Becoming an Astronaut!

Becoming an Astronaut!

"Hey, Yezi, what have you been up to lately? Your class is holding a reunion?"

"No, no. I'm not even from the same school as you. I'm planning to take a trip to Mount Tai."

"...All right, then. See you again if we get the chance."

Qin Sheng hung up, anticipation filling his heart.

Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin was coming!

He immediately packed his things, rushed to Mount Tai, and checked into a hotel first.

As for his parents?

Over the years, Qin Sheng had often secretly used his mana to refine his parents' bodies. He had taught them health-preserving cultivation techniques and warned them about certain matters as well.

They would have no problem holding on until Qin Sheng returned.

Goodbye, Mom. Tonight, I'm setting sail on a distant voyage.

Qin Sheng had also asked Ye Fan's parents to help look after his own.

After that football match, Qin Sheng and Ye Fan had become good friends. If he could lend Ye Fan a hand, he would.

Although he had a cheat ability, investing in Ye Fan could never go wrong.

Actually, if he had no cheat ability and did not want to venture to Beidou, staying on Earth and looking after Ye Fan's parents would also have been a way out.

In the future, he would not lack a place among the immortals of the Immortal Domain.

But although Qin Sheng had no interest in competing for supremacy, he knew the suffering of all living beings.

The next day, Qin Sheng received a call from Ye Fan. Ye Fan said that they were also planning to visit Mount Tai, and that they could meet there if Qin Sheng had time.

Qin Sheng naturally agreed.

"If it weren't for Li Xiaoman, Ye Fan probably wouldn't have gone to Mount Tai."

Ye Fan's class reunion had not originally included a trip to Mount Tai. Li Xiaoman had suddenly returned from abroad, and the extended reunion had added this extra event.

Thinking of this, Qin Sheng secretly chuckled. This was the ex-girlfriend from the red-haired universe—she always played a crucial role.

Three days later, Qin Sheng drove his BMW to the Mount Tai parking lot. By coincidence, a Mercedes-Benz was parked right behind him.

When he got out, he saw that it was indeed Ye Fan.

Ye Fan drove a Mercedes-Benz, and I drive a BMW. We all have bright futures ahead of us.

"Yezi."

"Immortal Qin."

The two greeted each other with smiles. Qin Sheng gave Ye Fan a punch, making him stagger.

Ye Fan was surprised. Such strength?

"What, surprised?" Qin Sheng said with a smile.

"I've trained for so many years. I should have something to show for it."

"Are you really about to become an immortal?" Ye Fan teased.

As his friend, Ye Fan knew that Qin Sheng had spent all these years seeking immortality and the Dao, so he had given him the nickname Immortal Qin.

Qin Sheng smiled as he pinched his thumb and forefinger together.

"Just a tiny bit short."

Qin Sheng glanced at Ye Fan's Mercedes-Benz and asked with a strange look in his eyes.

"Yezi, how much is parking here per hour?"

"I don't know. It probably isn't expensive," Ye Fan said carelessly.

"Anyway, we'll be heading down the mountain soon."

"True." Qin Sheng's smile grew even broader.

"Your classmates are waiting for you. Go on ahead. I'll take a walk by myself, and we'll meet at the summit."

Ye Fan's classmates included both an ex-girlfriend and people constantly trying to one-up each other. Qin Sheng found such people irritating and had no intention of climbing the mountain with them.

"All right, see you later."

Ye Fan's group began climbing the mountain. Qin Sheng's ears and eyes were sharp, and he could still hear their conversation.

"Ye Fan, that was the famous writer Qin Sheng, wasn't it? Are you close with him?"

"We're all right. We've met up and chatted often over the years."

"Could you invite him to climb with us? I love Dragon Clan!"

"Not bad, Ye Fan. I didn't know you had connections like that."

"..."

At lunch earlier, Ye Fan had been somewhat looked down on. But after showing off his Mercedes-Benz and his close relationship with Qin Sheng, many of his classmates immediately saw him in a new light and became much friendlier toward him.

Kicking those below and flattering those above was human nature.

On Earth, people flattered those with status. In Beidou, they flattered the strong.

No mountain was greater, no history more ancient. Majestic and magnificent, foremost among the Five Sacred Mountains, the greatest mountain under heaven.

This was Mount Tai, which held an extremely important place in Chinese culture.

In ancient times, seventy-two emperors had performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices here, including such familiar figures as Fuxi, Shennong, Yellow Emperor, and others.

Later, the First Emperor and Emperor Wu of Han had done the same.

By the Song dynasty... well, better not mention it.

Qin Sheng walked across Mount Tai with swift strides. He had visited Mount Tai many times before, yet he still marveled at its grandeur.

Looking out over the rivers and mountains, Qin Sheng's heart stirred.

Today, he would "shatter the void" and depart from here!

Tread the path to heaven, sing as you go, and with a flick of the fingers, Shroud the Heavens!

After a while, black specks appeared in the sky. Then nine dragon corpses dragged an ancient bronze coffin down from above.

Dragons descended from the heavens, furious and ferocious!

Boom!

Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin crashed into the ground. Cracks spread across Jade Emperor Summit, rocks tumbled down, and it seemed as though the end of the world had suddenly arrived.

A moment later, the lid of the ancient bronze coffin opened. Ye Fan and the others were closest, and all of them were sucked inside.

The dragon corpses trembled, and the coffin lid began to close. Seeing this, Qin Sheng dashed forward at top speed and leaped into the coffin with the midair rolling posture of a landlady.

I'll form the head!

With a deafening crash, the ancient coffin shut completely. Qin Sheng let out a breath of relief.

If nothing unexpected happened, Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin would soon take flight.

Raise the coffin, get rich!

Outside, five-colored divine light shot into the sky, and Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin vanished without a trace.

As for the waves its arrival and departure would cause on Earth, that was no longer something the people lying flat inside the coffin needed to worry about.

"We were sucked into that coffin?!"

"Call someone! Get them to save us!"

"Why did this happen? Why us?"

"..."

The coffin was dark inside. Everyone panicked, made calls, and shouted, revealing every facet of human nature.

Qin Sheng only found them noisy. He strolled through the coffin alone, examining the bronze carvings on the walls. Many of the ferocious beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas could be found here.

This made Qin Sheng ponder. Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin had existed even before the Mythical Era. It had to be older than the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

So someone had entered this place before, compiled the beasts depicted in these bronze carvings, and passed them down?

Who could have done that?

A smaller coffin also rested inside the bronze coffin. Qin Sheng walked over to it.

This coffin was far from simple. Setting aside its origins, it currently contained something world-shaking: an entire world, prepared to repair the Immortal Domain.

Clearly, that world was not something Qin Sheng could lay his hands on yet.

Qin Sheng wanted to see whether he could obtain the hundreds of ancient characters inherited within the small coffin.

Each of those hundreds of ancient characters was an imperial rune. Even if he could not truly use them, regularly comprehending them would bring immense benefits.

"Why is there a thirtieth person?"

Another disturbance broke out among Ye Fan's group. There was one extra person, and only after they confirmed it was Pang Bo did they calm down.

Everyone began exploring the bronze coffin, using their phones' light to illuminate the surroundings. When they reached the area near the small coffin, gasps rang out.

"A person! There's someone sitting there!"

"Is that the owner of the coffin?"

"Is that a corpse?"

If only I really were the owner of the Three-Life Copper Coffin...

"It's me. I'm also a passenger on this flight."

Qin Sheng stood up. It was a pity that without a treasure on the level of the Bodhi Seed to help him, the hundreds of imperial characters truly were not something a person of his realm could touch.

"Immortal Qin? How did you get in here too?" Ye Fan hurried over.

"Even a horse stumbles; even a man slips."

Ye Fan's classmates did not doubt whether Qin Sheng was human or ghost.

Pang Bo had been suspected because he had not attended the class reunion at first, then had suddenly appeared here.

"Immortal Qin, you just said you were a passenger on this flight. What did you mean?" Pang Bo also walked over.

His body was burly, truly "magnificent." Even though his demon god bloodline had not awakened, it still had some effect on Pang Bo.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Qin Sheng said.

"Do you remember how Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin appeared? I think we've already taken off and are heading into the universe."

Everyone gasped. Someone asked in disbelief.

"How is that possible?"

"Isn't the appearance of Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin itself the greatest impossibility?" Qin Sheng countered, then said, "All right, wait quietly. Don't make so much noise."

As Qin Sheng spoke, rosy light surged from within his body, dispelling the darkness. His powerful majesty made people afraid to look directly at him.

This sight made everyone else's expressions change drastically. They were shocked beyond measure.

"Holy shit, Immortal Qin, you really became an immortal!" Pang Bo cried out.

Ye Fan's eyes shone as he asked, "Is this what you've gained over all these years?"

He was also someone who longed to cultivate immortality. He often read ancient texts and had always harbored such hopes.

"I've achieved a little," Qin Sheng nodded. "I'm not an immortal, merely a cultivator."

"Mr. Qin, do you know something?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Cultivators like me have never been absent from Earth. They have simply remained hidden in the shadows. This time, we may step into myth—or even become myth ourselves."

"But if you ask me exactly what is happening right now, I can't explain it either."

Qin Sheng shook his head. "This is my first time encountering something like this too."

Bang!

At that moment, the bronze coffin shook violently and swayed without pause. Everyone was thrown about, utterly terrified.

Mars Station had arrived.

"Light!"

Someone cried out. A corner of the coffin lid had lifted, allowing the light from outside to shine in.

"Let's go out and take a look!" someone suggested, winning the agreement of most people.

"Immortal, what do you think?" Pang Bo asked for Qin Sheng's opinion.

"Let's go out."

Qin Sheng was still thinking about looting the Great Leiyin Temple.

After leaving the bronze coffin, the world outside stunned everyone.

The ground was reddish-brown and extremely barren, with enormous rocks visible here and there.

"We really left Mount Tai..." someone muttered.

The group discovered two characters on a rock ahead, written in ancient bronze script.

"What are those characters?"

"Yinghuo," Qin Sheng said.

"That was what people called Mars in ancient times."

A glimmering flame, a chaotic portent.

Mars had been regarded as an ominous star in ancient times.

Once they confirmed that they had truly left Earth, many people fell into despair. Some even burst into loud sobs.

"This place may be dangerous. You can stay here or go back first. I'll explore ahead," Qin Sheng said.

Ye Fan said, "I'll go with you. We can watch each other's backs."

"Sure. Yezi, you're strong and have good stamina. If something happens, you won't hold me back."

Qin Sheng looked at the others and said, "You shouldn't come. If we run into danger, I won't be able to look after all of you."

"Pang Bo, stay behind and take care of everyone."

He had wanted to bring Ye Fan along from the start. Having a Sacred Physique with him was reassuring.

There was no need for the others to come. Even if they went to the Great Leiyin Temple, they would only be killed by those little divine crocodiles. They were better off staying in the coffin to preserve their lives.

These people had not offended Qin Sheng, so naturally, he would not deliberately get them killed.

The two left and continued onward. At the end of the path stood an ancient temple. It was not large, and on Earth it would have been nothing remarkable.

But a Buddhist temple standing on Mars was truly shocking beyond belief.

Beside the Buddhist temple stood a Bodhi Tree. That was even more extraordinary—it was an Immortal Elixir.

"Great Leiyin Temple," Qin Sheng said, revealing the temple's name—four words just as shocking as the sight before them.

"Was that really the temple of that Buddha?" Ye Fan asked in surprise.

"Perhaps."

Qin Sheng suddenly laughed. "Yezi, your childhood dream has finally come true."

"Hm?"

"Becoming an astronaut."

Ye Fan: "..."

The two entered the Great Leiyin Temple and searched around, finding most of the Buddhist artifacts.

These Buddhist artifacts could not really be considered opportunities. After being used a few times, they would lose all their divine power and become useless.

Their greatest purpose was to charge the Five-Colored Altar.

"How are we supposed to take these things with us?" Ye Fan asked.

With a smile, Qin Sheng stored the Buddhist artifacts in his Sea of Bitterness.

A Shrouding the Heavens cultivator's Sea of Bitterness inherently had the ability to store items.

Ye Fan was astonished. "So this is what cultivators are like?"

"Mm, it's a very ordinary ability."

Qin Sheng turned around. "Let's go."

There was actually a quasi-Emperor Forbidden Realm artifact within the Great Leiyin Temple that was nearing its limit, but Qin Sheng did not dare take it. A dignified quasi-Emperor Forbidden Realm artifact was undoubtedly key to the seal—calling it the formation eye or core would not be an exaggeration.

In the original plot, Li Xiaoman had taken the Forbidden Realm artifact and was then possessed by the Crocodile Ancestor.

As long as he successfully reached Beidou, Qin Sheng's future would be boundlessly bright. There was no need to be greedy here; he did not want to take even the slightest risk.

After leaving the temple, Ye Fan caught sight of the high-hanging plaque from the corner of his eye and looked eager to try.

Qin Sheng stopped him. "Don't touch the plaque. Demons are sealed beneath the Great Leiyin Temple. If you take that plaque, the demons will immediately break free from the seal. It's too dangerous."

"We don't need this one Buddhist artifact."

In the original plot, after the plaque was taken away, the Great Leiyin Temple immediately turned to ashes, and the Crocodile Ancestor broke free.

That was somewhat related to the other Buddhist artifacts being taken away as well, but the plaque was definitely also a key part of the seal.

"Demons?" Ye Fan had been shocked too many times today.

"I once went to Tibet in search of immortals. Legends recorded that the Buddha had suppressed many demons beneath the Great Leiyin Temple. On the first level was a demon crocodile with overwhelming magical power."

Ye Fan no longer dared touch the plaque. Then the two took the Bodhi Seed and swiftly left the place.

They moved too quickly and had not touched the crucial Buddhist artifacts, so when Qin Sheng used the divine power within the artifacts to activate the Five-Colored Altar and make a Taiji diagram manifest between heaven and earth once more, the Crocodile Ancestor had yet to break free.

Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin shook once more and vanished from Mars.

"Roar!"

The Crocodile Ancestor broke free from its seal and roared, "I shall use blood to proclaim my..."

Staring at the completely empty Five-Colored Altar, the Crocodile Ancestor was somewhat bewildered.

Where were they?

This time, the Crocodile Ancestor's divine fetus failed to possess Li Xiaoman. I just don't know what happened with that divine thought of the Great Accomplished Sacred Physique... Qin Sheng thought.

The seal had broken more slowly this time. In theory, the divine thought should not have had time to board the coffin, but it was connected to a Great Accomplished Sacred Physique after all, so Qin Sheng could not be certain.

"Let's try again."

Qin Sheng leaned against the small coffin, held the Bodhi Seed, and meditated quietly.

"The way of Heaven is to diminish excess and replenish deficiency..."

A vast heavenly voice rang beside Qin Sheng's ears, as if it had come from the primordial ancient wilderness, boundless and supreme.

The hundreds of ancient characters he had previously been unable to access unveiled themselves to Qin Sheng at this moment, eternally imprinting themselves upon his heart.

This was not a cultivation technique. More than half of it discussed the construction and restoration of the Immortal Domain, but it was profound enough to point directly at the essence of the Great Dao. Even comprehending a tiny fraction of it would bring immense benefits.

After the heavenly voice faded, Qin Sheng opened his eyes and thought:

My talent really is good enough.

Those lacking in talent could forget about hearing this scripture even with the Bodhi Seed.

Afterward, Qin Sheng handed the Bodhi Seed to Ye Fan and had him try as well.

Without question, Ye Fan succeeded too.

Pang Bo failed.

That left Pang Bo feeling a little awkward. Why was he the only one who had failed?

Qin Sheng also had Ye Fan keep the Bodhi Seed.

Regardless of whether this item truly had karmic ties to Buddhism and the Great Accomplished Sacred Physique, it was the better choice for it to remain with Ye Fan.

It was definitely not because Qin Sheng was afraid of the Great Accomplished Sacred Physique's divine thought.

In any case, if he needed it later, he could borrow it at any time.

"Yezi, we arrived on Mars earlier, and now we're probably not going back to Earth either," Qin Sheng suddenly said.

"Your Mercedes is still parked at the foot of Mount Tai. If we ever get the chance to return, remember to pay the parking fee. Don't become a deadbeat."

"Pay mine too, while you're at it."

Ye Fan was speechless. At a time like this, he was still talking about that!

"Immortal Qin, are we really going to the Big Dipper?" Pang Bo asked.

There was a star map carved inside the bronze coffin, recording the route from Earth to the Big Dipper and then to Ziwei. After seeing it, everyone guessed that Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin might send them to the Big Dipper, or to some planet within the Ziwei Star Domain.

"I once read in ancient books that humanity is not alone. Beyond Earth, there are other planets of life."

Qin Sheng said, "Perhaps Beidou is such a place."

"Could people from ancient times have visited other planets of life?" Ye Fan asked in shock.

"Very likely." Qin Sheng nodded.

"I heard that cultivators like gods and Buddhas can cross the starry river, but Earth has not produced such great cultivators with divine abilities for a long time."

For truly well-established inheritances, records had always existed of the myriad races beyond the domain and ancient life-bearing stars.

The others were all greatly shocked by this, feeling as though their worldview had been completely reshaped.

No one knew how much time passed before Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin crashed thunderously onto the ground.

Beidou Station had arrived!

The coffin lid opened, and a bright world brimming with life appeared before everyone's eyes.

"I really can't accept this."

Ye Fan sighed softly. "Why did something like this have to happen to us?"

Qin Sheng turned his head and stared at Ye Fan.

Why did he think?

Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin had drifted through the universe since time immemorial. Many ancient emperors had seen it, and Earth—Ziwei was one of its routes.

But for it to head to Earth at this particular moment and stop by the Desolate Forbidden Land, it had to be because of Ye Fan.

Someone had interfered with this interstellar train.

Who could it be?

What a hard guess.

(End of chapter)