Chapter 516: Sealing the Mysterious Ancient Coffin

As the starlight pillar faded, the atmosphere in the star field grew even more tense.

That black large coffin continued to float in midair, its secret still deeply hidden.

"We must act cautiously; this coffin may seal some powerful being." Longling's voice was low, his eyes fixed on the coffin as he tried to find clues.

The strong ones of other forces also realized this, beginning to observe around the coffin, trying to find a way to open it.

However, the runes on the coffin were complex and mysterious, seemingly hiding some ancient taboo.

At that moment, the stars in the star field changed again, they began to slowly rotate, forming a huge star vortex.

At the center of the star vortex was precisely that black large coffin; an invisible force emanated from the vortex, as if summoning something.

Longling and the others felt a strong pull, their bodies involuntarily moving toward the vortex's center.

They struggled to resist, but the vortex's pull grew stronger.

"Hold hands, don't get separated!" Longling shouted, light radiating from his hands as he tried to stabilize the group's position.

The strong ones of other forces also took action, using spells and treasures, trying to resist the vortex's pull.

But the vortex's power seemed endless, their efforts appearing futile.

At that moment, the jade pendant in Longling's hand suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

The monkey pattern on the pendant seemed to come alive, its eyes flashing with golden light, as if telling an ancient secret.

Longling felt a powerful force surge from the pendant, counteracting the vortex's pull and temporarily stabilizing him and his companions.

"An opportunity!" Longling shouted, "The power in the pendant can counter the vortex's pull; we must seize this chance to find a way to open the coffin!"

The strong ones of other forces also noticed this, beginning to try to cooperate with Longling and his group to jointly resist the vortex's power.

Under Longling's leadership, everyone began to study around the coffin.

They discovered that the coffin's runes had a mysterious connection with the patterns on the Chinese Zodiac Jade Pendant.

Whenever the zodiac pattern on the pendant matched the coffin's runes, the runes emitted a faint glow.

"We need to arrange all the pendants in the correct order to break the coffin's seal!" Longling's voice carried a hint of excitement.

Everyone immediately sprang into action, arranging the pendants according to the zodiac order, then placing them together on the coffin.

As the pendants were placed, the coffin's runes began to light up one by one, forming beams of light.

"Boom—"

With the final pendant set, the coffin's runes unleashed a thunderous roar, shaking the entire star field.

As the black large coffin slowly opened, a surging demonic qi poured out like a flood, the temperature in the star field plummeting, as if time and space froze at that moment.

Inside the coffin lay a twisted void, filled with endless darkness and deep red light, as if connected to an ancient, evil world.

Suddenly, a horde of variously shaped demon soldiers surged forth from that mysterious world.

They wore dark-red armor, wielded sharp demonic weapons, and their eyes flickered with cruel and bloodthirsty light.

As soon as these demon soldiers appeared, they let out earth-shaking roars and lunged at everyone present.

Everyone was shocked, their faces showing unprecedented fear.

These demon soldiers' power far exceeded their imagination; each strike carried destructive force, as if seeking to devour the entire star field.

"What is going on?"

"Where did these demon soldiers come from?" a cultivator shouted in terror, his voice trembling.

"Run! These demon soldiers are too strong; we're no match for them!"

Another cultivator screamed and turned to flee.

"No, we can't just run away! We must unite and find a way to fight them!" Longling shouted, his voice firm and resolute.

However, the demon soldiers' assault was too fierce; the defenders' defenses seemed utterly fragile before it.

Some cultivators collapsed instantly under the demon soldiers' attack, their bodies swiftly dissolving in the demonic qi, even their souls unable to escape.

"Ah! Save me! I don't want to die here!" a young cultivator cried in despair, his body already torn apart by the demon soldiers' claws.

"These demon soldiers are too powerful; we must find their weakness!" Longling's eyes flashed with determination; unless they were utterly defeated, they would never leave this star field.

Longling finally discovered the demon soldiers' weakness.

Whenever a demon soldier attacked, its demonic qi briefly waned, revealing its true nature—a being condensed from demonic qi.

"Everyone, note: the demon soldiers' weakness is the moment they attack! Focus your power then and strike their true form!" Longling shouted, his voice tinged with excitement.

Everyone immediately followed Longling's instructions, gathering power and waiting for the moment the demon soldiers attacked.

When the demon soldiers attacked again, the group's assault fell like a rainstorm upon their true forms.

"Boom—" With each thunderous crash, the demon soldiers' bodies began to crumble, turning into countless demonic qi that dissipated in the air; the faces of the people lit up with joy and excitement.

The battle in the star field intensified, every second filled with the urgency of life-and-death struggle.

Demon soldiers surged like a tide, each attack carrying destructive power.

Under Longling's leadership, although they had found the demon soldiers' weakness, the battle remained arduous and extraordinary.

Each successful counterattack felled a demon soldier, and each fall was accompanied by a mysterious glow.

As the battle continued, everyone astonishingly discovered that the fallen demon soldiers had not completely vanished.

At the moment of defeat, their bodies turned into mysterious runes that floated in the air and eventually settled upon the black large coffin.

As more and more runes gathered, the light on the coffin grew stronger, as if absorbing some power.

"What is happening? Could these demon soldiers really be reborn?" a cultivator shouted in terror, his eyes full of disbelief.

"No, this is far more than mere rebirth!" an older cultivator said solemnly, his face grave, "These runes, these demon soldiers, and this coffin must be connected in some way!"

As more and more demon soldiers were defeated, the runes on the coffin increased, and the coffin began to emit a strange aura.

People began to feel uneasy, realizing that the demon soldiers' appearance was no accident; they seemed to be carrying out some ancient, evil ritual.

"Look, those runes on the coffin have formed a complete pattern!" someone exclaimed, pointing at the coffin's runes.

Everyone's gaze turned to the coffin, seeing that the runes on its surface had actually formed a huge magic array, its center exactly the coffin's lid.

The light of the formation grew brighter and brighter, as if summoning some kind of power.

"Could this be the seal of a demonic land?" a cultivator said, trembling, his voice tinged with fear, "These demon soldiers, after death, can gain rebirth with the help of a coffin; this coffin must be the entrance to a sealed demonic land that has been covered in dust!"

A deep fear welled up in everyone's hearts, and they began to retreat, trying to escape this star field.

However, just as they were preparing to flee, they discovered that those demon soldiers were relentlessly pursuing them, as if unwilling to let them leave.

"Oh no, what do these demon soldiers want to do?" someone shouted in panic.

"They want to use our escape from this starry sky!" another cultivator's voice carried a hint of despair, "Once we leave, these demon soldiers will follow us into the ancient pagoda, thereby causing this ancient coffin to break its seal and emerge!"

Everyone's faces turned pale, and they finally realized the truth. These demon soldiers were not mere enemies; they were pawns controlled by some power, and that coffin was the source of that control.

"We cannot let these demon soldiers succeed!" Longling's voice carried a hint of determination, his eyes flashing with resolute light, "We must stop them, otherwise the entire ancient pagoda, even the whole world, will face disaster!"

However, faced with these powerful demon soldiers, everyone felt helpless.

Their spells and treasures were powerful, but before the endless demon soldiers, they seemed insignificant.

Each attack could defeat a demon soldier, but immediately another would take its place, as if they could never be completely eradicated.

Longling said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the runes on the coffin, "Only by destroying the formation can we stop the rebirth of these demon soldiers, and only then can we prevent the emergence of that coffin!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action, surrounding the coffin, trying to find a way to destroy the formation, but the formation on the coffin was overly complex, and each attack seemed to unintentionally strengthen its power.

"These runes, this formation, seem to be absorbing our power!" a cultivator shouted in terror, discovering that when his spells attacked the formation, they were actually absorbed by it, making the formation's light shine even brighter.

"No, we can't continue like this!" Longling's voice carried a hint of anxiety; he knew that if they did not quickly find a solution, they would never be able to escape this star field, and that coffin would break its seal, bringing unforeseen disaster.

Boom— with each tremendous roar, cracks began to appear on the formation on the coffin.

In a earth-shaking roar, the formation on the coffin shattered completely, turning into countless runes that dissipated in the air.

With the formation's destruction, the bodies of those demon soldiers began to collapse, turning into wisps of demonic energy that dissipated in the star field.

Although that coffin was temporarily sealed, its power still existed, and it could awaken again at any moment.

"We must leave this place as soon as possible!" Longling's voice carried a hint of determination,

As the battle in the star field temporarily subsided, they returned to the ancient pagoda via the teleportation array, only to find themselves once again in that familiar desert.

But this time, the desert underwent an anomaly; a mysterious black coffin stood upright at its center, emanating various ominous auras.

"What's going on? We just prevented the coffin from emerging, didn't we?" a cultivator said in terror, his voice trembling.

"It seems only temporary; this ancient coffin appears to have its own will, breaking free of the seal and reappearing from the starry sky." Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

"Could all the crystals we obtained by clearing the levels be part of a plot?" another cultivator said angrily, fists clenched, eyes flashing with rage.

"We must be careful; the power of the desert and the power of the ancient coffin are in a stalemate, and we don't know when the demonic disaster will occur again." Huang Daxian's voice carried a hint of worry, his eyes fixed on that black coffin.

No one dared to be careless, knowing that the appearance of this ancient coffin was no coincidence; behind it must lie some great conspiracy.

They must find a way to leave this place, otherwise once the ancient coffin's power is fully released, the entire desert, even the whole world, will face disaster.

"We cannot just sit and wait for death." Longling's voice carried a hint of resoluteness, his eyes flashing with determined light.

However, just as they were preparing to act, they suddenly discovered that the desert's scenery began to change.

A river appeared before them, its water clear to the bottom, its banks lush with strange flowers and exotic herbs, exuding a faint fragrance.

"Where is this? We have never seen this river before." a cultivator said in surprise, his eyes fixed on the river.

"It seems we should proceed along the riverbank." Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with curiosity.

Everyone began to move along the riverbank, discovering that this secret realm was unlike any place they had experienced before. It was filled with mysterious and eerie energies, every corner hiding unknown secrets.

As they went deeper, they discovered many mysterious statues.

These statues varied in form—some mighty and majestic, some graceful and dignified—each lifelike, as if they could come alive at any moment.

What shocked everyone even more was that each statue had a stone tablet before it.

The stone tablets were densely inscribed with text recording the life of each statue.

These texts were ancient and mysterious, as if containing some great power.

"What are these statues and stone tablets?" a cultivator said tremblingly, his eyes full of shock.

"It seems this secret realm is connected to the ancient coffin; these statues and stone tablets may be the key to sealing the ancient coffin." Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

Everyone began to carefully study the text on the stone tablets; these texts contained great power, and each reading made them feel a mysterious force surging within their bodies.

"These texts, these powers, they seem to be guiding us." a cultivator said in astonishment, his voice tinged with reverence.

"We must be careful; these powers, though strong, may also conceal danger." Longling warned, his eyes flashing with vigilance.

As they studied, they discovered that the text on the stone tablets was not randomly carved; it seemed to follow a special pattern.

Each statue, each stone tablet, had a mysterious connection to the power of the ancient coffin.

"These statues and stone tablets might be the guardians of the ancient coffin." Huang Daxian said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with wisdom.

"If these statues and stone tablets are guardians, what are they guarding?" a cultivator asked curiously, his eyes fixed on the statues.

"It seems we need to explore this secret realm more deeply to find the answer." Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

Everyone began to explore this secret realm more deeply, discovering that it was filled with various strange creatures and plants.

These creatures and plants emitted powerful energy; each contact made them feel a mysterious force surging within their bodies.

As they went deeper, they discovered a vast plaza.

At the center of the plaza stood a massive altar, its surface densely inscribed with text similar to that on the stone tablets, but more complex and mysterious.

Everyone began to research around the altar, discovering that the text on it contained great power.

Each touch made them feel a mysterious force surging within their bodies.

"These texts, these powers, they seem to be guiding us to perform some kind of ritual." a cultivator said in astonishment, his voice tinged with reverence.

"We must be careful; this ritual may be related to the power of the ancient coffin." Longling warned, his eyes flashing with vigilance.

As they studied, they discovered that the text on the altar indeed concealed an ancient ritual, which required the power of the twelve zodiac jade pendants to activate.

"It seems we need to gather all the jade pendants together to activate this ritual." Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

Everyone immediately sprang into action; they gathered all the jade pendants together, then, following the instructions on the altar's text, began the ritual.

As the ceremony proceeded, the inscriptions on the altar began to emit a dazzling light.

These lights intertwined in the air, forming a huge magic formation.

At the center of the formation, a complex diagram began to emit a faint light; these lights gradually grew brighter, eventually forming a vortex of light.

Within the vortex, multicolored lights intertwined, as if forming a gateway to another world.

As the light intensified, the Teleportation Array began to emit a low humming sound, resembling the chant of an ancient dharma and the resonance of distant stars.

The ground began to tremble slightly, as if the whole world were preparing for the imminent teleportation.

Suddenly, a blinding burst of light erupted from the Teleportation Array, shooting straight into the sky and illuminating the entire square as if it were daytime.

This light was so intense that people had to shield their eyes with their hands to avoid being burned by the holy radiance.

Within this light, the formation diagram of the Teleportation Array began to spin, growing faster and faster until it became a light ring impossible to catch with the naked eye.

At the center of this light ring, a stable spatial gateway slowly opened.

As the spatial gateway fully opened, the activation of the Teleportation Array reached its climax.

An intangible force surged from the gateway, carrying an ancient and mysterious aura that inspired reverence; it was the bridge linking two spatial nodes.

Longling and the others stood on the square, their eyes flashing with determined light.

They tightly held the jade pendants in their hands; as the crowd stepped into the Teleportation Array, their figures blurred in the light and finally vanished from the square.

When they opened their eyes again, they found they had arrived in a brand-new world.

This world differed from any place they had previously experienced; it was filled with a mysterious and eerie aura, and every corner hid unknown secrets.

"Where exactly is this? How can we find the method to seal the ancient coffin?" a cultivator asked curiously, his gaze fixed on the surrounding scenery.

"It seems we need to explore this world more deeply to find the answer," Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

The crowd began to explore this new world more deeply, knowing that only by finding the method to seal the ancient coffin could they ensure the safety of the entire world.

As they explored, they discovered many mysterious relics, each discovery shocking them greatly.

As time passed, they discovered that this world had once been the birthplace of a powerful civilization that had ruled the entire universe, but ultimately perished in a catastrophe.

In the relics of that civilization, they found many records concerning the ancient coffin.

These records stated that the ancient coffin sealed a powerful demon that had once attempted to destroy the world, but was ultimately imprisoned by the mighty ones of that civilization.

"It seems we have found the method to seal the ancient coffin," Longling said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determined light.

Following the sealing method, using the twelve zodiac jade pendants as a guide, an intangible force surged from the gateway, carrying an ancient and mysterious aura that inspired reverence.

This force condensed in the air into beams of light that shot straight toward the black coffin.

Longling and his companions watched tensely; this was the critical moment of sealing the ancient coffin.

If the ritual succeeded, the ancient coffin would be resealed and the desert would return to calm; if it failed, the demon's power would be fully unleashed, with unimaginable consequences.

At the moment the light beams touched the ancient coffin, the desert erupted in a gale, sand and stones flying, sky darkening.

The ancient coffin began to shake violently; its ominous aura clashed fiercely with the power of the light beams, forming a struggle between light and darkness.

"Don't let up, keep pouring in power!" Longling shouted loudly, feeling the force within the ancient coffin resisting the seal; he had to focus all his strength to ensure the ritual's success.

The crowd immediately responded, pouring all their power into the jade pendants; the light on the pendants grew brighter, and the power of the beams increased accordingly.

The ancient coffin's tremors grew more violent, but the power of the light beams continued to suppress it.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, each second feeling extraordinarily long.

Longling and his companions maintained the sealing ritual with full concentration, sweat beading on their foreheads, yet their eyes were filled with determination and resolve.

Finally, with a thunderous roar, the ominous aura on the ancient coffin was completely suppressed; the light beams tightly wrapped the coffin. The ancient coffin began to shrink, eventually turning into a black light that was sucked into the gateway of the Teleportation Array.

"Success!" someone cheered, their faces showing joy and excitement.

"We did it, we sealed the ancient coffin!" another cultivator exclaimed excitedly, tears glimmering in his eyes.