Chapter 475: A Book

The bronze doors slowly opened, and a more ancient aura surged out from inside.

Duan Zhang took the lead and stepped inside, with several white-robed people closely following.

Jiang Feng walked at the rear, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the underground palace.

The underground palace was huge, covering over a thousand square meters.

The walls on all four sides were covered with murals, the content seemingly depicting some scenes of the Ancient Wu Empire.

Each mural was lifelike, as if narrating the story of that long-vanished ancient empire.

In the center of the underground palace lay a massive stone coffin.

The stone coffin was entirely black, its surface etched with intricate runes that exuded a chilling aura.

Around it were placed various burial goods, each priceless.

But Duan Zhang's gaze did not fall upon those burial goods.

He stared at the stone coffin, his eyes filled with excitement.

"I finally found it… I finally found it…"

His voice trembled slightly, brimming with uncontainable joy.

Jiang Feng stood beside him, looking at the stone coffin, his expression calm.

He could sense that inside the coffin lingered a remnant of immense power, but there was no trace of life.

Duan Zhang took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, turned his head, and said to Jiang Feng.

"Mr. Jiang, do you know who the owner of this underground palace is?"

Jiang Feng glanced at him, saying nothing.

Duan Zhang continued, his tone tinged with a hint of awe.

"The owner of this underground palace should have been the last Martial Ancestor Strongman of the Ancient Wu Empire a thousand years ago, bearing the title Great Law Martial Ancestor!"

Jiang Feng's brow twitched slightly.

"Great Law Martial Ancestor?"

He had heard that title before.

It was said to be the guardian of the Ancient Wu Empire at its height, allegedly mastering the complete laws of spacetime, with power unfathomable.

Duan Zhang looked at Jiang Feng's expression and continued.

"It is said that this Great Law Martial Ancestor mastered the complete laws of spacetime; had he not refrained from acting during the War Against Wu, the Ancient Wu Empire might not have fallen."

"But this Great Law Martial Ancestor left no lineage of transmission. Thus this underground palace may be the last chance to learn of his inheritance."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng's gaze swept around the underground palace.

"No lineage of transmission?"

"Then why did this Great Law Martial Ancestor leave behind this underground palace?"

Duan Zhang seemed to see his doubt and gave a bitter laugh.

"The Duan Family has studied this underground palace for decades, yet still cannot fathom the purpose of that Great Law Martial Ancestor. But one thing is certain: something extraordinary must be hidden within this palace."

He paused, gazing at the stone coffin, a flicker of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Otherwise, he would not have gone to such trouble to lay down so many seals."

Jiang Feng said nothing.

His gaze shifted from the stone coffin to other parts of the underground palace.

The layout of the underground palace was deliberate; the murals on the four walls appeared to be arranged in some order.

Jiang Feng walked along the walls, examining the murals closely.

As Jiang Feng studied the murals, a vague guess gradually formed in his mind.

This Great Law Martial Ancestor devoted his life to martial cultivation, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of the martial path.

Yet after attaining that peak, he found himself utterly alone.

No disciples, no relatives, no friends.

He possessed everything, yet in truth had nothing.

Perhaps this is why he left behind this underground palace.

He wished to leave his inheritance to posterity, yet did not want to give it away lightly.

Therefore he set up layers of trials; only those who passed could earn his acknowledgment.

Duan Zhang followed behind Jiang Feng, also looking at the murals, but he obviously had not thought so deeply.

His attention was wholly fixed on that stone coffin.

"Mr. Jiang, do you think the stone coffin might contain the inheritance left by the Great Law Martial Ancestor?"

Jiang Feng glanced at him and replied lightly.

"We'll know once we open it."

Duan Zhang's eyes lit up, but he soon hesitated.

"But… what if there is some danger…"

Jiang Feng said nothing and walked straight toward the stone coffin.

Duan Zhang opened his mouth to call out, but ultimately swallowed his words, following behind with the few white-robed people.

Jiang Feng walked up to the stone coffin and stopped.

The stone coffin was huge, larger than any he had ever seen.

The lid's runes were densely packed, emitting a faint blue glow.

Those runes flowed slowly, as if alive.

Jiang Feng stared at those runes for a moment, then reached out and pressed his hand upon the lid.

As his palm just touched the coffin lid, those runes lit up immediately, the light blinding.

A strong repulsive force surged from the stone coffin, trying to push him away.

Jiang Feng frowned, adding a bit more force with his hand.

Inside his body, his cultivation method ran wildly, a vast power surging toward his palm.

The runes' light flickered a few times, then gradually dimmed.

The repulsive force also gradually weakened, finally disappearing completely.

Duan Zhang stood at the back, watching this scene, his eyes wide.

He had also tried to approach the stone coffin earlier, but that repulsive force almost threw him flying.

Jiang Feng, however, simply pressed his hand on the coffin lid, and it seemed effortless.

Is this the difference?

A complex emotion welled up in Duan Zhang's heart.

Jiang Feng ignored his reaction, placing both hands on the lid and pushing hard to the side.

The lid was heavy, but Jiang Feng's strength was greater.

With a low, muffled scraping sound, the lid slowly shifted, revealing a gap.

A black mist poured out from the gap, carrying a piercing chill.

Several white-robed figures instinctively stepped back two paces, hands on their weapons.

Duan Zhang also stepped back a pace, his face turning slightly pale.

Jiang Feng did not retreat, continuing to push the lid.

The more he pushed, the more the lid opened, the gap widening.

The black mist grew denser, nearly enveloping the entire stone coffin.

The temperature in the underground palace plummeted, and everyone felt a piercing chill.

Duan Ping shivered, his voice trembling slightly.

"Eldest Son, could there be something unclean inside...?"

Duan Zhang glared at him.

"Shut up!"

Duan Ping shrank his neck, not daring to speak further.

Jiang Feng finally pushed the lid to one side.

The stone coffin was fully opened.

The black mist slowly dissipated, revealing what lay inside the stone coffin.

Everyone gathered to look, then all froze.

Inside the stone coffin, there were no bones, no treasures, nothing of what they had imagined.

Only a book.

A book lay still in the exact center of the stone coffin.

The book's cover was black, bearing no characters, only some intricate runes.

Those runes were identical to those on the stone coffin, emitting a faint blue glow.

Duan Zhang widened his eyes, unable to believe his discovery.

"Just... just a book?"

His voice was full of disappointment.

He had thought the stone coffin would hold the Great Law Martial Ancestor's heritage, an unparalleled divine technique, and countless treasures.

In the end, there was only a book.

Duan Ping also stepped forward to take a look, his expression shifting from fear to contempt.

"A book? All this fuss for just a book?"

Jiang Feng said nothing, reaching out to take the book from the stone coffin.

The book was heavy, much heavier than he had imagined.

The cover's material was special, neither paper nor leather, feeling icy cold, like metal.

Jiang Feng opened the cover and saw a line of writing on the first page.

It was a very ancient script, completely different from the characters used today.

Duan Zhang leaned in to look, frowning.

"This is the script of the Ancient Wu Empire, lost for thousands of years."

He paused, then asked.

"Mr. Jiang, can you read it?"

Jiang Feng said nothing, staring at that line for a moment.

In his mind, a thought suddenly flashed.

He felt he could understand the meaning of those characters.

Although he did not recognize the characters, when he looked at them, their meaning automatically surfaced in his mind.

"The way of time and space is not in the book, but in the heart."

Jiang Feng read aloud the first line.

Duan Zhang froze.

"You... you can read it?"

Jiang Feng did not answer, continuing to turn the pages.

On the second page, a picture was drawn.

The content of the picture is very simple: just a Circle, Inside there is a dot.

But Jiang Feng, looking at this picture, felt a profound aura rush over him.

That circle seemed to represent space.

That dot seemed to represent time.

Space and time perfectly merged together in this picture.

Jiang Feng stared at that picture for a long time, then turned to the third page.

On the third page, there was only one sentence.

"Whoever obtains this book becomes my disciple. but needs Remembrance, the way of spacetime, Defy Heaven, proceed with caution, proceed with caution."

Jiang Feng closed the book, his expression calm.

Duan Zhang looked at him, his eyes full of longing.

"Mr. Jiang, what is written in this book..."