Chapter 72: Coffin from the Otherworld of Kunlun

Cang Li then introduced Li Weiwei to everyone, recounting the fierce battle by the Sui River a month ago. However, the conversation quickly shifted to the epic clash between Cang Li and the Dragon Gate inheritor at the Sui River.

After listening for a while, Li Weiwei realized that these events had transpired after his escape that night.

Completely marginalized, Li Songlin led Li Weiwei away.

He smiled, "Don't take it personally! You know, no older brother is ever truly pleased with his sister's beloved; they always try to find fault with you. But the fact that he carried the booklet of insights on opening the Nine Springs shows he's still thoughtful."

"It's just that Xue Zheng's earlier public display was likely distorted and spread through rumors, which is why he has a strong opinion of you."

"Young people, especially those with talent as exceptional as his, are very proud, so their words naturally become a bit sharp."

"However, there's one thing he said that I agree with: You must strive. If your ancestral field remains unbroken, how can you defeat Xue Zheng?"

"Since Cang Li's emergence, the Nine Li Tribe is now very concerned with the victories and losses of the younger generation. They aim to rise again in his generation and completely suppress the Sui Sect, the Three Chen Palaces, the Tianyi Gate, and the Coffin Sea Pavilion."

"Fourth Uncle, don't worry, I will give my all to reach the Ninth Spring," Li Weiwei said calmly. He put away the booklet Cang Li had given him.

He didn't really need it, given he had three ancient master teachers. However, refusing Cang Li in that setting—the foremost talent of the Li Province's younger generation—how could he possibly have saved face?

Li Ling caught up to him. "I'll explain everything clearly to my brother! It's all just baseless rumors they're spreading. How could you possibly be afraid of someone like Xue Zheng?"

Li Weiwei seemed indifferent, not caring about their opinions.

He only cared about avenging the pursuit by Xue Zheng, Tang Yan, and the others.

On the stone bridge ahead, a woman in her early thirties approached. She wore an outer robe with cloud patterns, a white silk inner garment, and wide sleeves embroidered with leaf motifs.

"Mother!"

Li Ling, who had been as lively as a gazelle, instantly became a motionless quail, lowering her head and subtly hiding behind Li Songlin.

"Sister-in-law," Li Songlin said, bowing with clasped fists.

Li Weiwei naturally knew his place and followed suit, bowing without directly looking at the young woman.

But even with a quick glance, he could tell she possessed a Pure Immortal Body, with few signs of age on her face and an exceptionally sharp gaze.

Without any preamble or pleasantries, the young woman asked, "What are your plans next?"

Of the three present, it was clear the question wasn't directed at Li Songlin or Li Ling.

Li Weiwei answered truthfully, "For now, I only wish to cultivate diligently for a period and strive to reach the Ninth Spring Ancestral Field."

"You may stay at the Jujube Plum Manor for now."

When Li Weiwei looked up again, Li Ling's mother, Qin Dan, had already departed, having spoken only two sentences from beginning to end. He said, "Fourth Uncle, I feel like you've set me up. I shouldn't have come to Jujube Plum Manor."

Li Songlin chuckled, "Feeling the pressure, aren't you? To tell you the truth, our Li family's matriarch rarely makes appearances. Even I feel pressured, let alone you."

The head of Cang Li Tribe's direct lineage was Cang Li and Li Ling's father, Li Songgu.

Of course, the family head is not the clan leader.

The family head presides over the clan mansion in Nine Li City, while the clan leader presides over Ancestral Mountain.

"They're opening an Outer Realm Coffin! The family head is going to open an Outer Realm Coffin!"

"I just heard an Outer Realm Coffin would be opened tonight, so I came specifically to join the fun."

"Is there a joyous occasion?"

"Never mind that, the Cang Li family head's coffin-opening technique is easily among the top ten in Li Province; few among the older generation are stronger than him. Today, we're certainly in for a spectacle."

Not only the young cultivators but also some middle-aged figures who had heard the news all surged towards the back courtyard.

Li Ling was a bit surprised. "What's gotten into my father? It's been some time since he personally opened a coffin, hasn't it?"

Li Songlin chuckled, "I suspect your father simply wants to show off his skill in front of his future son-in-law, to display his capabilities and prevent the son-in-law from mistakenly believing rumors that the matriarch truly rules the Li family."

Li Weiwei, of course, didn't believe that for a second.

However, he did feel a genuine curiosity about Outer Realm Coffins.

It was said that even the most ordinary Outer Realm Coffin was worth tens of millions of copper coins, enough to buy a mansion in Nine Li City. They were treasures only grand cultivators could afford.

The Nine Li Tribe had become incredibly wealthy by salvaging Outer Realm Coffins.

As it happened, he had fifteen Outer Realm Coffins, meticulously selected by his coffin masters at the Blood Sea Coffin Dock, hidden within his Evil Camel Bell, and he had long intended to sell them.

"You two go and see first; the Outer Realm Coffin being opened today is quite rare and might contain something extraordinary," Li Songlin said with a meaningful smile.

By the time Li Weiwei and Li Ling reached the back courtyard, it was already packed with people.

The central area where the Outer Realm Coffin was displayed was surrounded by an impenetrable crowd.

The two didn't try to push their way to the center but found a higher vantage point from which to observe from afar.

The Outer Realm Coffin, surrounded by the crowd, was of normal sarcophagus size and made of black wood. As laymen, none of the cultivators present could discern its rare qualities.

However, Outer Realm Coffins were all salvaged from the Blood Sea, having been submerged for an unknown number of years. If it were truly made of ordinary wood, how could it have been preserved so perfectly?

Standing beside the Outer Realm Coffin was Li Songgu, a man who appeared to be in his forties. He was quite slender, dressed in simple green robes, with a square head covering and sideburns that reached his shoulders, looking very spirited and possessing a scholarly demeanor.

His gaze lightly swept across the crowd, and then he formed a hand seal.

Whoosh!

The spiritual light eye on his forehead opened, and an aurora-like mist of spiritual light erupted from him, stretching towards the sky. A powerful aura enveloped the area several yards around the Outer Realm Coffin.

"Scatter Cinnabar of Crimson Light, just in case," he commanded softly.

Two elderly assistants sprinkled a reddish-crimson earth onto the Outer Realm Coffin.

After the Cinnabar of Crimson Light fell onto the spiritual mist veil conjured by Li Songgu, it automatically slid down, forming a circle about three yards in diameter on the ground.

Li Ling whispered, "This is to prevent the presence of departed spirits within the coffin! If any spirits try to rush out, the Cinnabar of Crimson Light will contain them within the circle."

Thump! Thump! Thump...

Li Songgu, still forming hand seals, tapped on the Outer Realm Coffin from various directions. He tapped the bottom twelve times in particular.

With each tap, ripples of spiritual light spread outwards.

A moment later, he furrowed his brow and said, "Based on my many years of experience opening coffins, this is an Outer Realm Coffin from Kunlun. The wood, perhaps divine timber, holds extraordinary medicinal value on its own, comparable to a thousand-year-old essence medicine."

The entire courtyard erupted in astonishment!

All the cultivators in the courtyard were stunned.

The coffin boards were thousand-year-old essence medicine?

Even an ounce of thousand-year-old essence medicine could fetch an exorbitant price.

How many pounds did this coffin weigh? How much would it be worth?

Li Weiwei naturally felt a surge of desire. If he could obtain even a pound of the coffin board to feed his seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, it might be enough to raise their combat power to a level comparable to a Five Seas Realm martial cultivator.

Of course, this was assuming the Outer Realm Coffin truly was comparable to a thousand-year-old essence medicine.

Li Songgu, sensing the crowd's disbelief, took an artifact-grade dagger from an elderly assistant and made a cut on the top of the sarcophagus.

The artifact could only leave a shallow mark.

From the shallow mark, a faint auspicious glow emanated. Those with keen senses noticed that the surrounding plants and trees were visibly affected, becoming even more verdant.

Gasps of surprise echoed through the courtyard, and many people's eyes glowed with envy and excitement.

Li Songgu's expression turned solemn. "Indeed, just as the legends say, this Outer Realm Coffin cannot be opened further!"

After setting up such a grand display and tapping it for a while, he wouldn't open it after all!

What did that mean?

Li Songgu, with cultured grace, clasped his fists and apologized, "It's not that I don't want to open it; rather, my current spiritual power isn't sufficient to control it. This kind of divine timber sarcophagus from Kunlun was once opened by a Nine Li elder..."

He stopped mid-sentence and said, "Never mind, this matter is too significant; it's better for you to know less. Pack it up, quickly pack it up, and transport it back to Ancestral Mountain as soon as possible."

Let alone the other cultivators present, even Li Weiwei could barely suppress the urge to curse aloud.

He was very interested in this Outer Realm Coffin, which was comparable to a thousand-year-old essence medicine, but he was even more intrigued by "Kunlun." After all, in Earth's myths and legends, Kunlun was the most mysterious place, the mountain of gods.

Why would the name be such a coincidence?

Once everyone had dispersed, Li Weiwei actively stepped forward to pay his respects, performing the junior's bow.

Li Songgu, with a very pleasant and kind demeanor, said, "You must be Li Weiwei? I've heard the Fourth speak of you. Very good, yes, very good indeed."

Li Weiwei, truly fed up with the scrutinizing gazes he'd received all evening, eagerly asked, "May I ask, Family Head, how do you determine where an Outer Realm Coffin comes from?"

Li Songgu was quite talkative and explained in detail, "Everyone believes the most precious things inside Outer Realm Coffins are the secret treasures, the funerary artifacts, or the remains of the deceased. But I believe the most valuable items in the coffins are the books and records. You should know that although the scripts on these records vary, they can be deciphered using spiritual power."

"The various books and records found within the coffins document and describe real, existing worlds. However, no one knows where these worlds are located."

"I truly wish to step out in my lifetime and search for those worlds described in the Outer Realm Coffins. Alas, the Gloomy Realm is vast, and the Blood Sea boundless... Well, I'm getting off track. It's like this: as long as one has enough experience and has examined enough information, determining the origin of an Outer Realm Coffin is not difficult."

Li Weiwei asked, "Have the words 'Kunlun' ever appeared in the texts of any Outer Realm Coffins?"

"Kunlun should be a Great Realm, and there are quite a few Outer Realm Coffins from there. However, this particular one is too special, with extraordinary wood, so it shouldn't be disturbed carelessly," Li Songgu replied.

Li Weiwei pressed further, "Among the Outer Realm Coffins from Kunlun, are there any texts that mention words related to the Queen Mother of the West?"

Li Songgu's brows furrowed in thought. After careful recollection, he shook his head.

Li Weiwei, pondering myths and legends related to Kunlun, then asked, "What about Tianyong City? Or Xuanpu Palace?"

Li Songgu shook his head again.

Li Weiwei gave up. It seemed that while this world partially overlapped with Earth's myths and legends, they didn't align completely.

Li Ling rushed over, saying urgently, "Father, Uncle and Aunt are here! They've come to demand the unusual medicine infused with immortal mist that Fourth Uncle harvested, and they're already arguing. You should go and see!"

"How troublesome! What business is it of theirs that Fourth Uncle harvested some medicine? A family disgrace! Weiwei, please stay here for now. We'll have a proper chat about Outer Realm Coffins later tonight."

After sighing, Li Songgu walked quickly towards the covered corridor.

Li Weiwei glanced at the Outer Realm Coffin being carried away, then looked at Li Songgu's retreating back. Gradually, it dawned on him as he recalled everything that had just happened. He mused to himself, "Could this family head be deliberately fishing? This Outer Realm Coffin is certainly no ordinary bait."

Li Weiwei, of course, didn't think he was the one being fished for or tested. A small fry like him wasn't important enough for a family head to scheme so carefully.