☆, Chapter 56 The Man in the Coffin

Shen Qingqiu suddenly opened his eyes.

It was pitch black.

His heart was pounding wildly, and his eardrums seemed to be pounding along with it.

To see if it was truly pitch black or if he was blind, Shen Qingqiu actually stretched out his five fingers. Before he could extend them far, his fingertips touched a hard barrier. Shen Qingqiu slowly began to grope around.

After feeling around for a while, he had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He was now in a narrow space, as if he had been put into a rectangular stone box.

I gently patted the stone wall; it was cold and smooth, its texture delicate, and I estimated it to be marble. Using my spiritual power to survey it, I determined it wasn't thick, probably no more than four inches.

He touched it for a while, then held his breath and suddenly exerted his strength. His spiritual energy surged, and he slammed his palm into the center of the stone cover on top.

He struck three times in succession, and the darkness shattered with a deafening crash. A rush of fresh air rushed in, and Shen Qingqiu sat up abruptly, taking several deep breaths before realizing it wasn't fresh at all; it felt like the stagnant air from the ground, extremely thin. Looking down again, he saw that he was lying in a coffin.

This rectangular stone box turned out to be a beautifully carved, pure white stone coffin.

He gently pressed the edge of the coffin and leaped out.

Looking around, he found himself standing in a dimly lit stone chamber, with the coffin, its stone lid blown off, placed on the central altar. In the four corners of the chamber were irregularly piled dusty objects: weapons, gems, books, bottles, and jars—all were present, the cold glint of swords and spears and the glitter of jewels subtly shifting beneath a thick layer of dust.

Looking around, the walls were covered with colorful murals depicting a chaotic dance of demons, surrounding everything on all sides.

Shen Qingqiu slapped himself on the forehead.

There's no mistake. This is definitely a sacred mausoleum.

Before he could process this information, he inadvertently looked down and was struck by another piece of information.

This body... is not a physical body sculpted by the Sun and Moon Dew Flower. This is Shen Qingqiu's original body!

The Sacred Mausoleum possesses the power to bring the dead back to life; it's no exaggeration. Judging from the situation, someone most likely smuggled Shen Qingqiu's body into the Sacred Mausoleum and activated a soul-summoning formation, forcibly pulling him back from his new body.

The Sacred Mausoleum is a forbidden area for the Demon Clan, the final resting place of the highest rulers throughout history. Anyone who does not reach this level of status is put to death upon entering. Shen Qingqiu entered as a dead man, but his soul possessed another body, thus squeezing through a loophole to have the opportunity to tour the mausoleum.

Luo Binghe said he spent five years repairing the spiritual meridians of this body, and it turned out to be true. Shen Qingqiu tried it, and the spiritual energy flowed smoothly and perfectly. As for the "unsolvable" feeling, there was no stagnation for the time being, so he didn't know if it had been resolved.

Once a soul is infused into the physical body sculpted by Lu Huazhi and then extracted, it will quickly wither and die. Luo Binghe was being brutally beaten by him just a moment ago; now he's probably scared half to death by Lu Huazhi's withered, charred body.

The diligent old farmer Shen Qingqiu's Ganoderma lucidum, which he had cultivated for so many years, withered away. Withered away!

Just as Shen Qingqiu was about to beat his chest in frustration, the system sent him a message with a soft "whimper":

[Friendly Reminder: You have now entered the scene "Sacred Tomb". The "Fill the Hole" quest has been issued. Please take the initiative and actively participate.]

Shen Qingqiu said "Oh" and continued squatting.

System: [Please take the initiative and act proactively.]

Shen Qingqiu remained motionless. System: [Warning: Please participate enthusiastically…]

Shen Qingqiu: "I know, I know! Go away!"

Shen Qingqiu was extremely annoyed and walked out of the tomb. As he walked, he recalled the Sacred Tomb instance from the original novel.

The demon realm's dwellings are hidden underground, while its tombs are built above ground; in short, all its customs are the opposite of those of the human realm. The tombs are not only riddled with traps and extremely dangerous, but also guarded by countless demonic creatures lurking in the shadows.

If it weren't for the system's incantation, which caused Shen Qingqiu to take drugs and wander around the tomb passage, he wouldn't have been able to escape!

The tomb passage was extremely dark, but Shen Qingqiu did not use any fire magic. Holding her breath, she silently walked forward.

Soon, I heard a long, heavy breathing sound.

It was described as breathing, but it was more like the sigh of a dying person.

Shen Qingqiu stopped abruptly.

So fast. It's here.

In the darkness, a thin, solitary shadow slowly emerged. Then, a second, and a third, followed behind, drifting along like wandering ghosts.

These shadows swayed with every step they took, drawing ever closer. Shen Qingqiu remained unmoved, turning her body to the side and slowing her breathing to its most gentle rhythm.

One of the lowest-level and most frequently encountered tomb-guarding monsters, the Blind Corpse.

The Blind Corpse has the word "blind" in its name, but in reality, it has all the eyes it should have. In fact, it has several more pairs of eyes than other monsters, which are crammed onto its face, making it both disgusting and bizarre.

However, despite having many eyes, they are essentially useless. Most of the time, the blind corpses are simply blind in their own eyes, wandering and patrolling the sacred tombs all day with extremely low efficiency. Their eyes are numerous and large, but they have degenerated considerably. However, they have an extremely strong ability to perceive light, and can quickly detect even the faintest reflection.

Once captured, they'll change drastically, instinctively launching ferocious attacks on light sources. At that point, they won't be moving at the leisurely pace of a queue in the tomb passage anymore.

Such a monster, taken alone, is not frightening; what is frightening is something that often appears alongside it.

As Shen Qingqiu was thinking this, a blind corpse staggered over, and he moved aside.

Suddenly, a faint light ignited in the darkness. The flame was a ghostly green, growing brighter and brighter until it illuminated the tomb passage in a verdant hue.

The blind corpses that were about to pass by suddenly turned their heads, each face adorned with at least three pairs of huge, bloodshot eyes, staring intently at Shen Qingqiu, who was just inches away.

Damn it, you really know how to rub salt in the wound!

Shen Qingqiu moved with incredible speed, flashing to the end of the tomb passage in the next second. But wherever he went, a faint green light shone, illuminating his figure completely. He was fast, but the blind corpse, stimulated by the light, was even faster!

A breath candle!

Shen Qingqiu knocked away several blind corpses that pounced at him.

This candle uses the breath and energy of living people as fuel, and it ignites spontaneously when any living person or object approaches. It sounds like a gadget that can be used for swindling and deception, but when used in conjunction with a blind corpse, the effect is absolutely devastating and ruthless!

Imagine if an intruder broke into the sacred tomb. Everywhere they went, they breathed, and with each breath, the candles would light up, impossible to extinguish or put out. There could be death candles placed in any corner of the entire tomb. Hordes of blind corpses would pounce. Only in death would the candles gradually dim. Death candles—what a fitting name!

For example, now, more and more blind corpses that are sensitive to light have filled the tomb passage!

Shen Qingqiu rushed out of the tomb passage and into a burial chamber. This one was much more spacious and imposing, with a coffin placed high in the center. He leaped onto it, tried to lift it, but couldn't budge it. He pounded on it again, the sound was deep, but it remained unmoved, its material far harder than the stone coffin he had just lain in. Shen Qingqiu wondered, could someone be inside?! He knocked on the coffin lid: "May I borrow your place for the time being?!"

He was just being silly, but when he knocked twice, a voice actually came from inside.

The voice, though clearly coming from the coffin, was as clear as if it were right next to your ear, not muffled at all, and seemed to carry a smile: "Please make yourself at home."

Holy crap!!! It's come back to life!!!

Shen Qingqiu was horrified. He swept his leg out, knocking down several blind corpses that had pounced on the stone coffin. He then flipped off the coffin and delivered a powerful blow to the ceiling.

Gravel rained down. Seeing that his blows had loosened the roof, Shen Qingqiu continued his relentless assault. He hoped to collapse the roof so he could escape in the chaos and bury the blind corpse and the reanimated corpse among the rubble!

In the midst of the chaotic battle, a sinister hissing sound suddenly came from outside the tomb.

Shen Qingqiu looked up and saw what looked like two bright yellow lanterns lit outside the hall. They were like a pair of large, golden, bell-shaped eyes, facing this direction, with a vertical pupil line in the middle, looking extremely ferocious.

Upon hearing the sound, the group of blind corpses seemed to be intimidated by an invisible force. They stopped biting and grappling, lowered their heads, hunched their shoulders, and huddled together, trembling.

Those large eyes blinked twice, stared directly at Shen Qingqiu for a moment, and then suddenly disappeared. A moment later, a person entered from outside the hall.

Shen Qingqiu was not surprised when he saw who it was and called out, "Xi Zhilang".

Zhu Zhilang slipped.

He touched his nose, and although he was annoyed, he still remained polite and said with a smile, "If you are willing to call me that, please feel free to do so."

Shen Qingqiu said, "It really was you who stole the corpse from the Dome Palace."

The bluish-black venom was mostly from the green snake. Mu Qingfang couldn't find the wound at first glance because the snake's fangs were small and its bites were difficult to detect.

Zhu Zhilang said, "The matter arose suddenly, so I had no choice but to resort to this measure. I hope Master Shen will forgive me. I dare not offend your sect members, so I will only let them take a short nap."

Shen Qingqiu coughed lightly, "The incident happened in a hurry," which must refer to the fact that he used all the realgar wine in the town to fumigate the bamboo branch horse and then beat it back to its original form and rode it all the way.

Fortunately, Zhuzhilang didn't kill any disciples of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, otherwise this matter would never have ended. Shen Qingqiu said, "You summoned me back from the Holy Mausoleum, which can be considered as resolving my current... predicament. You asked me to come to the Demon Realm before, and now that I'm here, what exactly is your purpose? Can you tell me?"

Zhu Zhilang said, "The first reason has already been explained to Immortal Master Shen. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. As for the second reason, Immortal Master Shen was not summoned by me... It would be better to ask His Majesty directly."

Shen Qingqiu said, "Alright. Where is Lord Tianlang?"

Zhu Zhilang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I thought that Immortal Master Shen and His Majesty had already met."

Have we met before?

Shen Qingqiu looked down at the stone coffin.

Could it be... that the one who came back to life inside... is Tianlang Jun?!

Strictly speaking, they didn't even "meet"!

The coffin lid, which he had been trying to pry open for ages, trembled violently before slowly sliding open on its own. A person slowly sat up from inside.

The man rested one elbow on the edge of the coffin, turned his head slightly and smiled, saying, "Peak Master Qingjing, I've heard so much about you."

Shen Qingqiu was shocked.

...This family has a wide range of interests, but they all share a similar, quirky style. The son likes to hug corpses, and the father likes to lie in coffins. The Demon Bloodline is truly something else! Impressive!

Luo Binghe resembles his mother, Su Xiyan, but one can still find traces of his father in his appearance. For example, his eyes.

Tianlang Jun has deep-set eyes, striking eyebrows, and pupils as black as deep pools—a feature very similar to Luo Binghe. If Luo Binghe's eyes were also like his mother's, his appearance would be too effeminate, which would be counterproductive.

For example, their smiles. The smiles of this father and son gave Shen Qingqiu an indescribable... ominous feeling.

Shen Qingqiu cautiously said, "I haven't been a peak master for many years."