerged. Their forms were withered, skin stretched over bones, eyes hollow, bodies pitch black, and their fingernails were long like iron hooks, making them incredibly ferocious. "Fatty, you seasoned underground ghost fighter, get to it!" the Old Blind Man shouted. "Damn it all," Duan De cursed, "This Taoist Lord has roamed the world his entire life, and never have I seen so many ghosts, and fleshy ones at that! Is this karma catching up to me?" His hands weren't idle; he had already begun to act, grappling with the ghosts without hesitation. He grabbed a large ghost, seemingly a ghost general, and delivered a fierce beating. But it was useless; there were too many ghosts. Their teeth gnashed loudly, and their black, iron-hook-like claws clashed, sending sparks flying. Duan De was also exasperated. How could he possibly deal with so many ghosts? Forget subduing all of them, even just killing the ghosts in one corner would probably exhaust him completely. Ye Fan shielded Ji Ziyue behind him. These beings were deeply repulsive, their various grotesque forms difficult to describe one by one. "It's alright, I'm not scared, as long as I'm by your side," Ji Ziyue said softly.

Ye Fan couldn't understand why there were so many ghouls. The majestic black mountain ahead seemed to gush forth ghosts like a spring from its mouth. They crawled out endlessly, filling the entire small world, creating a boundless sea of ghosts, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Duan De shouted, "This Taoist Lord understands now! The Feathered Divine Dynasty might genuinely have destroyed itself back then. The collapse of the Central Plains' first ancestral vein was likely their own doing. That black ghost mountain must be connected to the Dragon Vein. These ghost soldiers are their armies that conquered the world. Saying hundreds of thousands or even millions would be an understatement! The first ancestral vein is now overflowing with spectral energy, which is truly against the natural order!" Everyone shivered. This place was situated on the Central Plains' ancestral vein, and that volcanic opening must lead directly to the underground ancestral dragon vein. What kind of outcome was this? The former first divine vein was now spewing ghosts! "Damn it," Duan De cursed, "They must have been trying to control the great dragon of the entire Central Plains back then, and as a result, they doomed their own divine dynasty. That's most likely what happened!"

At this point, talk was useless. Everyone began fighting the ghosts, unleashing various ancient weapons and magical artifacts. Ye Fan's nine-colored flames incinerated large swathes of them, producing crackling sounds as corpse oil oozed from the ghosts' bodies. Duan De snorted and, with a flick of his hand, sprinkled a handful of "blood earth" onto several people. A crimson glow emanated, making each of them appear as if a fiery red dragon was rising from their bodies, dazzling and brilliant, yet strangely cold and chilling. This was Yanluo Earth, possessing extraordinary properties and highly effective against spectral beings. Duan De was using evil to counter evil! The effect was remarkable. The moment the Yanluo Earth appeared, all surrounding ghouls retreated; not a single one dared to approach, leaving the immediate vicinity a clear space. The Monkey and others frantically tore off severed ghost hands from themselves. There had simply been too many ghosts moments before, an endless tide. Though their strength was immense, and they had crushed thousands, they were still overwhelmed. Ahead, fluctuations from several Saint Weapons emanated, indicating that the divine dynasties and sacred lands wielding powerful artifacts were driven to frenzy. So many ghosts meant anyone entering would meet their bitter end; only ancient saintly might could deter them.

"Roar..." The thirty-fourth temple's small world trembled as a massive, piercing ghost howl echoed, making both heaven and earth rumble. From the black mountain's mouth, a Ghost King crawled out, its hair disheveled, its two eye sockets gleaming like divine lamps. It was hundreds of feet tall, far more colossal than other ghouls. In just a few strides, it descended the mountain, one foot stomping down, causing mountains and rivers to crumble. "That's a Great Accomplishment Ghost King! Be careful!" a shocked cry came from ahead.

With a hum, a Saint Weapon was unleashed, striking forward. However, the Great Accomplishment Ghost King also wielded a weapon: a bone staff that was, in fact, a damaged Saint Weapon. Under its control, it possessed unparalleled power. With a thunderous boom, tens of thousands of ghosts across the mountains were pulverized, but human cultivators and ancient races also suffered heavy losses. This ghostly entity was incredibly malevolent. It shattered its bone staff, a damaged Saint Weapon, to unleash astonishing saintly might, sweeping through the front lines. Burning its weapon spirit to destroy its enemies – this was a truly decisive and ruthless act, performed without a moment's hesitation. This Ghost King's ferocity was truly terrifying. The Great Accomplishment Ghost King had already sustained severe injuries and was near death, having been blasted back into the black volcano's crater, where it fell. However, soon after, over a dozen more Ghost Kings climbed out, wrapped in iron chains, crowding the mountain's mouth. They spewed dark light downwards, and chains of order spread through every inch of space, strangling everyone.

"Boom!" At the most critical moment, the Central Plains' foremost offensive Emperor Weapon appeared: the Grand Emperor Sword. It transformed into an ancestral dragon, its head forming the sword tip, its body the blade, and its tail the hilt, then slashed down vertically. There was no suspense. An ancient Great Emperor's weapon possessed unrivaled power, shattering the void as it split the entire black mountain in two. The deafening roar made almost everyone collapse to the ground. The moment the Grand Emperor Sword, the foremost offensive Emperor Weapon, appeared, winds and clouds shifted, and the sky lost its color; nothing could withstand its presence. It was devastating. All the countless ghouls were instantly annihilated, and the mountain, split in two, quickly turned to ashes.

Beneath the black mountain, now reduced to ashes, was a gigantic black hole. Looking down, ancient structures were visible within the earth's veins, including a towering divine palace – the passage to the thirty-fifth temple's small world. No one dared to rush ahead. Great Xia's Grand Emperor Sword hovered in the air like an eternal immortal light, deterring everyone and sweeping aside all opposition. A group of Great Xia's imperial family members were the first to descend underground. Within the ancient vein, ghouls were endless, and an ancient temple stood in their midst. This place was indeed connected to the Central Plains' former first ancestral vein, only its dragon qi had transformed into ghostly qi. Deep within the earth's veins were countless withered bones and shattered armor that crumbled to dust at a mere touch. All of them were dead soldiers, transformed into myriad malevolent spirits. Ghostly chirps filled the air, and Ghost Kings lurked within. This was an extremely dangerous place; hundreds of thousands, even millions, of military souls clawed and gnashed, making passage through them perilous. However, with the Grand Emperor Sword hovering overhead, no ghost dared to approach. The members of Great Xia's imperial family successively pushed open the temple's doors and entered the thirty-fifth small world.

"Roar..." The moment the Ultimate Emperor Weapon vanished, all sorts of ghosts began to roar. Everyone's expressions turned grim. The various sacred lands quickly unleashed their Saint Weapons and rushed into the temple, lest heaven know how many military souls would emerge. If Great Xia's ancient armies had all perished here, then even tens of millions of ghost soldiers appearing would not be an exaggeration; the thought alone sent shivers down one's spine. "Let's go," Qi Luo said, "Don't use the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Pot unless absolutely necessary. Save it for a critical moment. For now, let's leverage the divine might of these other groups." "Be careful," the Monkey grinned, his great staff gleaming with dark light, "We need to watch out for powerful enemies and try to eliminate the Heavenly Sovereign's Son, Hua Yunfei, Li Xiaoman, and others!"

The thirty-fifth small world was eerily quiet. Ahead, magnificent palaces lay in deathly silence, and all who had entered stood motionless, not a sound to be heard. The various sacred lands, divine dynasties, and primeval tribes all observed in silence. The atmosphere here was extraordinary; everyone sensed something deeply eerie.

Finally, someone moved, stepping forward. The grand ancient palaces featured many stone carvings. The ancient carvings depicted the stone figure seen earlier in the shrine, and the myths and legends revolved around him. Within the ancient palace halls, there were also true statues, likewise of that individual, resembling a Buddha yet also an old farmer, indistinct and hazy. "This must truly be the progenitor of the Feathered Divine Dynasty; the legendary Feathered Great Emperor might actually exist..." Everyone felt a chill.

"You've arrived..." Suddenly, a voice emanated from an ancient palace hall. A young Taoist boy, seemingly only eleven or twelve, walked out, yet his voice was incredibly ancient. On the other side, a fair-faced girl, looking down from another magnificent palace, also surveyed them. "Your audacity is truly considerable," she said. Her appearance was pure and innocent, but her voice sounded like an old woman's.

"Who are you?" people exclaimed in alarm. The appearance of two such Taoist children in this place was too bizarre. They weren't ghosts; they were flesh-and-blood humans speaking to them. "Don't you know? Haven't you already seen us in the stone carvings?" the two old-voiced Taoist children replied. Everyone shivered, staring at the stone carvings within the palace halls. Cold sweat immediately broke out. Next to the stone figures believed to be the Feathered Great Emperor, there were always two Taoist children whose appearance was identical to theirs!

"These are... two living beings, bearing the marks of ages, imbued with the aura of an ancient Great Emperor!" The Black Dog trembled. Having experienced much, it immediately realized something profound. "The Feathered Great Emperor's Taoist children?!" Everyone was stunned. "The Feathered Great Emperor... is still alive? Where is he...?" Many people felt their hair stand on end. Sometimes, living beings were far more terrifying than ghosts. "The Feathered Great Emperor is immortal and naturally endures in the world," the two Taoist children said coldly. "You have disturbed his slumber."