Chapter 851: Meeting an Old Friend in the Coffin

Qin Mu gazed at the coffin, which was suspended in the air, not touching the ground. Diffused ethereal light drifted around the coffin and the stone well, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

Everything here seemed to be frozen in time; no other sounds could be heard. The dark coffin hung silently, directly aligned with the well's opening.

The ethereal light itself emanated from the well, appearing very soft and faint.

Qin Mu asked, bewildered, "Xing An, the coffin isn't open. So where did you find the token?"

The coffin remained wrapped in chains and was clearly unopened. As there was nothing else in the valley apart from this black coffin and the well, Qin Mu was rather confused.

Xing An set down the box, and it clicked open.

"The token was resting on top of the coffin."

Xing An employed an unknown technique. One demigod body after another spontaneously leaped out of the box. The box itself appeared agitated, thumping and jumping, as if trying to re-ingest these divine beings.

Moments later, hundreds of divine beings surrounded Qin Mu.

These divine beings were devoid of any aura, having been refined by Xing An.

Xing An raised his hands in sword-fingers, moving like a phantom. He tapped each demigod's glabella, then stood motionless.

"Open!"

His glabella suddenly split open, revealing a pitch-black eye. The eye swiveled, and black lines shot out from it, snaking like smoke in the air before piercing the demigods' glabella.

"A Youdu spell," Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise.

Xing An's vertical eye on his glabella bore a resemblance to Qin Mu's third eye, both serving to control Youdu's power. Yet, Xing An's eye was still rudimentary, lacking the sophistication of Qin Mu's third eye.

Nevertheless, there was something remarkably striking about Xing An's Youdu divine ability.

"Cult Master, he's imitating you," the Dragon Qilin whispered softly.

Qin Mu calmly replied, "Don't talk nonsense."

Despite his words, a sense of alarm arose in him. Xing An's vertical eye did indeed mimic his own, suggesting Xing An placed immense value on Qin Mu's physical body.

Given Xing An's disposition, he would stop at nothing to acquire anything he desired!

What startled him even more was the immense power of the demigods leaping from Xing An's box; they were all True God-realm beings, captured and refined to death by Xing An. This demonstrated the terrifying extent of Xing An's power.

As Xing An concluded his ritual, a demigod suddenly opened its gaping maw and devoured the demigod standing before it!

Qin Mu's heart jolted, but then he watched as another demigod swallowed the first, which was then consumed by yet another demigod from behind. In the blink of an eye, only one of the hundreds of demigods remained!

This phenomenon resembled a chain of consumption, where a larger fish eats a smaller one, only to be eaten by an even larger one.

The sole remaining demigod immediately leaped up, sprinting down the mountain directly towards the ancient well beneath the suspended coffin.

As the demigod ran, its flesh and blood continuously sloughed off. It barely reached halfway down the mountain before the power within the ethereal light transformed it into a running skeleton.

At that very moment, the skeleton exploded, and another demigod burst forth from the shattered remains, continuing its frantic sprint, only to swiftly dissolve into bones again within the ethereal light.

The bones exploded once more, releasing a third demigod, followed by a fourth, a fifth…

These demigods emerged one after another from the bones, rushing towards the ancient well as if in a relay race.

Xing An's expression grew tense as he counted under his breath. When he reached one hundred and seven, the last demigod reached the well's edge, then instantly dissolved into bones within the intense ethereal light.

The skeletal demigod then leaped and plunged into the well.

A faint thud echoed from inside the well.

Xing An exhaled in relief, picked up the box, and declared, "Another sword bridge is about to appear. Stay close to me! Now, jump!"

From within the well, a light suddenly ascended, taking the form of a sword gleam, though it had no substance. This sword gleam hovered in the air, its tip pointing downwards, suspended there.

Suddenly, the sword gleam shifted, and countless swords instantly materialized from all directions, spreading flatly. The expanding sword gleam vibrated, and then countless more swords fanned out. In an instant, the entire Fallen God Valley was blanketed with an uncountable number of swords.

The instant Xing An uttered "jump," Qin Mu sprang into the air. The Dragon Qilin, a step too slow and still processing, was immediately grabbed and lifted by Qin Mu.

Whoosh—

Sword gleams unfurled beneath their feet. Xing An landed lightly on the sword light and stated in a deep voice, "This sword light, which has now covered the valley, will soon vanish and sink back into the well. We must hurry!"

Qin Mu swiftly led the Dragon Qilin to the suspended coffin. Xing An then leaped onto it, declaring, "This is the only safe place."

Suddenly, the sword light that filled the entire valley abruptly retracted, pulling back into the single beam suspended over the well.

That single sword light slowly descended into the well, vanishing from sight. The ethereal light then reappeared, once again enshrouding the valley, but notably absent around the suspended coffin.

This ethereal light was extraordinarily bizarre; anyone stepping into it would find their flesh continuously dissolving, resulting in a gruesome demise.

Meanwhile, Yan Qiling, Mu Qiubai, and Heavenly Dragon King reached the cliff, observing Qin Mu and his companions from afar, each furrowing their brows.

Mu Qiubai erected and opened a portal, while Heavenly Dragon King roared furiously, strands of his dragon whiskers trailing backward. An incredibly suppressed and muffled sound reverberated through the air, revealing that the ancient dragon king, possessing immense brute strength, was forcefully drawing the entire world of the Fire Dragon Crows towards them!

"They are sacrificing lives; perhaps they can pile up enough to forge a path and activate the sword within the well. However, it's uncertain how many must perish to reach this point."

Xing An's eyes flickered as he turned to Qin Mu. "If Cult Master Qin were to arrive here without my guidance, how would you break this seal?"

Qin Mu pondered for a moment before replying, "I would attempt to discover and then decipher the divine abilities hidden within the ethereal light. If I could recognize those abilities, the light would no longer harm me."

Xing An offered a slight smile. "You still refuse to admit that you're not my equal. The token was found right here on top of this suspended coffin; take a look down."

Qin Mu looked down, slightly startled.

The coffin's top was quite spacious, roughly four paces square, allowing them to stand without feeling crowded. The surface was engraved with numerous beautiful patterns, and a line of small characters was inscribed alongside them.

Beside the small characters was a precisely shaped groove, perfectly designed to fit a Heavenly Venerate token.

Qin Mu read the inscription aloud: "'Opens when Qin, Mu meet.'"

He raised his head, regarding Xing An with a half-smile. "So, you gave me the token not merely to spare your life, but also to lure me here and open this suspended coffin for you. Xing An, you are remarkably cunning, truly killing two birds with one stone. The geographical map you drew for me was incomprehensible; I presume you tampered with it, deliberately making it illegible so that I would have no choice but to rely on you to bring me here."

Xing An smiled, clapping his hands with a chuckle. "It's too late for you to realize it now. You're already here, so what can you do? When I first arrived, I obtained that token and saw your name inscribed on the coffin. Even with the 'Qin' character token, I couldn't open it. Thus, I deduced that only you could use this token to open the suspended coffin, which is why I sought you out."

As the two of them stood atop the suspended coffin, countless Fire Dragon Crows and winged demigods surged frantically towards the ancient well below. However, as they entered the ethereal light, their flesh rapidly dissolved, leaving behind countless piles of white bones.

Even so, an endless stream of Fire Dragon Crows and winged demigods continued their desperate charge towards the ancient well. Below, the accumulating bones piled higher and higher, rattling and tumbling forward. Before long, the growing mound of bones would reach the well's opening.

"Fallen God Valley isn't vast; it's surrounded by mountains, making a thorough exploration easy. Yet, I've come to realize that Fallen God Valley is merely the entrance to the true treasure."

Xing An fixed his gaze on Qin Mu, remarking casually, "Cult Master Qin must act decisively, otherwise those powerful individuals can also trigger the sword light within the well by sacrificing hundreds of thousands of lives."

"Xing An, if you were to apply your intelligence and talent to righteous paths, your accomplishments would be no less than those of the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. Regrettably, you consistently employ your cleverness for nefarious purposes."

Qin Mu shook his head, then calmly produced his Heavenly Venerate Mu token. "The 'Qin' token you obtained is useless to me. The characters 'Qin Mu' on this coffin refer to two individuals: myself, and the true owner of the 'Qin' token. To open this coffin, I must personally use my own token."

He placed the token into the groove, where it perfectly clicked into place. At that very moment, a mountain of bones had accumulated below, reaching the edge of the ancient well, and several skeletons immediately tumbled into it.

From within the well, the sword gleam ascended once more, now suspended beneath the coffin.

The groove securely held the Heavenly Venerate Mu token. Chains began to rattle, and with a clatter, one chain disengaged and hung down, followed by another.

As Qin Mu stood on the suspended coffin, it began to sway, and more chains automatically disengaged. At the same moment, the sword light below suddenly burst forth, blanketing Fallen God Valley.

Heavenly Dragon King, Yan Qiling, Mu Qiubai, and the others instantly stepped onto the sword light, rushing towards the suspended coffin.

Finally, all the chains were fully released. The suspended coffin abruptly plunged downwards, and Qin Mu's feet found no purchase. He, along with the Dragon Qilin and Xing An, plummeted with a whoosh, enveloped in complete darkness.

"We've fallen into this suspended coffin!"

His shoulder throbbed with pain; the green sparrow, Yan'er, perched there, had grown tense and dug her talons into his flesh.

Qin Mu quickly patted Yan'er's back, prompting the green sparrow to realize what she was doing and release her talons.

They continued to fall. While the suspended coffin didn't appear large from the outside, its internal space was truly astonishing. Qin Mu looked up and saw a four-cornered light at the coffin's apex. The light then abruptly dimmed, and several more individuals, seizing the chance before the coffin fully closed, rushed inside.

The instant those few individuals plunged into the suspended coffin, it sealed shut.

The sound of splashing water echoed from outside, and Qin Mu's heart stirred. "This suspended coffin has fallen into the ancient well," he thought.

The upright suspended coffin descended into the well, sinking towards its depths. Even within the pitch-black, lightless interior of the coffin, they could perceive its accelerating plunge.

Furthermore, they continued to fall within the coffin itself, indicating the suspended coffin's astonishing depth.

Finally, Qin Mu saw a light emanating from below. He hastily activated his magic to stabilize himself. Moments later, he landed on solid ground. Looking up, he discovered that the suspended coffin's interior contained an octagonal pavilion, from which eight lanterns hung, casting a faint, eerie glow.

Xing An's heart tightened. He cautiously surveyed the pavilion but did not step forward.

This suspended coffin was far too strange; it contained no terrifying corpses, only a pavilion. Yet, he knew he had to proceed with extreme caution.

The pavilion was illuminated, but dense darkness enveloped its surroundings. Who knew if a green-haired corpse might suddenly leap out from the shadows?

Qin Mu, however, strode forward into the pavilion, where he found a stone table and four stone stools.

On the stone table rested two teacups and a teapot. One teacup was empty, while the other was full of steaming, emerald green tea.

Qin Mu sat on the side with the full teacup, lifted it with both hands, cupped his fist towards the opposite side, and lowered his head, greeting the empty air.

He raised his head, his heart brimming with emotion. "When we first met, you called me 'junior brother,' and I always treated you harshly; you even accused me of arrogance. You didn't know we were separated by over a hundred generations, but I did. You must have realized it later when you encountered Niu Ben and Niu Sanduo again. Did you leave this cup of tea, wishing to drink with me?"

Xing An walked over, stating coldly, "Cult Master Qin, you dare to drink tea here? Be careful, it might be poisoned!"

Qin Mu tilted his head back and drained the cup in one gulp, his heart stirring with profound emotion. The tea was tart yet pleasantly sweet, and still warm, as if the person on the opposite side had just poured it for him and then departed.

With a complex expression, Qin Mu set down his teacup, picked up the teapot, and filled the empty teacup opposite him with green tea, then poured another cup for himself. He whispered, "How I wish you could be sitting across from me, drinking with me. Alas, you are not here."

He tilted his head back and finished his cup. Though it was only tea, he felt a strange, tipsy sensation as he drank alone, murmuring, "Will you return?"

Although the seat opposite was empty, Xing An still dared not sit, opting instead to stand outside the pavilion.

At that moment, Yan Qiling and Mu Qiubai descended, accompanied by several maids who vigilantly surveyed their surroundings. Heavenly Dragon King also landed with several powerful subordinates from Earth Mother's command, their eyes flaring with divine light that pierced the darkness, searching for any dangers nearby.

Yan Qiling, Mu Qiubai, and Heavenly Dragon King's gazes converged on Qin Mu, who sat alone, drinking at the stone table.

The green sparrow on Qin Mu's shoulder flew up, landing on an adjacent stone stool and transforming into a gentle, charming young girl. She picked up the teapot to pour tea for Qin Mu, then held the teacup to his lips.

With the beauty by his side, her red sleeves brushing against him, Qin Mu seemed rather uninhibited.

"Fallen God Valley conceals a profound secret."

Mu Qiubai suddenly stated, "My fellow disciples and I are here by His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor's command to explore this place. Heavenly Dragon King, you must be here under the orders of Earth Mother Yuanjun, correct? Earth Mother Yuanjun has long resided in Yuandu, so the secrets of Fallen God Valley would naturally not escape her."

Heavenly Dragon King remained silent for a moment, then replied, "Earth Mother informed me that a Heavenly Venerate is buried here, and she sent me to locate this Heavenly Venerate."

Suddenly, Xing An twitched his nose, asking with a hint of confusion, "Are you here to seek this deceased Heavenly Venerate, and did you perhaps bring someone else with you?"

Everyone paused, slightly taken aback.

Xing An continued, "I detect the aura of another individual. Did someone perhaps slip in behind you while you were entering the suspended coffin?"

The moment he spoke, everyone instantly sensed another presence within the suspended coffin, and they grew tense.

They were all formidable experts; who could have managed to slip in behind them without detection?

"There's no need to be nervous, everyone."

A laugh echoed from the darkness, gradually approaching the pavilion. Slowly, a young face became illuminated by the pavilion's lantern light.

It was a familiar face, beaming with smiles, who bowed to everyone and chuckled, "I mean no harm; I merely came to visit an old friend."

"Crack!" The teacup in Qin Mu's hand suddenly shattered, spraying tea everywhere.

His chest heaved violently. The face that had emerged from the darkness was none other than "Heavenly Venerate Yu"—the spitting image of Lan Yutian!