Upon discovering that the entire passage was paved with Meteor Fire Stones, Sect Master Wen recoiled in terror. If they had indeed been poisoned by the Celestial Demons, continuing further would have transformed him into a grotesque half-human, half-corpse like Sect Master Jiang!
Realizing this, Sect Master Wen turned and fled, no longer daring to covet the Xuan race’s remains deep within the passage. All he wanted was to survive.
Xiao Man encountered the abandoned Yan Ze father and son halfway. After confirming they were unharmed, she sent them ahead. She continued for some time before meeting Sect Master Wen, who was staggering his way out.
“Sect Master Wen, what happened?”
Sect Master Wen was drenched in sweat, his expression one of panic. Upon seeing Xiao Man, he grabbed her arm. “Save me, save me! I don’t want to become a hundred-zombie!”
Xiao Man understood. Something must have gone wrong ahead, someone had turned into a hundred-zombie, which was why Sect Master Wen was so terrified.
“Who turned into a hundred-zombie?”
“Jiang Xu!”
“So it was him.” Xiao Man nodded in understanding. “Not surprising. His talent is ordinary, and his cultivation to Nascent Soul peak was entirely built on elixirs. He was deeply poisoned. Were there Meteor Fire Stones ahead?”
Sect Master Wen shook his head repeatedly. “No…”
“Did the two people Yue Tianxia brought ambush you?”
Sect Master Wen continued to shake his head, still catching his breath. “No…”
“Did you ambush Jiang Xu?”
Sect Master Wen glared up at Xiao Man. After he caught his breath, he said, “Neither. It’s just that the entire passage is paved with Meteor Fire Stones!”
Xiao Man was startled and punched the rock wall. The black outer shell shattered, revealing the Meteor Fire Stones hidden within.
A sense of unease crept into Xiao Man’s heart. “Meteor Fire Stones are the bane of the Celestial Demons. Not only do you fear them, but the Celestial Demons do too. Why would the Celestial Demons lead people inside?”
“Perhaps there is something inside that the Celestial Demons desire.”
“What could be worth such a risk?”
“Xuan Xin’s remains.” Tian Xuzi woke up at this moment, his voice weak. He too could not withstand the energy of the Meteor Fire Stones.
“Didn’t Xuan Xin turn to ashes?”
“It is said that Xuan Xin’s remains did not turn to ashes but were hidden by the Xuan race. The Celestial Demons only learned of it in recent years. It was hidden beneath the Xuan race’s royal city, and the Xuan race’s royal city is in the Roland Mountain Range. Hence, countless people have entered the Roland Mountain Range in recent years, all in search of the Xuan race’s royal city.”
“Then how did they find Wuji City?”
“Because of you.”
“Me?” Xiao Man asked, puzzled. “What did I do?”
“You released the Demon Lord, causing the Celestial Demons to discover that Xuan Xin’s divine spark was hidden in the Land of No Return. Wuji City ostensibly guarded the Land of No Return, but secretly it was to protect Xuan Xin’s divine spark within. Therefore, they suspected that Xuan Xin’s remains were hidden in Wuji City.”
“No, I can’t let Yue Tianxia be demonized!”
Xiao Man suddenly realized what she was worried about. She needed Yue Tianxia to tell her the way back to the Yong’an Continent. How could she let Yue Tianxia be demonized here? She immediately gave chase.
“Gluttony, you and the others take them out first. Meteor Fire Stones repel demons. If you go further in, you will also be in danger.”
Gluttony and Jun Ru exchanged a glance. Each grabbed someone and darted out quickly. No wonder he felt so uncomfortable as soon as he entered; the entire place was constructed from Meteor Fire Stones.
Nangong Yu quickly followed Xiao Man. There were three more people inside, two of whom were from the Celestial Demon race. Xiao Man alone might not be their match.
“Man’er, don’t rush. Since they dared to intrude here, they must have known this was a forbidden place they couldn’t tread. Perhaps they have a way to deal with it.”
“If Yue Tianxia is demonized into a hundred-zombie, then I won’t be able to learn how to go to the Yong’an Continent from him. I must find him before he is demonized.”
Xiao Man hurried through the tunnel for a while and sensed light ahead. She immediately quickened her pace and, upon exiting the tunnel, entered a room. In the center of the room lay a coffin, flanked by two Pixiu statues.
“Where is Yue Tianxia’s trace?”
“There must be a mechanism here. They’ve gone elsewhere.” Xiao Man calmed herself and walked towards the coffin. The lid of the coffin was pushed open. Xiao Man peeked inside and was startled, recoiling in shock.
“What’s wrong?”
“Inside…” Xiao Man swallowed, pulled Nangong Yu, who was about to step forward, and steadied herself. She approached again and peered into the coffin. Her expression turned grim. “A’yu, the person in the coffin looks exactly like you.”
Nangong Yu was taken aback and also stepped forward to look. However, what he saw was different from what Xiao Man saw. The person lying inside looked exactly like Xiao Man.
“The person I see is you,” Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man. “There’s something wrong with the coffin.”
Xiao Man closed her eyes and reached into the coffin to feel around. If what she saw was an illusion, and there was only one coffin in this room, then the mechanism must be inside the coffin.
As Xiao Man was feeling around, she felt a cold hand cover the back of hers. Instantly, every hair on her body stood on end. She opened her eyes to see the person inside the coffin smiling at her. Before Xiao Man could even cry out a warning, she was dragged into the coffin.
Nangong Yu quickly reached out to pull Xiao Man but only managed to tear off a piece of cloth. When he examined it, the coffin was empty. There was no corpse, nor any trace of Xiao Man.
Nangong Yu felt around inside the coffin carefully but found no mechanism. He then lay down inside the coffin himself but still found no clues. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled. The problem must be inside the coffin, but why couldn’t he trigger the mechanism?
Nangong Yu sat up and his gaze fell upon the two Pixiu statues beside the coffin. He then climbed out of the coffin and began to inspect the Pixiu statues for any mechanisms.
As Nangong Yu meticulously examined the Pixiu statues, the eyes of the two stone creatures blinked, but Nangong Yu failed to notice.
After thoroughly inspecting the Pixiu statues and finding no issues, Nangong Yu attempted to move the coffin. He suspected there was a passage beneath it. However, even with all his might, the coffin remained motionless.
“Where is the mechanism?” Nangong Yu recalled Xiao Man’s actions around the coffin. Mimicking her, he surmised that Xiao Man must have triggered the mechanism while inspecting the coffin. Nangong Yu reached into the coffin, closed his eyes, and felt around inside.
A moment later, Nangong Yu’s eyes snapped open. He felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet. He looked to the side and saw that the two Pixiu statues, which had been standing by the coffin, had, at some unknown time, come alive. They stood on either side of him, their gaping maws open.
“This is the end!” Nangong Yu tried to pull his hand back, but it was held fast by an unknown force. As he was about to be devoured by the Pixiu, Nangong Yu, in a moment of inspiration, ducked his head and the entire person dived into the coffin, slamming the lid shut!