Chapter 162: Seizing the House?

The area behind the stone gate seems to be an independent space!

Li Zhangsheng took the lead and walked in!

Xia Yu and the others closely followed behind.

After a moment, they seemed to find themselves amidst a starry sky!

In the very center of that starry sky lay a huge bronze coffin!

The coffin's style was ancient and unadorned, without any patterns, yet it gave an overwhelming sense of heaviness, as if it bore the loneliness of ages.

"The coffin, it seems, is likely the owner of this mausoleum-cave dwelling." Xia Yu examined that bronze coffin.

Xia Jie and the others also had their expressions tighten; the greatest opportunity of this mausoleum-cave dwelling should lie within that coffin.

Li Zhangsheng's expression remained unchanged as he walked straight up to the bronze coffin!

He could see inside the coffin a skeleton, and within that skeleton's skull was a faint soul fire, slowly awakening and beating.

Li Zhangsheng examined the bronze coffin for a moment, reached out and touched the lid, exerting a little force!

Boom—

The heavy bronze lid was directly flung away by his violence, hovering in midair!

A complete human skeleton lay flat inside, the skeleton crystalline and faintly glowing with a jade-like luster!

The clothing covering the skeleton had long turned to ash, and placed on the skeleton's chest was an ancient-looking storage ring.

Within the skeleton's skull, a thread of extremely faint azure light slowly drifted out.

That light swayed, gradually condensing in the air into a blurry phantom of an old man!

The phantom's visage was withered, yet his eyes were extraordinarily deep; he first glanced at the flung coffin lid, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, then his gaze fell upon Li Zhangsheng as he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and ethereal:

"How many years have passed… finally someone… has come here."

Li Zhangsheng looked at him calmly, saying nothing.

The old man's remnant soul seemed not to mind, continuing to speak in that ethereal voice:

"Young one, if you can find this place and open the coffin, then you are fated with me!!"

"I am the Xuanming Dao Lord; in life I was a peak Dao Lord Realm cultivator, but when I attempted to break through to the Dao Emperor Realm, an accident occurred, damaging my cultivation."

"At that time I knew my days were numbered, so I personally crafted this mausoleum-cave dwelling, hiding my lifetime's inheritance within the Bronze Palace of this cave."

"I set up layers of obstacles within the Bronze Palace; whoever reaches this place first will obtain my inheritance!"

"Young one, if you are the first to arrive here, it shows you are extraordinary and worthy of my inheritance; if someone can inherit my legacy, I will die without regret!"

"Within this coffin's storage ring lies the treasure I have collected throughout my life."

"My most precious inheritance is the 《Xuanming True Scripture》 together with its three supporting supreme secret arts, the 【Yinming Three Absolutes】, which can also be passed on to you."

He paused, the phantom seeming to solidify a bit, his voice carrying a temptation: "Obtaining my inheritance gives you great hope to reach the peak of the Dao Lord Realm!"

"In the future, you may perhaps rely on my inheritance to assault the Dao Emperor Realm, securing a place for yourself in the Myriad Saints Sea and even the wider world."

Xia Jie and the others heard this, their breathing becoming somewhat hurried!

The techniques and secret arts of the Dao Lord Realm peak!

Plus the lifetime collection of a Dao Lord Realm peak expert!

This is nothing short of a tremendous opportunity!

Their eyes blazed with fervent light, but upon glancing at Li Zhangsheng's calm back, they quickly suppressed their greed.

Li Zhangsheng's face showed a hint of fitting curiosity as he asked: "Inheritance? How should I obtain it?".

The old man's remnant soul seemed to smile, his voice softening a bit:

"It's very simple; this wisp of my remnant soul is both the key and the vessel of the inheritance."

"You only need to relax your mind and accept my soul power into your sea of consciousness; then I can directly imprint the complete essence of the 《Xuanming True Scripture》 and the 【Yinming Three Absolutes】, along with some of my cultivation insights, onto your soul."

"This method is the most convenient and thorough, saving you countless arduous efforts!"

"Oh?" Li Zhangsheng raised his eyebrows, "Direct soul infusion sounds good—is it really that simple?".

The old man's remnant soul fell silent for a moment; this young man's calm seemed somewhat beyond his expectation.

He seemed a bit hesitant, but eventually he spoke in a sincere tone:

"This inheritance actually has some side effects."

"This method involves my soul power being directly poured in; the information is vast, possibly causing some impact on your memory, perhaps… leading to a temporary loss of part of your memory."

"However, there's no need to worry; once you have fully digested the inheritance, your memory will naturally gradually recover."

"Compared to obtaining a Dao Lord Realm peak inheritance, this price is negligible."

"Loss of memory." Li Zhangsheng repeated, the corner of his mouth seemingly twitching with an imperceptible arc.

Li Zhangsheng is no fool; he naturally knows this is not some inheritance infusion but clearly the prelude to possession!

Using the inheritance as bait, it lets people lower their guard and accept its soul into their bodies; then this tenacious remnant soul will seize the opportunity to take over, eroding the host's soul and rebirthing in the flesh!

The so-called loss of memory is merely a euphemism for the soul being erased.

This old ghost, who knows how many years he has waited here, just to await a suitable, strong enough person to enter!

What a nasty old man!

Seeing Li Zhangsheng silent, the old man's remnant soul thought he was weighing his options, his voice gaining a few more hints of temptation:

"Young one, on the path of cultivation, opportunities are hard to come by."

"We cultivators strive against heaven for life; what are a few risks?".

"Could it be that you are willing to remain mediocre, unwilling to behold the scenery of the Dao Lord Realm peak?".

Not far away, Xia Yu couldn't help but call out: "Li Zhangsheng, beware of deceit!".

Although she was simple, she also instinctively felt that this method of inheritance was somewhat off.

The old man's remnant soul coldly glanced at Xia Yu; the invisible soul power pressure turned Xia Yu's face pale, and he retreated half a step!!

The old man withdrew his gaze, looking at Li Zhangsheng before him; the phantom's smile was somewhat sly!!

Actually, what does it matter if this young man knows there's a trick?

This young person is so close to him, he can at any time slip into that young person's sea of consciousness to seize possession, though it only requires expending some soul power!

However, Li Zhangsheng's reaction was somewhat beyond the old man's expectation.

Only saw Li Zhangsheng, as if having made up his mind, he raised his head, looking at the old man's remnant soul, a hint of a smile that seemed unable to resist temptation appearing on his face, and he said:

"The inheritance of the peak of the Dao Lord realm is indeed heart‑moving!"

"It's merely memories; if I can obtain the Great Dao that reaches the heavens, then losing them is fine."

"Then, come on directly; please bestow upon me your inheritance!"

As his words fell, he indeed relaxed his body, appearing completely defenseless, waiting to receive the inheritance.

The old man's remnant soul phantom blinked slightly; he had thought this young man would notice something amiss, then turn and flee, while he would directly slip into that young man's sea of consciousness, making any struggle futile.

However, this young man actually directly agreed to this soul‑power infusion inheritance!

Indeed, young people simply cannot resist temptation!

The old man's remnant soul chuckled and said:

"Good child, I can tell at a glance you have promise; in pursuing the Great Dao, you should advance fearlessly!"

"Not bad, not bad!"

"Even a youngster can be taught!"

Just as his words fell, that strand of azure‑blue soul fire suddenly blazed brightly, turning into a stream of light, with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, it shot straight toward Li Zhangsheng's brow!

"Li Zhangsheng!" Xia Yu exclaimed!

The blue light entered Li Zhangsheng's brow and vanished.

The scene instantly fell silent!

Only that crystal‑clear skeleton lay still within the bronze coffin.

Xia Yu's heart rose to his throat, and Xia Jie et al. also held their breath, nervously staring at Li Zhangsheng standing motionless on the spot, like a sculpture.

They didn't know what had happened.

Meanwhile, within Li Zhangsheng's sea of consciousness, another scene unfolded.

That strand of azure‑blue remnant soul rushed in, instantly expanding into the old man's complete phantom; he greedily felt the vast qi blood and vigorous life force contained within this body, letting out a relieved sigh!

Then, he turned his gaze toward the depths of the sea of consciousness, preparing to seek the host's soul core……

However, when he clearly saw the scene of this sea of consciousness, the old man's remnant soul's ecstatic expression suddenly froze.

Because he saw within this sea of consciousness a towering white‑clad shadow standing, that white‑clad shadow loomed over him like a deity!

And before this gigantic white‑clad youth, his remnant soul was as tiny as a speck of dust!

"Oh…… no! No!"

The old man's remnant soul was terrified to the extreme, wanting to burst out of Li Zhangsheng's sea of consciousness, but instead slammed directly into a golden ripple!!

"Senior, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding……"

The old man's remnant soul was practically scared to death, frantically begging for mercy……