Chapter 83: The Massive Bluestone Coffin

I will go with you, Old Li," Qin Tian said with unshakable resolve.

"No. This is my own affair. You stay here."

"But..." Qin Tian still wanted to insist on coming with me, but I cut him off.

"No need to say more. Relax, I’ll be fine."

I leaped into the pool and made my way back along the route I had taken before. Soon I reached the place where I had first come down, only to find a thick stone slab pressing down above me. It seemed the only way out was to smash it to pieces, but that would almost certainly alert the soldiers of the Demon Spirit Sect. My plan was to slip quietly into the crowd, disguise myself as an ordinary soldier, and seize the high priest when the chance came. They would never guess I would return so quickly. It was a plan with a seventy percent chance of success.

There was no time to hesitate. Even if I was discovered, so what? Whoever blocked my way, I would kill. I punched through the slab and shot upward. There were no guards outside. In the distance, the altar was drowned in darkness, with only scattered firelight flickering around it. Tents of various sizes could be seen faintly. Now that I was underground, I had no way to gauge the time; they were probably resting. That was perfect. It would be easy for me to slip in.

Under cover of the night, I approached the watch soldiers without difficulty. Before they could notice me, I killed two of them and dragged their bodies away, then changed into their uniforms. Everything was ready. Now I only needed to draw near the high priest’s tent quietly, and I would have my chance.

The high priest’s tent was the innermost one, the largest of them all. I concealed my presence and crept closer. The tent was made of thick coarse cloth. I carefully lifted the flap and stepped inside. In one corner sat a small table, and at the very back there was a narrow bed. Someone was lying on it. Without thinking, I rushed forward, clamped a hand over the person’s mouth, and pressed my revolver to the temple. "Don’t make a sound."

"What do you want?" came the tense voice from the bed.

It sounded like a woman. Damn, I had found the wrong target, and the voice was terribly familiar. Good heavens, it was Leng Wushuang.

Leng Wushuang broke free from my grip and wrapped the quilt tightly around herself. Even so, it could not conceal the alluring curves beneath it. I hurriedly averted my eyes and rose to leave, but she called me back.

"Come here."

Her voice was full of feminine allure. How could I possibly resist? My traitorous legs carried me to her side.

"Sit down," Leng Wushuang said as if issuing an order, her words utterly devoid of warmth. Perhaps that was what being a career soldier did to a person after years of command; the emotions in her life had long since been fused with her duty.

I sat on her bed without ceremony. A faint fragrance drifted to me. Leng Wushuang wound her slender arm around my shoulder, and the gesture instantly made me sit uneasy, unable to settle. I shifted awkwardly, and she noticed.

"Why, are you afraid I’ll eat you alive?"

I forced a smile. "Miss Wushuang, if there’s nothing else, you shouldn’t be wandering around. I’m leaving."

"Hey. What’s your name?"

"Li Yunfei."

Without looking back, I walked out of the tent. To be honest, my heart was racing—not because I feared the tens of thousands of troops outside, but because of what Leng Wushuang had just done. It had struck at my weakness, a naked seduction.

Outside the tent, several watch soldiers had dozed off against wooden stakes. I slipped around them and rode the wind up to the altar. Leng Wushuang had told me that the high priest was sleeping in the stone coffin atop the altar. The bastard—what kind of pervert sleeps in a coffin? Fine. In a moment, I’d make sure he slept to his heart’s content.

The bronze cauldron on the altar still blazed with fire. In the center stood a three-meter-long, two-meter-tall dark stone coffin, which looked especially eerie in the flickering light. I approached it. To avoid alarming the people below, I surrounded both myself and the coffin with a protective barrier. I wasn’t certain whether it could block sound, but at least it eased my mind.

I jammed my Icebound Sword into the seam of the coffin lid and heaved with both hands. The heavy stone lid was so stubborn that even the sword bent from the strain, yet it still would not budge. In the end, I put the sword away, gripped the lid with both hands, and forced it upward. After tremendous effort, the lid finally moved. I dared not waste time. I had to strike before the high priest noticed anything. Gathering all my strength, I flipped the lid open in one violent motion.

I did not know whether any traps had been set inside, so I hurriedly stepped back. Seeing no movement, I leaned in to inspect the contents. One glance was enough to make me curse Leng Wushuang under my breath. Where was the high priest? Lying in the coffin was unmistakably the zombie that had previously crippled Qin Tian. But resting on the zombie’s body was a book. Though it was wrapped in a layer of white cloth, I still recognized it at once: The Heavenly Demon Art. Three black characters leapt into view.

I took the book and stored it in my spatial ring. Then I thought I ought to close the coffin lid and slip away quietly. I never expected to obtain The Heavenly Demon Art so smoothly. There was hope yet of saving Xu Qinghuan. I’d better get out fast.

Just as I finished closing the heavy lid, a tremendous force erupted from within the coffin. With a thunderous bang, the lid flew upward and slammed into the barrier above, producing a deafening crash.

It was over. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could hear that sound. As I had feared, there was immediate commotion below the altar, torches sprang to life one after another, and the high priest emerged from a small tent.

Damn it all. Why had that little vixen Leng Wushuang lied to me? Had she set me up? Now I was in a terrible fix, a turtle trapped in a jar. With a command from the high priest, the soldiers below the altar drew their bows. In an instant, thousands of flaming arrows rained toward me. I dodged desperately as the deadly shafts came at me from all sides. At the same time, the zombie launched its attack. I evaded its claws, but I could not evade the arrows. One flaming arrow struck my chest. A sharp pain shot through me, and fury exploded instantly in my heart.

Leng Wushuang, today I’m taking you to the grave with me.

Dark aura coiled around my entire body as I felt the surging power within me. With a roar, the altar began to tremble and tilt. Seizing the moment, I threw a punch at the grotesque zombie. The instant I did so, countless arrows from below were flying toward me. I had no way to dodge. My blow shattered the zombie’s waist, severing its body in two, and I was struck by multiple arrows in return. Though most were blocked or deflected by the demonic energy, I was still flesh and blood. How could I withstand such a ferocious assault? My legs gave way, and I dropped to my knees. An arrow was buried in my knee, the shaft piercing straight through my leg. I no longer had the strength to rise from the altar.

At that moment, the high priest ordered the soldiers to stop. He strode up onto the altar and crouched before me, studying me closely. I knew then that I was likely doomed. Still, I regretted one thing: I had not managed to kill Leng Wushuang.