Chapter 136

At this moment, the blood coffin shuddered, then steadied; but that was only an instant, and the next moment it shook even more violently, its heavy lid seeming to suffer a mighty blow, trembling.

Clang clang clang!

One after another, dull metallic clashes rang out, rising and falling, converging, growing ever more piercing, making it unbearable.

And the lid's trembling grew ever more violent, gradually lifting. Something unseen below was striking it, perhaps sensing the aura outside the coffin, and went mad.

Lu Fan witnessed this scene, his brows gradually furrowing, yet he had no thought of retreat. Two streams of chaotic sigils had already reached above the blood coffin; he pointed with one hand, flipped it in midair, and then swung down.

The chaotic sigil streams instantly condensed into a giant palm, which, following Lu Fan's motion, came crashing down upon the blood coffin.

Dong——

As if a great bell boomed, the lid sank instantly, once again fitting tightly, locked shut.

At that moment, the surrounding red haze seemed to come alive, swirling and turning into ferocious phantoms that danced nonstop, pressing down on the blood coffin's lid.

Pop pop pop!

Countless crisp sounds burst forth, like countless long nails seeking to pin the blood coffin down completely, sealing the evil within.

Lu Fan's expression changed; he hadn't expected this scene. As for the others, they were already shocked speechless, only able to stare blankly at what unfolded, with no thought left.

Wrong! It seems I got the priorities wrong; this place is quite secretive!

He suddenly realized, glanced briefly at the severed hand he was restraining, and gave a light smile: 'So you were misleading me; I almost fell for it!'

As his words fell, his descending palm gave a hard shake; even though thousands of feet of void separated them, the giant palm likewise trembled, its force condensing to perhaps only a tenth of its former might.

But for some reason, the giant palm began to crack inch by inch; in the blink of an eye it split into countless fragments, within which strands of energy surged outward, right on the verge of exploding.

I'd like to see what origin this thing has, which even evil vapors and ghostly qi seek to suppress on their own!

Lu Fan gave a cold smile, flicked a finger with one hand, and softly called out—'Burst!'

The cracked giant palm could hold no longer, bursting apart inch by inch; each fragment turned into a surge of energy shooting toward the surrounding red haze.

Pop pop pop

Strands of red haze were blown apart, like long nails being pulled out. Though the blood coffin had been still, it now erupted once more, like a surging flood rising in a single breath.

In that instant, the lid seemed to become ten times lighter, soaring up dozens of zhang. The red haze and killing intent were scattered by the impact, a stream of purple qi shot up, booming as it struck the underground vault's ceiling.

This purple qi burst from within the blood coffin, rising from below to pierce the entire subterranean space. Beneath the coffin, the azure light above the city was suppressed, instantly dimming; it seemed that only this purple rainbow remained in heaven and earth.

Lu Fan blinked slightly, somewhat bewildered. Even if the object suppressing boundless evil vapors were not a world-shattering evil thing, it shouldn't be merely a single rainbow.

Could it be...

His expression froze as something came to mind. Looking up, he saw within the purple qi light above the stratum's ceiling a square imprint, as if carved by a knife, hovering there.

Seal!

As soon as he spoke, the purple rainbow changed: the blood coffin below gave a hard jolt, then began to slowly rotate. The giant coffin grew hazy as it turned, while the purple rainbow gradually shrank, boundless purple qi condensing downward.

A wondrous sight beyond words appeared before everyone's eyes: the swirling purple qi resembled a giant carving knife, etching lines across the hazy blood coffin; mysterious light flashed, and the imprint of unfathomable power took shape.

How could this be? This makes no sense!

Xiulan was completely stunned, lightly biting her lip and slowly shaking her head, as if she could not accept what she saw.

Yang Sheng and the others were even more astonished; even amidst the many miraculous legends circulating in the academy, they had never seen such a magnificent spectacle—mysterious and amazing, beyond measure.

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, glanced at Xiulan, and said, 'It seems what's inside this coffin exceeds your expectations. I'm curious—does the Wan Li gongzi who accompanies you think the same?'

After he spoke, he turned his head toward the ravine ahead, his eyes flickering with a half-smile.

Brother Lu has keen eyes; some people are sneaky and ill-intentioned, truly despicable!

Several zhang away, a flash of light revealed a youth in Confucian robes smiling—Zhang Heng.

Upon appearing, he bore the air of a leisurely stroll, walking two steps in a relaxed manner, as if conducting himself properly, the picture of uprightness.

Yang Sheng and the others blinked, then reacted, their true qi surging as they brandished their spiritual weapons, readying themselves.

Xiulan regained her composure; upon seeing Zhang Heng's appearance, she furrowed her brows and snorted coldly, 'A pretentious gentleman, why do you lot show up everywhere!'

Hearing this, Zhang Heng did not anger but laughed heartily, 'Alas, it seems Miss Jiang misunderstands our Gentlemen's Hall greatly! If not for this time and place, I would really like to talk with you to clear our hall's unjust grievance.'

Upon hearing this, Xiulan drew a harsh breath, having no desire to waste words with him.

Meanwhile, Lu Fan gave a light smile and said leisurely, 'Brother Zhang means well, but the Wan Li gongzi down below seems eager to exchange pointers with you.'

As his words fell, a gloomy, elusive laugh echoed from below the ravine.

Heh heh heh! Brother Lu speaks well; I, Wan, have exactly that thought.

Then a dark wind swirled, turning into a pitch-black shadow as a ghost-faced figure gradually materialized in the void!

Senior brother, you really came!

Upon seeing the ghost-faced person, Xiulan felt a surge of joy, her previously knotted brows relaxing at once.

Yang Sheng and the others, upon seeing this scene, all gave a cold snort, staring at Xiulan with ill will. Having been unpleasant companions on the road, they now saw her delighted expression and realized the ghost-faced person was her ally, so they had to be on guard.

Lu Fan's lips twitched slightly, wearing a strange expression as he glanced at the ghost-faced person and Zhang Heng, then stepped back two steps and clasped his hands.

Grudges have origins and debts have collectors; you two seem to have old grievances. Why not settle them now, while we have the chance?

After speaking, he waved at Yang Sheng and the others, stepped aside to watch, assuming the air of a spectator.

Yang Sheng and the others found it puzzling, yet trusting Lu Fan they also withdrew to the side; still, they felt odd, wondering if those two, as Lu Fan said, would truly ignore each other in this life-and-death struggle, letting Lu Fan reap the benefits like a fisherman.

As they spoke, the purple rainbow vanished completely; the hazy blood coffin below turned into a strange object about ten zhang across, spinning unpredictably. Its patterns were intricate, but constant rotation made them indistinct; yet faintly, the outline of the giant seal could still be made out.

Brother Lu speaks well! The Myriad Spirit Hall has done endless evil, earning the wrath of gods and men; I, Zhang, have long could not bear it. Now that the Heaven-Earth Dragon Seal has emerged, we must not let such a treasure fall into the hands of these wicked people!

Zhang Heng gave a cold shout, flicked his sleeve, and a scroll appeared. It unfurled on its own, its surface blank yet astonishingly spiritual.

Wan Li, prepare to die!

With a loud cry, he swept a single hand, drawing iron strokes and silver hooks to form a vigorous 'Suppress' character on the scroll; almost simultaneously it shot forth, flying toward the ghost-faced person.

Hmph! Mere trickery!

The ghost-faced person gave a cold snort, flicked his wrist, and sent a black mist shooting out like splashed ink, striking the 'Suppress' character. Then a wave of corruption twisted and shattered its once-mighty glow, causing it to vanish in midair.

Is that all the power of the Gentlemen's Hall Sage's Book? I, Wan, am truly disappointed; it seems this ghostly seal will not be yours today!

The ghost-faced person snorted coldly, then actually began mocking the other side.

Zhang Heng curled the corner of his mouth, looking indifferent, and laughed heartily: "The sage's writings' unsurpassed power—how could it be used on a lowly wretch like you? I, Zhang Mou, am shallow in talent and learning, knowing only a few character formulas, but that's enough to deal with you!"

As his words fell, he leapt up, single-handedly slashing through the air, and streams of extraordinary character seals shot out from the scroll, booming toward the ghost-faced person.

The ghost-faced person, however, showed no weakness, flinging his sleeves wildly, and streams of dark, deep, thick, ink-like mist surged forward to meet them.

The two clashed, mutually annihilating each other. In the void, strange force ripples spread, shaking hearts and minds.

Xiulan felt bewildered, unable to understand why the two were fighting so impulsively. In her mind, the greatest threat wasn't Lu Fan? Even if they truly had a grudge, they should consider the situation—at the very least, first eliminate Lu Fan this calamity, then fight later would not be too late!

Yang Sheng's followers all showed delight, their gazes toward Lu Fan growing ever more reverent. Who could, with just a few words, make those two young experts, Zhang Heng and Wan Li, fight each other, completely disregarding the situation?

Meanwhile, Lu Fan didn't even glance at the two, slightly raising his head to gaze upon a pitch-black stratum 'vault,' as if seeing through layers of darkness and void to the seal's markings.

"Dragon Seal? Ghost Seal? You two seem to know about this!" his gaze languid, eyes slightly curious, "Just what is the appearance of this seal, and what power does it hold? Let me see it for myself!"

As his words fell, he suddenly waved his hand, a red light flashed and immediately shot forth.

Boom—

The Technique Refining Crystal Furnace emerged from that red light, instantly swelling enormously, instantly becoming the size of a building, then shooting forth, crossing layers of void, to crash into the blood-colored giant seal.

In a flash of lightning and sparks, in the blink of an eye a distance of thousands of zhang was traversed, and it immediately struck the giant seal imprint.

Bang—

The earth-shaking collision sound rang out, like mountains collapsing, even more like meteors falling. Shi Potian's startling power erupted instantly.

Zhang Heng and the other immediately ceased their moves, turning their heads in disbelief, staring at the seal imprint furnace, their eyes filled with shock.

As for the others, they were even more astonished to the extreme, eyes wide open, their thoughts seemingly disrupted and halted.

Light and radiance surged around the furnace and the seal, pressing against each other. The seal, which had been spinning indeterminately, now gradually came to a halt, its original appearance clearly revealed before everyone's eyes.

All that could be seen was a purple square platform ten zhang wide, its surroundings inscribed with mountains and rivers, market towns and city walls, strange birds and beasts—all manner of worldly scenery.

And upon the platform stood an indescribably majestic sight: a dragon bone carving brimming with awe-inspiring lethal aura, coiled upon it. Every inch of bone was lifelike, stern and towering, making it hard to look directly at.

"This seal is rather interesting, the dragon element purple qi surging, yet it seems also to have a strand of Nine Nether deathly qi condensed within. I am quite pleased with this thing; I think I'll call it the True Dragon Imprint Seal!"