Chapter 126: Past-Life Karma

A Corpse Coffin?

The moment I laid eyes on this coffin, my first reaction was a violent shudder, and a cold sweat nearly broke out across my back. Had I not been existing in a state distinct from both soul and physical form at that moment, I likely would have been paralyzed with terror on the spot.

Because there was not only a coffin present, but also a person.

This person was a woman, sitting atop the corpse coffin with her back turned to us, dressed entirely in crimson with her long hair cascading over her shoulders.

Could it be that she was the one who had made that hoarse voice just now?

If that were truly the case, it would be utterly terrifying. After all, the mere appearance of this corpse coffin at the entrance of the village was already spine-chilling enough; now, the presence of someone who seemed to be guarding the coffin made it even more unbelievable.

Moreover, the longer I looked at the figure of this woman, the more familiar she seemed. Yet, because she had not turned around this entire time, I could not be certain of the conjecture forming in my mind.

"I never expected to encounter a genuine Vajra Corpse here. Sensing your aura, I can clearly discern that you have already attained a millennium-old body, but it seems you lack the baptism of the Yellow Springs Water!"

Yang Dong's voice was unhurried. At that moment, he and several others were standing atop a small cauldron, gazing into the strange, newly appeared space before them.

Daoist Mashan spoke softly by Yang Dong's side, "It seems a battle is taking place here, for I sense a dense wave of corpse qi coming from the due east, and there is the stench of blood mixed within that qi!"

I couldn't help trembling slightly. Originally, I had thought Yang Dong was already a terrifying expert, but now it seemed I had been mistaken. From the expression on Yang Dong's face, I could already sense that Daoist Mashan's perception of corpse qi far surpassed these forces—indeed, it greatly exceeded my expectations.

Yang Dong closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, his expression changed drastically.

"This turns out to be my dream..."

When Yang Dong uttered those words, everyone present was utterly bewildered. At that very moment, the red-robed, long-haired woman sitting atop the corpse coffin slowly turned around.

"Sister Zhang?"

My entire body froze instantly, for the woman I now saw sitting upon the blood-red corpse coffin was none other than Zhang Keqing. Of course, I remained entirely rational; I knew full well that the Zhang Keqing before me was by no means the Zhang Keqing I knew. In her eyes was a boundless sense of contempt; the way she looked at Yang Dong and the others was as though they were mere lower-level beasts.

That kind of disdain was innate; it was impossible to fake.

"You certainly know a good deal, and you possess considerable ability—indeed far outshining those Yin-Yang masters from before. You even possess a pseudo-Dao artifact nearly comparable to the corpse coffin beneath me. It seems you truly have some skill, but you cannot escape your fate. Every lower race that enters this place meets only one end: death. Though I would love to take you under my command, upon second thought, it is better to refine you into mirror corpses. After all, I despise betrayal, and only corpses never betray me!"

Her voice flickered between aged and youthful, alternately sounding like an elderly person and a charming woman in her twenties, making it feel utterly bizarre to the ear.

"Since that is the case, then make your move!"

Faced with Yang Dong's words, I was somewhat astonished, and I saw that the few people standing at the edge of the small cauldron had all prepared themselves for a fierce battle.

"As expected, you are the helpers invited by that wretched woman. Since you wish it, go and die!"

Naturally, knowing nothing of the whole picture, I could only watch from the sidelines.

From Yang Dong's bewildered expression, it was not hard to tell that he, too, was utterly confused at this moment. Regardless, this battle was inevitable. I remained utterly captivated by everything unfolding before my eyes, for standing in the void, I could take in a panoramic view of everything that had materialized.

Thrush Village. It was truly Thrush Village before me, yet Thrush Village at this very moment was not the desolate ruin I had seen earlier. Instead, it was brilliantly lit with lanterns everywhere, and just as Daoist Mashan had mentioned, I could hear the sounds of combat coming from the due east.

When I shifted my gaze back to the battle between this group and the Vajra Corpse, I saw that the Vajra Corpse had been completely enveloped by the small cauldron, and I could hear the corpse's voice.

"Yang Dong! You are Yang Dong, the one cursed by my Shadowless Tribe!"

Yang Dong let out a cold laugh. "So the curse originally cast upon me was the work of your Shadowless Tribe! That makes it all the more impossible for you to escape your doom today!"

With those words, Yang Dong flipped his palm, and a small, blood-red talisman instantly appeared in his hand, plunging directly into the small cauldron.

Ah!

Accompanied by a miserable scream, the corpse coffin, which had originally glowed a solid vermilion, instantly dimmed.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Dong took a step forward, bit down on his middle finger, chanted a few words in a rapid blur, and pressed a finger directly onto the corpse coffin. The entire space quivered with a low hum, and a aged voice echoed from not far away.

"No, no..."

The voice remained just as I had heard it at first: alternating between old and young, male and female.

"My calculations before setting out were indeed correct; this trip will serve as yet another turning point in my life!"

My heart fluttered for a moment. It seemed Yang Dong's destiny was quite similar to my own. Yet Yang Dong had stood at the peak of this magical world from the very beginning, whereas I was merely a clueless rookie who did not even know who I truly was at the start.

Indeed, entering this realm—which would later be named Thrush Village by Yang Dong—would alter the course of his entire life, for his mission would conclude here in Thrush Village, and the person who would replace him to press forward was none other than myself.

Shortly after that voice faded away, a young woman stepped through the void, her figure strikingly conspicuous beneath the cold moonlight.

Xiyue?

My jaw dropped wide open.

No wonder Xiyue could come and go freely within Thrush Village; it turned out she had been here even before the village was named Thrush Village.

At that moment, I could not help recalling how Yang Dong, upon sensing the aura of battle earlier, had muttered something about this being his dream. It seemed things were far from simple, and countless unknown secrets remained hidden within.

"You are..."

The two of them asked the question almost simultaneously. Standing beside Yang Dong, I could instantly see that Xiyue's eyes were brimming with an inexplicable agitation, yet mingled with a boundless sense of melancholy and doubt—emotions that were reflected just as clearly upon Yang Dong's face.

"Xiaoyue..."

It took Yang Dong a long while to force out those two words with a trembling intensity.

"Brother Dong..."

In an instant, the two of them walked toward each other, holding hands somewhat awkwardly—a sight that instantly revealed this to be their very first true meeting in the truest sense.