Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 952: Opening the Coffin

After countless twists and turns, the group had finally arrived at the underground palace and laid eyes upon the massive, gleaming yellow brass coffin.

Bright Yellow Brass Coffin!

Every cultivator present had eyes glowing with excitement. Hui No. 2 and the others were visibly breathing faster, and even Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

Say what you will — this Grade Three yellow brass coffin alone must be worth a fortune in spirit stones.

"A grand burial, just as I thought!" Hui No. 2's eyes burned with fervor.

At the same time, a flicker of gray-green light flashed through his eyes — as if a twisted thought was sprouting like a maggot in his mind.

No one noticed.

Except Mo Hua.

He frowned slightly.

Hui No. 2 had been bitten by a corpse fiend earlier, but had shown no oddities until now. Only upon seeing the coffin did this evil intent start brewing.

This suggested something:

The growth of evil thoughts — and their eventual corruption — required desire.

When one's heart gives rise to greed and longing, that's when evil intent takes root and begins to spread.

The yellow brass coffin had stirred Hui No. 2's desire. And in turn, his Dao heart began to crack, making way for external evil to seep in.

Mo Hua quietly filed that insight away.

With the coffin now found, no one hesitated. They followed the stone corridor toward the massive pit containing the glowing yellow brass coffin.

Normally, the deeper one ventured into a tomb, the greater the danger — especially near the burial chamber, where traps and fiendish defenses would abound.

Yet strangely enough, this inner sanctum was eerily calm. No traps, no lurking corpse fiends.

And so, the group arrived smoothly at the edge of the pit.

The enormous yellow brass coffin loomed before them.

Staring at the extravagant, radiant casket...

Even Mo Hua's heart was burning a little.

He was genuinely curious. What exactly could be buried in such a lavish coffin? How many treasures might it contain?

Amid the group, the elderly black-robed cultivator said:

"Hui No. 2, go ahead. Open the coffin."

"No rush — I'll take a look first," Hui No. 2 replied.

Sharpen the knife before cutting wood. The closer to the goal, the more cautious one must be.

He circled around the pit, inspecting the coffin from all angles. But the more he saw, the grimmer his expression became. By the end, his face was downright dark.

"The brass is old. Though it gleams outside, it's stained with dull reds and yellows. The seams are damp, the engravings distorted…"

"That's a sign of extreme yin qi seeping out. If even the coffin can't contain it, then… it's begun to corrode."

"There's something big in this coffin…"

"Big… thing?" Mo Hua blinked.

"Something evil," Hui No. 2 murmured. "Most likely a corpse fiend or some malevolent ghost."

Stone glanced around warily, frowning:

"No wonder there were no traps or arrays in the deeper halls. Turns out the real danger is the coffin itself."

"So… what now?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'what now'? We're not just going to turn around and go home, are we?" Rat interjected. "Didn't I say it? Fortune comes from danger. Hui No. 2, open the coffin."

"Right." Hui No. 2 nodded.

He'd been in this business for years. He was a seasoned tomb-raider, no stranger to risks.

No matter what lay inside, he couldn't leave it unopened.

Besides, based on what these black-robed guests had said, this coffin's origin was extraordinary.

"The job of opening it falls to Hui No. 2, then," the black-robed elder rasped.

"Naturally," Hui No. 2 nodded. "This is our profession. But the coffin's too large, and we're short-handed — I'll need a bit of help from you honored guests."

The elder gave a slight nod.

And so, Hui No. 2 began the coffin-opening procedure.

First, he pulled from his storage ring a two-foot-tall jet-black statue of the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva (Dìzàng) and placed it on the ground.

The statue's expression was strange and grim.

Etched on either side were the words:

"Life and death are fated, fortune lies with the heavens."

Hui No. 2 inserted three incense sticks before the statue, poured a cup of yellow wine, and bowed deeply:

"Earth Treasury Lord, bless us with wealth from this coffin. Let no taboos hinder us."

He poured the wine on the ground.

When Mo Hua saw the statue, his pupils shrank slightly. He hadn't had time to study it in detail before Hui No. 2 finished the rite and put the statue away.

With that, the true coffin-opening began.

Mo Hua, unfortunately, couldn't help with that part.

The coffin was a Grade Three artifact, and both the array and traps surrounding it were of Grade Three as well. That was far beyond the capabilities of a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator — even one like him, a Grade Two Array Master.

If it were a Grade Two earth array, he could have learned and adapted on the spot.

But Grade Three formations involved advanced principles — far beyond his current stage.

So while the others busied themselves, Mo Hua simply found a seat on the stone corridor overlooking the pit and watched Hui No. 2 and the others from afar.

Hui No. 2 placed Grade Three formation plates at each of the coffin's four corners.

Judging from their wear and engravings, these plates were heirlooms. Mo Hua couldn't understand their arrays yet — but they were likely meant for corpse suppression and spirit binding.

He also placed yellow talismans on the coffin.

Not paper talismans — these were carved from yellow jade and pinned to the brass lid.

Chicken blood wine was poured in a circle.

No one knew what kind of spirit beast the blood came from, but its aura was fiery and pure. It seemed intended to dispel yin and suppress evil.

They also used ink thread, spirit rice water, and a dozen other strange tools. The entire ritual was long and complex.

Watching it all left Mo Hua a little dizzy. But in his heart, he felt genuine admiration:

"Every cultivation path is different... But these guys? They really do know their craft."

No wonder those four black-robed cultivators had sought out Hui No. 2 and his crew to break into this tomb.

Mo Hua committed every step to memory.

He didn't understand most of it now, but there was no harm in remembering it.

Better too many skills than too few.

Who knew? Maybe in the future, if he could obtain some ancient tomb-raiding inheritance, he could go explore a few graves, crack open some coffins, and dig up treasure of his own.

Honestly? That didn't sound bad at all.

About half an hour later, Hui No. 2 finished the preparations.

The remaining miscellaneous tasks were handled by Stone and Rat.

Hui No. 2 walked over to Mo Hua and warned him:

"Little brother, opening this coffin is going to be dangerous. You must stay out of the pit."

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded quickly.

He didn't need to be told twice.

Dangerous jobs? That's what the others were here for.

Satisfied that Mo Hua understood the risks, Hui No. 2 turned to leave — but suddenly paused, seeming to remember something. He hesitated, then asked:

"Back in the forked passage… did Rat give you any trouble?"

Mo Hua's divine sense stirred. Suddenly, it all clicked.

So Hui No. 2 had seen what happened in the passage.

He knew Rat had chased after him — but until now, hadn't said a word.

These guys… were as sharp as they were shady.

Since that's the case...

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly, and then he forced a reluctant expression. "No..."

Hui No. 2 smiled kindly. "It's alright, you don't need to be afraid. If something's happened, just tell me."

Mo Hua still looked like he wanted to speak but was holding back.

Seeing this, Hui No. 2 made a guess and said, "Don't worry. With me here, Rat wouldn't dare trouble you."

Only then did Mo Hua seem a little more assured. He hesitantly said, "He... asked me for something."

"Asked for something?" Hui No. 2 was briefly surprised. "What was it?"

Mo Hua glanced off into the distance. Seeing that Rat was far away, he lowered his voice and said, "The Touch Gold Talisman."

Hui No. 2 furrowed his brows and fell silent.

Mo Hua's gaze flickered slightly. From Hui No. 2's expression, he could more or less tell that Hui No. 2 knew that Mister Pi had owned a Touch Gold Talisman.

But he probably didn't know what it truly meant, or else his expression wouldn't be this calm.

Even if his face stayed calm, his soul should've fluctuated a little.

And fluctuations of the soul were hard to hide from Mo Hua's spiritual perception.

After a moment's thought, Hui No. 2 looked at Mo Hua and asked, "Is the Touch Gold Talisman in your possession?"

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Just tell me the truth. I won't blame you," Hui No. 2 said.

Mo Hua still shook his head. "I really don't know anything about a Touch Gold Talisman."

Hui No. 2 frowned. "If it's not with you, why would Rat chase you?"

Mo Hua put on a confused face. "I don't know… I don't even know what the talisman looks like..."

"Second Master," Mo Hua looked curious and softly asked, "do you know what a Touch Gold Talisman looks like?"

Hui No. 2 was silent for a moment, then nodded. "It's made from the claw of a tunneling spirit beast. The tip is transparent like jade, the base inlaid with gold and etched with silver. Has a very ancient look to it…"

He hadn't even finished speaking when Mo Hua's face suddenly changed — he seemed startled, then tried to compose himself, eyes flickering.

That kind of reaction could never escape Hui No. 2's sharp eyes.

"What's wrong?" Hui No. 2 asked.

"Nothing," Mo Hua shook his head.

"Tell me." Hui No. 2's tone was gentle, but his expression had turned slightly stern.

"I…" Mo Hua hesitated for a long time before finally stammering, "I think... I might have seen that Touch Gold Talisman."

Hui No. 2's expression shifted slightly. "You really saw it?"

"Mhm." Mo Hua nodded.

"Where?"

"On him..." Mo Hua lowered his voice, "On Rat..."

"On him?" Hui No. 2 frowned. "You mean Rat?"

"Mhm," Mo Hua's voice stayed low, disbelief in his tone. "That day, when he took Mister Pi's storage pouch from me, I saw him sneak something that looked like a tooth into his palm."

"I didn't know what it was... so I didn't dare speak up."

"Later, he just insisted that I stole some 'Touch Gold Talisman'..." He paused. "But…"

Mo Hua's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, his face full of confusion. "That Touch Gold Talisman is clearly in his hands — why accuse me of taking it?"

Hui No. 2's face was growing darker by the second.

He had been in this trade far too long not to understand.

Rat was pulling a classic thief's move — crying thief while being the thief himself. Framing Mo Hua to clear suspicion and secretly keep the talisman for himself.

He even tried to kill Mo Hua to silence him.

Back in the forked passage, when he tried to do so while the group was split up — it was only because Hui No. 2 happened to interrupt that Rat had to back off and instead threaten Mo Hua into silence.

Just from Mo Hua's few vague sentences, and drawing on his many years of experience in the cultivation world, Hui No. 2 had already reconstructed the whole sequence in his mind.

The Touch Gold Talisman...

"Is it really that important…? So important that Rat would go to such lengths to hide it and keep it for himself?"

Hui No. 2's eyes grew colder and colder.

Mo Hua whispered, "Second Master…"

Hui No. 2 pulled his thoughts back, glanced at Mo Hua, and gently reassured him:

"Don't worry. With me around, he won't dare lay a finger on you."

Mo Hua let out a long sigh of relief and gratefully said, "Thank you, Second Master."

Hui No. 2 smiled warmly at him, then turned and walked away.

But after just a few steps, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a gloomy expression — and a growing greed in his eyes.

Mo Hua glanced at the top of Hui No. 2's head and saw the slow blooming of gray-green evil thoughts — and the corners of his lips curled into a subtle, knowing smile.

Afterward, the group continued preparing for the coffin opening.

One incense stick's time later, everything was ready.

At the bottom of the pit, in front of the glowing brass coffin—

Hui No. 2 took a swig of fresh, crimson chicken-blood wine to boost his courage and dispel the evil energy. Then he solemnly declared:

"Open the coffin."

As his voice fell, the surrounding yin aura grew noticeably heavier.

Hui No. 2 activated the formation, snapped taut the ink threads, dabbed spirit rice water on his forehead, and activated the blood-patterned yellow jade talisman pressed atop the brass coffin.

Translation:

He activated the Blood-Patterned Yellow Jade Talisman pressed atop the copper coffin.

A hazy light barrier slowly rose, enveloping everyone along with the copper coffin.

On the surface of the barrier, characters resembling Daoist talismans lit up one after another.

These characters were not quite formations, not quite talismans — more like mystical aphorisms, each carrying an unknown, profound power, suppressing the copper coffin below.

"Remove the nails!" Hui No. 2 ordered.

Stone, along with two other burly black-robed men and the black-robed elder — four in total — leapt onto the coffin, positioning themselves at the four corners. They used jade tools to pry open the locks, poured aqua regia over them, and then channeled their Golden Core power to forcibly pull out the four coffin nails embedded in each corner.

With the coffin nails removed, the brilliant brass coffin was no longer sealed.

The yin and deathly aura from within began to seep outward.

Everyone present felt a growing sense of unease. Even Mo Hua, who was watching from a distance, felt a chill — his skin erupted in goosebumps.

Hui No. 2's palms were sweating, but he steeled himself and shouted solemnly, "Open it!"

The four made no further delay and slowly lifted the coffin lid.

A wave of putrid, rotting stench burst out instantly. The yin aura spread like frost, and the entire pit turned into a frozen hell of winter's harshest chill — cold enough to pierce bone.

Despite the pounding in his chest, Hui No. 2 forced himself to peer into the coffin — and his pupils suddenly contracted. He was speechless.

The others also leaned in for a look — and fell into silence.

From afar, Mo Hua could only feel the oppressive yin energy — and then, oddly, an abrupt silence.

Curious, he poked his head out for a look.

From his position, he couldn't see clearly, so he climbed up to the corridor's upper level for a higher vantage point and looked down into the coffin.

When he did — his expression instantly changed, and a wave of nausea surged in his chest.

Inside that regal and luxurious brass coffin was a pile of corpses.

Rotten, filthy, dismembered limbs were stacked atop one another like discarded sludge — all heaped into the surface-glittering, outwardly magnificent coffin.

The sight was grotesque beyond words.

Everyone present was stunned into silence.

Hui No. 2's expression darkened to an extreme. He turned to the black-robed cultivators and asked coldly,

"Gentlemen, this is the so-called royal tomb of the Great Wilderness clan you spoke of?"

Not a single treasure in sight — only a pile of deformed, decaying corpses.

The black-robed cultivators remained calm, but said nothing.

A strange tension filled the air.

It was then that Mo Hua's pupils suddenly shrank.

From those rotting corpses — from the dense death and yin aura — he actually sensed faint traces of...

Dao Sin aura.

"Watch out!" Mo Hua shouted.

Before his words had even fully fallen — the brass coffin trembled.

Those rotting bodies — the twisted limbs and pulpy flesh — began to shudder.

Then they squirmed, writhed, and started converging toward the center.

Blood and flesh intertwined, twisting and weaving — ultimately forming a massive, hideous flesh-and-blood corpse effigy.

With a horrifying roar, an overwhelming, distorted aura blasted outward in every direction—Everyone's faces instantly changed.

(End of this Chapter)