Chapter 611: Opening the Box

Qin Mu and Zhe Huali felt a slight tremor in their hearts and hastily looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a hand taking the small casket. The hand belonged to a broad-shouldered, round-waisted man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, who wore a bamboo hat and carried a large axe on his back.

He resembled a woodcutter who had just set down his bundle of firewood, yet his demeanor exuded the profound temperament of a scholar. His appearance and aura were completely contradictory.

The small casket, held in his hand, appeared tiny.

"Woodcutter Sage!" Qin Mu's heart filled with joy.

Zhe Huali was greatly startled. "Celestial Master!"

On the other side, Qi Jiuyi, still kneeling, secretly raised his eyes, his heart pounding. "The one who blood-sacrificed Luofutian and forced Furi Luo to sign the Pact of Tu Bo with him!"

He quietly stood up and retreated, wanting to leave but not daring to.

Chi Xi, with his three heads and six arms, his body withered and gaunt, managed to raise his head to examine the woodcutter. He sneered, "You want it? Do you dare to take it?"

The Woodcutter Sage held the square casket, examining it from top to bottom. "Why wouldn't I dare? Your cultivation hasn't recovered, nor has your physical body. If you were at your peak, I'd concede three points to you. But in your current state, I don't even have the desire to fight you. Here—"

He cut his wrist, and divine blood flowed from the wound.

Chi Xi stared at the flowing divine blood and could no longer restrain himself. He immediately opened his mouth, and the divine blood from the woodcutter's wrist flew towards his three mouths.

Upon receiving the woodcutter's divine blood, his shriveled and gaunt body visibly began to swell. Blood circulated, his heart beat with increasing loudness, and his withered internal organs rapidly recovered.

His vitality steadily increased, his face slowly turned rosy, and he gradually regained his original appearance.

Chi Xi could also be considered a distinguished-looking middle-aged man. The three faces on his three heads were identical, all with sword-like eyebrows. The killing intent between his brows was very strong, likely due to his past role as the executioner of the Scarlet Light Heavenly Court.

His aura steadily intensified, soon causing Qin Mu, Zhe Huali, and Qi Jiuyi to sway and forcing them to retreat.

By the time Chi Xi had almost fully recovered, the wound on the Woodcutter Sage's wrist slowly healed, no longer bleeding.

"Your primordial spirit has withered for twenty thousand years; take your time to recover it."

The Woodcutter Sage's gaze remained fixed on the small casket, never truly looking at Chi Xi directly. After a moment, he asked, "Qin Mu, where did this small casket come from?"

Qin Mu replied, "My senior disciple brother found it."

"He?"

The Woodcutter Sage asked in surprise, "Where is he?"

"My senior disciple brother has never appeared. I found the evil dragon he suppressed in a ruin in the Great Ruins and slew it. The star sand in his cauldron, used to suppress the evil dragon, then revealed many geographical maps, but he still didn't show himself."

Qin Mu quickly explained the entire sequence of events. "The geography around the God-Slaying Platform on this anomalous star was one of those maps. I followed the map, came here, and found the small casket. Senior Disciple Brother used the Heaven Revolving Star Slaughter Array to trap the small casket and left behind a series of calculation puzzles. I solved them and found the answer was three hundred and fifty thousand years."

"Three hundred and fifty thousand years..."

The Woodcutter Sage pondered, muttering, "Why would that fool leave another puzzle? Is he trying to give me a hint? What's the meaning of him leaving so many geographical maps... These maps weren't left for you, they were left for me. He wants me to follow the maps to find the clues he left. Your finding the maps he left was a coincidence."

Qin Mu said, "Three hundred and fifty thousand years ago was the Scarlet Light Era. This Senior Chi Xi is from three hundred and fifty thousand years ago."

The Woodcutter Sage nodded. "I know. The moment I saw his three-headed, six-armed form, I knew he was from the Scarlet Light Era. I once found some ruins from that era and discovered that people of that time considered a three-headed, six-armed body to be the strongest, possessing immense divine power, capable of moving mountains, filling seas, and chasing stars and moons. This small casket also originates from that era, and its form is similar to the so-called Celestial Court's God-Slaying Profound Blade. I wonder who imitated whom."

Qi Jiuyi dared not speak, but sneered inwardly, "It must be the Scarlet Light Heavenly Court that imitated our Heavenly Court's God-Slaying Profound Blade!"

Qin Mu thought for a moment, then took out the military token that Elder Qinghuang had given him. "Sage, Senior Disciple Brother left this item with Elder Qinghuang. Elder Qinghuang also doesn't know which era this military token is from."

The Woodcutter Sage took the military token, examined it, and chuckled. "Elder Qinghuang? You mean Qing Huang, right? That old fellow has a bad temper and ignores everyone, but his heart is surprisingly kind and warm. Did he speak ill of me behind my back?"

Qin Mu hastily shook his head and said seriously, "No! Absolutely not! Elder Qinghuang spoke very kindly, was benevolent, treated me with great hospitality, and bid me a reluctant farewell. He didn't scold anyone!"

"Nonsense! He definitely did. He wouldn't just scold me; he'd scold Emperor Kai as well, and he'd definitely try to drive you away!"

The Woodcutter Sage tossed the military token back to him and smiled. "I know his temper very well. I can't tell the origin of this military token either, nor when it was left. You keep it for now."

"Wait!"

Chi Xi's gaze fell upon the military token in Qin Mu's hand. He said in a deep voice, "Let me see that military token; I might recognize it!"

Qin Mu looked at the woodcutter, who nodded slightly.

Qin Mu stepped forward and handed the military token to Chi Xi. Chi Xi examined it repeatedly and said, "This is a military token from the Dragon Han Era. There were many ruins from the Dragon Han Era even during the Scarlet Light Era, and I've seen things like this. Here, child, your token."

Qin Mu took the military token back, puzzled. "What was Senior Disciple Brother's intention in entrusting a Dragon Han Era military token to Elder Qinghuang? Elder Qinghuang was the Eastern Lord of the Kaihuang Era, and Senior Disciple Brother asking him to keep it suggests he attached great importance to it. Is there some secret hidden within military tokens of the Dragon Han Era?"

The Woodcutter Sage chuckled. "Since he left many geographical maps, just follow them to search. This kid will unravel the secret sooner or later."

Qin Mu assented.

Chi Xi calmly stated, "Friend, this small casket belongs to my Scarlet Light Heavenly Court. Please return it to me. Since you gifted me your blood, the conflict between this child and I is now cleared."

The Woodcutter Sage finally turned his head to look at Chi Xi, stating seriously, "Old friend, this small casket was left for me by my eldest disciple, so it is mine. It's impossible for me to give it to you. I gave you my blood because I was afraid you'd cause trouble, and I didn't want to hit you, so I let you recover some of your cultivation. If you do cause trouble, I'll hit you. I just forced Venerable Furi Luo to retreat after realizing the difficulty, and upon finding you here, I see you bullying my disciple and these two juniors. That's not very becoming of an elder, and I'm a little displeased with you."

Chi Xi sneered. His physical body and primordial spirit had not fully recovered, and he was quite wary of the woodcutter. "Even if you have my small casket, it's useless. Without the runic array of my Scarlet Light Heavenly Court, you can't open the lock."

The Woodcutter Sage smiled. The small casket floated up from his rough, large hand. His fingers danced, and peculiar runic symbols burst forth from his fingertips, one after another, disappearing into the casket. He calmly said, "I've dabbled in too many things, which has delayed my cultivation. However, I've visited the ruins of the Scarlet Light Era a few times, so I have some understanding of your era's runes."

Clicking and clacking sounds of unlocking came from within the small casket, growing increasingly frequent. It seemed that various latches were opening, and lock cores were retracting.

Chi Xi's expression changed drastically. He took a step forward, his aura surging, on the verge of striking, but he held back!

Meanwhile, Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi's faces turned ashen. They inwardly thought, "This is bad." The Woodcutter Sage was an enemy of both the Heavenly Court and the Demon Race. If he opened the God-Slaying Profound Blade, he would surely perform a blade sacrifice!

Every time the Heavenly Court's God-Slaying Profound Blade was opened, a sacrifice was required, using human blood to nourish its blade-light!

"This woodcutter seems to have a good demeanor, but I hope he sacrifices that three-headed, six-armed fellow instead of us."

They felt both fear and a hint of anticipation, eager to witness this fierce weapon, hidden within the casket, that could awe gods and devils!

Suddenly, the small casket made a soft click and opened a crack.

Instantly, a torrential crimson light erupted from the casket, bathing everyone nearby, turning their eyebrows and whiskers fiery red, and even their hair red.

In the sky, blood-red clouds surged, swirling like molten blood. The very center of this crimson vortex directly corresponded to the small casket!

Although the casket emitted a warm, blood-red hue, everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The malevolent aura emanating from the casket caused their primordial spirits to freeze, rendering them immobile. Their souls were completely frozen, as if any movement would trigger a blade light to strike and slay them!

"What a fierce weapon!"

The Woodcutter Sage's expression was solemn. He lifted the small casket and, with his other hand on its lid, said in a deep voice, "You've been fighting over this small casket for a long time, haven't you? Today, I shall open it for you to see!"

Chi Xi's face showed fear. He rapidly retreated and fled into the distance.

Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali wanted to leave but couldn't, only able to watch helplessly as the Woodcutter Sage opened the casket!

As the casket slowly opened, the Woodcutter Sage's expression grew increasingly solemn, and his hands trembled slightly, clearly struggling immensely.

He was suppressing the fierce power within the small casket. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar, fully unleashing his strength to suppress the malevolent aura and open the casket!

Qin Mu, Zhe Huali, and Qi Jiuyi involuntarily looked at the casket, only to see that there was indeed a human head inside this tiny container!

The head had no skin, as if its face and scalp had been peeled off. Yet, no blood was visible; the flesh beneath the skin was crystal white, seemingly composed of light.

From the back of its head, numerous tentacles, resembling both blood vessels and flesh, connected to the inner walls of the casket, as if they had grown together with it.

It was unknown what sorcery the Scarlet Light Heavenly Court had used to integrate the head of an Imperial Throne expert with the casket.

The crystal-like head was still alive. It opened its eyes, revealing a misty white light within them, contained yet not emitted. There were no black pupils, only white, as if it were not substantial.

Light emanated from its eyes, about a foot long, flickering between shorter and longer.

The tentacles behind the head continuously vibrated, producing a rustling sound, like an insect beating its membranous wings. The head seemed extremely excited, eager to kill and drink blood!

Qin Mu observed that where the tentacles met the head, there were indeed extremely thin membranous wings.

The Woodcutter Sage closed the casket, breathing heavily. Opening the casket and controlling its bloodthirsty, malevolent power was more exhausting than his fierce battle with Furi Luo!

"Sage, aren't you going to sacrifice the blade?" Qin Mu glanced at Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali, then asked.