Energy gathered, light flared, and a powerful beam of energy shot directly from the door toward Xiao Heng.
"Boom...!"
With a deafening blast, Xiao Heng was sent flying several steps back. Though he was not seriously injured, the unexpected attack left him looking somewhat disheveled.
Looking back at the door, the spot Xiao Heng had damaged was rapidly healing. The speed was such that it had recovered in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Heng warily circulated his Dou Qi, his gaze sweeping over the hall before finally settling on the stone coffin at its center.
"Stop playing tricks. At a time like this, come out and show yourself. You're the dignified Yellow Springs Demon Sage—don't make me look down on you."
Xiao Heng shouted, gripping his sword tightly as his Dou Qi surged. He had prepared himself to attack at any moment.
"Hehe, after all these years, I never expected someone to actually enter. It seems my life was not meant to end...!"
A hoarse laugh rang out. Along with that eerie laughter, energy rapidly converged toward the coffin. Countless strands of spiritual energy transformed into soybean-sized motes of light and gathered above it. Soon, as the energy continued to collect, a man appeared atop the coffin.
"Yellow Springs Demon Sage, you're actually still alive...!" Xiao Heng's heart sank as he looked at the man. At this moment, he understood that he had most likely fallen into the Yellow Springs Demon Sage's scheme.
"I wouldn't exactly call it being alive! I died long ago, and quite thoroughly at that. This place is merely one of the contingencies I left behind...!" As the Yellow Springs Demon Sage spoke, his body rapidly solidified, soon becoming indistinguishable from a real physical body.
After sizing up Xiao Heng, the Yellow Springs Demon Sage