When those words were uttered, the atmosphere at the stone table stiffened. The occupants exchanged glances, sharing a tacit understanding.
“There is no need to be impatient, Dragon Prince. They say the best things come last. Since our host invited us here, he surely knows what he is doing.”
Auntie Wanbao, clad in lavish, splendid robes, her hair styled in a tall bun, spoke with a smile. Her voice was clear as an oriole’s song:
“Besides, over all these years, it's always been the same old songs and tunes, which gets tiresome. Changing up the flavor occasionally to liven things up isn't bad either.”
“Fellow Daoist Wanbao certainly has a good temper.”
The Dragon Prince scoffed, crossing his arms and refusing to say more. Behind him stood several half-human, half-demon shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
The stone table was laden with delicious delicacies and fine, nectar-like wine. Not to mention golden phoenix-eye loquats, bright red mountain pear lilies, and plump Polygonatum ginseng, even the tender sprout tips brimmed with spiritual energy—all rare sights in the outside world.
Night pearls illuminated the stone grotto, screens served as walls, and in a half-person-tall vase, a wisteria plant grew lush and remarkably vibrant.
Those seated at this banquet were naturally influential, named immortals, gods, and demon beasts.
The River God and Well God sat side by side, their faces carrying grave expressions.
Old Man Hu cheerfully cradled a little fox, feigning deafness and muteness, his long white eyebrows dangling almost to the ground.
A man draped in a cloak with totem markings painted on his face remained silent, merely staring at the person sitting in the shadows.
—If Nan Zhi were here, she would definitely recognize him as the man who had wanted to trade his servant for her white tiger skin.
“Indeed, Ruyi Pavilion hasn't been this lively in many years.”
In the shadows, the speaker possessed a sleek, handsome bald head. Yet at this moment, his friendly eyes were filled with cold indifference, devoid of any human warmth.
Lurking in the darkness, he observed the world with sharp scrutiny, speaking with a half-smile:
“Do not be impatient, Dragon Prince. Have you all made up your minds regarding what I mentioned earlier?”
“If I hadn't known you were looking for people to help open this Witch Coffin, why would this prince condescend to visit your run-down place? Right now, with the changes between Heaven and Earth, everyone knows to leave a way out for themselves. It's merely the flesh and blood of a few living beings. As long as it's hidden well, who would ever know it was our doing?”
The Dragon Prince had a short temper, growing even more impatient upon hearing this. He pointed at the coffin hanging in the very center of the stone grotto and said:
“Monk Huiyuan, stop rambling so much. Those who achieve great things need not be timid and indecisive. Rest assured, our fellow Daoists present today surely share the same mindset as this prince.”
“Opening this Witch Coffin might yield some opportunities, but using the living beings of Yin Yang Road as a sacrifice is truly appalling.”
The River God and Well God hesitated for a long while, but in the end, they could not bear it:
“Though the two of us are also tempted by the opportunities inside that coffin, we are after all enfeoffed gods officially appointed by the Heavenly Court. Thinking it over, this action is still improper. Why don't we consider it more carefully and discuss finding a gentler method to open this Witch Coffin?”
“Hehehe.”
Old Man Hu merely chuckled. His drooping long eyebrows twitched, and his voice was laced with sarcasm as he spoke:
“Wait longer? The two of you are incense gods. As long as the river does not dry up and the well does not run dry, you will have a way to live, so naturally you can afford to wait. Old me is now one thousand three hundred and twenty-three years old, near the end of my lifespan, and cannot wait any longer! That Witch Coffin is an ancient object that drifted into Yin Yang Road a thousand years ago and fell into Ruyi Pavilion by chance a few hundred years ago. This is the will of Heaven! We practitioners ought to accord with Heaven's will. If we cast aside such a tremendous opportunity unused, would we not be just like mortal fools? If you two are unwilling, then leave at once, saving yourselves from staying behind and diluting our great opportunity.”
Though the others did not speak, their faces bore looks of agreement.
“We only knew Fellow Daoist Huiyuan was seeking allies to help open the coffin, but we had no idea that opening it required taking advantage of the Gates of Hell opening to sacrifice the souls of all living beings on Yin Yang Road...”
The River God hesitated, ultimately unable to say anything more. Instead, the Well God beside him looked deeply worried, pursing her lips as she persuaded:
“Sacrificing human souls is, after all, an unauthorized and evil sacrifice. If the Heavenly Court finds out, I fear none of us will meet a good end. Please, fellow Daoists, think twice.”
“Timid and indecisive, you will never accomplish great things.”
The Dragon Prince sneered, then revealed a shocking piece of secret news:
“Heh, the Heavenly Court? Do you know how long it has been since the Heavenly Court sent anyone to inspect the mortal realm below after that female emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai back in the Shenlong era? As long as the Underworld is kept in the dark, once we secure the treasure and hide for a thousand years, who would ever know later on?”
Yet the River God and Well God maintained resolute expressions.
As it turned out, a few days ago, Ruyi Pavilion had released news stating it was selling its treasure of the building, which was why the couple had gladly attended the banquet.
The treasure of the building was that very Witch Coffin, bound by one thousand two hundred and eighteen heavy iron chains.
—In ancient times, there were two races, the Witch race and the Demon race. After the War of Witches and Demons, the Witch race rapidly declined and suffered heavenly punishment. Fortunately, relying on the Witch Saint Empress Houtu transforming into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, their remaining bloodline was preserved.
The Witch race was born from the essence blood of Pangu, naturally capable of communicating with Heaven and Earth and calling upon spirits. A Witch Coffin was the burial site where a Great Witch sealed their own remains after death.
No one knew how such a grand treasure had ended up in Yin Yang Road, but everyone knew in their hearts that inside the Witch Coffin, there was bound to be a great fortune and opportunity.
The River God and Well God naturally wanted to vie for it as well.
Who would have thought that there was a seal inside the Witch Coffin? To retrieve the treasure, one had to wait until the Gates of Hell opened, sacrifice the flesh, blood, and souls of the living beings on Yin Yang Road, and use the power of sinister evil energy to blast open the Witch Coffin's seal.
...
...
“No, this matter is of grave importance. Allow my husband and me to think it over again.”
At this point, the Well God could bear it even less. Exchanging a glance with the River God, she prepared to ride a cloud and leave.
Crack!
Unexpectedly, in the next moment, a spear pierced straight through the Well God's chest. The Dragon Prince's eyes turned vicious as he let out a cold laugh:
“Leave? You think you can still leave? Should I let the two of you return to report to the Demon Suppression Division and the Underworld? Casting aside a monumental opportunity just to do something stupid—you are truly hopelessly foolish!”
“Wife! You... acting like this, are you not afraid of heavenly punishment?!”
The River God's eyes nearly split open. He only had time to hold the Well God's body and weep aloud, but before he could attempt to save his wife, three fox tails firmly pinned him in place!
A golden-glowing sachet slammed down, immobilizing the River God completely. He could only watch helplessly as a strange scimitar sliced open his heart and liver—
However, his soul returned to the sky, floating upward into the heavens.
Although the River God and Well God held humble, minor positions, being merely the River God and Well God of a small tributary beneath the Bian Canal, they were nonetheless enfeoffed and registered by the Heavenly Court. Naturally, upon death, they would not enter the Underworld.
“Amitabha.”
Huiyuan recited a Buddhist chant. The totem-marked man, who had not spoken a single word from the beginning, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Reaching out a hand, he snatched the two pale-golden divine souls in his palm.
“!”
“...”
“!”
It was a technique of the Witch race!
So Huiyuan had come prepared all along!
The others were startled inwardly, yet each had their own schemes and refused to leave.
A gust of wind blew, causing the wisteria petals in the vase to tremble slightly.
Huiyuan lowered his eyes and recited chants, feigning ignorance.
“It is fine now. The hour has come. Open the coffin.”
The totem-marked man made a swallowing motion, devouring the two divine souls into his stomach. Glancing at Huiyuan, he drew twelve white bones from his robes.
“Flesh and blood sacrifice, to serve the Witch Spirit.”
“Flesh and blood sacrifice, to serve the Witch Spirit.”
“Flesh and blood sacrifice, to serve the Witch Spirit.”
The servants standing behind him showed no change in expression, pulling out daggers to sever their own heads. Their headless bodies held their heads high, throwing them one by one toward the black coffin.
Seeing this bloody scene, the people present had burning eyes, staring without blinking.
The totem-marked man stroked the twelve snow-white bones and spat out a mouthful of mud. The bones in his hands suddenly transformed into twelve enchanting women.
Each of these women held a bone flute, running barefoot toward the coffin and playing a cheerful yet distant melody:
“Wuuu—wuuu—”
As the music resounded, the green candles on the iron chains inside the stone grotto gradually extinguished. The chains began to sway, the earth trembled, and a drastic change unfolded within the grotto:
Hearing this dirge, sinister red light flickered in the eyes of the hungry ghosts. Driven by reckless ferocity, they actually formed a bridge across the iron chains, charging straight toward the ghost-demons in the surrounding stone grottoes!
The ghost-demons who had just been watching the spectacle were startled, realizing something was wrong. But the stone grottoes were narrow—where could they flee?
Many minor ghosts barely let out a scream before half their bodies were bitten off by hungry ghosts. One head rolled across the ground with a gulu-gulu before crying out in panic:
“Mother above! If I'd known, I wouldn't have come to watch the show...”
Before it could finish speaking, the head was snapped up in a hungry ghost's mouth, crushing into black mud with a crunch.
As if a switch had been flipped, the evil ghosts driven by the building's guards surged upward layer upon layer like an overflowing tide. The ghost-demons unable to escape were tragically reduced to food in the hungry ghosts' jaws.
“Aaaaah! Help!”
“The hungry ghosts have gone mad! Run!!”
“Aaaaaah, help!!”
“Save me, save me! I don't want to die!”
Ruyi Pavilion, which had just been clinking glasses in supreme pleasure, turned into a hellish demon lair in the blink of an eye, its scent of rouge and powder swallowed by a thick, nauseating stench of blood—
“Are these hungry ghosts out of control?!”
A familiar chill crept onto her feet, and a bone-chilling coldness slowly seeped out from deep within her marrow.
Nan Zhi hadn't even had time to organize the confession Huaguzi had given before witnessing this alarming sight:
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The black coffin in the stone grotto trembled. The green candles burning on the iron chains went out one after another, from far to near, as if an invisible entity was approaching with the sinister wind!
There was something inside that coffin!
Nan Zhi fell back rapidly. Making a split-second decision, she severed an iron chain and grabbed Huaguzi, dropping several zhang before landing narrowly on a jutting rock wall!
Above her head were the flying “goddesses” laughing and playing music with bone flutes; beneath her feet were tens of thousands of hungry ghosts tearing into ghost-demons.
One extremely beautiful, one extremely hideous.
【Ding!】
【Detected that the cultivator is about to enter Level 89 instance “Witch Spirit Sacrifice.” Please leave as soon as possible.】
【Witch Spirit Sacrifice: The Witch Coffin possesses a spirit; flesh and blood sacrificed, souls become immortal.】
【Recommended Cultivator Challenge Realm: Golden Core Great Circle — Mid-stage Nascent Soul】
【Cultivator “Nan Zhi” has entered the Witch Spirit Sacrifice instance. Within this instance, reloading after death and exiting the game are disabled. Cultivator resurrection effect is replaced with “resurrection on the spot.”】
How much?
How much did you say?
Nan Zhi, who was barely Level 30 and whose cultivation had just reached the Qi Refinement Great Circle, couldn't help but widen her eyes in disbelief.
Rate on N.U.
