TL: Etude
This secret chamber contained no special treasures, nor any kind of inheritance—just a single coffin.
That’s right… a coffin. And not just any ordinary coffin, but a transparent cold jade coffin, radiating an intense chill. The cold aura it emitted was terrifying, justifying its name as the cold jade coffin.
The material of the coffin appeared extraordinary, likely incredibly valuable, but that wasn’t what shocked Ye Tian.
What truly astonished him was that inside the cold jade coffin lay a corpse—a young girl’s corpse.
Ye Tian assumed it to be a corpse because this was a battlefield ruin, existing for countless years. Up to this point, no living creatures had been discovered here, making it unlikely that anything alive remained.
Moreover, it was impossible for a living person to be placed inside a cold jade coffin, so this girl could only be a corpse.
“Strange… Why would there be a cold jade coffin and a corpse here? Could this girl have been a relative or someone important to the owner of this palace?” Ye Tian speculated silently.
The cold jade coffin wasn’t fixed in place, nor was it sealed. It simply rested in the center of the chamber, as if it were an ordinary object.
Ye Tian approached the coffin and attempted to extend his spiritual sense into it, but it was immediately blocked by the coffin.“My spiritual sense can’t penetrate even slightly… What material is this coffin made of?” Ye Tian was stunned.
While many things could obstruct spiritual sense, it was unheard of for something to completely block the spiritual sense of a True Monarch like him.
“This cold jade coffin is priceless!” Ye Tian marveled.
A treasure capable of blocking even the spiritual sense of a True Monarch had countless potential uses! For Dao Ancestors, such a cold jade coffin would be unimaginably valuable, as materials of this kind were extremely scarce within Chaos, or perhaps even nonexistent.
Even more importantly, if one probed it with a wide-range spiritual scan, the cold jade coffin wouldn’t just block the probe—it would erase itself from perception, making it impossible to detect.
If someone were to hide inside the cold jade coffin, even if they angered powerful beings, they could easily escape danger.
Additionally, it could conceal valuable items. If someone stored treasures inside the cold jade coffin and kept it in their body, no one would be able to detect the items, no matter how powerful they were.
For example, if a True Ancestor obtained a treasure coveted by countless Dao Ancestors, their life would be in danger if news got out. However, with a cold jade coffin or a similar material, they could conceal the item, ensuring their safety.
Thinking of this, Ye Tian grew excited.
He stepped forward to open the cold jade coffin. However, the moment he pushed the lid, it wouldn’t budge.
“It won’t open!” Ye Tian frowned.
He used all his strength, but no matter how hard he tried, the lid refused to move.
He even tried breaking the coffin, only for a forbidden seal to appear, reflecting his attack back at him.
“This coffin can only be destroyed by a Dao Ancestor!”
The thought crossed Ye Tian’s mind.
With his current strength, he couldn’t even shake the cold jade coffin, let alone open it.
Perhaps only after advancing to the peak of Dao Ancestor, reaching power equivalent to the strongest Dao Ancestors, would he stand a chance at opening it.
Ye Tian didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, he decided to store the coffin away.
The identity of the girl inside might be unusual, but the fact remained—she had already perished. Whatever her background, the coffin’s immense value made it impossible for Ye Tian to leave it behind.
After leaving the secret chamber, Ye Tian waited for a while and Goddess Yun Zi soon emerged from the inheritance space.
Judging by the joyful expression on Goddess Yun Zi’s face, it was clear she had gained something extraordinary. The inheritance of a top-tier True Ancestor was undoubtedly remarkable; otherwise, as a personal disciple of a Dao Ancestor, she wouldn’t have shown such excitement.
Ye Tian had initially thought that Goddess Yun Zi might inquire about the cold jade coffin.
After all, the girl inside the coffin might have been connected to this palace, and the inheritance of the palace’s owner might have mentioned her.
But Goddess Yun Zi said nothing, as if she knew nothing about the cold jade coffin.
“Perhaps the inheritance didn’t mention it at all,” Ye Tian guessed.
Since Goddess Yun Zi knew nothing about it, Ye Tian had no intention of bringing it up. Otherwise, the cold jade coffin’s existence would be exposed.
The inheritance had been obtained, and the remaining value of the palace now lay in the True Ancestor-level puppets. However, these puppets had already been activated, and due to preset protocols, there was no way to stop or rebind them to new masters.
More importantly, these True Ancestor-level puppets were far too powerful. While Ye Tian might have managed to handle one or two, a swarm of them was beyond his ability to fight alone.
Not long after.
Ye Tian and Goddess Yun Zi exited the palace.
It was now time for them to part ways.
“Goddess Yun Zi, let’s go our separate ways,” Ye Tian said.
“Alright,” Goddess Yun Zi nodded.
Although she wished to explore the battlefield ruins with Ye Tian, knowing it would be safer and offer more opportunities for treasures, she didn’t bring it up. Ye Tian wasn’t likely to agree, and she was well aware of that.
After parting ways, Goddess Yun Zi decided to leave the battlefield ruins entirely, heading straight for the entrance. She had no intention of lingering here any longer.
Ye Tian, on the other hand, randomly picked a direction and began his search for treasures, without any particular goal in mind.
…
Within the ruins of the battlefield.
A True Monarch stood on the barren ground, his gaze vigilant as he scanned the surrounding True Monarchs. He looked tense and uneasy.
This was True Monarch Jingchi, one of the top-tier True Monarchs of the Void Sky Hall. While he wasn’t ranked on the True Monarch Rankings, within the vast ranks of Void Sky Hall’s True Monarchs, he could easily rank within the top fifty.
Void Sky Hall boasted tens of millions of True Monarchs, so ranking in the top fifty was no small feat.
Yet, True Monarch Jingchi was now surrounded by a large group of True Monarchs.
In terms of individual strength, none of these True Monarchs were his match. However, there were over a hundred of them, and together their combined strength far surpassed his.
They had encircled him because he had obtained the remains of a True Ancestor from these ruins.
The key detail? The True Ancestor’s storage treasures were still on the corpse. Anyone who acquired the remains would essentially inherit the entire wealth of a True Ancestor.
Moreover, judging by the lingering aura around the bones, this fallen True Ancestor had not been weak. At the very least, they had reached the mid-stage of the Grand Dao Realm, making him a significant force among True Ancestors.
“True Monarch Jingchi, hand over the True Ancestor’s treasures, and we’ll split them equally. Otherwise, you won’t leave here alive today,” one of the True Monarchs said coldly.
Under normal circumstances, they would have treated True Monarch Jingchi with the utmost respect, knowing how superior his strength was.
But today, their combined forces were enough to kill him.
They hadn’t attacked yet because True Monarch Jingchi was still too strong. If a fight broke out, at least half of them would die. And once those casualties occurred, disputes over dividing the spoils would likely spark infighting among them.
“You truly intend to fight me? If you do, you’ll make me your enemy. Aren’t you afraid I’ll come after you later?” True Monarch Jingchi threatened.
“Hahaha! True Monarch Jingchi, we don’t fear your threats! There are too many opportunities in the battlefield ruins. Soon, we’ll surpass your strength, and then who will fear you?”
“That’s right! We’re not afraid of you. Do you think you’re the Dao Child of Ten Thousand Laws? If it were him here today, we’d leave immediately!” The other True Monarchs sneered.
“If the Dao Child of Ten Thousand Laws were here, you’d all be groveling for mercy!” True Monarch Jingchi retorted coldly.
As time passed, more and more True Monarchs gathered around. However, none of them belonged to the Void Sky Hall.
True Monarch Jingchi knew these True Monarchs wouldn’t hold back for long.
The battlefield ruins were vast, and it was impossible to tell if there were any other Void Sky Hall members nearby. Even if there were, they likely wouldn’t be able to help much—most True Monarchs would be sending themselves to their deaths by getting involved in this.
“Time to move!”
True Monarch Jingchi prepared to force his way out.
No matter what, he wouldn’t abandon the hard-won treasure now in his possession!