Boundless Secret Realm, Mysterious Stone Coffin

Seeing Chen Changsheng staring blankly, Qingfeng thought he was worried about the national war between the two countries and immediately laughed.

"Don't dwell on it. Only Golden Core cultivators are qualified to take part in a war of this scale."

"By the time you reach the Golden Core realm, it'll probably be over already."

"The Boundless Secret Realm is about to open. Hurry and enter with your Senior Brother Yuanshan."

As he spoke, Qingfeng pushed Chen Changsheng and Yuanshan forward.

At that moment, Heavenly Buddha Temple, Linglong Sect, Supreme Clarity Temple, and the Great Qian Dynasty—the three great top-tier cultivation factions—joined forces to unseal the Boundless Secret Realm.

A deep Black Hole instantly appeared atop the Sacrificial Altar.

Those who had long since been chosen were immediately sucked into the Black Hole.

After a dizzying whirl, Chen Changsheng and Yuanshan appeared in a sea of flowers.

Looking at their surroundings, Yuanshan tugged on Chen Changsheng's sleeve and said, "Junior Brother Changsheng, where are we?"

Chen Changsheng could not help but smile helplessly at his somewhat timid Ninth Senior Brother.

Before he had arrived at Supreme Clarity Temple, there had been nine Inner Sect Disciples in the temple.

Every disciple had their own specialty and distinct personality.

His Ninth Senior Brother was famously timid within Supreme Clarity Temple, for he was only thirteen years old this year.

Though young, his talent was indeed extraordinary. He possessed dual water-and-fire spirit roots.

"Senior Brother Yuanshan, you're at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, at least. Could you stop being so timid?"

Hearing Chen Changsheng's words, Yuanshan wore a bitter smile.

"Brother Changsheng, it's not like you don't know. Master brought me to Supreme Clarity Temple when I was three."

"Every day, all I did was cultivate. How could I know as much as you do about the outside world?"

Chen Changsheng grinned. "Then will you listen to me?"

"Of course I'll listen to you!"

"When you stole Master's Lightning Strike Wood, I was the one keeping watch for you."

"Good, as long as you'll listen to me. Then let's start picking flowers."

"Picking flowers?"

Yuanshan's face was filled with confusion at Chen Changsheng's request.

"Brother Changsheng, why are we picking flowers?"

"To make wine!"

"This should be the Hundred Flowers Sea within the Boundless Secret Realm. Flowers from all four seasons can grow here."

"I saw in an ancient text that there is an immortal brew called Hundred Flowers Wine."

"It is made from flowers of all four seasons, and every flower must be fresh."

"The conditions are too demanding, so I've never managed to brew it."

"But now, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

Watching Chen Changsheng crouch on the ground to gather petals, Yuanshan scratched his head and said, "But Master told us to come in here and seek fortuitous opportunities. If we stay here picking flowers to brew wine, how will we explain ourselves to Master when we get out?"

"According to the map of the Boundless Secret Realm I found, thirty li east of here lies a ruined Bronze Ancient Hall."

"The opportunity you mentioned is inside that ancient hall, though it can only be obtained after passing a trial."

"I know this information, so naturally others know it too."

"So there are two choices before you now."

"First, go to the Bronze Ancient Hall, undergo the trial, and fight disciples from other sects to the death."

"Second, stay here and brew Hundred Flowers Wine with me. Master and Third Senior Brother both love wine. If we offer them Hundred Flowers Wine, we probably won't face much punishment."

Faced with the choice Chen Changsheng offered, Yuanshan tilted his head and pondered for a moment before crouching down and joining him in picking flowers.

Time passed bit by bit.

The many geniuses who had entered the Boundless Secret Realm desperately searched for fortuitous opportunities, smashing their heads bloody as they fought over them.

In contrast, Chen Changsheng and Yuanshan lived leisurely and at ease.

In the mornings, they picked petals still bearing dew. At noon, they lay in the sea of flowers and gazed up at the sky.

In the afternoons, they recreated Hundred Flowers Wine according to ancient methods.

Their lives stood in stark contrast to those of the cultivators who had come here with them.

"Brother Changsheng, come look at what this is!"

Yuanshan's call made Chen Changsheng lift his head from the sea of flowers. Yuanshan was excitedly waving to him, as though he had found something.

"What is it?"

Chen Changsheng walked over and asked instinctively. Yuanshan pointed at the ground.

"Brother Changsheng, there's a stone slab with patterns on it."

Chen Changsheng crouched down and gently brushed away the loose soil. Sure enough, he found a stone slab carved with patterns.

Running his hand over the lines, Chen Changsheng frowned. "This thing seems quite large. Dig it out and take a look."

As he spoke, the two martial brothers began digging.

After an hour of hard work, a massive coffin appeared before them.

Strange writing was carved across the top of the coffin.

After studying it carefully, Yuanshan said, "Brother Changsheng, what kind of writing is this? Why can't I understand it?"

"Of course you can't understand it. This is Two-Thousand-Year-Old Script."

"Ah!"

"Two thousand years!"

"The Great Qian Dynasty was only founded eighteen hundred years ago. Is this coffin from before the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Shut up!"

"I've only learned to recognize some of this writing from ancient texts. There are characters I don't know either. Let me think carefully."

Hearing Chen Changsheng's words, Yuanshan immediately covered his mouth with his hand and stood obediently where he was.

An hour passed. Chen Changsheng wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "So that's how it is. We've truly struck it lucky."

Seeing Chen Changsheng finally speak, Yuanshan hurriedly asked, "Brother Changsheng, what does it say?"

"A brief account of someone's life."

"From childhood, I cultivated. At eighteen, I fought three thousand nine hundred and eighty-one battles, winning seven hundred and fifty-six and losing three thousand two hundred and twenty-five."

"At eighty, I fought four thousand four hundred and ninety-eight battles, winning one thousand three hundred and twenty-five and losing three thousand one hundred and seventy-three."

"At two hundred, I fought one thousand six hundred and fifty battles, winning nine hundred and eighty-five and losing seven hundred and eighty."

"At five hundred, I fought one hundred and thirty battles, winning one hundred and fifteen and losing fifteen."

"At one thousand, nine battles, nine victories. Looking back, there was no longer an enemy under heaven."

"Alas, all my life I sought an opponent, yet could find none. Truly, such loneliness was unbearable."

"By chance, I found a hidden paradise where I wished to spend my final years alone. Yet after thinking it over again and again, I chose another place, unwilling to let my legacy perish with me."

"I specially buried this stone coffin beneath the sea of flowers. The Path to Longevity is long and vast; only those sincere of heart may obtain it."

After reciting all the writing on the stone coffin in one breath, Yuanshan's mouth was hanging open in shock.

"Brother Changsheng, this person was incredible."

"He fought so many battles in his life, but why did he fight less and less as time went on?"

"Do you even need to ask? As the years passed, naturally there were fewer and fewer people capable of fighting him!"

"When he was one thousand years old, those nine battles must have been earth-shaking."

"Nine battles, nine victories. Though it was only four simple words, they could not hide his excitement."

"Those nine battles must have been the battles he was most satisfied with in his entire life."