Chapter 637: Opening the Coffin

'White Worms can suppress both the living and corpses. Only a live show streamer can ignore them because of the Plum Blossom Gu inside their body.' The White Worms were the key to breaking this deadlock, yet I still hadn't figured out how to use them to turn the situation around. 'These worms are bred by the mastermind behind the scenes. There's no way they'll obey my orders, so using them against the mastermind definitely won't work. Could the Live Show want me to play a game of driving wolves to devour tigers, using the White Worms to deal with the Uncorrupted Bone?'

The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. My gaze landed on the Suspended Coffin. 'The girl's ghost also told me that the clue to escaping lies inside the coffin. It looks like I have to open it and take a look.'

Opening a coffin was deeply ominous, and doing so rashly without knowing what lay buried inside was an even greater taboo. Even professional tomb raiders wouldn't dare do such a thing without any preparation.

With a sigh, I aimed the Live Show Phone at the Suspended Coffin in the center of the cavern. "Daoist Master, many of the clues I have right now point to this coffin. Take a look for me—will I run into danger if I open it?"

Barely had the words left my mouth when Daoist master Wan's comment popped up on the screen: "The baleful stars are shining brightly tonight, and that omen might well fall upon you. If you ask me, nine times out of ten something terribly sinister is hidden inside that coffin. Opening it is pure suicide."

"Is it that serious?" My throat bobbed as I stared fixedly at the screen. A moment later, the Daoist Master's second comment appeared.

"Even if the fiend inside the coffin doesn't kill you, as the one who unleashed a great calamity, you'll be implicated by the will of Heaven. Your merit will wither away, your allotted fate will scatter, and even if you survive, you'll hit a wall at every turn."

"My life is hard enough as it is, so that part doesn't scare me." Composing myself, I took a deep breath. "What is a blessing is not a disaster, what is a disaster cannot be avoided. I don't have any other choice right now. Rather than run away, I might as well fight for a chance at survival in the jaws of death and risk it all."

Holding up the phone, I walked up close to the Suspended Coffin. The corpse qi here was so thick it was almost tangible, pricking at my body like fine needles as if trying to pierce right through me and turn me into a living corpse.

"Qi Connects Yin and Yang!" Reciting the core mantra of my cultivation method, I braced myself and finally stepped within a meter of the Suspended Coffin, close enough for the Live Show Phone to clearly capture every single detail on its surface.

The coffin was a dark bluish-black from end to end, cast as a seamless whole and carved with intricate patterns, looking like an exquisite work of art.

"Daoist Master, can you make anything of it?" Standing this close to the Suspended Coffin, even speaking took an effort; the moment I opened my mouth, thick corpse qi tried to force its way down my throat.

"Five chi and two and a half cun—room enough for any hero under heaven to sleep. The coffin's dimensions are standard, but the material is unusual. I can't quite place it at a glance."

As I panned the camera, Daoist master Wan's comments began flooding the livestream chat.

"Ninefold Nether Opening, undying and uncorrupted. There are nine tunnels outside, and the chamber inside measures three meters long, three meters wide, and three meters high, secretly aligning with the number nine. Beneath the coffin, nine dragon poles hold it fast. Whoever set this up was a master of feng shui and couldn't possibly have been ignorant of the fact that the numbers of heaven and earth begin with one and end with nine."

"Nine is the greatest yang number, yet it is also the threshold of mortal life. Whether an overt nine or a hidden nine, each marks a perilous juncture in life, which is why people shun years containing a nine."

"Their use of the number nine for this layout is clearly aimed straight at the Uncorrupted Bone. The relationship between the two is likely far from harmonious."

I was deeply impressed with Daoist master Wan for deducing so much from the architectural layout alone. "Daoist Master, what else have you found?"

Daoist master Wan: "An Uncorrupted Bone is a type of Earth Corpse, yet it has been hung midair in a Suspended Coffin—unable to touch the heavens above or tread the earth below. Cut off from absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, its growth is exceedingly slow. This isn't refining a corpse at all; it's more like wearing a corpse down."

"Wearing a corpse down?"

"They're using the terrain here, along with various prearranged measures, to grind away the Uncorrupted Bone's ferocity so they can bring it under their control. Get a little closer and let me see the carvings on the coffin wood."

To meet Daoist master Wan's request, I opened all Eighteen Yin Apertures at once. Yin energy surged forth to shield my entire body while the Pre-Heaven True Qi in my lower dantian flooded my internal organs. Only with this dual layer of internal and external protection did I dare press closer.

Stepping forward, I grabbed hold of the dragon poles with both hands and climbed up.

"Daoist Master, hurry and take a look." Moving the phone, I filmed a full view of the coffin.

Daoist master Wan: "Just about what I expected. The coffin panels are carved with the Mountain of Longevity and Sea of Fortune, along with stele pavilions, cranes, and deer. Yellow dragons are painted on either side as guardians, and talismans depict the weapons once wielded by the Eight Immortals, forming an Eight Immortals Coffin Suppression array. This entire coffin was set up to keep the fiend inside from breaking free, sealing and suppressing it within."

"By that logic, won't I be letting the Uncorrupted Bone out the moment I open the coffin? A peerless fiend like that recognizes no kin—the second it escapes, I'll probably be the first thing it eats." Bracing against the corpse qi, I crouched on the dragon poles, barely keeping my balance.

"Kid, it's not that this Daoist Master looks down on you, but at your current realm, you can't break the Eight Immortals Coffin Suppression. In terms of feng shui alone, the person who laid this out is on par with me."

"You're a Daoist priest, not a feng shui master—you make it sound like being on par with you is some grand achievement." Having come this far, I had no other choice left.

Steeling my resolve, I planted my feet on the left and right dragon poles and gripped the coffin lid with both hands. "Up!"

I strained with every ounce of strength in my body until the veins bulged along my arms, yet the coffin lid didn't budge a hair, as though it were cast in a single piece with the rest of the coffin.

"A mountain need not be high if an immortal dwells within; waters need not be deep if a dragon lurks below. Even an ordinary coffin, if an Uncorrupted Bone lies buried inside, could crush the ninefold netherworld beneath its weight. How could a mere mortal like you possibly open it?"

Seeing Daoist master Wan's comment, I stopped trying. When I tried to pry the lid open just now, it felt as if the coffin were rooted to the earth itself, weighing a thousand jin—completely impossible to open by human strength alone. "Daoist Master, do you have a way to open the coffin?"

"You still don't get it. I already made it very clear just now—even if it were an ordinary coffin, as long as an Uncorrupted Bone lies buried inside, there's no way you can open it."

"I can help you break the Eight Immortals Coffin Suppression, but even without those talismanic divine runes holding it down, opening the coffin isn't something brute force can accomplish. When a scourge is about to be unleashed upon the world, it inevitably draws the wrath of Heaven. An unseen force will stop you; as long as you exist within the Five Elements, all manner of unexpected mishaps will arise to thwart you. That is the will of Heaven."

Daoist master Wan's explanation was profound and abstruse; I skimmed over it and caught only the words "the will of Heaven."

"Heaven wants to stop me?" My brow twitched, and I instinctively looked up, only to see pitch-black earth above. "This is the Underground Ninth Level—even Heaven cant see down here. Please teach me how to break the Eight Immortals, Daoist Master. If anything goes wrong, I'll bear all the karma myself."

"Your obsession runs deep. Very well, today I'll help you temporarily trap the coffin-suppression diagram. Whether you can open the coffin and escape with your life will depend on your own fortune."

After sending that message, Daoist master Wan vanished from the livestream chat for several seconds before typing out another line: "Back when you ran into danger in that dream, you obtained the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman. That talisman has boundless uses and is the most unique among all Upper Vehicle Talismans. Do you happen to have it on you?"

"I have it on me. Can this talisman temporarily trap the Eight Immortals Coffin Suppression Diagram?" I was somewhat doubtful. If this talisman could truly trap other talismans and Daoist arts, its value would be immeasurable. Now I was beginning to understand why, five years ago, the Three Yin Sect had sent more than a dozen cultivators to Xinhu High School to seal the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends, and why, five years later, Lu Jin had stopped at nothing to get his hands on the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman.

"Entering dreams is only one of its uses. Strange to say, you clearly have the look of a walking calamity, yet your luck reaches the heavens and you always manage to stumble upon all sorts of treasures. I really can't figure you out." Dropping his musings, Daoist master Wan quickly sent over an incantation: "Press the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman where the two dragon heads meet, visualize the Eight Immortals, and recite silently after me—Tracing the vast calamities of the upper realm, immortals remain ageless solely by a single heart that delivers mortals; gazing upon the restless red dust below, how long does wealth and glory last, worth no more than a millet dream at the fifth watch of the night."

"That simple? Are you sure it'll work?"

I fished the crumpled Paulownia Mulberry Talisman out of my pants pocket. Watching this scene left Daoist master Wan somewhat speechless: "Never does half a false word pass this Daoist's lips—you may rest assured. Alas, for such a wondrous talisman to fall into your hands is truly casting pearls before swine. What a pity."

Committing the incantation Daoist master Wan had taught me to memory, I found the exact spot, pressed the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman against it, and sank my mind inside to visualize the Eight Immortals.

I had used the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman many times before, and practice made perfect; I slipped into the right state almost immediately. Within the sea of divine-rune stars, eight stars suddenly blazed bright, as if manifesting their sacred presence. At the very same moment, the Eight Immortals diagram on the Suspended Coffin abruptly dimmed.

'Now.' I recited the incantation and withdrew my mind from the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman. My vision went dark for a split second, and when it cleared, I suddenly realized that at some point, the corpse qi in the cavern had grown ten times thicker!

"Did it work?" I looked at my phone, my expression darkening.

According to the time on the phone, what had felt like a single instant to me had actually taken half an hour in reality.

'I can't use this Paulownia Mulberry Talisman recklessly. The Dream Realm is profound and mysterious—not a place to set foot in lightly.' With half an hour wasted here, there was no telling whether the corpse controller and the other live show streamer had already decided a winner. Whichever of them won or lost, it was bad news for me either way.

'The balance is about to break. I have to move faster and find a sliver of survival in the cracks between them!'

Nine dragon poles stretched across midair. On either side of the Suspended Coffin, the twin dragons hung their heads listlessly, and the weapons of the Eight Immortals had grown dim and blurry.

I gripped the coffin lid once more, clenching my teeth so hard my gums bled, yet the lid still refused to budge.

Daoist master Wan: "It's no use. You can't open it with brute force. And even if you could, the will of Heaven would interfere from the unseen, sparking one mishap after another."

"Relying on my strength alone really is a bit difficult." My gaze darkened, a trace of fierce resolve flashing in my eyes. "Daoist Master, do you dare make a wager with me?"

"Wager what? And how?" Daoist master Wan seemed piqued as well.

"If I can open this coffin, then when you arrive in Jiangcheng three days from now, you must save my life once within the limits of your ability."

"No problem. And what if you can't open it?"

The corners of my mouth curved upward. "Then I'll tell you the remnant text of the Burial Scripture."

"Deal! This Daoist will take that bet!"

Putting my phone away, I stood atop the Suspended Coffin, tucked my Pre-Heaven True Qi deep inside my dantian, and circulated all Eighteen Yin Apertures at the same time.

"Command of Yin and Yang!" I didn't know just how powerful this ghost art truly was, but today I was going to give it everything I had!

"By imperial decree: Ghost of the Green Plague of the East, essence of rotting wood; Ghost of the Crimson Plague of the South, essence of blazing fire; Ghost of the Blood Plague of the West, essence of baleful metal; Ghost of the Black Plague of the North, essence of the fouled mire; Ghost of the Yellow Plague of the Center, essence of sovereign earth!"

Yin energy swept out, forcibly driving back the corpse qi within the Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses as five towering ghostly figures slowly condensed into solid form.

"Ghosts of the Five Plagues, heed my command! Overturn the rivers and seas, uproot the ridges and move the mountains!"