Chapter 88: Ten Thousand Coffins Pay Homage, Opening Heaven and Earth (Revised)

The Golden Crow sinks in the west, the Moon Rabbit rises in the east.

Fang Shi, after much toil, finally dug out the entire root system of the Owl Wood.

Along with it came countless skeletons, some human, some beast.

These were the remains left by the Owl Wood's victims.

Buried in the soil beneath the Owl Wood, they were entangled by its roots.

Transforming into threads of nourishment to sustain the Owl Wood.

If this continued, after several hundred years.

The Owl Wood would grow into an Ancient Giant Owl, a legendary terrifying plant.

By then, its Voice of Despair would cover a mountain forest, turning this place into a dead zone.

Its terrifying power would spare no legendary creature even slightly weaker.

Unless the Owl Wood is killed, or a Wish Technique or legendary spell is used.

Those struck by it can only close their eyes and await death.

The reason Fang Shi went to such lengths to move the Owl Wood.

Was because the Owl Wood's rooting spot was too perfect.

It happened to be the location of the Yang Ancestral Grave.

The surrounding broken walls and ruins still reveal the former glory of this place.

This was built later by the Yang family descendants who returned home.

And sacrifices were frequently performed here.

Looking back, the intentions of the Yang family descendants were not pure.

They had not forgotten the ancestral teachings left by their forebears.

After returning, under the guise of investment, they fenced off a plot within the cemetery and built an ancestral hall.

Seeing the money involved, and since this land originally belonged to the Yang family, the authorities did not object too much.

They simply let the Yang family act as they pleased.

Every year, when the Yang family held their ancestral rites, it was a lively affair.

Hundreds of clan members gathering from all over the world, truly a grand ceremony.

Even later, the Yigao Cemetery was basically staffed by Yang family descendants.

Developing upstream and downstream industries, the Yang family became the leader of Ancheng's funeral industry.

Of course, saying all this now is completely meaningless.

After the apocalypse, ten households had nine empty; even the once-glorious Yang family was now a thing of the past.

The Owl Wood's immense power had smashed this magnificent ancestral hall into ruins.

Everything had utterly vanished into thin air.

After clearing the Owl Wood's roots, Fang Shi could not wait to squeeze through the opened fissure and enter the tomb chamber.

Not to mention, the Yang family's ancestral grave was built extremely spacious.

After generations of construction.

Like an underground residential district, it had not only smooth ventilation but also a complete living environment.

Fang Shi, carrying a smokeless oil lamp, searched everywhere.

He saw not only the quiet rooms housing the coffins.

But also modern equipment like electric lights, computers, air conditioners, and televisions.

Before his rebirth, the top of the ancient tomb had already been destroyed by legends.

Thus, this was the first time Fang Shi saw such a scene, and he couldn't help but silently whistle in amazement.

So the Yang family, to occupy this ancient tomb for the long term.

Had directly transformed it into a living quarter.

The corpses of the walking dead above ground were proof enough.

Even before the apocalypse, someone had been stationed here for the long term.

However, Fang Shi had no interest in anything related to the Yang family.

He was looking for a passage, a passage leading directly to the ancient tomb complex below.

That place was Fang Shi's main destination.

Soon, Fang Shi arrived before a large door cast from concrete.

This was clearly built according to civil air defense engineering standards.

Fang Shi was a bit speechless; why did the Yang family have to be so cautious?

This door looked to be at least 20 centimeters thick, truly careful.

He was too lazy to look for a key, so he simply drew the Earth Dragon Sword and slashed forward.

Boom!

Rolling waves of qi surged from the sword tip; Fang Shi, exerting his full strength, had already slashed at supersonic speed.

Bang!

A deep sword mark instantly appeared on the thick concrete door.

A cold wind blew straight through the crack.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With three more slashes, a small door large enough for one person to pass through appeared directly on the civil air defense door.

Fang Shi pushed hard, and the small door crashed heavily onto the ground.

At the same time, a chill unique to the underground drifted in with the wind.

Fang Shi waited for a long time until the air inside had fully exchanged.

Then he slowly walked along the stairs.

The steps spiraled, extending downward endlessly, with no end in sight.

Coupled with the pitch darkness deep underground, the only light source was the smokeless oil lamp.

Walking upon them was like treading the ancient Yellow Spring Road leading to the Underworld.

He wondered how the Yang ancestors had originally constructed this passage.

Although there were now obvious traces of reinforcement with cement and steel bars.

One could still see wooden Achieved Load-Bearing structures remaining.

Indeed, for money, humans could create any incredible miracle.

In the latter half, the style of the walls gradually changed.

The modern cement walls gave way to old, weathered stone bricks.

Fang Shi knew they were nearly there; the ancient tomb complex was about to appear before him.

Stepping out of the stairwell, Fang Shi arrived in a vast expanse.

This was a massive underground cavern, roughly twenty meters high.

In the distance, rows of black shadows stood clustered together.

This was a true underground city.

It had city walls, corner towers, and even a moat encircling the city.

Yet at the same time, it was also a vast graveyard.

In the deep, dark river water, coffins floated on the surface.

Completely surrounding the city.

Moreover, on the bridges, streets, and inside houses, every corner held a coffin.

As if every place required a person to stand guard.

Even more incredible was that, no matter where a coffin was located.

Its head faced the city center, as if paying homage to that place.

As for why, Fang Shi understood clearly in his heart.

That legendary Golden Corpse was currently located within the building at the city's center.

The coffins in other places were merely its subjects.

In life, one should be a hero among men; in death, a hero among ghosts.

This was clearly a Feng Shui formation.

Fortunately, Fang Shi did not need to enter the city at all; his treasure lay elsewhere.

Fang Shi walked along the edge of the moat, arriving at the left side of the underground city.

There stood a massive stone wall, covered with numerous holes.

Illuminated by the smokeless oil lamp, they could be seen clearly.

Within the pitch-black holes, statues of human size were placed.

It resembled the Ten Thousand Buddha Grottoes.

The statues smiled or looked majestic, their faces bizarre and varied, like the faces of all living beings.

Especially since these statues were carved so vividly.

Their eyes were like those of living people, as if gazing at the devotees bowing in worship.

Fang Shi paid no mind and rushed straight toward a statue in a corner.

This was a lively statue, like an innocent child.

Yet in this deep, dark environment, it exuded an evil aura.

Fang Shi observed carefully and, after confirming everything was correct,

directly reached behind the statue and pressed hard on the coccyx.

A passage slowly revealed itself within the hole behind the statue.

It was only one meter high, which Fang Shi did not mind.

He crawled straight in, crawling and turning for about ten meters.

Suddenly, the view opened up; a spacious secret chamber appeared before Fang Shi.

In the center of the chamber sat a meditation cushion.

Upon the cushion was a skeleton sitting cross-legged.

The skeleton wore a Daoist robe, its bones resembling Bai Yu.

Emitting a faint Bai Guang in the darkness.

This was Fang Shi's destination, and the skeleton was the opportunity.

At the skeleton's right hand lay a jade thumb ring.

It was this thumb ring that had raised Fang Shi's perception to 18 points.

Since there was no flesh or blood, he easily removed the thumb ring.

Just as before his rebirth, Fang Shi projected his consciousness into it.

Swish!

A wisp of ethereal Qi flowed from the thumb ring, spreading along Fang Shi's consciousness into his mind.

This is the miraculous object capable of enhancing perception in his past life.

Fang Shi looked forward to this wisp of light and agile Qi playing its miraculous role once more.

No! What is happening?

The light and agile Qi did not directly remodel his brain as Fang Shi had imagined.

Instead, it surged straight toward his Niwan Palace.

The fragile and narrow Niwan Palace was instantly filled with the light and agile Qi.

Fang Shi felt his brow swell immensely, accompanied by a bit of pain.

But this was not the end; the light and agile Qi began to rotate slowly within the Niwan Palace, and faster and faster.

Fang Shi's sense of pain gradually deepened, slowly becoming unbearable.

His brow rose high, as if a pus-filled blister had swelled out.

And with the throbbing of the swelling, the thin spiritual energy from the outside world began to pour into Fang Shi's brow.

For every wisp of spiritual energy added within the Niwan Palace, it was like pumping air into a balloon; the swelling between his brows grew larger and larger.

Fang Shi already felt something was wrong and wanted to act to stop it.

But the Niwan Palace is the dwelling place of the soul.

The originally formless and quality-less soul, under the pressure of the light and agile Qi, revealed its form.

This was a transparent soul identical in appearance to Fang Shi.

It was the location of Fang Shi's consciousness.

The light and agile Qi rotated around the soul, firmly fixing it at the center of the Niwan Palace.

Whenever Fang Shi's consciousness tried to extend outward, the suction caused by the rotation of the light and agile Qi would pull it back.

He could not control the body at all, nor could he take any countermeasures.

"What on earth should I do? If I let this Qi continue sucking, my Niwan Palace will be destroyed."

"My brain will also be blown into fragments."

Fang Shi's consciousness began to grow anxious.

According to the knowledge he had learned, the Niwan Palace is the location of the Upper Dantian and is incredibly fragile.

Indiscriminately irrigating it with spiritual energy would only cause his brain to burst.

Even if he barely survived, his soul would suffer severe injury, turning him into a Bai Chi.

The reason he has not yet suffered harm is...

entirely because while the light and agile Qi controls Fang Shi's soul, it also protects it.

Otherwise, the surging and turbulent spiritual energy compressed together would also cause intense pressure on the soul.

Fang Shi does not expect the light and agile Qi to truly continue functioning forever.

Even brain damage is not a result he can accept.

Fang Shi's soul began to struggle violently, wanting to break free from the bonds of the light and agile Qi.

Unfortunately, everything was meaningless.

The light and agile Qi was like a chain from the heavens; it was simply not something Fang Shi's soul could shake.

Even though it was only a tiny wisp, it locked Fang Shi tightly in place.

Fang Shi felt somewhat unwilling; although he had the confidence to dodge this calamity...

... he would have to pay a heavy price.

"Resurrection Ring"

"Tenacity: 6"

"Durability: 10"

"Quality: Second Tier"

"Effect: This ring is enchanted with Resurrection of the Dead. It automatically activates when the wearer dies. This ring will then revert to being ordinary. Uses: 1/1 (cannot be replenished)."

Resurrection from death is a painful experience. The subject of this spell will permanently lose two biological levels.

If the subject's soul has died, they cannot be resurrected by this spell.

If the subject is only Level 1, they will permanently lose two points of Constitution.

If the subject's Constitution is 0 or lower, the subject cannot be resurrected.

If the subject possesses spells, they have a 50% chance of permanently losing one spell.

If the subject possesses a bloodline, they have a 50% chance of permanently reducing their bloodline concentration.

If the subject has suffered attribute damage reducing an attribute to 0 points, it will be restored to 1 point, excluding Constitution.

If the subject suffers from magical diseases and curses, they will not be cured during the resurrection process.

But normal poisons and diseases can be cured.

If the subject has physical disabilities, the lost body parts will not be restored after resurrection.

But this spell will heal fatal wounds and repair most injuries.

The subject's equipment and items will not be affected by this spell in any way.

If the subject has been transformed into an undead creature or killed by death effects, they cannot be resurrected by this spell.

Constructs, elementals, extraplanar creatures, and undead creatures cannot be resurrected.

If the subject dies of old age, they cannot be resurrected by this spell."

"Weight: 5 grams"

"Evaluation: This is a precious ring; it represents a second life."

This ring was the item Fang Shi opened from the Silver Treasure Chest.

It was also the most precious thing he had offered.

Though the conditions were harsh and the cost great, it was indeed a second life.

Fang Shi's only worry was that this thing could not heal soul damage; what if he became a Bai Chi?

As for the brain exploding, Fang Shi had already calculated that just now.

This amount of spiritual energy was not enough to truly blast the brain into fragments.

At most, it would cause severe damage around the pineal gland.

This damage could still be repaired by Resurrection of the Dead.

"I must protect the soul carefully later. Let me recall what good techniques exist in the Sword Art..."

Buzz!

The light and agile Qi suddenly accelerated, its rotation speed increasing by more than a hundredfold.

The energy core Fang Shi carried on his person was instantly drained dry.

A massive amount of energy flooded into his Niwan Palace.

Fang Shi's soul began to tremble violently; this was his struggle.

He had no time to think about why such a change had occurred.

This surge of energy that suddenly rushed in was clearly different from the one just now.

It would truly blast the head apart.

No! Not only that, his soul would also be blasted into powder.

Even though Fang Shi understood that his actions might be in vain.

He did not want to sit and wait for death; he would rather die having given his all.

Boom!

Infinite spiritual energy exploded from between his eyebrows; Fang Shi's Niwan Palace was torn apart as easily as a balloon.

The vast spiritual energy was about to surge out, blasting his head into fragments.

Buzz!

The light and agile Qi accelerated again, its rotation speed surging once more.

The surging spiritual energy was directly sucked back in.

As if time had reversed, even the fragments of the Niwan Palace were drawn together, restoring their original shape.

At the same time, a vast space was opened within the Niwan Palace.

It was more than a thousand times larger than before; the spiritual energy sucked back inside could not possibly fill it.

Buzz!

The speed of the light and agile Qi increased again; the vast spiritual energy began to condense, compress, and transform, forming five threads of magic power.

Bang!

Once this work was completed, the light and agile Qi scattered into countless fragments, turning into streams of light that shot toward the inner walls of the Niwan Palace.

A strange power surged forth, and Fang Shi's Niwan Palace began to heal rapidly.

And as the Niwan Palace repaired itself, threads of light began to appear within it, illuminating the dark space until it was bright as day.

"You have opened the Upper Dantian."

"You have obtained Divine Sense."

"Your Divine Sense value is: 5/5."

"Your magic power value has increased: 9→14."

"Your Perception has increased: 21→23."

"Your Intelligence has increased: 14→18."

"Your Magic Power Control I → Magic Power Control II."

"【Magic Power Control II】: Your control over magic power has reached a new level; the minimum unit of control is 0.01 points of magic power."

"You have comprehended Spiritual Energy Control I."

"【Spiritual Energy Control I】: You can directly control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through your Divine Sense."

"You have comprehended Spiritual Energy Transformation I."

"【Spiritual Energy Transformation I】: You can transform spiritual energy arbitrarily within the Five Elements; transforming beyond the Five Elements requires cultivating the corresponding Cultivation Technique."

Fang Shi slowly opened his eyes, raised his palm before him, and gently spread his five fingers.

In the center of his palm, a point of Bai Guang slowly appeared, like smoke and mist.

In an instant, it condensed into a small sword, floating in his palm and rotating slowly, just like the light and agile Qi.

Gazing at this small sword, Fang Shi could not help but reveal a faint smile.

"Pangu!"

"Open the Heavens and Split the Earth!"

This was the new inheritance Fang Shi had received.

He never expected that within the jade thumb ring, besides the inheritance of Multiple Weights.

There was another new inheritance: the method to open the Upper Dantian.

An inheritance obtainable only by Qi Practitioners.

The function of the light and agile Qi to enhance perception was merely incidental; its true purpose was to open the Niwan Palace.

Moreover, the light and agile Qi was not called light and agile Qi; it was called Pure Yang Qi.

It was specially left behind by the owner of the jade thumb ring to help the inheritor open the Upper Dantian.

Normally, this method was extremely perilous; a Qi Practitioner without the aid of Pure Yang Qi.

Basically, one would face a crisis of nine deaths and one life.

Even if success is barely achieved, one still needs to slowly repair the damage to the Niwan Palace.

Overall, the cost outweighs the gain.

But with the Pure Yang Qi, it is vastly different.

Not only is the opening achieved with great speed, but the damage can be repaired in an instant.

It can be called a method for rapid opening.

It is like Pangu breaking open the chaos and creating a new heaven and earth.

Fang Shi seems to have a vague impression; the story of Pangu opening the heavens and earth appeared during the Three Kingdoms period.

It was recorded by Xu Zheng, the Grand Minister of Wu, in "Sanwu Liji" and "Wuyuan Linianji".

And this underground city has a distinct Wei-Jin style.

The structure combining the human-character arch and the one-dou-three-sheng is particularly obvious.

Especially the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods on the stone walls, which has very obvious grotto characteristics.

It is just that what is carved inside are not Buddha images, but deities in the Taoist style.

Moreover, the Wei-Jin period was an era when aristocratic families were in vogue for cultivating the Dao.

At that time, external alchemy arts like the Five-Mineral Powder reached their peak.

Fang Shi deeply suspects that the so-called Pangu opening the heavens and earth.

Is fundamentally about how to open the Niwan Palace, a Taoist code as always.

The Niwan Palace refers to the spiritual world, and humans are the creator gods of their own spiritual worlds.

The chaotic heaven and earth represent the narrow, pitch-black Niwan Palace before it was opened.

Pangu's awakening represents the awakening of the human soul.

Breaking open the chaos represents the tearing of the Niwan Palace.

Supporting the sky and propping up the earth represents the repair of the Niwan Palace.

The appearance of the sun and moon represents the emergence of the radiance of the Divine Sense.

The subsequent changes in the world are clearly the cultivation of the spiritual world that follows.

Until the entire spiritual world is cultivated to be like the heaven and earth of the outside world.

Only then is the Niwan Palace considered fully cultivated.

Fang Shi was shocked by his own thought.

Although he felt this speculation was incredible, thinking about it, it seemed quite reasonable.

The Taoist school has always had this style, writing cultivation concepts into stories.

And most importantly, the senior before him very likely did not die.

Fang Shi had once found it strange that the bones were like white jade.

This is not something an ordinary person can achieve; one must have a physique so powerful it is incredible.

Only then could the bones on the body transform into this, known as the Golden Body and Jade Bones.

Simply put, it requires a physique equivalent to that of a Legendary Warrior.

Then, how could the flesh and blood of a human with such a powerful physique easily rot?

At this stage, natural decomposition by microorganisms and the like has completely ceased to work.

As long as there is no external damage, it can remain immortal and eternal like gold.

Unless this rotting was done intentionally.

Fang Shi thought of a rumor.

During the Wei-Jin period, Ge Hong, the leader of the Waidan Sect, once proposed a theory.

The superior scholar lifts his form to ascend to the void, called a Heavenly Immortal; the intermediate scholar roams the famous mountains, called an Earth Immortal; the inferior scholar dies first and then transforms, called a Corpse-Release Immortal.

A skeleton has no flesh or blood, only bones remaining.

It clearly fits the characteristics of a Corpse-Release Immortal.

Could this senior have become a Corpse-Release Immortal and gone to the Immortal Realm in the misty unknown, existing somewhere?

A Corpse-Release Immortal, a Legendary Golden Corpse; this ancient tomb is absolutely extraordinary.

It is just that, for some reason, there is not a single Supernatural Item in this place.

Even this jade thumb ring, its material itself is ordinary, with nothing special about it at all.

It was this senior who endowed it with divinity using Pure Yang Qi, preserving the inheritance within.

After the Pure Yang Qi dissipated, it became no different from ordinary jade.

The only difference might be that the quality is a bit better.

Making ordinary people know at a glance that it is worth a fortune.

But regardless of how many doubts there are, Fang Shi does not want to waste time investigating.

Before his rebirth, so many Legendary experts could not figure out these doubts.

How could He Deheneng, a mere First-Ranker, accomplish what even the Legendaries could not?

Fang Shi respectfully bowed to the skeleton.

He has received great kindness from this senior, gaining benefits twice.

Especially this time, there is a transformation that is like shedding the old body and being reborn.

He mastered the Divine Sense early, which can only be mastered in the False Golden Core stage.

That is the Divine Sense mastered by the genius in the Heavenly Sword Sect, who realized Sword Intent in ten days, then manifested Divine Sense from the Sea of Consciousness, and achieved the status of Sword God.

Although Fang Shi did not clarify what the Divine Sense was from the Eldest Senior Brother back then, he understood this point from the "Sword Art".

And more importantly, mastering divine sense provides immense help in comprehending sword intent.

Why do the senior brothers of the Heavenly Sword Gate generally comprehend sword intent at the False Golden Core stage? It is due to the aid of divine sense.

Before obtaining divine sense, cultivators perceive spiritual qi mostly through a kind of feeling.

But with divine sense, one can truly and vividly see spiritual qi.

What does this mean?

It means cultivators learn spells more easily and master profound applications of spiritual qi—intentions—more easily.

In a normal state, one can also use divine sense to observe the spiritual qi contained within an opponent to judge the enemy's strength and the spells they cast.

Furthermore, divine sense can directly control spiritual qi and transform it.

This is vastly different from the Qi Refiners of before.

Previously, controlling and transforming spiritual qi was done more indirectly through magic power and Cultivation Technique.

This equals an extra step; not only does it take time, but using it also causes unnecessary loss.

It cannot compare at all to divine sense manipulation.

This is also the reason why False Golden Core cultivators far surpass Foundation Establishment cultivators.

False Golden Core cultivators can easily mobilize surrounding spiritual qi for attacks and greatly amplify themselves.

Of course, these operational techniques also depend on the environment.

In places on the Blue Star where spiritual qi is so thin, even the best techniques cannot exert their full effect.

Next, Fang Shi intended to leave.

With these gains, he was already very satisfied.

But as Fang Shi happily crawled toward the cave entrance, his expression changed.

Because as he advanced, he detected a wisp of light penetrating in from the cave entrance.

Moreover, that beam of light was so bright; it was not candlelight, nor was it firelight.

It was a beam of sunlight!