Chapter 125: Phantom of the Corpse Coffin

Before I even raised my eyes, I was first struck by a blinding glare.

However, this blinding glare was not a bright light, but a bloody crimson radiance.

The moment I saw this bloody light, the sheer volume of blood continuously gushing outward almost frightened me out of my wits.

Before my eyes lay a gigantic blood-red skeleton, surrounded entirely by an endless, nauseatingly pungent flow of fresh blood. For a moment, my entire being struggled to endure such a terrifying aura. Of course, I was only observing it visually; I could not clearly perceive the stench. Just imagine how distressing and nauseating it was merely to look at it, let alone for those who were actually caught in the midst of it.

Yang Dong's brow was deeply furrowed, and the few individuals standing beside him all wore grave expressions.

"Pavilion Master Yang, what is the cause of this... How can this be?"

As I watched the blood within the pool slowly transform into two phantom shadows that blocked the entire space, I caught sight of the apparition appearing before me.

That apparition...

"This must be the profound mystery of this place. The information sent back by the Yin-Yang Bird I dispatched indicates that a supreme celestial treasure is guarding the strange space ahead of us. I'm afraid we might meet our end here this time!"

At this moment, watching the terrifying surges of blood rolling toward us, Yang Dong saw a violent aura instantly fill the entire path of corpses, as if ready to consume everything in an instant.

"We cannot let this blood escape from this cavern; otherwise, it will cause immeasurable devastation. This is all corpse-coffin blood. Once it leaves this place, it will turn into a poisonous plague and spread rapidly."

Upon hearing this from one of the Yin-Yang masters beside him, Yang Dong did not hesitate. With a wave of his hand, a small tripod suddenly appeared in his palm. The tripod looked extremely ancient, and engraved upon it was a terrifying little dragon that trembled ceaselessly.

"Secret art of heaven and earth, Azure Dragon Demands the Cauldron!"

As his voice fell, the small tripod before my eyes underwent a dramatic transformation. The vessel, which had initially been no larger than a palm, began to expand continuously. It was precisely because of this enlargement that I gradually came to truly comprehend the artifact, and for a moment, I could clearly sense a certain spiritual connection forming between the tripod and myself.

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!

Yet at this very moment, the fresh blood that had been relentlessly overflowing in all directions was entirely drawn into the tripod, the entire process proceeding with absolute smoothness.

"Audacious!"

Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the endlessly bleeding source. Following the emergence of this voice, the small tripod previously cast out by Yang Dong could no longer withstand the terrifying force pressing down upon it.

"What kind of power is this? I feel as though my soul is about to be wrenched from my body!"

"Everyone, steady your souls! It seems that what we've encountered this time is very similar to that bizarre cavern we found at the bottom of the East China Sea last time, and within this cavern, I sense a trace of an aura that does not belong to our world!"

Prompted by Yang Dong's warning, the people standing behind him instantly took deep breaths, adjusting the energy circulating through their bodies. After all, none of those present were ordinary masters. I believe that back when Thrush Village was first discovered, the vast majority of the people who followed Yang Dong into the village on this first expedition were the most formidable existences—individuals who likely stood as the pinnacle of elite Yin-Yang masters in the mortal realm.

Yang Dong took a step forward and said coldly, "Borrowing the laws of heaven and earth, the azure dragon of the cosmos, blazing flames, protect my body!"

In a flash, the small tripod—which had been spinning continuously and devouring the frenzied surge of corpse-coffin blood—emitted a deep hum.

Aroo...

Scarcely had I blinked when a terrifying apparition materialized before me. This horrifying phantom charged directly toward the space from which the blood was relentlessly gushing.

As the blood coalesced, I caught sight of that phantom—it was a dragon, a divine dragon whose true form remained invisible to my mortal eyes.

"Pfft!"

Just as this phantom dragon charged furiously into that space, I could clearly perceive countless shadows emerging within that horrifying expanse. At that moment, Yang Dong's body shuddered, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

"A mere mortal attempting to peer into the Dao of Heaven—simply audacious!"

That aged voice was filled with utter contempt, a disdain so innate that it left one feeling utterly helpless, devoid of any chance to resist. From beginning to end, we never truly saw what lay at the very depths of that sea of blood, let alone the entity that spoke these words!

"My fate is determined by me, not by the heavens! No one can stop Yang Dong from going where he wishes to go!"

Hearing these words made my blood boil with excitement. For a moment, my mind drifted to what I might have been like before—was I just as overwhelmingly formidable? What about before Yang Dong's reincarnation?

What kind of place was the Azure Dragon Pavilion?

What sort of past and present lives did I actually possess?

A series of questions flashed through my mind. Just as when I had uncovered everything back in Thrush Village, I felt myself drawn into a massive vortex, devoid of any autonomy whatsoever.

Presently, I was like a primary school student, completely bewildered by the world I inhabited. I needed vast amounts of knowledge, extensive background knowledge, before I could truly understand the era in which I existed.

As I pondered, Yang Dong spat a mouthful of vital essence onto the spinning small tripod. In an instant, the entire space shook violently, countless rays of light flashed, and the little dragon roared frantically, soaring straight up into the sky. Twisting its body, it plunged wildly toward the space before us. At that moment, I could vividly sense countless trembling wandering souls gathering around my body.

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!

As the tripod spun, it expanded once more.

"Let's go!"

Yang Dong took the lead, stepping directly onto the small tripod. Instantly, the ceaselessly spinning vessel ground to a halt, and the entire space trembled frantically. Countless torrents of bloody light surged forward, and within moments, Yang Dong and the Yin-Yang masters accompanying him reached the very base of the corpse-coffin blood.

Hum!

With a muffled thud and a low, trembling dragon roar, they shattered a layer of barrier directly.

Pfft!

Yang Dong spat out another mouthful of vital essence.

The moment the barrier shattered, the small tripod hung suspended in mid-air. Spread out before our eyes was a pitch-black firmament, utterly desolate and in ruins. All around us stretched fathomless, gloomy mountain forests. More importantly, right before our eyes stood a coffin of a solid, vermilion red.