Chapter 43: Situ Yunlei
Of course, the price of being sealed inside the Ancestor Coffin was that they could no longer cultivate. They could only die a slow death like this, until one day when even the time slowed by the Dust Blood Stone was no longer enough, and their lives reached their end.
But the benefit was that they could live much longer and have more time to protect their own Lineage.
Normally, these old relics would not emerge lightly. Every time they left the Dust Blood Stone's seal, it consumed a great deal of their lifespan. Moreover, Dust Blood Stones were exceedingly valuable, and ordinary small lineages could hardly afford them.
Unless the family stood on the brink of extermination, no one would easily open the Ancestor Coffin.
"Are you truly certain you want to make enemies of my Situ Family?" the First Elder demanded sternly.
"Situ Mang, today your Situ Family will surely perish," Wan Cangqiong replied.
"Open the Ancestor Coffin!" the First Elder roared. The pitch-black coffin lid slowly began to open.
The seal that had lain buried for decades finally saw the light of day again.
An invisible pressure gathered in the air, and a sigh drifted from within the coffin. "Has our Situ Family truly come to this step at last?"
The person in the coffin did not know what had happened outside, but he understood that the moment the Ancestor Coffin was opened, it meant the Situ Family stood at the edge of extinction.
Other than for that reason, the Ancestor Coffin would generally never be opened.
"Old Patriarch, it is because we were incapable. Not only did we fail to lead the estate you passed down to glory, we instead brought it to this state," the First Elder said sorrowfully, kneeling before the Ancestor Coffin.
"Where is Yuntian?" the voice from within the coffin rang out again.
"The Patriarch is dead. The murderer has yet to be found," the First Elder answered truthfully.
"Life is but a dream," the person in the coffin sighed wistfully.
Then came a clattering sound as the coffin lid opened completely, revealing an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face stepping out.
The old man wore pale azure robes, many parts of which were embroidered with patterns of white clouds.
His temples were covered in white hair. He was not tall, and his skin was somewhat withered, tightly stretched over his bones.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary old man in his twilight years. Yet his eyes glinted sharply, and the aura around him surged stronger with the force of mountains toppling and seas overturning.
His aura stopped at the peak of the True Meridian Realm, almost at the point of breaking into the Empty Meridian Realm.
People often said that the path of martial arts was difficult,
As difficult as climbing to the blue heavens,
One step, one stretch of blue sky.
It was this thin barrier between the True Meridian Realm and the Empty Meridian Realm that had trapped the old man before them for his entire life.
In truth, there were many people like this old man. Without the resources of a major power to support them, solitary wanderers often spent their entire lives lingering in the Condensing Pulse Realm.
"Situ Yunlei?" Wan Cangqiong looked at the old man and asked.
"Youngsters of the Wan Family, and youngsters of the Wang Family, you are all quite impressive," Situ Yunlei said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the people surrounding the entire Situ Family.
"Senior Situ, we all respect you greatly, but there are some matters in which we have no choice," Wang Cheng said.
"Words are useless. It just so happens that these old bones of mine have not had a good workout in a long time." Situ Yunlei laughed heartily, his aura soaring like a rainbow as he charged directly at Wang Cheng and Wan Cangqiong.
Neither of them dared be careless. Though all of them were at the peak of the True Meridian Realm, Situ Yunlei had become famous long ago. The two of them attacked him together.
"Defend our home, charge!"
The First Elder shouted at the disciples behind him, then took the lead and charged out.
Soon afterward, the descendants of the three families became embroiled in a chaotic melee.
Though the Situ Family's disciples fought valiantly, two fists could not defeat four hands. Under the combined assault of the Wang and Wan Families, they retreated step by step.
Although Situ Yunlei had initially been able to suppress Wang Cheng and Wan Cangqiong, as the battle continued, he was already old, and his stamina gradually failed to keep up with the drain.
Over half of the Situ Family had been destroyed in this battle, and corpses lay scattered around the area one after another.
Watching Wan Cangqiong and Wang Cheng grow braver with every clash, Situ Yunlei gritted his teeth and hardened his heart. Completely ignoring their attacks, he actually intended to gamble his life against theirs.
He unleashed the Flying Cloud Palm. Ten thousand white clouds piled together, and an astonishing force erupted from his palms.
His palms struck Wan Cangqiong and Wang Cheng in the chest. The white clouds exploded, and boundless waves of air completely blasted the three of them apart.
Wan Cangqiong and Wang Cheng each spat out a mouthful of blood, while Situ Yunlei's injuries were also far from light.
He had just taken one punch and one kick from the two of them. Blood rose sweetly in his throat, and though he forcibly swallowed it down, the condition inside his body was terrible. Pain churned through his five viscera and six bowels, and his face had turned pale.
"Do you still wish to fight?" Situ Yunlei slowly straightened himself. His azure robes hung like a shirt, his white hair like snow, as he asked indifferently.
"Fight!" Wan Cangqiong roared, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Just as he was preparing to attack again, a voice stopped him.
"Everyone, could you calm down first and allow me to say a few words?" Under everyone's astonished gazes, Xu Zimo walked over step by step.
The First Elder looked at Xu Zimo and hurriedly said, "Young Master Xu, I hope you can uphold justice for us."
Wan Cangqiong frowned at the side and looked at Xu Zimo. "Young Master Xu, are you representing the Sacred Sect's intentions?"
"No, no, no. The Sacred Sect will not interfere in any fair competition," Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. "I represent only myself."
"What do you mean, Young Master Xu?" Situ Yunlei pondered for a moment before looking at Xu Zimo and asking.
"This is a matter between your three families, so it truly is somewhat inconvenient for an outsider like me to interfere," Xu Zimo said with a smile. "But if your Situ Family is willing to become my personal subordinate force, I can help you overcome this crisis."
Hearing Xu Zimo's words, Situ Yunlei was stunned. Without question, this would bring enormous benefits to the Situ Family.
Not only could they escape this crisis, they could also lean against a great tree like Xu Zimo, obtain his resources, and then grow stronger.
But the question was, would the Situ Family under Xu Zimo truly still be the same Situ Family as before?
"Besides that, I can also help you find the murderer who killed Situ Yuntian," Xu Zimo continued.
"You know who the murderer is?" A sharp glint flashed through Situ Yunlei's eyes as he asked.
"I naturally would not speak recklessly," Xu Zimo said casually. "I will give you three minutes to consider it. You need not force yourself too much, since this is a willing cooperation between both sides."
"I agree." Situ Yunlei knew he had no room to choose. He was straightforward as well, and immediately agreed.
"Now you can tell me who killed Yuntian, right?"
The moment Situ Yunlei finished speaking, he saw the three elders of the Situ Family at the side suddenly spring into action.
One used a sword, one a fist, and one a palm, striking Situ Yunlei's body. Situ Yunlei did not even have time to react before he was already grievously wounded.