Chapter 28
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At the same time.
The ninth level of the Ding Xian Ling underground palace.
At the moment when the thunderous roar outside rang out, the heavy thousand-ton Xuan iron stone door finally closed, blocking the densely packed group of corpses on the tomb passage behind the door. With a crisp sound, Yuchi Rui plunged his sword into the bronze floor, barely supporting his body in the intense shaking, and coughed up a mouthful of blood, exhausted.
“What did you just say?” he finally had a chance to ask, “There are four coffins on this level?”
Ying Kai sat down on the ground, his robe soaked with blood from the fight, torn and tattered by the corpses, looking miserable. For a while, he couldn’t speak, and only after a moment did he cough up a few mouthfuls of blood, feeling weak. He fumbled and lit a match.
“It’s nothing,” Yuchi Rui was about to stop him, but he waved his hand wearily, indicating that it was okay, “This fire won’t disturb them. When they don’t smell the breath of the living, they will naturally disperse, and then we can find an opportunity to break out.”
The tremors gradually subsided, and the small space in the tomb passage was illuminated by the match. Behind them was a black Xuan iron stone door blocking the group of corpses, and in front of them was another more magnificent and spectacular door, made of pure gold and towering into the darkness.
Ying Kai stared at the huge door for a long time, holding the gleaming and cold Mountain Ocean Order Sword in one hand. After a while, he smiled bitterly and said, “Do you know why I proposed that all the major families and sects jointly build the Ding Xian Ling, Changsheng?”
Yuchi Rui didn’t hesitate to answer, “To demonstrate the power of the Yang Xuan Sect and make the world bow in worship.”
But Ying Kai shook his head, “No, the reason lies behind that.”
Yuchi Rui followed his gaze, and the dark light of the golden giant door was reflected in his eyes.
“In the current era, the number of cultivators is uncertain. It is rare for someone to establish a foundation, and even more fortunate to form a golden core. Crossing the immortalization realm, ranking among the grandmasters, is extremely rare. Even if one becomes a grandmaster, hardly anyone in history has been able to overcome the heavenly tribulation and ascend smoothly.”
“So those predecessors who failed to ascend to immortality, no matter how many years they lived, eventually died like mortals, passing away.”
“—–The problem is, some of those predecessors didn’t really die.” Ying Kai paused and said, “They are in between the living and the dead.”
Yuchi Rui already got the answer, looking at the faint screams coming from the stone door, “They play dead?”
“More accurately, it’s called ‘corpse fright.'” Ying Kai said, “Shuangce and I often traveled together when we were young, and we found cases of ‘corpse fright’ in some major families and sects. When descendants go down to the tomb to worship, the breath of the living rushes into the tomb, and the corpses immediately rise up, biting and killing the living descendants. But because only grandmaster-level cultivators can startle corpses, this secret has been kept within a very small number of high-level members of major families until sixteen years ago.”
“The year of the Ascension Immortal Platform…?” Yuchi Rui frowned.
“Yes. After the first snowfall in deep winter that year, a giant mirror coffin was found abandoned in the depths of Dai Mountain.”
Yuchi Rui’s expression changed slightly.
“The mirror coffin was half a zhang high and weighed over a thousand jin. Its six sides were all made of mosaic mirror pieces, making it impossible to see inside. No one knew where it came from, but it appeared in the deep mountains and old forests where no one had ever been, with the deceased’s name and an ancient seal engraved in blood on the coffin lid, which had been worn out and could only vaguely make out half of the character ‘Qu.'”
“‘Qu’?” Yuchi Rui asked.
“Yes, but there are no families in the major sects with the surname Qu. Just as I was secretly investigating the origin of the mirror coffin, there was a new development.”
“What?”
The light of the torch reflected on Ying Kai’s handsome face, his expression somewhat somber.
“After the mirror coffin appeared in the world, on the seventh day, a daoist spiritual master of the Chengshu Palace passed away, and when he was buried, he startled the corpses, causing them to kill and injuring more than ten people. Over half a month later, the descendants of the Changsun family died prematurely, and when they were startled on the seventh day, they were taken down by Changsun Chengfeng himself.”
“Since then, whenever a member of the Xuanmen dies, regardless of age, they invariably startle the corpses, without exception, resulting in heavy casualties.”
There was silence in the tomb passage for a long time.
Yuchi Rui stared blankly, as if seriously contemplating something. After a while, he said firmly:
“My family doesn’t have it.”
“…” Ying Kai weakly said, “Changsheng, that’s because no one in your family died back then, okay?”
Yuchi Rui nodded, then repeated arrogantly, “There’s none in my family.”
Ying Kai sighed and rubbed his forehead, then after a while, wisely decided not to argue with him.
“Anyway, the disaster of the corpses being disturbed by unknown forces has reached a point where I alone cannot cover it up. If this scandal spreads, not only will there be panic and chaos within the Xuanmen, but also ordinary people will inevitably view cultivators as ferocious beasts, and seeking immortality as demonic and evil.”
“Therefore, after secret discussions with Changsun Chengfeng of the Iron Sect, I proposed that all the ancestors’ remains of the various sects be relocated to Mount Dai, where the Ding Xian Ling was constructed. Then, strict laws would be enacted to seal it off, strictly prohibiting the living from entering the tomb. If someone must enter the tomb, it is best for only one or two people to go, to avoid the risk of disturbing the corpses.”
“In the deepest level of the tomb, the ninth layer, I constructed this pure gold heavy gate and personally placed four coffins inside.”
“Is the Mirror Coffin inside?” Yuchi Rui asked immediately.
“Yes, the first one is indeed the Mirror Coffin, the epitome of evil,” Ying Kai said slowly. “Cast in molten copper, sealed with gold, I personally performed the rites and sent it into the tomb, never to see the light of day again, putting an end to the disturbances caused by the corpses.”
Yuchi Rui nodded thoughtfully and asked, “What about the other three?”
Ying Kai countered, “Have you ever heard of the story ‘The Ghost Crown Prince Welcomes His Bride?”
Of course, he had. “The Ghost Crown Prince Welcomes His Bride” was a story in the Daoist classics, widely circulated among children, almost as common as reciting the Three Character Classic or the Hundred Family Surnames.
According to legend, in ancient times, the power of the Guiyuan was formidable. The Ghost King was disrespectful to the gods and committed many evils, angering a god from the Eastern Heavens who then unleashed heavenly punishment, completely destroying the Ghost King’s soul. In retaliation, the Ghost Crown Prince caused numerous wars and chaos in the mortal realm, resulting in rivers of blood and scorched earth. Even the gods were alarmed by the situation.
The god from the Eastern Heavens was said to be very compassionate, pitying the suffering of the world caused by the wars, so he intervened again. With the balance of power gradually shifting in favor of the gods, the stalemate in the war among gods, humans, and ghosts couldn’t be broken. The Ghost Crown Prince, who was at a disadvantage, had no choice but to seek peace with the gods. At this critical moment, a grandmaster fell on the battlefield and ascended to immortality, rumored to be an extremely beautiful woman, perfectly matched with the Ghost Crown Prince. The Ghost Crown Prince then sent valuable gifts, and a team of extraordinary beings escorted the bride from the underworld, bringing her from the depths of the Nine Layers of the Earth to the mortal realm amidst the sound of drums and gongs.
The legendary ending is that the two of them lived together in deep affection and harmony ever after. Since then, the Ghost Crown Prince resided permanently in the depths of the underworld, and no one ever saw him again.
Of course, this is just a absurd story. The so-called “Ghost Crown Prince” might refer to some underworld judge, and the Xuanmen never recorded any “god from the Eastern Heavens,” let alone heard of the Ghost Crown Prince welcoming with drums and gongs to marry a princess.
Yuchi Rui asked skeptically, “So what?”
“In the secret chamber of Chengshu Palace, there is a bronze coffin that has been secretly hidden by generations of alliance leaders. No one knows what’s inside, but there’s a legend that it contains the remains of the Ghost Crown Prince’s bride, left behind when she ascended to immortality.” Ying Kai said slowly, “To be cautious, I sealed it with molten gold and buried it underground.”
“…”
Yuchi Rui felt a surreal sense of childhood bedtime stories mixing with reality, and after a while, he looked shocked and said, “It wouldn’t be?”
Ying Kai chuckled speechlessly.
“And the third one?” Yuchi Rui couldn’t help but ask again.
At this point, even if Ying Kai said the third one was the Ghost Crown Prince from mythological stories, he wouldn’t be surprised. However, just as the question fell, Ying Kai’s smile gradually faded, and after a long while, he raised his eyes, bloodshot but calm, and said, “No.”
“It’s Gong Zhiyu.”
In an instant, all of Yuchi Rui’s words stuck in his throat.
“How could Gong Wei be placed there!” He suddenly stood up with a rush, exclaiming, “Gong Wei couldn’t possibly—”
“He could.” Ying Kai’s tone was weary but steady. “As a Grandmaster, dying with resentment, not decaying after death, he already had all the conditions for becoming a restless spirit. Gong Zhiyu was universally recognized as the best in mirror arts, and the appearance of that sinister mirror coffin the same year he died, even I dare not guarantee that it had absolutely nothing to do with him, do you understand?”
“I concealed the existence of the mirror coffin because I feared that the Hundred Families of Xuanmen would attribute any strange occurrences to Gong Zhiyu’s restless spirit, tarnishing his reputation after death. After the construction of the Divine Mausoleum, I relocated his remains to a golden coffin. At that time, his body still did not decay, his wounds still bled, and his face remained lifelike.”
Ying Kai looked towards the massive gate deep underground and said softly, “Changsheng, if there’s one person in this world who is likely to become a restless spirit, it’s almost certainly Gong Zhiyu. I’m just surprised why he hasn’t stirred for so many years.”
Yuchi Rui fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “He used to enjoy crowds.”
“I know.”
Gong Wei not only enjoyed watching crowds, he also liked to stir up trouble. Such a lively and active person, buried in the deepest and darkest depths of the earth, suppressed and sealed away from the light. What would he think?
Would he be disappointed?
Or resentful?
“The matter of Gong Zhiyu being reburied in the deepest part of the mausoleum is known only to a few of us in the Immortal Alliance. After the four most dangerous coffins were sent in, I intended to seal the gate and never let any living soul step foot beyond it…” Ying Kai took a deep breath before continuing, “…but then unexpectedly, a fourth coffin arrived.”
Yuchi Rui furrowed his brow. “Who?”
“… “ Ying Kai shifted his gaze away, his eyes reflecting the flickering flames. After a while, he said in a low voice: “Xu Shuangce.”
Yuchi Rui was dumbfounded for a moment. His first reaction was that he must have misheard. “Who?!” he exclaimed.
“Sixteen years ago, on the Ascension Immortal Platform, Gong Wei apologized to Xu Shuangce before his death. He said, ‘I’m sorry. You will never ascend. Your cultivation ends here in this lifetime.'” Ying Kai gazed steadily into the boundless darkness beyond the candlelight and said softly, “In the years that followed, I was immersed in a mix of self-blame, guilt, remorse, and pain, and I didn’t have the mental energy to carefully consider the meaning behind those words… Until one late night, in the Chengshu Palace hall, Xu Shuangce suddenly arrived with an empty coffin under the moonlight.”
***
“…Recently, I’ve been practicing alone, making no progress, feeling nothing but boredom. Sometimes, in the dead of night, I recall the words Gong Zhiyu left on the Ascension Immortal Platform that year, as if there’s a predestined fate guiding me…”
A crescent moon cast its light upon the courtyard in front of the hall, making it appear as though it were filled with clear water. Ying Kai’s hands trembled slightly, but Xu Shuangce’s expression and voice remained incredibly calm, as if he were narrating something entirely unrelated to them.
“In this lifetime, I cannot ascend, and one day I will meet my end in the underworld. At that time, I will harbor regrets and lingering attachments. Once my corpse undergoes a transformation, it will inevitably bring trouble for a hundred years. So, you must first send this empty coffin into the ninth layer of the Ding Xian Ling. When my end approaches, I will seal the tomb myself, lying in the coffin in quiet anticipation. Perhaps that day is not too far away…”
Ying Kai felt as if something sour was lodged in his throat. It took him a while to speak in a trembling voice, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. If only I had realized the irreconcilable friction between you earlier, if only I had noticed the unhappiness and murderous intent in Zhiyu’s heart earlier, if only I could have reassured him and stopped him earlier…”
Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangce chuckled, albeit very briefly. “No.”
“Your greatest obstacle is burdening yourself with too much responsibility,” he suddenly remarked. “Do you remember that year when I said I regretted entering that peach forest with you? If only I had never met Gong Zhiyu in this lifetime, wouldn’t that have been better?”
Ying Kai looked at him, unable to say a word.
Of course, he remembered. He still remembered the passionate declaration Xu Shuangce made from the depths of his heart.
“I don’t regret it now,” Xu Shuangce said softly. “I simply accept my fate.”
…
Born as archenemies, buried together in the same tomb.
Ying Kai let out a long sigh.
“When the tomb door finally closed, it contained four coffins. In the decade that followed, despite occasional visits from the living to sweep and offer sacrifices, there has never been any disturbance in the thousands of coffins within the Ding Xian Ling, nor has there been any scandal of reanimated corpses among the myriad sects of the Xuanmen.”
The wailing of the reanimated corpses outside the huge iron gate had faded into the distance, their heavy footsteps gradually disappearing into the depths of the ancient and silent tomb. Inside the narrow tomb passage, only a tiny spark flickered, trembling abruptly with Ying Kai’s sigh, causing the shadows on the surrounding walls to sway slightly.
“Until last night, I discovered that the cursed fragment of the Thousand Mirror Realm was a replica, unable to explain all of this… I had no choice but to personally open the tomb door.”
Yuchi Rui remained silent for a long time before asking, “Do you think this has anything to do with Gong Wei?”
“Gong Zhiyu is the most skilled in illusion arts in the entire world, and he’s also the most familiar with the Thousand Mirror Realm. I have to personally see if his soul is still at peace.” Ying Kai’s voice sounded hoarse, and he took a deep breath to suppress it. “If it truly has something to do with him, at least when the next fragment appears in this world, I can personally rush to… handle it.”
No one expected that Gong Wei would still be lying peacefully in the Ding Xian Ling, while the thousands of coffins that had remained undisturbed for so many years suddenly caused such a stir.
***
“They’ve gone,” Yuchi Rui said, looking towards the huge iron stone gate, his ears twitching sensitively. “Let’s go.”
Both of them were grandmasters at the pinnacle of their era. Despite the heavy toll from battling all night, they had at least regained some vitality after this rest. Using Mountain Ocean Order Sword to support himself, Ying Kai stood up. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he hesitated for a moment and asked, “Are you injured?”
Yuchi Rui replied, “I’m fine.”
“Then why are you breathing so heavily?”
Yuchi Rui said, “I’m not.”
Suddenly, both of them froze.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed from the pitch-black darkness, clear and heavy, as if it were right next to their ears. Ying Kai suddenly looked at Yuchi Rui, and both of them saw the pale color of their own faces reflected in each other’s eyes. Then, they slowly turned towards the massive golden tomb gate behind them.
A tremor rose from the ground, but it wasn’t because of fear—it was because the ground was shaking.
The tremors grew stronger and more intense, with loose stones and dust falling from the walls of the tomb passages on both sides. Then, suddenly, there was a crisp sound from the sturdy stone wall beside the giant gate:
Crack!
It sounded like a silent alarm in the void. Ying Kai’s face changed abruptly, and he only had time to push Yuchi Rui away before exclaiming, “Changsheng, get back—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the golden tomb gate shattered, and the massive door panel rushed forward, slamming into Ying Kai’s chest.
Immediately, he was sent flying, crashing into the tomb passage, with chunks of gold and stone raining down like hail!
“Ying Kai!”
But his voice was drowned out by the deafening roar.
Ying Kai was pinned under the weight of the thousand-ton gate, and he coughed up blood in an instant, feeling a hot flow of blood rushing into his ears. After several seconds, he felt something loosen in his consciousness amidst the violent shaking.
It was the Great Vehicle Seal.
The protective array covering a thousand miles around Mount Tai had collapsed in this moment.
***
The light curtain shattered into countless pieces, converging into a torrent that surged into the sky, and then all the light disappeared without a trace. Everyone below the mountain looked up involuntarily. Yuchi Xiao’s footsteps froze, and Changsun Chengyang opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Horror spread through the crowd like countless poisonous snakes.
The stench of corpses rose into the sky above Mount Tai, the sky darkened, and reflected in Gong Wei’s astonished eyes.
In the next moment, the thick corpse energy erupted explosively, sweeping over like thunder!
The cultivators below the mountain didn’t even have time to dodge. They were successively shrouded in darkness, and then their shouts and cries were swallowed by the ink-like mist. Changsun Chengfeng grabbed Bai Xuan beside him like lightning and shouted, “Don’t move! Don’t run around!”
Yuchi Xiao’s first reaction was to reach out and grab Gong Wei, but then he felt the slender, icy-cold hand slip away the moment he touched it, disappearing without a trace.
“Xiang Xiaoyuan?” Yuchi Rui exclaimed in astonishment as he groped around, only to touch the slimy and wet corpse energy. “Where did you go?! Come back!”
In the darkness where they couldn’t see their fingers in front of their eyes, Gong Wei stood quietly at the top of the cliff, looking towards the direction of the Ding Xian Ling in the distance, his face pale and solemn.
Then he waved his sleeve and flew towards the mountain stream.
***
Cough… Cough… Cough… In the depths of the tomb, Yuchi Rui struggled to stab his sword into the ground to stabilize himself, his voice hoarse amidst the violent shaking of the tomb passage. “Ying Kai? Are you okay, Ying—”
His voice suddenly stopped.
The sound of metal friction came from the depths of the darkness, as if something dangerous was slowly sliding open, then abruptly stopped with a sharp screech.
Yuchi Rui’s pupils trembled, and he realized what it was—
A coffin lid.
“… Go back,” he muttered incredulously, “go back to that world, you two clearly have…”
But it was too late.
The tomb passage had become ruins, and candles suddenly lit up one after another on the remaining walls, illuminating the huge cavity of the ninth level of the underground palace. In front of them, on the bronze floor, there was a circular array several zhang in diameter, with four large and heavy golden coffins arranged in a circle, one of the coffin lids gaping wide open.
A cold and eerie halo emanated, and a figure sitting upright slowly turned its face.
Yuchi Rui’s ears were filled with his own uncontrollable rapid breathing, and he subconsciously stepped back, finally calling out the name:
“… Gong Wei.”
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