CH 21

The people with authority fell silent, and the room became quiet.

A disciple of the Chigou Sect stood up. Judging from his appearance, he held a respectable position. “Our former Hierarch recorded the ‘Human Shaped Coffin’ in our teachings. Its inner shell is made of the skin of a demonic creature that’s extremely tough. It is wrapped in a ghostskin robe made from the silk of ghost silkworms, and its tendrils move like a living person.”

“The coffin is covered in various spells that can control its movements. The body inside the coffin doesn’t decay and can even move normally in the tomb. Yan Budu most likely infused it with his own techniques…”

His voice trembled with fear.

“The Human Shaped Coffin has no teeth and no body inside. Without any corpse interfering, it will only grow stronger. Everyone, be cautious.”

Everyone understood the implicit meaning behind his words.

Yan Budu possessed exquisite martial arts skills, only matched by the Chigou Sect’s Su Zhi, and Kong Shi from Jianchen Temple. When the orthodox sects besieged the Ling Sect, Yan Budu single-handedly slaughtered nine orthodox masters. Even if the Human Shaped Coffin inherited only a small portion of Yan Budu’s power, it would still be more than enough to deal with them—

Except for the personal presence of the Chigou Sect’s Matriarch, Matron Wuxue, no other sect sent their top experts. Not to mention the previous events in the tomb had already exhausted everyone’s resources, leaving them weary.

“Yan Budu’s corpse isn’t here?” Xu Jingming couldn’t help but gasp, a chill running down his spine. “Has he truly ascended to immortality?”

No one answered him.

Shi Zhongyu acted decisively. With a flick of her yin fire, she aimed to cut off the arm of the Human Shaped Coffin that was holding the smoking pipe. Unexpectedly, the divine weapon that was covered by the yin fire, produced only a light “ding” sound. The sword blade barely broke through the outer layer of the ghostskin robe, revealing the inner layer of demonic skin.

The Human Shaped Coffin casually reversed its hand, directly snapping the slender sword. With its fingers gathered together, it stabbed towards Shi Zhongyu’s neck.

Shi Zhongyu couldn’t dodge in time, and it seemed like blood would splatter on the spot. However, a long string of prayer beads caught her waist, pulling her back towards the entrance. Monk Juehui swung his prayer beads. “You’re welcome.”

The Human Shaped Coffin didn’t immediately pursue but instead calmly got off the bed. Its red robe was of fine material—though it had some signs of decay and fading, there was no trace of decay.

Even so, the Human Shaped Coffin’s clothes were still in disarray, exposing half of its shoulder.

Shi Jingzhi took two steps back and rushed to the outside of the room. Just as Matron Wuxue frowned, he returned and made random gestures towards Monk Juehui.

Seeing that no one reacted, Shi Jingzhi directly took action.

He crossed over the Human Shaped Coffin, stepping on the bedpost, and slammed his palm towards the ceiling. His palm emitted a blaze of golden fire, shattering the roof and revealing the empty sky outside.

When Shi Jingzhi landed on the ground, he snatched the prayer beads from Monk Juehui, and then leaped onto the broken wall, swinging the prayer beads in all directions.

The monk from the Jianchen Temple couldn’t contain his anger any longer. “That is the treasured possession of our temple, Patron…”

Before the monk could finish his sentence, Shen Zhu interrupted him with a single hand. Shen Zhu smiled at him and said, “Master, I believe Sect Master Shi borrowed it precisely because he recognizes that its’ the Infinity Prayer Beads.”

The Infinity Prayer Beads could condense true qi into new prayer beads. As long as one had enough inner force and could maintain it, the length of the beads wasn’t a problem. Shi Jingzhi held his breath and hooked the prayer beads onto the rocks and trees outside, creating a network of prayer beads.

Matron Wuxue reacted swiftly. “Good kid—everyone, go! Finish this quickly!”

She pulled her cane, which unexpectedly came apart into several segments. Each segment was connected by black and red demonic tendons, and at the bends of the cane, there were hook-like structures resembling scorpion tails. The disciples of the Chigou Sect simultaneously rushed toward the Human Shaped Coffin with wind surging in their palms. The Human Shaped Coffin was pushed back two steps and got hooked by the elongated cane.

Matron Wuxue let out a silent sinister smile as she stepped steadily onto the prayer bead network. “Sect Master Shi, hold on!”

The others didn’t fall behind, leaping onto the prayer beads network together and leaving the dream-like objects on the ground.

The smile on the face of the Human Shaped Coffin gradually disappeared.

It gripped the crimson hook, coated in a deadly poison, causing its palm to hiss. The monks took advantage of the situation and set themselves up in their formation. Their chanting resounded, enclosing the Human Shaped Coffin in the middle.

Disturbed by the Buddhist mantras, the movements of the Human Shaped Coffin became stiff and unnerving. It held the smoking pipe like a dagger, and in the next instant, the nearest monk had their entire face pierced through, their features vanishing without a trace, leaving only a circular skull.

The red jade smoking pipe was covered in blood and brain matter, and the sweet fragrance of incense became even heavier.

The Human Shaped Coffin waved the smoking pipe, and several sword qi cleaved in all directions. The smoking pipe was so thin that it could break with a slight bend, yet at this moment, it felt as heavy as a thousand catties, exuding an endless chill with each swing.

It was merely a dead object without a brain, yet remnants of countless arrogance lingered within its techniques. The Demonic Hierarch from a hundred years ago, whose whereabouts were unknown, could create a burst of blood flowers just by lifting an empty coffin, turning its might into a spectacle.

And it didn’t even have any killing intent.

What kind of strength did Yan Budu, the lunatic who fought against the orthodox sects for two years, possess when he was still alive?

One corpse after another fell from the prayer beads network, their blood flowing and staining the golden light of the beads. While none of the lamps were extinguished, the shadows around grew increasingly dense.

The formation of the Jianchen Temple remained steadfast, and the speed of the monks’ chanting grew faster, causing the golden light of the nearby prayer beads to intensify. Monk Juehui, Shi Zhongyu, and Matron Wuxue launched an attack simultaneously, with Zheng Fengdao stepping onto the prayer beads network as well.

“I have come to support the flourishing Ling Sect. I hope Hierarch understands.”

The Human Shaped Coffin ignored him; its bloody eyes fixed on Shi Jingzhi outside the encirclement.

The masters from various sects were accustomed to battle and could easily hold their breath. However, Shi Jingzhi had to exert all his true qi and couldn’t multitask. His face turned purple from the effort.

He struggled to organize his scattered thoughts—

As the master of the dream realm, the Human Shaped Coffin would definitely distort the dream realm spontaneously, creating illusions to deal with him. Unfortunately, he also had to be concerned about the ongoing battle around him and couldn’t close his eyes to escape.

Fortunately, the Human Shaped Coffin didn’t possess Yan Budu’s strength. The young monks had entered the tent and hadn’t encountered any problems so far. It seemed that even if it could dominate the dream realm, it could only focus on dealing with one person.

Like himself. Shi Jingzhi forced a wry smile.

Sure enough, the Human Shaped Coffin lowered its eyes, disregarding the blood on the smoking pipe, and took another puff. This time, the smoke it exhaled was as white as bone, like overlapping silk, lingering for a long time.

A cry of astonishment came from the disciples of the Yueshui Pavilion below. “Sect Master Shi, hold on! The Human Shaped Coffin has taken control of the dream-like entities and is coming straight for you!”

Shi Jingzhi really didn’t want to know what the approaching dream-like entities looked like. While holding his breath, he continued to channel true qi into the Infinity Prayer Beads, maintaining their form.

Although hindered slightly by the masters from various sects, the Human Shaped Coffin was still getting closer.

Shi Jingzhi involuntarily clenched his empty hand but didn’t touch another warm hand. Ah, his disciple was still below. Yin Ci was nestled in the clean air of the tent, unaffected by nightmares.

…Perhaps he had become accustomed too quickly. Shi Jingzhi clenched his fist in frustration.

He had to hold on.

Once he started to breathe again, the illusions would take effect, and he would see the dream-like entities approaching him. If he was forced to touch them, he would undoubtedly meet an unpleasant end.

If he fell, the Infinity Prayer Beads would immediately return to their original state, and everyone would plummet to the ground. And the ground would be filled with dream-like entities, ensuring certain death for everyone.

The battlefield was like a formation, and Shi Jingzhi was the key point.

The masters from various sects could naturally see the situation clearly, and each one made fierce attacks. The Human Shaped Coffin’s beautiful appearance was destroyed by more than half, but it stubbornly continued to advance towards Shi Jingzhi. The red jade smoking pipe was missing a significant portion, emitting intermittent puffs of incense.

If he could hold on a little longer, the smoking pipe would be destroyed. Unfortunately, channeling true qi was an exhausting task, and Shi Jingzhi’s entire body felt drained. Holding his breath, he was on the verge of passing out, and his vision was filled with golden stars.

Just a little longer…

‘No, I can’t hold on,’ Shi Jingzhi thought in a daze.

His brain felt as if it were being roasted over a fire, and his heart and lungs were burning one after another. The taste of rusty blood surged in his mouth, and a suffocating acidity accumulated in his chest. He was about to lose consciousness, dying alone and taking everyone with him in this place.

Was this his destined end?

‘What a pity,’ Shi Jingzhi thought. If he had to die, he would rather die by someone’s side.

Anyone would do, as long as that person was willing to look at him seriously, just like back then…

At this moment, the prayer bead network trembled lightly. A pair of steady hands held Shi Jingzhi’s face, and something soft pressed against his cold lips.

The other person’s familiar and warm breath was so warm that it almost burned.

Pure air was brought into his mouth, and Shi Jingzhi greedily took a few mouthfuls, finally catching his breath as his thoughts gradually became clear.

Wait, everyone was dealing with the Human Shaped Coffin, so there should be enough leeway to breathe—

Shi Jingzhi looked at Yin Ci in front of him and barely managed to suppress his exclamation. He gently patted his disciple’s back in a discreet manner, making a muffled sound. Yin Ci ignored his flailing master and continued to press their lips together, focusing on transferring air, turning his cheap master into a scorching-hot tomato.

While Shi Jingzhi’s face turned tomato-red, he didn’t forget to channel true qi through his hands, keeping the prayer bead network stable. However, his thoughts were almost stagnant, and the sensation of their skin touching felt like a potent poison, causing his internal organs to burn again.

A soft crack lightly sounded.

The red jade smoking pipe shattered, and the fragrance of incense instantly faded.

Under the sacrificial attacks of the masters risking their lives, the situation on the battlefield finally improved. The magnificent scenery within the Palace of Leisure gradually deteriorated, and the illusions dissipated like snow under the scorching sun, quickly disappearing without a trace.

Shi Jingzhi embraced his disciple’s waist, gradually ceasing the flow of true qi. The Infinity Prayer Beads returned to their original state, and everyone, including the Human Shaped Coffin, fell to the ground.

As the illusions vanished, everything turned dim, and no one noticed that the Sect Master’s face was flushed.

“A’Ci, I… You… Didn’t I tell you to stay put?!” Shi Jingzhi even spat out a mouthful of blood, which was rare for him.

Yin Ci had an innocent expression. “I calculated the time and was afraid that Shizun couldn’t hold on, so I asked Miss Shen Zhu to throw me up here.”

The Sect Master’s face remained blank. “…”

“If Shizun were to fall here, how far do you think I could run alone?”

“If you have such plans in the future, let me know first.” Shi Jingzhi rubbed his face and finally regained his composure.

Yin Ci timely changed the subject. “Now that the illusions are gone, all the seniors should be fine, right?”

Just as he finished speaking, the Human Shaped Coffin picked up the Buddhist bead pendant on the smoking pipe, tilted its head back, and swallowed it along with the fragments of the pipe.

Half of its face retained a stunning appearance, revealing a faint smile. The other half of its ghostskin robe was covered in scars, looking extremely grotesque. After swallowing the Buddhist beads, the Human Shaped Coffin didn’t immediately close its mouth. It reached into its mouth again and pulled out a whip.

Zheng Fengdao spat out blood. “It’s the Death Whip of the Hierarch.”

Matron Wuxue’s wrist was broken, and she was panting heavily. “Now that the illusions have been broken, this thing will focus on dealing with us.”

The Human Shaped Coffin tilted its head slightly and swung the pitch-black whip in its hand.

The sound of the whip exploded, and all the lanterns, torches, and yin fire and yang fire extinguished instantly, unable to be reignited. Thick darkness enveloped everyone’s vision, making it difficult to breathe.

Shi Jingzhi stood up cautiously, repeatedly trying to ignite his yang fire, but there was no trace of light.

“A’Ci, stay by my side and don’t go anywhere…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed limply.

Yin Ci withdrew his hand and pressed his lips to Shi Jingzhi’s ear. “You did well. Take a rest for a while.”

He gently laid Shi Jingzhi on the ground and walked towards the densest darkness.

The darkness underground was heavier than outside, but Yin Ci was already accustomed to it. He seemed to dissolve into the shadows, without breath, emotion, or the slightest sound, leaving only a void behind.

Not far away, blood splattered, mixing with groans and screams, piercing the eardrums. The sound of metal colliding, soaked in the scent of blood, sounded particularly tragic.

When Yin Ci found the Human Shaped Coffin, it was busy tearing off the arm of a disciple from the Chigou Sect.

This thing had no inner force, and its power was only about one-tenth of Yan Budu’s. Yan Budu’s martial arts, similar to “Su Zhi’s” Bone Sweeping Sword technique, followed a peculiar and tricky path, giving him many advantages.

However, Yin Ci could fight against Yan Budu himself, let alone a mere Human Shaped Coffin. Moreover, he had dealt with this thing a hundred years ago—he had strip off the ghostskin robe once, and he could do it a second time.

Yin Ci grabbed the Death Whip, ignoring the barbs and curses on it, and pulled the Human Shaped Coffin in front of him.

Just like when he played with Shi Jingzhi earlier, he restored his original voice, and spoke clearly and melodiously. “If you continue to cause trouble, it’ll become annoying.”

Finally sensing the danger, the Human Shaped Coffin tried to stab Yin Ci’s heart with its other hand, but Yin Ci firmly held its wrist. With his other hand, he grabbed the neck of the Human Shaped Coffin and exerted a subtle force, pressing it down, causing it to kneel halfway to the ground.

Despite Yan Budu’s countless tricks, Yin Ci only needed one opening.

The Human Shaped Coffin was firmly pressed to the ground, emitting creaking sounds all over its body. It struggled to break free but couldn’t use any techniques, like a butterfly pinned down by a needle.

Facing Yan Budu’s face, Yin Ci felt no sympathy or tender affection. With strength in his shoulder and arm, he swiftly snapped off one of the Human Shaped Coffin’s arms. The demon skin was forcefully torn apart, emitting a piercing sound.

In the next instant, Yin Ci’s palm turned into a sword as his fingertips swept across the Human Shaped Coffin’s throat like a swift gust of wind. A nauseating sound of fracturing echoed as the Human Shaped Coffin’s neck was severed, revealing a faint red glow at the severed stump.

With its pressure points shattered, the array was broken, and the technique was dispelled. The entire process was precise and swift, resembling a one-sided execution.

Without the support of spells, the Human Shaped Coffin couldn’t bear the weight and collapsed on the ground with its joints folding unnaturally.

Indeed, it didn’t bleed.

Noticing his subconscious thoughts, Yin Ci smiled and kicked Zheng Fengdao, who was about to regain consciousness, to knock him out again.

All fourteen Buddhist ybeads were here.

Everyone was weak, so killing them would be effortless. Once everyone was killed, he could easily collect all the prayer beads and escape alone. The members of the Jinyu Group couldn’t stop him, and the Yueshui Pavilion couldn’t find him.

Next, he just needed to follow the treasure map and slowly search for the hidden treasure. Even if the treasure had nothing to do with the Shirou, this would be just another failure, but at least he had successfully killed some time.

If this was the end, his plan could be considered successful.

However…

Yin Ci walked to Shi Jingzhi’s side, silently bending down to look at his cheap master—although he had passed out, a trace of blush still lingered on Shi Jingzhi’s ears.

It had been too smooth, perhaps a bit too boring.

Yin Ci caught a strand of Shi Jingzhi’s long hair, playing with it between his fingers.

‘…Let’s play a little longer,’ he thought.

The author has something to say:

Yin Ci: This mysterious fox, I can’t figure out his intentions yet, so I’ll keep him as a plaything for now.

Raising foxes is dangerous, Demonic Lord Yin.