The Black Coffin

In a quiet bar in City No. 18, there were only three people.

Bartender, Li Dongze, March.

"Is this real or fake?" March asked Li Dongze, looking at the amber-colored whiskey in her glass.

Li Dongze was still wearing his meticulously tailored suit and vest, the pocket watch chain hanging on his chest was polished to a shine, and his leather shoes had just been polished.

No matter when or where, this godfather of the Heng Society lived a meticulous life.

He looked at the glass and said, "... Fake wine."

March looked at Li Dongze with displeasure. "You're serving me fake alcohol?"

Li Dongze patiently explained, "The tobacco and alcohol business within the Federation is monopolized; nobody brews proper liquor. Unless it's liquor specially supplied to the mansions of various conglomerates, the quality of the others isn't even as good as my counterfeit liquor. Don't worry, all of Heng Society's businesses are legitimate breweries; we just can't get brewing licenses."

March Li Dongze chuckled softly. He rarely spoke so much; when he did, it was usually because he was a little nervous.

She took a small sip and said calmly, "It's really good, better than the one in City No. 19."

Li Dongze's expression became more natural.

March said, "I'm setting off again."

Li Dongze frowned slightly. "You just got back, why are you leaving again?"

"This time it happened in the south. The Six-Eyed Crow in the courthouse are cawing day and night. Something big is going to happen," March said. "There's something very strange I need to tell you. Shen Daichihachi is dead, but the crows didn't guide us there. This means there's something wrong. Of course, I can only tell you this. You must keep it a secret."

Li Dongze frankly said, "According to what you're saying, he might still be alive. My boss has wanted to kill him for many years. If he faked his death, then I have to tell my boss this news."

March sat at the bar and shrugged. "I never said he was still alive."

Li Dongze was taken aback for a moment. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Could it be that Shen Daichihachi's corpse was sacrificed to some Forbidden Item?

March seemed to have guessed what Li Dongze was thinking, and said, "Even if he is ultimately sacrificed to some Forbidden Item, the Six-Eyed Crow will caw before he dies, just like Qing Chen made us make a wasted trip. Moreover, in the entire Federation, there are only a few Forbidden Item that can be used to sacrifice extraordinary beings. Apart from the Puppet Master, the rest are all in our hands. Shen Daichihachi's corpse was not sacrificed, but its information was concealed, so even Forbidden Item like the Six-Eyed Crow could not find him."

In fact, the Forbidden Item that the Tribunal of Taboos possesses are like having X-ray vision in a video game.

If you have enough data, you can deduce some information.

For example, there are four Forbidden Item that can be used to sacrifice extraordinary beings:

Forbidden Item ACE-10 and Scarlet Steel Pen.

This Forbidden Item was used for the pleasure of sacrificing corpses, but strangely enough, this cruel Forbidden Item could be used to write blessings...

Offering one corpse allows you to write down one wish; offering ten corpses allows you to write down ten wishes. Wishes can be stored.

The things Scarlet Steel Pen can wish for are very small, such as hoping someone will give it a gift, hoping someone will do the dishes for it, or hoping it won't have to work overtime tomorrow...

But this small thing will definitely be accomplished.

For example, if you live in a no-man's-land, even if there's no one for 1,000 kilometers around, as long as you make a wish, tomorrow some unlucky guy will suddenly appear in this desert for some reason and wash your dishes...

For example, you can wish that someone will treat you to hot pot tomorrow, and then even if a flood comes tomorrow, someone will still treat you to hot pot.

Years ago, the owner of the Scarlet Steel Pen was a wilderness hunter.

On one occasion, he fought with Wilderness People and killed him.

The hunter offered a sacrifice to the corpse of the Wilderness People, and then wished that he could have a hot meal the next day.

It's not that his requirements were low, but rather that he knew that this thing's capabilities were limited.

Unexpectedly, a sudden downpour occurred that night, causing the river to breach its banks and sweep him downstream.

The wilderness hunter thought to himself, "I'm definitely not going to get a hot meal now, and my survival is in question."

Before he could think any further, he saw a speedboat rushing upstream and pulled him out of the water.

The next morning, the boat owner even cooked him a bowl of hot porridge...

At that moment, the Revenant Hunter suddenly realized that this was the good luck brought by making a wish with the Scarlet Steel Pen!

The power of rules!

Among the many Forbidden Item today, the Scarlet Steel Pen is arguably the most useless. In April, it's usually used for making wishes at hot pot restaurants and can't be used for anything else.

Let's look at other Forbidden Item, such as the Forbidden Item ACE-089, the Hunter of the Praised. As long as it hears you sing, even if you're B-Class, it will kill you no matter where you are.

Or perhaps it's Chen Yu's pair of stone lions; together, they could kill an A-rank!

Or perhaps they are Qing Xing to possess a mysterious, Forbidden Item that can control misfortune.

It's much better than the Scarlet Steel Pen.

The second Forbidden Item that can be used to sacrifice the corpse of a superhuman is ACE-107, the Best Lighter in the Village.

Offering a corpse once grants the use of fire once.

This thing is quite useful; everything it ignites will turn to ashes, and when it burns a corpse, not even a trace will remain.

Even if you use it to heat steel, the molten iron will still evaporate.

The flame from this lighter won't spread; even when burning a corpse, it will only burn the body and not the clothes.

Someone once wanted to use it to destroy the Earth, but they stopped after only burning one rock...

Later, someone used it to fight against an A-level enemy. After the two engaged in a forced close-quarters battle, the owner suddenly used a lighter to set one of the opponent's hairs on fire.

In just a few seconds, that A-level superhuman turned to ashes.

Of course, the conditions for using this Forbidden Item are a bit harsh. Battles between A-level masters can change in an instant. For example, if a master like Kamiyo Yunhe sees you suddenly take out a lighter, he definitely won't come any closer to you.

The third Forbidden Item that can be used to sacrifice to extraordinary individuals is ACE-015, the Wooden Fish of Jiyun Temple.

This thing is a bit strange. It sacrifices corpses in a way that is considered a form of salvation, and the sacrificed corpses may even release their souls.

The soul looked pained but its eyes were vacant; it answered whatever was asked.

It will only last for five minutes.

The person who extracted this Forbidden Item was a high-ranking monk from the former Federal Jiyun Temple was once the most popular temple in terms of incense offerings.

After the high monk died, leaving behind this Forbidden Item, everyone felt that it had no Buddhist qualities whatsoever and was instead extremely cruel.

Later, hundreds of human skeletons were discovered in the underground cave beneath Jiyun Temple, and the skeletons bore knife and axe marks...

This event also sparked a wave of anti-monk sentiment within the Federation, and the Mechanical God Cult was born around that time.

Initially, the public simply lost trust in the monks. Later, some people fueled the flames, trying to replace the new faith with the Mechanical God Cult to control the people. In the end, it was the corporations that benefited.

The last item, the Forbidden Item ACE-019, Puppet Master.

These four Forbidden Item can be used to sacrifice the corpses of superhumans.

Three of them were in the hands of the Tribunal of Taboos. At this time, they encountered a person who could sacrifice the corpses of superhumans, which meant that the other party had the only "Puppet Master" that had been lost and could be sacrificed to superhumans.

This process of elimination is very simple...

After pondering for a moment, Li Dongze asked, "Then what do you think is going on with Shen Daichihachi?"

March calmly said, "I suspect that Shen Daichihachi has been carrying the Forbidden Item ACE-09, 'Beyond the Three Realms'."

This Forbidden Item is quite interesting. It is a string of Prayer Beads, Forbidden Item extracted by the first abbot of Jiyun Temple. It has no active power, but it can exempt itself from the judgment of all Forbidden Item.

For example, if you wear this string of Prayer Beads called "Beyond the Three Realms," even if you sing to the Hunter of the Praised every day, they won't pay any attention to you.

Even if someone burns you with the Best Lighter in the Village, you won't be hurt.

Qing Xing that your fate is arranged on the spot, and your fate will not be changed because of him.

The amazing thing about this thing is that if Shen Daichihachi had this with her before she died, she could have avoided the judgment of the Six-Eyed Crow.

Li Dongze said, "The Beyond the Three Realms have been gone for over a hundred years, how could they have ended up in the hands of the Kamishiro Corporation?"

"I don't know," March shook her head. "I tried to find it using Forbidden Item, but unfortunately it's exempt from all Forbidden Item, so I couldn't find it at all."

This Forbidden Item from Beyond the Three Realms is the most suitable for the Tribunal of Taboos, since they have to deal with all sorts of strange Forbidden Item.

What a pity.

"Strange, is someone deliberately hiding Shen Daichihachi's body? Why?" Li Dongze frowned. "Could the Kamishiro Corporation have acquired some kind of sinister power again?"

"It's impossible to tell," March shook her head. "I'm taking April and the others south tomorrow. This time, the Six-Eyed Crow's cries have been unusually long, its five eyes are bleeding blood, and it won't even eat hawthorns... Another demigod is about to fall."

Li Dongze said, "I'll go with you."

"Why?" March asked.

"The Tribunal of Taboos hasn't been as peaceful as it used to be," Li Dongze said. "You have too many Forbidden Item in your possession, which will inevitably attract covetous eyes. Although you are doing things that benefit the world, the conglomerates believe that once they obtain your Forbidden Item, they can do the same things you can do. So, from now on, you need to be careful. I'll go with you this time."

"Can you leave?" March glanced at him sideways. "If you could leave, you would have left long ago."

"It's different," Li Dongze shook his head. "The two people I've arranged for myself are more than capable of handling the daily management of Heng Society. Especially Zhang Tianzhen, who seems harmless but is actually full of bad intentions. With him and Hu Xiaoniu here, one righteous and one unorthodox, I can leave."

"Huh," March paused for a moment, "Then you should pack your things. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Also, don't wear that outfit to the wilderness; it looks really out of place."

Li Dongze raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say I looked good in this outfit?"

March rolled her eyes. "It depends on the occasion, you know."

In the wilderness, a convoy of 11 trucks carrying frozen meat slowly made its way from the north toward City No. 10.

The words "Northern Divine Palace Meat Food Supply Group" were painted on the vehicle.

This meat supplier is a monopoly owned by the Kamishiro Corporation.

Due to natural environmental factors, they vigorously developed livestock breeding industries such as cattle and sheep in the north, and then transported the beef and mutton to various cities in the south.

The convoy gradually slowed down as it reached the 10 cities.

There were no abnormalities. The driver was waiting for border quarantine by the Immigration and Customs Administration, and all the transportation permits were in order.

The Immigration and Customs Administration glanced at the document, which showed that all goods had been quarantined in City No. 0, there were no sick or dead sheep, and each sheep had an electronic beacon embedded with a traceable origin.

The bacterial count and all other indicators met the requirements.

The official looked at the convoy leader and said casually, "There's nothing smuggled in the car, is there? If there is, I suggest you confess yourself."

Upon hearing this, the convoy leader immediately grinned and pulled the official to a place where there were no surveillance cameras, then stuffed a roll of banknotes into his hand. "You really have sharp eyes, nothing can be hidden from you. I've been asked to bring a few Holly Falcon from the wilderness to the big bosses."

The official did not accept the banknotes and said in his usual indifferent tone, "The Holly Falcon is a bird of prey that is prohibited from being kept in the city. I cannot let you pass."

The team leader quickly took off his watch again; it was a famous "Dragon Weave" brand watch in the Federation, costing more than 300,000 yuan.

The official paused for a moment, then casually put the watch into his pocket.

He stood in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, waved to his subordinates from a distance, and passed.

The gates for entry and exit quarantine slowly lifted, and the metal storm in the dome was released.

The convoy continued driving into the city. The captain, who had just been grinning, slowly darkened his expression, becoming somewhat sinister.

His gaze, like that of a hunting hawk, swept across the front of the vehicle.

The team leader said in the vehicle's communication channel, "On the roof of the vehicles behind, all the goods are being delivered to their respective locations according to the orders."

As he spoke, the vehicle he was in suddenly turned and headed not towards the Upper Third District, but towards the District 5.

The truck drove into an underground parking garage in District 5.

When no one was paying attention, the truck stopped at a drainage system inspection port.

The vehicle came to a stop, and the rear door of the truck opened silently.

The vehicle's interior was lined with a shielding membrane to prevent radiation scanning. Inside, two men with grim expressions jumped out and methodically opened the sewer system's access port. As soon as they opened it, the sound of the city's vast and complex sewer system flowing could be heard.

The two men exchanged a glance, then lifted a long black wooden crate out of the truck and walked down the stairs at the access point into the sewer.

The box was more than a person's length long and extremely quiet. What it contained did not seem to be Holly Falcon at all.

This... looks more like a coffin.

At the entrance to the sewer inspection door, the team leader whispered, "One minute left. Remember, don't look up. Repeat, don't look up."

The two people inside the sewer whispered, "Roger that."

They placed the black box in the sewer, and one of them took out a syringe from his pocket, dripped the unknown liquid onto the black box, then turned back to the ground and crawled back into the back of the truck.

After closing the door, the vehicle drove away quickly.

Two people were in the driver's cab, and two were in the cargo box. They were calm as if nothing had happened.

However, dozens of gray rats, attracted by the unknown smell, began to frantically gnaw on the black wooden box in the sewer.

The rats used their claws to dig and their teeth to bite, so frantically that they didn't even care if they broke their own teeth.

Several tens of minutes later, the wooden box was finally gnawed through by the rats.

An old, pale hand was revealed inside the box.

The hand was only a small part visible through the hole. This black wooden box was like a coffin abandoned in a mass grave, lying in this unknown dark world.

Rotten, fermented.

"Let's camp here," Qing Chen said suddenly when he saw a grove of trees.

This was the first campsite his master had set up when he first came to the wilderness.

Qing Chen looked at Zhang Mengqian. After the pickup truck came to a stop, the little boy, disregarding his fatigue, got out of the car to set up a temporary tent for Qing Chen, Yingzi, and Yang Yang.

Qing Chen felt a sense of disorientation; it was as if this scene had happened just yesterday, and he was still playing the role of Zhang Mengqian.

Shadow looked at Qing Chen: "He has a natural sixth sense. Why don't you hurry up and let him cultivate? There are very few talents like him in the Federation. The two people who have been recorded have both become demigods. Don't waste such a good talent. If you can't teach him, I'll find someone else to teach him."

This is because spiritual practice itself is a process in which an individual's spiritual will gradually integrates with the world.

Those who already possess a sixth sense before this kind of cultivation have already completed the fusion, and their bodies have enormous potential waiting to be developed.

For such people, spiritual practice is a smooth path.

Therefore, Yingzi felt it was a pity to see Qing Chen leaving Zhang Mengqian hanging.

However, Qing Chen shook his head as he looked at Zhang Mengqian and whispered to the shadow, "I wanted him to take a different path of cultivation, but he stubbornly insisted on taking mine. This child is good in every way, except for being exceptionally stubborn."

Shadow nodded. "He's even more stubborn than you. The more talented a person is, the purer they tend to be. It's a pity that if he doesn't change his mind, no one can help him. In the end, he might just waste his life."

However, at that moment, the shadow suddenly leaned backward without warning.

Qing Chen quickly supported his back and laid him flat on the ground next to the campfire.

There was no heartbeat, no breathing.

The symptoms came on very suddenly, so suddenly that even the shadows weren't prepared.

A shadow fell over Qing Chen's heart.

The shadow's backlash is becoming increasingly fierce, more frequent, and longer in duration. Previously, the shadow could at least sense it in advance and find a place to lie down beforehand.

Now, even the shadow itself doesn't know when the next backlash will come.

Qing Chen sat by the campfire, waiting silently, unconsciously poking at the firewood with a twig.

Yang Yang said, "Brother Shadow's force field is already very weak. Actually... the reason he wanted to be with you in his last period of time was because you were the only person he could unconditionally trust now."

The wait for the shadow to awaken felt exceptionally long; every minute felt like an eternity to Qing Chen.

Half an hour later, with a thud, his heartbeat returned to normal.

Shadow slowly sat up and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

But Qing Chen couldn't laugh.

There's a 5,000-word chapter, and another chapter will be released before 11 PM tonight.

Requesting monthly votes and full subscription (To be continued)