Cousin, I'm Out

As Jiang Yun contemplated the future, he took out the Buddhist prayer beads and put them around his wrist, then leaned against the small Copper Coffin with Ye Fan and Pang Bo and fell into a deep sleep.

Unlike the other students, who regarded the small Copper Coffin with awe and fear, Jiang Yun, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo had no such reservations.

Leaning against the small Copper Coffin offered some measure of safety. The Great Accomplished Sacred Physique's Divine Thought that had followed them treated them as if they did not exist.

The Crocodile Ancestor's Divine Fetus, wherever it was, also dared not provoke the three of them, all of whom carried Buddhist artifacts.

Less than five hours later, everyone gradually woke up.

Ye Fan's classmates began talking freely about the future. Jiang Yun listened quietly and had basically learned all their names.

"Did you hear something?"

Ye Fan made a silencing gesture, suddenly stood up, and began circling the four-meter-long small Copper Coffin.

After several laps,

Ye Fan placed one hand on the small Bronze Coffin and slowly closed his eyes.

Jiang Yun's heart stirred with excitement. He knew the time had come, but he did not know whether he would have the chance to obtain that Nameless Ancient Scripture.

He stood up as well, holding three Bodhi Tree leaves in each hand. He stopped near Ye Fan, placed both hands on the small Bronze Coffin, and closed his eyes.

A strange sound gradually rose from within his heart, and Jiang Yun seemed to forget everything.

All sorts of profound principles of the Grand Dao continuously appeared in his mind. He comprehended countless wondrous truths, endless insights surfaced, and the Gate of All Wonders appeared.

The sound grew ever more magnificent, divine music like the tolling of a bell. Obscure and difficult to understand, it seemed to cross endless ages before entering his mind.

"The Dao of Heaven diminishes excess and replenishes deficiency."

He could still tell where the first sentence of that mysterious voice came from, but the scripture that followed became increasingly abstruse, distant and vast, its meaning impossible to grasp.

At times, it was as if an immortal had descended into the mortal world; at times, as if he stood before Hell; at times, as if he had ascended to the Nine Heavens. All kinds of inexplicable insights entered his mind, leaving him utterly entranced.

The inheritance was not long, only a few hundred words, yet it echoed repeatedly in his heart until it was finally branded completely into Jiang Yun's mind.

When Jiang Yun opened his eyes, he found Ye Fan and Pang Bo standing guard beside him.

Bodhi Tree leaves truly could not compare to a Bodhi Seed. Looking at the leaves in his hand, now much dimmer, Jiang Yun casually stored them in Source Space.

Ye Fan and Jiang Yun exchanged a smile. They both knew they had gained something, and neither spoke again.

Suddenly, Jiang Yun spotted a corpse in the corner and asked Pang Bo about it.

"This person was killed by a Little Divine Crocodile. But those purplish-red bruises on the corpse's neck look exactly like finger marks left by a vicious ghost. It's incredibly eerie!"

After hearing Pang Bo's explanation, Jiang Yun understood how things had unfolded.

The finger marks should have been made by the Divine Thought. The Crocodile Ancestor's Divine Fetus had followed them too; he just did not know whom it had possessed.

Without the Quasi-Emperor Forbidden Artifact and the Stone Temple Forbidden Artifact, it was hard to say whether the Crocodile Ancestor's Divine Fetus would still attach itself to Li Xiaoman.

Finding the Crocodile Ancestor's Divine Fetus among these twenty-five people was far too difficult. It was like a huge game of Werewolf with only one werewolf—hard to find indeed.

Suddenly, a strange and magnificent sound came through. Though faint, almost inaudible, it shook everyone's minds.

Drumbeats seemed to come from distant time and space, dull and filled with grief. Then bells rang out, sorrow permeating the air, ethereal yet real.

"Where is that sound coming from?"

Everyone was shocked and looked around, but found nothing.

Suddenly, even more sounds came through, like endless mourning. Tens of thousands of people seemed to be paying homage and praying for one person's funeral.

Funeral bells rang, mourning drums beat in waves, as though an incomparably grand funeral had unfolded before them. Between heaven and earth, an endless sea of people grieved and prayed.

At that instant, everyone felt something strange. It was as though they had personally witnessed an Ancient Emperor reigning over the vast land, sweeping across the world, followed by an unprecedentedly grand funeral.

Everyone quickly came to their senses, but that ethereal sound of mourning still lingered, sending chills down everyone's backs.

The divine radiance from the Buddhist artifacts in their hands fell once more. By reflex, Jiang Yun stored his prayer beads in Source Space.

The divine glow of every Buddhist artifact recovered from the ancient temple emerged. It was not Source energy reviving again, but rather their brilliance and Dao charm draining away once more.

Countless rays of divine light flared brilliantly. Accompanied by mysterious Dao Texts, they all surged toward the bronze engravings on the wall of the Bronze Coffin.

The coffin wall was covered in green patina from the long passage of time, yet it could not conceal the engravings left by ancient forebears.

The engravings shone brilliantly, as though they were about to come alive. The strange beasts and divine birds depicted upon them became vivid and lifelike.

It was as if they could break through the coffin wall and descend into the mortal world. At this moment, the Copper Coffin was once again filled with mysterious energy.

"Look, that starry sky engraving is flashing..."

Everyone noticed the anomaly. The largest Desolate Bronze Engraving depicted a vast and boundless starry sky, and that formerly static image had become animated.

A thin line flickered across the starry sky engraving.

"This should be the Starry Sky Ancient Road we traveled, right?"

Everyone gathered around to look, speaking one after another with astonishment on their faces.

The starry sky engraving slowly extended.

"Look, this thin line is getting infinitely close to the Big Dipper!"

Seeing this, Jiang Yun seemed to hear a familiar voice by his ear.

"Your shady map will continue serving you. This navigation has ended. Please disembark."

The nervous heartbeats and steady breathing of dozens of people were exceptionally clear amid the silent, eerie atmosphere.

They did not know what kind of world they were about to reach. Would they encounter gods and Buddhas, or face the Abyss once more?

For Jiang Yun, the mission of the Nine-Dragon Train had ended here.

Big Dipper, Burial Emperor Star; Jiang Yun had arrived!!!

Enter the Immortal Mansion, roam carefree; from this day forth, my fate was mine to command.

The enormous Bronze Coffin shook violently. Everyone inside felt the world spin, as though they had encountered a magnitude-ten earthquake in an elevator.

With one final thunderous jolt, hazy divine radiance spilled from the Desolate Bronze Engravings inside the coffin and protected everyone. Without the Copper Coffin's protection, they would likely have been buried inside it.

The lid of the Bronze Coffin slid smoothly open like an automatic door, and the coffin tipped onto its side on the ground.

"Light!"

"Real light!"

"Familiar sunlight. Praise God."

Everyone swarmed out of the Bronze Coffin.

The world before them was completely different from Mars's dim desolation and barren reddish landscape.

Mountains rose and fell in endless succession, blanketed in green. Towering trees stood all around, with strange rocks nearby and ancient trees thick and gnarled.

There were vines thick enough for two or three people to wrap their arms around, coiling like Flood Dragons. Lush green grass and fragrant wildflowers covered the ground, making this land seem full of life and vitality.

This land looked much more suitable for human survival.

Everyone's faces were full of joy at having survived the disaster. They immersed themselves in the fresh scent of grass, wildflowers, and earth, closing their eyes to enjoy the sunlight.

Jiang Yun had already expected the primeval forest-like scenery after leaving the coffin. He instinctively turned back and saw an Abyss surrounded by nine great mountains behind them. Its depths could not be seen, and merely looking at it sent a chill through him.

He wondered whether the Great Accomplished Sacred Physique beneath the Abyss was observing them as well.

Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin hung over the edge of the cliff, looking as if it could fall at any moment.

As for why it had not yet fallen, it was probably because there were still people inside the Copper Coffin.

Pang Bo and Ye Fan were still slowly emerging, carrying three bags of Little Divine Crocodile corpses and the bronze plaque from Great Leiyin Temple over their shoulders.

If Ye Fan stayed inside and refused to come out, would the Great Accomplished Sacred Physique waiting beneath the Abyss use divine power to kick him out?

Jiang Yun seemed to have thought of something amusing and started laughing.

"Cousin, I'm out."

Ye Fan saw Jiang Yun still looking into the coffin and assumed Jiang Yun was waiting for them.

Jiang Yun shuddered when he heard Ye Fan say that. Wasn't that supposed to be something a female cousin would say to sound natural?

In the blink of an eye, Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin seemed to lose patience as well and slid straight off the cliff, producing a trembling metallic screech as it scraped against the rocks.

A rumbling sound followed.

For quite a while, there was no sound of Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin reaching the bottom of the cliff. No one knew how deep this Abyss was.

Ye Fan's classmates heard the commotion and turned around as well.

"Good thing we got out early. Otherwise, we'd have fallen with it and been smashed to nothing."

Everyone felt a wave of relief. Pang Bo clutched his chest in lingering fear; he and Ye Fan had been the last to leave.

"There isn't a Five-Colored Altar here. Why did it stop here? Did the vehicle break down in the universe?"

Someone said it jokingly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

No one could figure out what was going on, and everyone offered their own guesses.

"There's a broken stone stele here."

Everyone hurried over. It was a sign of civilization and would be very helpful for understanding this world.

Jiang Yun had expected all this and did not go over to join the excitement. He knew exactly where they were.

They were in the Desolate Forbidden Land. Right now, his classmates thought this place was far more wonderful than Mars, full of life everywhere.

But on the Big Dipper, the people of the major holy lands and aristocratic families would probably rather stay on Mars for the rest of their lives than spend even a single day in the Desolate Forbidden Land.

Of course, that excluded those ignorant elderly Great Abilities who had grown tired of living and entered forbidden lands seeking immortality.

They had climbed Mount Tai, gone to Mars, and then spent nearly ten hours inside the Bronze Coffin.

Jiang Yun felt as though he was about to starve to death. He could not wait to drink deeply from the Divine Spring and feast on Divine Fruit.

After studying the stone stele, everyone's excitement gradually calmed. Once they settled down, they all began to feel hungry as well.

Yet although vegetation flourished in this mountain forest, they had not discovered a single living creature. A sense of panic slowly began to grow in everyone's hearts.

After discussing it, they scattered. Some prepared to find somewhere to relieve themselves.

Some went to see whether they could find food in the forest, while others, exhausted and hungry, lay down where they were and waited to mooch something to eat or drink.

A new book was setting sail. If you think it's written all right, please show some support. Thank you, dear readers who are handsome, elegant, dashing, graceful, talented, spirited, heroic, imposing, refined, and utterly magnificent.