Lin Yu stepped out of the Taoist temple and looked up at the horizon. Several black dots rapidly grew larger, hurtling toward him amid rolling thunder and howling winds.
When he finally saw them clearly, he could barely contain his shock. They were nine enormous Dragon Corpses, dragging an Ancient Bronze Coffin down toward the summit of Mount Tai.
Boom!
The Ancient Bronze Coffin crashed heavily onto Mount Tai's peak. In an instant, the mountain shook violently, as though the entire world were trembling and a powerful earthquake had struck.
Massive rocks came tumbling down, accompanied by endless thunderous roars, like a stampede of countless troops and horses. The sight was utterly terrifying.
Many people were caught off guard and smashed bloody by the falling rocks, screaming as they tumbled down the mountain. Cries of terror echoed through the hills, blending into one dreadful chorus.
After the tremors subsided, the mountain gradually calmed, but Mount Tai had already descended into chaos. Panicked people fled in every direction, with some constantly falling amid the confusion.
Many were bleeding from the head, their faces filled with terror as they desperately ran down the mountain.
As Lin Yu watched the chaos before him, memories from his previous life surged into his mind like a tide. He cried inwardly, Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin... So I really transmigrated into this world!
Just then, Five-Colored Altars slowly emerged from the massive crack created by the dragon coffin.
The altars radiated an ancient, mysterious aura. Runes flickered as light flowed across them. The jade scripture enshrined upon the altar floated word by word like stars, forming a massive yin-yang bagua, as though it were about to open a gate to an unknown land.
A trace of resolve flashed in Lin Yu's eyes. An opportunity to change his fate could vanish in an instant, and he had never lacked a steadfast heart devoted to the Dao.
Thus, he went against the panicked crowd and ran toward the Five-Colored Altars without hesitation.
When Lin Yu approached the Ancient Bronze Coffin, he saw a group of young people wandering around the Bronze Coffin, their faces filled with confusion and curiosity.
Besides dozens of smaller Five-Colored Altars, the crack created by the Bronze Coffin contained a massive altar that steadily supported the coffin. Lin Yu recognized them at once. They had to be Ye Fan and his group.
When Ye Fan and the others saw Lin Yu approach, surprise flashed through their eyes. They hurried forward and greeted him. "Taoist priest, do you know what is happening?"
Lin Yu gave a mysterious smile. "This humble Taoist came precisely for this."
Before anyone could ask further, the Five-Colored Altars suddenly activated. An even more powerful force instantly sucked their entire group inside.
In an instant, the world spun around them. Everyone saw flashing light before their eyes as their bodies were dragged uncontrollably into an unknown spatial tunnel.
The nine Dragon Corpses, each like a mountain ridge, rose into the air. Though still completely lifeless, they dragged the Bronze Giant Coffin slowly into the dark and mysterious passage formed by the Taiji Eight Trigrams Diagram.
Lin Yu and the others entered the Ancient Bronze Coffin. It was pitch-black inside, permeated by a chilling, sinister cold.
Some of the female students were on the verge of collapse, their hearts full of helplessness and terror. Yet they did not dare cry out loudly and could only suppress their emotions and voices, sobbing softly.
Amid the chaos, Lin Yu stepped forward and said calmly, "Everyone, do not panic. Calm down first, then take out your phones and confirm the number of people and the surrounding environment!"
Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and the others promptly agreed. "The Taoist priest is right. Everyone, take out your phones. Let's count ourselves."
Some of the calmer people began to act. They comforted the panicked crowd and gradually stabilized the situation. Then everyone began counting their numbers.
"One, two, three... twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one!" When they counted the thirty-first person, the student responsible for tallying them suddenly began to tremble as he said:
"How could there be... a thirty-first person?!"
"How could there... be one extra person!"
"Who... who is it?"
"Ahem, it's me, Pang Bo!"
A burly figure answered from the corner.
Pang Bo then explained that he had missed the gathering because of other business. By the time he reached Mount Tai, everyone had already gone up the mountain, so he had taken the cable car up and was ultimately sucked into the ancient coffin.
The crowd barely regained their composure, then all turned their eyes toward Lin Yu. Their gazes were full of expectation, as though Lin Yu were their only hope in this unfamiliar and terrifying environment.
After all, he had been the first among them to remain calm. He had also soothed everyone and had them count their numbers, displaying the composure of one whose expression did not change even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.
Someone could not help asking, "Taoist priest, do you know the origin of Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin? What should we do now?"
Lin Yu looked at their frightened, uneasy faces, took a deep breath, and slowly said:
"In ancient Taoist scriptures, there was indeed a legend of nine Dragon Corpses pulling a Bronze Coffin through the life-bearing planets of the universe.
I had originally believed it was merely an absurd tale fabricated by ancient people. I never expected it to truly exist. Out of curiosity, I followed it here.
Now that we are inside this coffin, there is no turning back. We can only make the best of where we are. Everyone, calm down and work together. Perhaps we can find a way to leave this place."
After hearing Lin Yu's words, the fear in their hearts did not completely vanish, but they had something to rely on at last, and their emotions gradually settled.
As everyone's gazes focused on the inner wall of the Bronze Coffin, a mysterious scroll spanning time and space slowly unfolded before their eyes.
It depicted ferocious beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas in various forms. The Taotie had a stout body and a savage face, its enormous open mouth seeming ready to devour all things in the world;
The Qiongqi exuded an eerie aura, as though carrying endless evil. The Taowu was agile and sharp-eyed, fully displaying the courage and brutality of a savage beast.
Besides those fearsome beasts, there were also scenes depicting ancient ancestors hunting.
The images of ancient people worshipping deities were even more solemn and majestic. Clad in ceremonial attire, their expressions devout, they held grand rituals before altars, as though engaged in a conversation with mysterious gods across dimensions.
Then everyone's attention was drawn to a vast expanse of strange patterns. The patterns were densely packed and scattered like stars, and between those points seemed to lie an indescribable order.
Every pattern resembled a glittering star, answering and intertwining with the others.
From afar, it looked remarkably like a boundless star map, as though it had condensed the secrets of the entire universe within it. The sight drew everyone into that dreamlike, mysterious scene.
Just as everyone was immersed in those mysterious patterns, they discovered in astonishment that there was also a small coffin inside.
They guessed that an ancestor's corpse lay sleeping within it, having ridden this Bronze Coffin across endless years before its soul returned to this mysterious land.
However, the calm did not last long. Suddenly, violent shaking struck without warning, as though the earth itself were trembling. Amid that abrupt upheaval, the Bronze Coffin overturned.
Immediately afterward, a dazzling radiance bloomed from the depths of the coffin. Like a sharp blade, it instantly tore through the darkness.
The light seemed to conceal countless unknown secrets and mysterious powers, filling everyone with fear while making it impossible to suppress their curiosity and anticipation.
Before you continue