CHAPTER 498: CHAPTER 483: OPENING THE COFFIN!

"The Golden Core stage zombies refined by Master Heisha, although possessing Golden Core level power, have spiritual intelligence that doesn’t match their strength at all."

"Except for a few zombies possessing decent intelligence, the rest are just brute-force beasts."

"For a Golden Core stage cultivator, taking down a zombie with cultivation realm comparable to theirs isn’t too difficult in a one-on-one situation."

"Especially for Red Eyebrow Old Monster, Zhang Xuanzhi, and Liu Boyong. The three of them were valued by Nascent Soul stage cultivators to be sent here for treasure hunting. Their strength is naturally beyond ordinary peers, and they have prepared some demon-slaying treasures specifically."

"Among them, Red Eyebrow Old Monster stood out with his performance. That ’Fire Essence Bottle’ magical artifact, although it’s only a Tier Five High-Grade artifact, its power is far greater than typical Tier Five High-Grade artifacts. Aside from releasing numerous self-exploding flaming flying birds for attacks, it can also gush forth a mighty red glow to assault enemies."

"Even the body of a Golden Core stage zombie would shrivel severely when swept by that red glow, as if their essence was being drained."

"Zhang Xuanzhi displayed the Celestial Spirit Shield, the sect’s distinguished divine technique, from the Celestial Spirit Sect. Neither the Golden Core stage zombies’ magical artifact attacks nor divine power techniques could shake it at all."

"Even Liu Boyong, who previously was unwilling to exert effort, was now wielding a Dragon Head Long Saber, causing the Golden Core zombie across from him to only defend without being able to counter-attack."

"As for the other Golden Core stage cultivators brought by the trio, they were all clearly dominating in the battle, with victory being only a matter of time."

"Upon seeing this, Zhouyang didn’t want to exert himself to perform either, content to just coast along."

"After battling for almost half an hour, Red Eyebrow Old Monster took the lead in disposing of the zombie wielding the spear. He then swiftly darted towards the altar where the dark golden coffin lay, completely ignoring his two fellow sect members who were still engaged in combat with zombies."

"’Red Eyebrow Old Monster, what are you doing?’"

"’Elder Red Eyebrow, please stop!’"

"Seeing Red Eyebrow Old Monster’s actions, Liu Boyong and Zhang Xuanzhi were truly shocked and angry, looking at him with furious eyes and shouting sternly."

"Simultaneously, while they were shouting, they decisively abandoned their advantageous positions, directly controlling their magical artifacts and attacking Red Eyebrow Old Monster."

"Even though their response wasn’t slow, Red Eyebrow Old Monster’s speed was even faster."

"As they made their move, Red Eyebrow Old Monster had already reached above the coffin. He raised his hand, striking towards the coffin lid, intending to open the coffin and retrieve the treasure."

"Contrary to everyone’s expectation, when Red Eyebrow Old Monster struck, it didn’t move the coffin lid in the slightest, not even leaving a mark."

"Roar——"

"As everyone was astonished by the coffin’s defense, the zombies were enraged by Red Eyebrow Old Monster’s strike. All the zombies roared as they abandoned their original opponents, rushing towards Red Eyebrow Old Monster on the coffin lid."

"’Hahaha, Red Eyebrow Old Monster, you tried to steal but lost instead, deservedly!’"

"Liu Boyong was slightly stunned upon witnessing the scene, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter, without any intention of assisting."

"Although Zhang Xuanzhi said nothing, he equally showed no intent to help Red Eyebrow Old Monster."

"At this moment, Red Eyebrow Old Monster’s face turned green. He ignored Liu Boyong’s taunting, directly taking out a pale silver spirit talisman and activating it. Before the zombies reached him, his body vanished from above the dark golden coffin, reappearing beside two brothers from Li Huo Sect."

"’Small Shift Talisman,’ Red Eyebrow Old Monster, you are quite lavish indeed!"

"Liu Boyong’s expression turned shocked, then full of envy, as he couldn’t help but jeer at him."

"This ’Small Shift Talisman,’ although only a Tier Five High-Grade Spirit Talisman, is a special spirit talisman that only Nascent Soul stage cultivators can create. When used, it enables instantaneous movement to any point hundreds of feet away, unaffected by most arrays below Tier Six."

"In essence, if trapped within a typical Tier Five array, using this ’Small Shift Talisman’ allows direct escape."

"In some special places and times, this ’Small Shift Talisman’ can be life-saving."

"At this point, Red Eyebrow Old Monster ignored Liu Boyong, seriously addressing Zhang Xuanzhi, ’What just happened was my fault. Fellow Daoist Zhang, if you can overlook past grievances, once the coffin is opened, I am willing for you to select the first treasure!’"

"Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuanzhi’s eyes flickered. He smiled calmly and said, ’Elder Red Eyebrow, you exaggerate. Our Six Great Sects are united and stand together. Minor matters like these, I certainly won’t care. Let’s wipe out these zombies first before discussing treasure acquisition!’"

"Upon witnessing this, Liu Boyong’s eyes flashed, wanting to say something but ultimately restraining himself, saying nothing more."

"Following this, the three parties once again charged at the remaining zombies, taking less than half an hour to annihilate them all."

"Initially, it should have been time for the three parties to vie over the ownership of that dark golden coffin."

"However, before the infighting could start, Red Eyebrow Old Monster suddenly proposed, ’Let’s be honest, regarding Master Heisha’s inheritance, we practically have no use for it, so why should we kill each other over it?’"

"According to this old man, rather than fighting, let’s first open the coffin and see if it contains the inheritance we desire. If it does, there’s no need to fight; each of us can copy it and take it back to fulfill our obligations!’"

Zhang Xuanzhi and Liu Boyong were both slightly taken aback upon hearing these words. Liu Boyong’s eyes flashed with a hint of color, and he immediately asked, "What about Master Heisha’s legacy treasure? The inheritance can be copied, each taking a share, but surely the treasure can’t be divided like that?"

"The treasure will naturally be divided according to strength. I promised Fellow Daoist Zhang to take the first pick, so let him choose first, then I’ll choose next, and finally, it will be your turn, Old Man Liu!" Red Eyebrow Old Monster said matter-of-factly, not caring at all about Liu Boyong’s grim expression.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Xuanzhi with a smile and asked, "Does Fellow Daoist Zhang agree with my proposal?"

"I have no objections," Zhang Xuanzhi replied without change in expression, similarly not looking at Liu Boyong’s face.

With consensus reached between the two, Liu Boyong had no choice but to comply.

"Alright, since even you, Red Eyebrow Old Monster, don’t care about the legacy treasure of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, what else is there for me to say? Open the coffin!"

With a spiteful glance at Red Eyebrow Old Monster, Liu Boyong wisely refrained from speaking further and directly moved aside to allow the coffin to be opened.

Seeing that the three highest cultivation realm cultivators had reached an agreement, Zhouyang and the others were greatly relieved.

For people like them, it’s best not to take action. After all, even if there truly is a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator’s treasure, it won’t fall into their hands. So, they naturally don’t want to battle to the death with peers for unseen benefits.

However, even as Zhouyang felt relieved, he couldn’t help but feel played. He lamented the loss of his Tier Five Middle-Grade Spirit Talisman "Great Sun Golden Light Talisman." Had he anticipated this outcome, he would never have agreed to Liu Boyong’s request to make a move.

Yet, things had come to this point, and lamenting was futile. He could only sigh silently and put the matter out of his mind.

At this moment, after they had come to an agreement, Red Eyebrow Old Monster and the others quickly moved onto the altar, while Zhouyang and the others, although not following, focused their attention there.

"This coffin is quite wicked. Even if it’s truly made from Netherworld Iron Wood, with one blow, I shouldn’t be unable to open even the lid of the coffin!"

"Do either of you have any way to open the coffin lid without damaging the coffin?"

By the side of the coffin, after walking around it once, Red Eyebrow Old Monster first frowned and asked.

"This might be a demonic spiritual artifact, perhaps requiring refinement before it can be opened."

Liu Boyong’s eyes flickered as he voiced his opinion.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, since you say that, could it be you have a method to refine a demonic spiritual artifact?"

Zhang Xuanzhi looked at Liu Boyong with a faint smile, the words from his mouth causing Liu Boyong to feel a jolt, cursing the man for his slyness.

Generally speaking, only demonic cultivators can refine demonic spiritual artifacts. But, nothing is absolute, and cultivators always find ways to bypass such limitations, just as demonic cultivators similarly find ways to refine the magical artifacts of cultivators.

However, if Liu Boyong admits he can refine a demonic spiritual artifact, who knows if Zhang Xuanzhi and Red Eyebrow Old Monster might accuse him of collaborating with demon cultivators and join forces to eliminate him.

Therefore, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is joking. I only made a guess, and if you don’t believe it, Fellow Daoist can share your thoughts."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuanzhi actually said, "I’m somewhat versed in arrays. In my opinion, the position of this coffin should be the eye of a demonic array. The altar beneath us is the array base. To open the coffin, I’m afraid we must first move it away from the array eye position!"

"Array? Fellow Daoist Zhang’s explanation does seem plausible!"

Red Eyebrow Old Monster lowered his head to look at the altar carved with mysterious runes beneath his feet, slightly nodding in agreement with Zhang Xuanzhi’s words.

Then, his face sank, and he said in a deep voice, "In that case, let’s try to move this coffin away from the array eye position."

Right away, he raised a hand to push the coffin lid forcefully, but couldn’t move the coffin lid at all.

Seeing this, Zhang Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "Elder Red Eyebrow, there’s no need to be impatient. Since it’s an array, we just need to break the array base."

As he spoke, he summoned an earthy-colored seal magical artifact, growing it to several tens of feet in length and width, smashing it aggressively onto the edge of the altar.

With a loud roar, the altar, made of unknown materials, was really smashed open at the corner with his strike.

Seeing this, Red Eyebrow Old Monster again pushed the coffin lid with his palm.

This time, the coffin lid that previously couldn’t be budged was actually pushed open halfway by his palm.

But before everyone could clearly see the inside of the coffin, a sudden change occurred.

Red Eyebrow Old Monster, with half a hand on the coffin, suddenly felt a powerful suction emanating from inside the coffin, and then he was uncontrollably sucked into the coffin in an instant.

Ah—!

The shrill scream erupted from within the coffin where Red Eyebrow Old Monster had been pulled in, and immediately, Zhang Xuanzhi and Liu Boyong, standing close by, heard a chilling sound of bones being gnawed inside the coffin.