Chapter 314 – Secret of the Black Coffin (1/2)
Chapter 314 - Secret of the Black Coffin
He had read the Daoist Canon since childhood, and within the books, there were iron rules. After entering the Mausoleum of Zhou, Chen Changsheng could plunder all the treasures and magical artifacts in the nine stone rooms, however, he had never thought of opening the black stone coffin. It was extremely possible for Zhou Dufu’s most precious property to be hidden inside, but due to Xu Yourong’s respect for the person within the coffin, he did not even consider the idea.
At this moment, only after hearing what Xu Yourong had said did he understand that even if he wanted to open the obsidian coffin earlier, it was not possible.
Only a key could open a lock. If Zhou Dufu did not want any person to disturb his long slumber, then the mountain-like obsidian coffin would naturally be very hard to open.
Xu Yourong said, “The Soul Wood should have been brought out of the Garden of Zhou very long ago, and for some unknown reason, it ended up in the hands of the demons. Thinking about it now, for them to be able to avoid the main gate of the Garden of Zhou and enter it through another path should have something to do with this. The Soul Wood has returned to the garden of Zhou, and this also means that it is finally the moment for the obsidian coffin to open.”
“You say before Zhou Dufu died…” Chen Changsheng thought about how to say it, and continued, “...he already made the preparations to make it clear to the world of his property and secrets that were hidden in the black coffin, which was why he let someone take away the key? But if it was like that, why didn’t he do so directly himself?”
“You said something before which was actually very reasonable. Time is actually the greatest magical artifact.” Xu Yourong looked at the obsidian coffin and said, “As known by everybody, Zhou Dufu did not have a successor. This meant that before death, he did not find a junior who he believed had the capabilities of inheriting his legacy. He left the key outside the Garden of Zhou perhaps to invite time to help him choose a successor.”
He was slightly shocked and asked, “Are you saying that blade really is inside the obsidian coffin?”
Xu Yourong stayed silent for a while before saying, “There is another possibility. Like you had said, Zhou Dufu’s legacy is not in the black stone coffin, but his secret is.”
Chen Changsheng was confused. “I’m only asking casually, but is there really some secret?”
Xu Yourong looked into his eyes and said, “Whether Zhou Dufu has actually died or not—this itself is the most important secret of the world in the past thousand years.”
Chen Changsheng thought about those deeds of Zhou Dufu that had long become stories, legends or even myths, and his gaze on the obsidian coffin grew heavier.
There was only heaviness, seriousness and some nervousness, but there was no worry. Towards matters like treasure and the legacies of previous experts, he and Xu Yourong both seemed rather calm. This type of calmness could not even described as steadiness beyond their age. No matter how old the cultivator was, if they found out that they could obtain Zhou Dufu’s legacy, they would definitely become unbelievably fanatical, just like the elder from the Setting Sun Sect who drank Xu Yourong’s blood in the cave. If he had appeared before the obsidian coffin at this moment, how could he stay calm?
The reason why Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong could remain calm was because they were geniuses in cultivation, and cultivation itself was the greatest Daoist skill. Without a doubt, it was Zhou Dufu’s most special treasure, but they themselves were also special. They were filled with confidence and pride—if they could inherit the legacy, it was admittedly extremely good. If they could not inherit it, it had nothing to do with fate, as their fate always lay between their hands. However, thinking that it was extremely possible for them to see the most shocking scene in the past thousand years, it was unavoidable for them to feel slightly nervous. Chen Changsheng’s voice subconsciously became extremely quiet, as if he did not want to disturb the great spirit within the black coffin.
“When will this obsidian coffin open?”
Xu Yourong observed the radiance produced by the Soul Pivot grow dimmer and dimmer, and spent a while estimating. She then said, “Should be soon.”
Outside the mausoleum, the monster tide slowly surged forwards like a black line. The key to the obsidian coffin, the Soul Wood, had roused the Soul Pivot, and the opening of the coffin was about to occur right before their eyes.
Before them, the upper half of the obsidian coffin began to slowly slide.
In the gloomy, spacious mausoleum, a great wind whipped up.
The radiance emitted from the Soul Pivot became even dimmer, as if it was a candle flame that could be put out at any moment.
Chen Changsheng moved forwards to the side, and put himself between Xu Yourong and the coffin. His dagger had already left the sheath, and he held it tightly in his hand.
The huge obsidian coffin slowly opened with a rumble. A terrifying sound of grinding emitted from the heavy coffin lid and the coffin itself. It really was just like the rumble of thunder.
The mountainous black coffin slowly separated into an upper piece and a lower piece. It seemed like lightning splitting the black mountain in half.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yourong’s pupil restricted slightly, and she mumbled quietly, “Halved…”
The upper part of the obsidian coffin continued to slide. It only stopped after a very long time.
The wind continued to whistle in the mausoleum, curling around the surroundings of the obsidian coffin. Because of the change in the coffin, the wind became even more mournful in sound, even sharper. It seemed extremely gloomy, as if someone was constantly weeping in the dusky netherworld. The constant sobbing sound merged with the vague music from before, and the idea of the wish for the spirits of the deceased to return slowly subsided. However, the atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.
All of the light from the Soul Pivot was finally extinguished. The mausoleum once again returned to its gloom. Standing on the ground, they could not see the scene above, but they could imagine that the obsidian coffin had already opened. If the great man lay quietly in the coffin, perhaps he would be staring at the roof of the hall. Of course, it was even more possible that his eyes were closed, or that he had already turned into a pile of bones.
However, the person in the obsidian coffin was called Zhou Dufu. No matter how unimaginable something was, it all seemed inevitable and right for it to occur to him.
The sound of the wind slowly stopped, as did the music. The spirits of the dead had already returned, or perhaps they were not there.
The interior of the mausoleum fell into a deathly silence. Xu Yourong looked at the obsidian coffin that was like a broken mountain. Her expression was rather complicated, and she did not speak for a very long time.
Chen Changsheng’s right hand that held onto the hilt of the dagger did not sweat. However, for some reason, he felt that it was sticky. This was his nervous mental state.
If the person was dead, then all was well. What if he was still alive? Or speaking more correctly, waking up from his long slumber and reviving. Or perhaps, he was unwilling to leave this world, so traveled by himself to the lonely sea of stars, and used a certain secret technique to turn himself into an immortal but extremely evil existence before death. What would happen next?
Chen Changsheng’s expression remained calm, but inside, he was nervous to the extreme.
Logically, whether Zhou Dufu revived or was transformed by a secret technique, as long as he maintained his intelligence, he would help them with the demon experts and the terrifying monster tide that was getting closer and closer to the mausoleum. This was because Zhou Dufu was a human expert, an unparalleled hero who defeated the Demon Lord. This was also Xu Yourong’s and his only chance at leaving the Garden of Zhou and staying alive. However, for some reason he did not know, he had a strong feeling that if Zhou Dufu really did not die, all of the people in the Garden of Zhou… would die. It could even invite a storm of blood to the entire continent.
“I want to go up and see.” Xu Yourong’s voice broke the silence of the mausoleum.
She looked at the obsidian coffin. Her eyes, which were slightly gloomy due to her wounds, became extremely bright.
Chen Changsheng supported her to the obsidian coffin. Raising his head for a while, he confirmed a path to climb, and carried her on his back.
A while later, he stood on the cliff of the black mountain that was broken open, and gazed inside.
The space within the obsidian coffin was extremely large. Rather than a single person, even a party could be held inside, inviting a dozen ladies to sing.
However, right now, there was not even a single person within the obsidian coffin.
Not a single person.
That person was not there.
The Garden of Zhou was Zhou Dufu’s world.
The mausoleum was his palace for death.
The dangerous and mysterious Plains of the Unsetting Sun that surrounded the mausoleum was the mausoleum garden, and those unbelievably strong monsters were mausoleum guards.
Very obviously, he did not want anyone to come and disturb his long slumber. The only evidence to the contrary was the key outside the Garden of Zhou, which helped the garden choose a new owner given time.
However, he was not sleeping in this obsidian coffin.
There was still no one who had seen his corpse.
Whether he was dead or alive remained unknown.
It was extremely possible that he was still alive.
This was the true secret of the Garden of Zhou.
This was the true secret that the Plains of the Unsetting Sun wanted to guard.
The obsidian coffin did not have the remains of the great man, but that did not mean the stone coffin was empty.
It was full of tree leaves carved out of crystal, green grass sculpted from the best quality jade, and the rouge stones refined from the Earthen Essence Fire, scattered very casually.
There were countless treasures in the obsidian coffin.