An Unexpected Joy

Just as the Western Beast was in seclusion stabilizing its realm, and Lin Hai was holding down the fort at the Xiao Clan, waiting for Yao Chen to finish refining pills before heading to the Ancient Realm, an urgent message from the Black Foot Domain was delivered into Lin Hai's hands by Haibodong.

The sender was a member of Yaoye, who had accidentally purchased an archaic jade pendant during a black market trade in the Black Foot Domain.

The pendant appeared ordinary, yet its material was exceptionally hard. After the organization's members studied it for days to no avail, it was accidentally dropped; when it struck the hard ground, it shattered upon impact.

The shattered pendant did not contain a physical object, but instead projected a faint yet clear stream of information that submerged into the member's brow.

The content of the message was startling: In the Black Foot Domain, at the core of the Black Domain Great Forest, beneath the Ten-Thousand-Year Ironwood, a thousand zhang underground, a Saint sleeps. Where Yin and Yang accompany, flames burn to nothingness.

The news was immediately reported to Yaoye and Haibodong.

The two dared not delay and immediately forwarded the information to Lin Hai without changing a single word.

"Yin and Yang accompany... the Yin-Yang Twin Flames?" Lin Hai looked at the message, a flicker of interest flashing in his eyes.

Ranked twenty-first on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the Yin-Yang Twin Flames took the form of black and white fish, mutually generating and supporting each other. Containing the peculiar power of both life and destruction, it was indeed a rather miraculous Heavenly Flame.

For him, collecting Heavenly Flames was already part of the plan, not to mention that it came with the tomb of a Spirit Saint.

"Black Domain Great Forest..."

He did not delay, gave a few instructions to Yao Chen and Haibodong, and his figure vanished once more.

Black Foot Domain, Black Domain Great Forest.

Lin Hai's figure appeared directly in the most core region of the forest.

The trees here were generally over ten thousand years old, their trunks as dark as iron, exuding an ancient and vicissitudinous aura.

His soul power swept meticulously over every inch of land, and he soon locked onto a massive ancient tree that possessed the most majestic vitality.

This ancient tree stood hundreds of zhang tall, its trunk so thick it would take dozens of people to embrace it, its bark cracked like dragon scales.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Ironwood, it is you." Lin Hai landed at the base of the ancient tree.

According to the information, the tomb was a thousand zhang beneath the tree.

Lin Hai's perception acted like an invisible drill, instantly penetrating into the earth.

Soil, rock, underground water veins... layer upon layer of obstacles were as nothing before his perception.

One thousand meters, fifteen hundred meters, two thousand meters... until he reached a depth of nearly three thousand meters, his perception finally touched upon an anomalous area.

It was not a hard rock layer, but a cleverly hidden spatial fluctuation that isolated all probing. Had his soul realm not been extremely high (as per the system-gifted Emperor Realm soul level) and had he not been searching intentionally, he would never have discovered it.

"Hidden quite well. With this spatial technique, the occupant was at least a seven-star Spirit Saint or higher while alive," Lin Hai evaluated.

An ordinary one or two-star Spirit Saint could never have hidden a space from his perception after death.

He sank downward, not by digging, but by merging directly into the earth. Like a fish entering water, he tunneled toward the deep underground in an inconceivable manner.

The surrounding soil and stone parted automatically, unable to hinder him in the slightest.

In just a moment, he pierced through the final layer of hard basalt, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

A massive underground magma lake appeared before his eyes, the crimson magma rolling and boiling, emitting a terrifying heat.

At the center of the magma lake was a spherical space held open by an invisible force; it was silent and still, forming a sharp contrast with the scorching, violent surroundings.

Lin Hai took a step, crossed the magma, and appeared directly outside the spherical space.

A faint, almost transparent energy membrane wrapped around the space, complex runes flowing across it. Although it appeared much dimmer due to the passage of time, it still exuded a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

"A barrier? Pity, time is the most powerful force of all." Lin Hai extended a finger and tapped lightly on the energy membrane.

At his fingertip, space twisted slightly, and an indescribable power of disintegration seeped out.

The barrier's light membrane was like a bubble pricked by a needle; with a soft "pop," it instantly turned into specks of light and dissipated without a trace.

The space within was completely exposed.

The space was not large, only a hundred zhang square, empty and deathly still.

In the very center sat a massive black coffin.

The coffin was made of an unknown material—neither gold nor wood—and felt cold to the touch. It was clearly a treasure, as it could completely isolate perception and remain uncorroded for ten thousand years.

The coffin lid was not sealed shut.

Lin Hai walked forward, stroked the coffin lid with his palm, and applied a slight force.

The heavy lid was pushed open slowly, revealing the scene inside.

A lifelike corpse of a man lay peacefully in the coffin.

His features were handsome, appearing to be in his middle years, his expression serene as if he were merely sleeping. His skin even retained a faint luster, showing no signs that ten thousand years had passed since his death.

Only the completely solidified aura announced the end of his life.

His hands were crossed over his abdomen, clutching a dark gold scroll.

And at his Dantian Qi Sea, two flames—one black and one white—swam slowly in a circle, tail to head like docile little fish. They emitted a contradictory aura that was both vibrant with life and deathly still—it was none other than the twenty-first ranked Yin-Yang Twin Flames!

Furthermore, on the index finger of his left hand, he wore an archaic, deep cyan storage ring.

Lin Hai first took the dark gold scroll. The material of the scroll was special, also having survived ten thousand years without damage.

He slowly unfurled the scroll; the text upon it had been written with soul power and remained clear even after ten thousand years:

"I am the Yin-Yang Saint, Mo Yin. A peak Nine-Star Spirit Saint, yet alas, I failed to breach the Emperor Realm; my soul shattered, my lifespan exhausted, and here I perish."

"I walked this life alone, accompanied only by the Yin-Yang Twin Flames, contemplating the path of life, death, and reincarnation, yet I regret failing to complete the work. This flame possesses a gentle spirit, yet its Yin-Yang transformation holds infinite mysteries; I hope those who come after will make good use of it."

"The sarcophagus is cast from Nether Cold Jade, capable of preserving the physical body for ten thousand years, and may be considered a rare treasure. Within the storage ring lies my life's collection; aside from numerous cultivation techniques, battle skills, medicinal pills, and treasures, there is also my cultivation experience—particularly regarding the application of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames and my insights into the Laws of Yin and Yang—all recorded within a soul jade slip, left for those fated to find it."

"Should you accept my legacy and be willing, you may kowtow three times before the coffin, acknowledging the inheritance of my lineage. If you are unwilling, simply take the flame and depart; do not disturb my remains."

The information on the scroll ended there.

Lin Hai read it through, his expression calm.

The tomb of a peak Nine-Star Spirit Saint was a treasure trove that could truly shake the continent; the cultivation insights and comprehension of the Laws were even more priceless.

However, to him—a peak Nine-Star Spirit Saint himself—it held mostly reference value.

As for the request, Lin Hai had no intention of complying. If this peak Nine-Star Spirit Saint's corpse were used by Yao Chen to forge a body for his rebirth, Yao Chen might even ascend directly to an Eight-Star Spirit Saint upon returning to life.

If not used for Yao Chen, it could also be refined for Spirit Saint blood essence; at the very least, twenty drops could be extracted, which would be enough to advance four magical beasts to the Six-Star Spirit Saint level.

He turned his gaze toward the slowly rotating Yin-Yang Twin Flames and extended his palm.

The Yin-Yang Twin Flames seemed to sense a source of power within him far greater than their own, trembling slightly. They did not resist, instead docilely detaching from Mo Yin's dantian, transforming into two small black and white fire-fish that landed in Lin Hai's palm and quietly merged into it.

Lin Hai casually sealed the Heavenly Flame and stored it in a jade bottle.

Next, he removed the deep cyan storage ring. His soul power easily wiped away the faint mark left behind ten thousand years ago. A brief inspection revealed five Ninth-Grade Profound Pills, the High-Tier Heaven-Grade battle skill Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal, the Low-Tier Heaven-Grade battle skill Nine Dragon True Fire Slash, as well as various Earth-Grade battle skills, the High-Tier Heaven-Grade cultivation technique Samsara Profound Fire Art, Earth-Grade techniques, and several high-level materials.

Finally, he looked at the massive Nether Cold Jade sarcophagus.

An object capable of preserving a physical body for ten thousand years was indeed rare.

With a wave of his sleeve, he swept the entire sarcophagus, along with Mo Yin's remains, into his own storage ring.

Once this was done, the secret space that had existed for ten thousand years became completely empty.

Lin Hai turned and took a single step, vanishing from the bottom of the magma lake.

The next moment, his figure appeared directly in the backyard of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.