Chapter 546: Transforming into a Mortal, the Man Who Crawled Out of a Coffin

Chapter 546: Mortal Transformation, the Man Who Crawled Out of the Coffin

Liu Sheng was somewhat astonished, but still truthfully put away the divine artifact.

Ripples stirred within his heart.

Could there truly exist such a selfless being in this world?

He knew he could not achieve it himself, and his admiration for Qi Yuan only deepened.

Qi Yuan’s gaze fell upon the books within the storage artifact.

As a divine-level weapon master, his reading speed was naturally beyond compare—a mere glance sufficed.

The pages turned on their own, and a torrent of information flooded into Qi Yuan’s mind.

Records of the Sheng Woman were mostly fragmentary.

Yet, when all these fragments were pieced together, the image of a refined, gentle, and mysterious woman took shape in his heart.

“The Sheng Woman is not from the Green Mountain Realm. She first appeared there five hundred years ago, vanished at the Sunset Cliff, and reappeared a century later.”

Based on the information, Qi Yuan speculated that the century of her disappearance might have been spent in the Divine Tree Abyss.

“Two hundred years ago, the Sheng Woman descended upon the Raksha Kingdom, left behind the divine artifact ‘Divine Descent,’ and vanished once more.”

“According to the records, she went… to the Tai Star Domain.”

In the final entries of the books, the Sheng Woman had said she would journey to the Tai Star Domain.

“Where is the Tai Star Domain?” Qi Yuan asked the Insect Woman, Caidie.

As for the people of the Green Mountain Realm, they likely did not know where the Tai Star Domain lay.

The Insect Woman Caidie replied, “The Divine Tree Universe comprises seven hundred and eighty-one star domains, large and small. The Tai Star Domain is among the nine frontier star domains!”

Caidie continued to explain.

The Divine Tree Universe was but a cosmic embryo, born less than an epoch ago.

Compared to other universes, it was clearly a smaller, lower-tier version.

Yet even so, the Divine Tree Universe now had seven hundred and eighty-one star domains.

Each star domain was vast beyond measure, with countless small worlds like the Green Mountain Realm.

Among these seven hundred and eighty-one star domains, many were fallen territories.

In the Chaotic Star Domain, where the Green Mountain Realm lay, half was under the control of the Radiant Assembly.

As for the Tai Star Domain, it stood on the front line against the invasion of the Black Heaven.

Nine star domains united, gathering nearly all the elites of the Divine Tree Universe to jointly resist the Black Heaven and Black Earth.

The other star domains in the rear were not idle either.

Take the Green Mountain Realm, for instance—though almost entirely under the Radiant Assembly’s grasp, thirty thousand weapon masters still hid in the deep mountains, forging fragments of the Bright Divine Artifact.

Though the Radiant Assembly’s divine enlightenment differed from the Human Enlightenment Assembly’s philosophy, both factions, whether divine or human, fought for the sake of the Divine Tree Universe.

“The Tai Star Domain is very far…” Caidie looked at Qi Yuan with a complex gaze. “Before, I might have taken you there, but after you killed Feng Ti, the Radiant Assembly will surely have its eyes on you. Leaving the Chaotic Star Domain will be difficult.”

Originally, Caidie’s plan was to wait until Shen Lingxuan reached the divine level, then use a teleportation array to go to the front lines and join the Human Enlightenment Assembly.

“You mean if I leave, someone will deliver themselves to me? Such a good deal?” Qi Yuan was utterly unconcerned.

If the Radiant Assembly came to stop him, he would simply kill them.

Caidie fell silent. Qi Yuan indeed had the right to be confident.

Even Feng Ti could be slain; ordinary Great Venerables stood no chance against him.

As for Ancestral Gods or Yang Gods, would such beings bother to pay attention to a mere divine-level weapon master?

“Do you have a way to get me out of the Green Mountain Realm?” Qi Yuan asked.

“I do, but it might be dangerous,” Caidie said hesitantly.

The Tai Star Domain was too far; they would need to take multiple teleportation arrays, constantly transferring.

If a former star domain or transfer route had become a fallen territory, they might have to find a new path.

“Danger is fine, but before heading to the Tai Star Domain, take me to the Kui Metal Realm first,” Qi Yuan said calmly.

After finishing his role as the blind weapon master, he had awakened a new role to play.

This role was in the Kui Metal Realm, having just died not long ago.

This character was a mythic-level divine weapon master who had lived in seclusion in the Kui Metal Realm for years, attempting “mortal transformation” to break through to the Ancestral God realm.

However, after long years of seclusion, his mortal transformation failed, and he ultimately died.

Qi Yuan was to play this role, to complete the mortal transformation for that man.

Once mortal transformation was achieved, he could step into the Ancestral God realm—also known as the Yang God realm.

As for how to accomplish mortal transformation, Qi Yuan had already drafted a plan in his mind.

When he arrived at the Kui Metal Realm, he could fine-tune the plan based on the local conditions, turning the draft into a formal strategy.

This was what they called intelligence and wisdom!

“The Kui Metal Realm?” Caidie’s face showed concern. “That world has already fallen, occupied by the Black Heaven!”

The Chaotic Star Domain was in turmoil.

Half the region was controlled by the Radiant Assembly; the rest were fallen territories or areas under the Human Enlightenment Assembly.

The Kui Metal Realm was a fallen territory, and it had been so for a long time—fully several thousand years.

One could say the Kui Metal Realm had already taken on the shape of the Black Heaven and Black Earth.

“What are you going there for, Master Qi?” Caidie was puzzled.

The war between the Human Enlightenment Assembly and the Black Heaven and Black Earth had been one of constant retreat.

The Human Enlightenment Assembly had no energy to reclaim the Kui Metal Realm.

“A secret,” Qi Yuan said curtly.

Otherwise, he would have to explain everything to these NPCs again, and they would still refuse to believe him.

“Fine, I’ll take you there.” Caidie gritted her teeth and looked at Shen Lingxuan.

Shen Lingxuan’s cool voice came: “I’m going too.”

Qi Yuan looked at Shen Lingxuan, his gaze calm. “Alright.”

…

Kui Metal Realm.

Cloud Blood City.

Night had fallen, and the sky over the entire world was a bloody hue.

A giant blood-red eye seemed to lurk within the clouds, looking especially eerie.

This enormous blood eye was one of the ninety-nine Phantom Gods of the Kui Metal Realm.

The malevolent gods hung high in the firmament, or concealed themselves within the mountains, rivers, earth, and oceans, reigning as the supreme deities of the Cuijin Realm.

Inside a certain courtyard, Wang Tong’s countenance contorted with a fierce malice: "The old man was completely underhanded. We treated him as a father all these years for nothing. Now that he’s dead... he leaves us not a single shred of inheritance?"

Xu Jiaoyun nodded in agreement: "Do you think Master might have left everything to that boy, Zhao Yan?"

Wang Tong, Xu Jiaoyun, and Zhao Yan were natives of Cloudblood City, and all of them were orphans.

Thirty years ago, a white-haired youth had arrived in Cloudblood City, adopting the three of them and raising them to adulthood.

Not long ago, this white-haired man had grown frail and passed away.

Regarding this master of theirs, both Wang Tong and Xu Jiaoyun had always been filled with dread.

After all, anyone who could maintain a youthful appearance after thirty years was clearly a Weapon Wielder.

How could such a Weapon Wielder possibly possess no inheritance?

Unfortunately, though they had turned the old fellow’s courtyard utterly upside down, they failed to find a single item of high value.

Xu Jiaoyun could not help but cast her gaze toward the master's final disciple, Zhao Yan.

"He was the one who buried Master, so it is indeed possible it was given to him, or perhaps..." A murderous intent flashed in Wang Tong’s eyes, "the things are right inside the old fellow’s coffin!"

"Hmph, Zhao Yan has repeatedly blocked us from opening the coffin. He is truly seeking death. We should just have a womb implanted in him and send him off to the Rebirth Academy!" Xu Jiaoyun said venomously.

The so-called womb, according to the terminology of the Blue Planet, was a female uterus.

In Cloudblood City, there stood a mysterious and sinister courtyard known as the Rebirth Academy.

The Rebirth Academy year-round absorbed young women into its depths, utilizing them specifically for breeding to propagate humanity... or to cultivate malevolent spirits.

Every year, a vast number of innocent women were sent into the Rebirth Academy.

Of course, besides women, certain men were also sent inside.

Using malicious methods, these men would be altered, implanted with a womb, and then delivered to the Rebirth Academy.

"If he stops us again this time, I will contact the Blood Tiger Gang and have him sent in!" Wang Tong thoroughly agreed with Xu Jiaoyun's words.

Within Cloudblood City, the entity that stood absolute above all else was the Thorned Blood, which had transformed into a malevolent spirit.

Beneath it were the nobility and the government.

Further down still were the various major gang organizations.

As for the common citizens, they were kept like livestock, with suitable males and females selected each year to be sent into the Rebirth Academy.

"The Blood Tiger Gang hasn't given us much time. Tonight, we must upturn the old fellow’s grave!" Wang Tong declared. He had thrown his lot in with the Blood Tiger Gang, becoming a member of their ranks.

If he wanted to climb higher, he had to offer up some sort of treasure.

Right at that moment, a lean, diminutive, yet fierce-looking man suddenly entered, his eyes gleaming with a suggestive look as he regarded Xu Jiaoyun.

Stepping into the room, he casually slapped Xu Jiaoyun on the buttocks, evidently on highly familiar terms with her.

"Just now, I saw that fellow Zhao Yan heading toward the Purple Dawn Woods." This short, fierce man was precisely a member of the Blood Tiger Gang, and one of Xu Jiaoyun’s lovers.

"Damn it, that bastard won't let us dig up the grave because he wants to swallow Master's treasures all for himself!" Wang Tong roared in fury.

Xu Jiaoyun hurriedly rose to her feet: "We must intercept him!"

"Rest assured, two of my brothers have already followed him. If he thinks he can leave with the treasure, he's merely daydreaming," the short, fierce man said.

Xu Jiaoyun cast him a sultry, seductive glance.

The three of them then hurriedly made their way toward the Purple Dawn Woods as well.

Their master was buried precisely within those woods.

At the same time, beneath the vault of heaven, the cold, clear moonlight mingled with a crimson hue, bathing the earth in a blood-red light that was simultaneously empty and bright.

Anxiety lined Zhao Yan’s handsome face as his footsteps hurried forward.

"Have they no humanity left? If Master hadn't picked them up back then, they would have starved to death on the streets long ago!"

Grief and indignation warred within Zhao Yan's heart.

Toward his master, he felt nothing but reverence, treating him as a true father.

Yet Master's other two disciples possessed the faces of humans but the hearts of beasts, coveting his inheritance the moment he died.

With hurried steps, he walked toward the Purple Dawn Woods.

Roughly half an hour later, Zhao Yan arrived at his destination.

The shadows of the forest loomed heavily, populated by numerous upright purple bamboos, amidst which grave mounds were scattered everywhere.

The night was pitch-black, and the red light shining upon the tombstones made the scene appear exceptionally terrifying.

Even with his mind preoccupied, Zhao Yan could not help but feel that the Purple Dawn Woods were unnervingly eerie at this hour.

"I must relocate Master's grave. If it remains here, given the nature of Wang Tong and Xu Jiaoyun, they will surely desecrate his elderly body!" Zhao Yan calculated in his mind.

Failing to find an inheritance in the coffin, Wang Tong and Xu Jiaoyun would undoubtedly dissect their master's corpse to see if anything was hidden inside.

Such a desecration was something Zhao Yan could not bear to witness.

Shouldering his hoe and shovel, he quickened his pace.

Soon, Zhao Yan arrived before a familiar grave.

The mound was still fresh, looking as though the burial had taken place only recently.

Beholding his master's grave, Zhao Yan could not stop grief from welling up from his soul.

"Master, your disciple begs your forgiveness for this offense."

Zhao Yan knelt on the ground to kowtow, then took up his hoe to dig, using the shovel to fling the dirt aside.

Under the crimson night sky, Zhao Yan dug at the grave, his brow soon drenched in sweat.

Though he practiced martial cultivation and possessed some inner energy, his cultivation level was meager.

The Thorned Blood also controlled the lower-class citizens; while they allowed them some martial force, it was never permitted to become too strong.

To raise one's cultivation further, one had to report to the Thorned Blood to obtain the proper qualifications.

Before long, the earth was cleared away, and a crimson coffin met his eyes.

Tension gripped Zhao Yan’s heart as he repeated once more: "Master, forgive the offense!"

He prepared to step down to pry out the nails sealing the coffin.

Right then, however, the sound of footsteps echoed.

A mocking voice drifted over through the dark.

"Zhao Yan, didn't you respect Master the most? How is it that now he's dead, you're ready to exhume his grave to look for treasure?"

A group of five strode forward, Wang Tong walking at the very front, his eyes filled with a derisive gleam.

Zhao Yan’s expression froze, his face flushing crimson: "I am not... I opened Master's grave to prevent his remains from being defiled by you!"

"Stop putting on an act, you shameless wretch," Xu Jiaoyun said coldly. "Hypocrite."

The lackeys of the Blood Tiger Gang wore playful, mocking expressions: "It's perfect that he dug open the grave himself; it saves us the labor."

They began to close in on Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan's face was anxious as he stretched out his hand to block the way: "You can't do this. Master raised you with kindness. If you disturb his rest now, you'll face heaven's punishment!"

"Heaven's punishment?" Wang Tong's eyes showed disdain. "Cloudblood City has no heaven's punishment—only Thornblood!"

If heaven's punishment truly existed, how could Thornblood, which committed such evil deeds, still be alive and well?

"Talking to me about heaven's punishment is almost laughable," Xu Jiaoyun sneered as well.

"Master raised you with kindness, like a second parent. Doesn't your heart ache?" Zhao Yan said.

"Hmph, speaking of that makes me furious. If that old fool hadn't picked me up, I might still be a young lady from a wealthy family. Did he compensate me for my loss?"

Twenty years ago, amid heavy snowfall, Xu Jiaoyun was picked up from the snow by a white-haired youth. If left outside, she might have frozen to death.

Three years ago, Xu Jiaoyun learned she was actually the lost daughter of a wealthy merchant in the city, but that merchant had died of illness a few years earlier.

She went to claim kinship but was rejected, and she was furious.

She dared not resent the wealthy merchant, so she resented her master instead.

Xu Jiaoyun felt that if her master hadn't taken her in back then, her father might have found her.

She would have been a pampered young lady, enjoying a life of silk and luxury, instead of suffering day after day with this "useless" master.

If not for her master's extraordinary nature, she would have laid hands on him long ago.

"Master still owes me the life he stole. What's wrong with me taking his inheritance?" Xu Jiaoyun said shamelessly.

Wang Tong also grinned: "Since Master doted on us so much, I'm sure he'd be happy to leave us his inheritance."

"Shameless!" Zhao Yan's face turned ashen. "Animals!"

Instantly, two members of the Blood Tiger Gang pinned him down.

Zhao Yan struggled wildly, but it was useless.

Wang Tong's face showed a smug expression as he approached the coffin: "Old fool, let's see where you've hidden your inheritance!"

Xu Jiaoyun came over, eyeing the red-lacquered coffin with some fear.

It wasn't fear of her master, but of ghosts.

"There aren't any unclean things in there, are there?" Xu Jiaoyun said nervously.

In this age, specters ran rampant, and the chance of encountering unclean things was high.

"This is the city, under the watch of the God of Specters. What unclean things could there be?" Wang Tong said, bending down to open the coffin.

Just then, suddenly, a banging sound came.

Xu Jiaoyun's gaze immediately shot toward the coffin. A chill ran down her spine, and terror spread across her face: "A sound... there's a sound in the coffin!"

Wang Tong froze, a bit flustered: "Don't scare yourself!"

Master was a hundred percent dead.

Even the big shots from Thornblood had come to check, confirming that Master's corpse couldn't be turned into a specter before leaving.

How could a Thornblood big shot be wrong?

Still, he was only forcing himself to be brave, steeling his nerves as he looked at the coffin.

Bang, bang, bang!

Suddenly, the noise from inside the coffin grew louder.

Xu Jiaoyun's face turned pale: "A ghost!"

She turned and ran.

Wang Tong was also frightened, gripping a dagger in his hand.

Just then, a young voice came from inside the coffin.

"You're so noisy. Can't you let me sleep in peace?"

Bang!

The coffin lid flew off, and a young man sat up.

His features were peerlessly handsome, his gaze calm and deep, with a shock of white hair.

His face bore an expression of displeasure, as if he had been woken from sleep.

Seeing him, Wang Tong's eyes widened in shock: "M-Master..."

How could Master still be alive?

The big shot from Thornblood had personally come to check!

Could it be that this wasn't Master, but a specter awakened from his body?

(End of chapter)