"What's wrong, Mr. Ying?"
Seeing Ying Chen's expression, the three elders, Dong, couldn't help but ask.
Ying Chen didn't answer, but his eyes were fixed on Zhang Daoling's corpse, as if it held some immense secret.
This made the three elders even more curious.
Ignoring their old and frail bodies, they climbed towards the high platform without a word.
After a long while, the three of them, panting, reached the high platform and stood by the coffin.
When they saw the scene inside the coffin, they were all stunned in place.
Inside the coffin, there were no burial objects as they had imagined. Instead, there was only a simple corpse.
But this corpse left them staring, unable to look away!
For the corpse had remained uncorrupted for over a thousand years!
Or rather, it had transcended mere preservation and reached a state of immortality!
For both the exposed facial features and the body hidden beneath the feathered robe still appeared as vivid as they were in life!
It was as if over eighteen hundred years had passed not in death, but in a single day!
"Unbelievable, unbelievable!"
The three elders repeatedly exclaimed, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
The discovery of such a fresh corpse was infinitely superior to the mummies so lauded by the European and American archaeological communities!
Once announced to the public, it would immediately shock the entire Dragon Kingdom, and indeed, the entire world!
Elder Dong, unable to control himself, raised the camera around his neck, ready to take a picture.
However, before he could press the shutter, a hand stopped him.
It was Ying Chen.
Ying Chen glanced at Elder Dong and shook his head, "Don't take pictures."
Elder Dong showed a look of confusion, "Why? Are you worried that the flash from the camera will damage the corpse's condition? You can rest assured, Mr. Ying, I won't turn on the flash."
Unexpectedly, Ying Chen still blocked him, "It's not related to that."
"I suspect... Zhang Daoling might not be dead!"
"What?" Ying Chen's words instantly rendered the three elders dumbfounded, their eyes filled with disbelief.
After all, Zhang Daoling was a person from eighteen hundred years ago!
If he could leave behind a trace of obsession through some magical artifact or divine ability, the three elders could accept that.
If he could preserve his physical body from decay through some mysterious elixir and methods, the three elders could also accept that.
But to say that Zhang Daoling was still alive after eighteen hundred years was something the three elders absolutely could not accept!
For such a notion severely contradicted their understanding!
Ying Chen glanced at the three of them calmly, a trace of mockery flashing across his lips.
Were they already so easily frightened?
If Ying Chen told them about his own two-thousand-year existence, wouldn't they be so terrified they'd fall off the platform and die?
"Don't look at me like that. When I say he's not dead, I don't mean it in the way you imagine. I mean..."
Ying Chen paused and uttered a term the three elders had never heard before.
"The Death of Chaos!"
The three elders looked bewildered, not understanding what "The Death of Chaos" meant.
Ying Chen explained unhurriedly, "Legend has it that in ancient times, there were three emperors residing in the sea. The emperor of the South Sea was named Shu, the emperor of the North Sea was named Hu, and the emperor of the Central Sea was named Chaos."
"The emperors of the South and North Seas frequently visited Chaos's territory. They discovered that Chaos's form was very strange. Normal people have seven facial orifices for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing. Chaos, however, had none of these. His entire body seemed to be wrapped in a giant silkworm cocoon."
"The emperors of the South and North Seas discussed and decided that since all people have seven orifices for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing, and Chaos lacked them, he surely couldn't see, hear, eat, or breathe. They should help Chaos create the seven orifices so he could perceive the world."
"So, they immediately set to work. While Chaos slept, they created one orifice for him each day. On the seventh day, as they thought they had completed their task, Chaos suddenly died."
"This, is the so-called Death of Chaos."
After listening to Ying Chen's explanation, the three elders understood the origin of the Death of Chaos, but their faces remained utterly bewildered.
They didn't understand how this related to Zhang Daoling.
Surely, Zhang Daoling wasn't a reincarnation of Chaos!
With this thought, they couldn't help but look at Zhang Daoling's corpse in the coffin.
He possessed all seven facial orifices, clearly indicating Zhang Daoling had them. This meant Zhang Daoling had no relation to the mythical Chaos.
Then, what did Ying Chen mean by Zhang Daoling dying from the Death of Chaos?
Ying Chen glanced at the three of them and shook his head.
This was the drawback of interdisciplinary communication.
In four words, it was like "talking to a duck."
If it were any practitioner of Xuanmen, they would have immediately understood Ying Chen's meaning after his explanation.
But the three elders remained unable to grasp it.
Ying Chen patiently continued his explanation, "Chaos died because his seven orifices were opened. Later practitioners derived a principle from this: perhaps it is precisely because humans possess seven orifices that their vital essence constantly flows away. To stop the dissipation of vital essence, one must seal the seven orifices, and even all the pores and acupoints on the body."
"Zhang Daoling, based on this theory, sealed all areas on his body where vital essence could leak, in order to achieve a state where his life force would not dissipate outwards."
"If you don't believe me, observe Zhang Daoling's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Do you see a layer of transparent material, like a barrier, blocking them?"
Upon hearing this, the three elders quickly took out their powerful flashlights.
They dared not touch Zhang Daoling's corpse rashly. Firstly, they feared causing damage. Secondly, they had already witnessed Zhang Daoling's power; a single trace of obsession had nearly doomed them, let alone a complete physical body.
Without a doubt, Zhang Daoling's body must have some form of restriction; touching it would surely result in death.
Thus, the three elders could only lean to the side and observe Zhang Daoling's nostrils and ear canals.
As the flashlight beam shone upon them, they indeed saw a faint, ethereal glow reflecting from within Zhang Daoling's nostrils and ear canals.
It was as if a crystalline, jade-like barrier was sealing them from within!
"Not just the seven orifices. If you were to pull open his clothes, you would find that all the pores on his body have also been coated with this substance. Furthermore, this feathered robe he is wearing also possesses the effect of eternal preservation. It is what practitioners of Xuanmen call a 'Feathered Immortal Robe.' If it were put up for sale, its price would start at at least ten billion."
"For someone who knows its worth, the price could be doubled."
Ying Chen said, pointing to Zhang Daoling's robe.
Hearing this figure, the three elders' eyes widened involuntarily.
As archaeological experts, they certainly knew the value of cultural relics.
However, these were usually valuable porcelain, bronzeware, or jade objects. The clothes of a deceased person, unless made of gold or jade, theoretically only held research value and couldn't fetch such astronomical prices.
But Ying Chen's words shattered their perceptions, making them realize that true value lay not in gold or jade, but in these Xuanmen magic robes with special effects!
Ten billion, with the potential to double.
This was a sum that they, in their lifetimes, no, in several lifetimes, couldn't earn!
Even though the three elders were not greedy individuals, their gazes couldn't help but become fervent.
Unbeknownst to them, Ying Chen's gaze was even more fervent.
Ying Chen already possessed a Great Evolution Dharma Robe, so he wasn't particularly interested in Zhang Daoling's feathered robe.
However, if it could be exchanged for tens of billions, Ying Chen became very interested!
*Swish!*
As if sensing the ill intentions of the four, Zhang Daoling's corpse within the coffin actually trembled!