Undying Life

Chapter 787: Chapter 787: Exhausted in Mind and Body

The massive purple coffin lay before Zhong Shan, emanating an intangible yet profound sense of sorrow and desolation. This feeling wasn't from any tangible aura but rather an inexplicable melancholy that arose in the hearts of all who saw the coffin. It was a feeling of grandeur and solemnity, a sense that this coffin was something sacred and inviolable.

"Inviolable?"

Everyone stared gravely at the enormous purple coffin.

"Zhong Shan, what is inside? Why do I feel like crying just looking at it?" Tian Ling'er clung to Zhong Shan's sleeve, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Who could be inside the purple coffin?" Gu Qianyou took a deep breath, pondering aloud.

Who indeed? Given Kong Xuan's identity, everyone felt a tension gripping their hearts. Whatever Kong Xuan deemed most important must surely be significant.

"Ni Pusa, did anything unusual happen when you entered the Longevity Realm?" Zhong Shan asked.

"We used heavenly secrets and some secret techniques to enter. No one discovered us. Perhaps Kong Xuan was too confident; there were no formations around the purple coffin," Ni Pusa replied.

"Your Majesty, what could be inside?" Wang Ku asked, his emotions stirred.

Everyone present felt a heavy weight pressing on their hearts. They all had their suspicions but were too afraid to voice them. What lay inside this coffin? The mere thought that, if word of its contents got out, it would provoke not only Kong Xuan's relentless pursuit but also the upheaval of the Great Thousand World, made them anxious. This coffin likely contained an explosive secret.

"Whatever we suspect, it doesn't matter until we see what's inside," Zhong Shan said, swallowing hard.

The group nodded in agreement.

"Can it be opened?" Zhong Shan asked Corpse Sovereign.

"Yes," Corpse Sovereign nodded.

"Open the coffin," Zhong Shan commanded in a solemn tone.

"Yes!"

Everyone held their breath as they watched Corpse Sovereign.

Corpse Sovereign, an expert in dealing with the dead, approached the task with meticulous care. The first step was to remove the coffin nails.

A typical coffin had only seven nails, but the purple coffin had ten, each with its own significance unknown to them.

Corpse Sovereign carefully removed each nail, one by one. Although the nails themselves weren't special, with each one removed, the somber atmosphere grew heavier, deepening the melancholy that weighed on everyone's hearts.

The ninth nail was removed.

As Corpse Sovereign approached the tenth nail, he glanced at Zhong Shan.

By this time, Tian Ling'er was clinging tightly to Zhong Shan, perhaps finding some solace in his presence.

Zhong Shan gave a nod to Corpse Sovereign.

The tenth nail was slowly pulled out.

As the last nail was extracted, the skies above Lingxiao Heavenly Court suddenly darkened, filled with dense clouds that blotted out the sun. What had been a bright and sunny day turned ominously gloomy, and fierce winds whipped through the high heavens.

"Woooooo~! Woooooo~!"

From all around, low, mournful sounds like those of ox horn instruments filled the air, deep and sorrowful.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The mournful wails continued to echo, enhancing the eerie, mournful atmosphere. The entire court stood still, breathless and silent, as they awaited the revelation of the purple coffin's secret.

All around Lingxiao Heavenly Court, the people were engulfed in an overwhelming sadness. The sky was dark and gloomy, and the low sound of the horns weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.

"Woooooo~!"

Where Zhong Shan stood, the feeling of sorrow intensified. Was the music of the heavens mourning? Was the world itself weeping?

What on earth was inside this coffin?

"I can't take it anymore, I can't!" Tian Ling'er was the first to break down, crying out loud.

This atmosphere affected everyone. Although the other women didn't cry as Tian Ling'er did, their faces also showed signs of sadness, as they struggled to hold back their tears.

Zhong Shan handed Tian Ling'er over to Bao'er, who held her as she continued to sob.

"Sister, why am I so sad? Sister!" Tian Ling'er cried out.

"Shhhhh..." The sky suddenly opened up, and a torrent of rain fell, as if the heavens were crying. The rain hit everything around but did not touch the purple coffin.

"This rain is salty. Could it really be the tears of heaven?" Gu Qianyou said, frowning in astonishment.

Zhong Shan flew into the sky, followed by everyone else, all staring at the still-closed coffin. Just removing a few nails had caused the heavens to weep and mourn; what could possibly be inside?

"Zhong Shan, what's happening? This sorrowful feeling—I've never felt emotions like this before, yet now I feel so sad," came an unexpected voice, heard only by Zhong Shan.

Huan Ji, who had arrived at the square from the Cave of a Hundred Generations at some unknown time, spoke.

Zhong Shan glanced at Huan Ji but did not respond. Instead, he looked back at the coffin.

"Open the coffin!" Zhong Shan commanded again.

"Yes!" Corpse Sovereign immediately responded.

Everyone floated in the air, watching the coffin's lid.

Corpse Sovereign reached out and began to lift the lid.

Slowly, inch by inch, the lid was removed.

No strange aura emerged; it was just like an ordinary coffin. Yet, even so, as the lid was being lifted, Zhong Shan felt as if a massive hammer had struck his heart.

The lid opened slowly, gradually revealing the inside.

Inside lay a body, dressed in black robes, with closed eyes, appearing peaceful. Strangely, it seemed impossible for anyone to clearly remember his face.

No, they could see it clearly, but they couldn't retain the memory. The face had no cover, but as soon as they saw it, they would forget it, no matter how hard they tried to remember.

"Ugh!" Gu Qianyou suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

One after another, everyone coughed up blood, overwhelmed by a sense of vast sorrow and exhaustion.

Only Wang Ku, Zhong Shan, and Huan Ji did not spit blood. Wang Ku, being a skeleton, had no blood. Huan Ji, with her phantom body, couldn't spit blood. Zhong Shan himself, though he had blood at his throat, managed to suppress it through sheer willpower.

Who was this person? Just looking at the corpse had exhausted everyone to their limits. They couldn't even remember his face. It was as if the heavens themselves forbade them from retaining the memory, no matter how many times they looked.

All they could see of the corpse was its loose hair and black robe adorned with numerous gold threads. Apart from these details, nothing else was memorable. The corpse's features remained etched in obscurity, ungraspable by memory.

Forcing himself to suppress his shock, Zhong Shan continued to gaze deeply at the figure in the coffin. Meanwhile, the others, unable to withstand the overwhelming sadness and exhaustion, had already descended to the ground, struggling to stabilize their emotions.

Even Huan Ji, who had retreated to the edge of the square, seemed to harbor a fear of the corpse, as if its presence invoked a primal dread.

A profound sorrow, an immense desolation, a vastness, and a supreme presence—these were Zhong Shan's feelings. He deeply contemplated these emotions.

Whose corpse was this?

Above Lingxiao Heavenly Court, the mournful sound of horns echoed everywhere. Countless tears of rain fell, and the citizens below wept uncontrollably, overwhelmed with grief as though mourning the loss of their parents.

A collective sorrow enveloped the entire court, an immense mourning shared by all.

At that moment, Shadow Zhong Shan's pupils contracted. He abruptly turned to look north and then frowned deeply as he gazed back at the corpse.

"Corpse Sovereign, close the coffin and re-nail it!" Zhong Shan ordered.

With a heavy heart, Corpse Sovereign quickly pushed the coffin lid back into place. Just as the lid sealed shut, a purple beam of light descended from the distant sky.

The formation set by Nangong Sheng automatically activated.

"Boom!"

The purple light shattered the formation, shooting straight towards the square where Zhong Shan stood.

Two days earlier, at the former Xianyang Holy Capital.

Ying had opened a temporal tunnel, leading the elite of the Qin Empire and the entire Xianyang Holy Capital through it. The most formidable man from 80,000 years ago had returned with the same unmatched strength.

Ying's displays of power were brief but always earth-shattering. He had eradicated the three major forces of the underworld in one stroke and broken the arm of a powerful figure from the Great Thousand World with a single blow.

Seemingly impossible feats were accomplished effortlessly by Ying.

In the ancient world, God Tong opened the heavens and established a new order, achieving Nirvana from the mundane. When he left this realm, he laid the groundwork for the future. Ying was even more legendary.

Shenzhou was home to countless heroes!

Ying had departed just as Zhong Shan faced off against the Raven Daoist Lord.

"Without borrowing the power of the Dazhen Empire, let's see how you escape this time!" the Raven Daoist Lord sneered.

Everywhere around was filled with boundless sword energy—the Immortal Execution Sword Formation. With just one Immortal Execution Sword, he had set up the formation.

The Immortal Execution Sword Formation encompassed Di Xuansha, the Raven Daoist Lord, Zhong Shan, Kong Lietian, and the toad Lai, controlled by the Immortal Execution Sword.

"Raven Daoist Lord? Have you broken through?" Di Xuansha asked, frowning slightly.

"And you have broken through too?" the Raven Daoist Lord replied in a deep voice.

The two locked eyes coldly. Their suspicions were now confirmed—they both had reached the twelfth level of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.

Di Xuansha had never underestimated the Raven Daoist Lord, and the Raven Daoist Lord had always taken Di Xuansha seriously. Among those who had earned Di Xuansha's respect before the emergence of God Tong, Ying, and others, the Raven Daoist Lord was the only one. Both were extraordinary figures.

Their strength wasn't solely based on cultivation but also on an inherent ferocity that few possessed. This ferocity often allowed them to exceed their limits in combat.

"Do you dare to fight?" the Raven Daoist Lord asked coldly.

"With pleasure!" Di Xuansha's eyes gleamed with battle intent.

"Immortal Execution, I'll fight Di Xuansha. Let us leave the formation. You and Kong Lietian can kill Zhong Shan. That's sufficient!" the Raven Daoist Lord said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.