Coffin in the Well, God Outside the Temple

Huang Siping, Wei Chu, and the Snake Demon Yuan Qi saw Xu Ying staring blankly into the well, and they all looked into the well as well.

One man, one god, and one demon, their gazes met the giant eye in the well, and their eyes also became vacant, staring blankly at the giant eye in the well.

That giant eye seemed to possess a strange power, making it difficult for them to look away after just one glance.

Suddenly, a deafening bell chime rang out, jolting Xu Ying and the others awake.

The two men, one god, and one demon focused their vision and saw that their hands and bodies were covered in blood, and they were holding onto the thick chains in the well, desperately pulling them out.

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi, lacking hands, used its tail to coil around the chains and drag them out!

They had already pulled dozens of feet of chain out of the well. Further down, the pulled chain was covered in black blood, emitting a foul stench that made people nauseous.

Along with the chain, over a dozen human bones were also pulled up!

Everyone's hair stood on end.

They had no idea when they had lost consciousness, what had controlled their minds, how long they had been pulling, or what was chained at the bottom of the well!

They only felt that the chain was incredibly heavy, and it was getting heavier, as if something was tied to the other end.

In the well, the giant eye disappeared, replaced by churning blood water, bubbling and gurgling. The blood water rose higher and higher, reaching the well's opening!

Xu Ying and the others hurriedly let go of the chains. The bell chimed again, and the chains clattered back into the well. The blood water in the well also receded.

Suddenly, a soft sigh came from the well. It was incredibly beautiful, like a young maiden lamenting her misfortune and inability to escape the well.

The more beautiful the sound, the more horrified Xu Ying and the others became.

Xu Ying stood at the edge of the well and looked down. The blood water had receded, and the chains were locking a coffin, which was plummeting straight down the well wall.

A moment later, the coffin reached the bottom of the well.

At the bottom of the well was a sharp, triangular mouth filled with sharp teeth. It swallowed the coffin whole, and the chains hung around the colossal creature's mouth like whiskers.

Xu Ying's heart pounded. He saw the colossal creature, after swallowing the coffin, move to directly below the deep well and open its mouth.

Xu Ying quickly retracted his head, grabbed the Snake Demon Yuan Qi's tail, and ran!

Huang Siping and Wei Chu were confused. Suddenly, a world-shattering roar erupted from the well, shaking Huang Siping and Wei Chu, causing them to grunt. Blood streamed from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths!

In the well, the colossal creature was furious that it couldn't send the coffin out from the bottom, and its roar was earth-shattering. Even the Great Bronze Bell was buffeted like a willow in the wind, swaying precariously!

The entire stone mountain began to shake violently, as if it were about to be shattered!

Although Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had dodged the first wave of the roar, the residual shockwaves from the roar and the collision with the bronze bell still sent them flying several yards away!

At the same time, the River of Oblivion outside the dilapidated temple also became violent. The river's surface rose higher and higher. It seemed as if some giant monster was churning the river, attacking the bell-shaped light barrier formed by the bronze bell's radiance!

With attacks from both inside and outside, the light of the great bell in the pavilion dimmed, and even the bell-shaped light barrier enveloping the stone mountain became thinner and dimmer!

Xu Ying exerted all his strength, circulating his Blood Essence, to resist the roar. He did his best to drag the Snake Demon Yuan Qi towards the Great Hall of Heroes!

On the surface of his skin, his Blood Essence surged, and tiny blood beads even seeped from his pores, staining his clothes red!

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi had already been stunned unconscious by the shock.

Xu Ying gritted his teeth, blood flowing from his eyes, and his nostrils filled with a fishy scent as hot blood poured out!

The roar from the deep well continued unabated. Blood also flowed from Xu Ying's ears, his heart pounding like a drum, as if it might explode at any moment. He walked towards the Great Hall of Heroes, leaving bloody footprints with every step.

Xu Ying struggled onto the Great Hall of Heroes and collapsed.

Inside the Great Hall of Heroes, the roar had lessened considerably, finally giving him a chance to catch his breath.

"Clang!"

A cold glint flashed from beyond the heavens, like a sharp weapon. However, this weapon was astonishingly large, cleaving a gap in the bell-shaped light barrier!

The water from the River of Oblivion immediately poured through the gap.

Xu Ying struggled to his feet and looked outside. On the River of Oblivion, around the bell-shaped light barrier, vague, tall, and majestic figures emerged. They were not entirely human, and they wielded giant weapons, attacking the bell-shaped light barrier and creating more gaps!

These were figures as majestic as heavenly gods, completely different from the Grass Head God or the Demon God. A single glance at them filled one's mind with distracting thoughts and an urge to kneel and worship!

A pale white hand reached out from the River of Oblivion, extending into the sky above the dilapidated temple from the gap. Each finger was dozens of feet long, sweeping over the Great Hall of Heroes.

Xu Ying quickly moved to the back of the hall and saw the pale white hand reaching into the pavilion, grabbing the bronze bell, and attempting to pull it down.

"Clang—"

The bell chimed, and the giant hand shattered into pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere. One finger hurtled towards Xu Ying and, with a thud, pierced the Great Hall of Heroes, nailing it to the temple door!

Fires flickered on the dilapidated temple door, revealing strange characters that twisted like insects, containing incredible energy, and setting the pale white finger ablaze!

As Xu Ying was still shocked by the characters on the door, another long whip flew from the river's surface, passing over his head. With a swish, it coiled around the bell's nose on the Great Bronze Bell and pulled forcefully outwards.

The pavilion from which the great bell hung was immediately torn to shreds!

The Great Bronze Bell was pulled away from the well's opening, and the roaring from the well intensified.

Xu Ying looked up at the rapidly moving long whip above him. The segments of the whip were composed of solemn human faces, each one different, all with their eyes tightly closed.

This strange long whip, carrying the great bell, vibrated and flew through the Great Hall of Heroes, moving like a dragon.

More white sashes flew from the River of Oblivion, swishing and drilling into the well!

Seeing this, Xu Ying's heart stirred: "Perhaps the diversion of the River of Oblivion was not an accident."

This scene felt more like someone had deliberately diverted the River of Oblivion to suppress the Great Bronze Bell in the desolate temple and free the Coffin in the Well!

"Someone went to such lengths to free the Coffin in the Well, causing mass casualties! Just who is buried in that coffin?" Xu Ying mused inwardly.

As if provoked, the bronze bell suddenly clanged, shattering the long whip and flying out of the dilapidated temple.

Outside the temple, the roar of the river and the tolling of the bell merged into a cacophony.

Xu Ying looked up and saw shadowy figures on the bell-shaped light barrier. Suddenly, a figure that was neither human nor ghost had its head explode, pulverized by the Great Bronze Bell!

Another figure, neither human nor ghost, swayed its body, and its flesh and blood dissolved completely. Then, the shadow of bones on the bell-shaped light barrier also turned to dust!

Xu Ying's heart pounded. Those figures felt so powerful, so unfathomable, like Mount Sumeru, like the abyss of the underworld!

Yet, under the onslaught of the Great Bronze Bell, they died so easily, more easily than crushing ants!

The surging waters of the River of Oblivion poured in from all directions. The water level reached the Great Hall of Heroes. Xu Ying didn't have time to think. He grabbed the Snake Demon, Yuan Qi, and leaped, jumping out through a hole in the roof of the Great Hall of Heroes and landing on the rooftop.

He looked down and saw in the backyard, the Stone Mountain God, Huang Siping, standing on his Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber with one leg. The saber was plunged into the ground, and the waters of the River of Oblivion had reached his feet.

Blood streamed from Huang Siping's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The Demon God's face was filled with despair.

Earlier, he and Wei Chu had realized the danger too late. They were hit by the roar from the well and seriously injured. By the time they recovered, the River of Oblivion had already flowed into the backyard of the desolate temple, preventing them from taking shelter in the Great Hall of Heroes.

Now, the waters of the River of Oblivion were still rising!

The river washed over the soles of his feet. Huang Siping's left foot was stripped of all flesh, leaving only bone!

The River of Oblivion was gnawing up his left leg, and it wouldn't be long before his left leg was nothing but bone!

And it probably wouldn't be long before the River of Oblivion completely swallowed him!

On a dead old willow tree in the backyard, the jailer Wei Chu was not faring any better. The willow tree was rotten, leaving only its trunk. He could only stand on one leg like Huang Siping, enduring the pain to save his life.

However, the willow tree swayed precariously under the impact of the River of Oblivion, threatening to be uprooted at any moment. Then he would have nowhere to be buried!

Even more terrifying was that he was not as tall as Huang Siping. Even if the willow tree wasn't uprooted, he would die before Huang Siping!

Xu Ying's gaze fell upon the deep well. White silk ribbons wrapped around chains were being pulled outwards. From the well, a black coffin slowly rose, reaching the wellhead.

"They still succeeded!" Xu Ying thought.

The Great Bronze Bell had been lured away, and the black coffin had reached the wellhead!

Just then, a ray of sunlight shone down, illuminating the young man's face.

Xu Ying looked up. The rising sun in the east illuminated his face, then gradually his entire body.

The cascading waters of the River of Oblivion grew weaker and weaker. The surging River of Oblivion also faded, and the sound of the bell grew distant. This underworld river suddenly vanished as the sun rose!

Xu Ying looked further into the distance. The River of Oblivion in the distance was also gradually fading and disappearing, leaving behind only "riverbeds" scoured clean among the mountains.

There was no sign of life in the riverbeds. Dead, decaying trees were everywhere, as if scorched.

On the riverbed not far away, white bones, washed ashore, were piled together.

"Where's the Great Bell? Where are those tall giants?"

The young man looked around. Not only was the River of Oblivion gone, but the Great Bronze Bell had also vanished. The figures that had fought the Great Bronze Bell around the desolate temple like gods had all disappeared!

There was no trace of water in the desolate temple's backyard. Even the bonfire no longer emitted green light, returning to normal flames.

Xu Ying steadied himself and looked at the backyard. The pavilion over the deep well had collapsed, and the deep well had returned to its quiet state, with no sounds coming from it.

A young girl in white sat at the wellhead, her back to him, slowly combing her disheveled hair.

The girl turned her head and met Xu Ying's gaze. She smiled sweetly, making Xu Ying feel that time and sunlight were so beautiful.

Sunlight shone into the desolate temple's backyard. The girl disappeared, leaving only a coffin standing by the well.

Beside the coffin were several black iron chains.

Suddenly, the coffin flew up, breaking free from the chains, and shot through the air!

"The being suppressed in this well has still broken free."

Xu Ying recalled the girl's appearance and thought, "She's quite pretty, though. My godfather and grandfather would definitely like a daughter-in-law like her. It's a shame she's a female ghost."

Suddenly, with a thud, the jailer Wei Chu fell from the dead tree and onto the ground, unconscious.

His entire right leg had turned into bare bone, with not a shred of flesh!

On the other side, the Stone Mountain God Huang Siping jumped down from the Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber. He staggered, his face grim. The lower part of his left leg was also devoid of flesh, leaving only bone!

Fierce by nature, he was equally harsh on himself. He endured the pain without a sound.

Huang Siping looked up at Xu Ying on the Great Hall of Heroes.

Xu Ying faced east, activating his Guiding Technique. Under the sunlight, the particles of light flying in the air became increasingly visible. With his breathing, they formed small-scale particle storms, which he inhaled into his body!

The young man's body emitted bursts of thunderous sounds, and his Blood Essence transformed into a great sun, working in tandem to temper his body and expel the blood and grime left from his injuries the previous night.

Now that the crisis of the diverted River of Oblivion had passed, the danger Xu Ying faced was no longer the river, but the hunt from the divine and the officials!

Huang Siping took a deep breath and adjusted his own breathing, activating the Guiding Technique he cultivated to absorb the essence of the sun.

His injuries were far more severe than Xu Ying's, not only internal wounds but also the loss of his left leg. Fortunately, he was a Demon King, and his Blood Essence cultivation was still intact. As long as he could suppress his injuries, he could strike like lightning and deal with Xu Ying!

Now, both man and god were silently regulating their breathing, striving to suppress their injuries and recover most of their strength before the other, so as to be the first to seize the initiative!

"Xu Ying, you could have left earlier."

Huang Siping adjusted his breathing and said calmly, "You're clever. You dodged the roar from the well and are less injured. I lost a leg, and you would have escaped if you had run. There was no need for you to stay."

Xu Ying faced east, activating the Taiyi Guiding Technique. The storm of light particles in the air grew more intense.

Facing the morning sun, the young man's posture was like a mountain overlooking an abyss, exuding a majestic presence. He said, "My friend is unconscious, how could I just leave?"

Huang Siping's eyes flickered as he gripped the horse-slaying saber in his hand. "Friend? You consider a snake demon a friend? Have you forgotten? You are a snake catcher! You and snake demons are natural enemies! Strange snakes have killed your kind, and you have killed strange snakes!"

"But that doesn't stop us from being friends!"

Xu Ying suddenly let out a long roar, stomping his foot heavily. With a rumble, he fell into the Great Hall of Heroes.

The rear hall exploded!

Xu Ying's Blood Essence surged through his body, forming the Elephant God Fiend Body behind him. With a shove of his shoulder, he pushed over a bronze pillar in the rear hall.

Xu Ying grabbed the bronze pillar and swung the ten-thousand-jin column at the Stone Mountain God, Huang Siping!

He had to end this battle quickly, defeat Huang Siping, and leave with the unconscious snake demon before other divine masters and officials arrived!