Li Xian had already learned from his grandfather that Li Xuan's dantian was crippled. Otherwise, why would he have come to this frigid pool? Seeing Li Xuan on the ground like a lifeless dog, Li Xian felt an overwhelming sense of boredom. He shook his head and turned to leave.
"Li Wentian, Li Xian, if I, Li Xuan, do not get revenge for this, I shall not be human!" As Li Xian departed, Li Xuan struggled to sit up. Looking in the direction Li Xian had left, Li Xuan muttered a silent vow. Suddenly, Li Xuan seemed to recall something, and his gaze fell upon the black ring on his thumb, "Right, this ring..."
Yesterday, after entering the ancestral shrine and finding his parents'遗物, Li Xuan had discovered a box in addition to some blood-stained robes. However, when Li Xuan attempted to open it, the box emitted a black light and transformed into a black ring that fitted itself onto Li Xuan's hand. This was why Li Wentian and the others, after searching Li Xuan's entire body, had not found the box. After all, the box had already turned into a ring worn on Li Xuan's finger.
"No matter what, this is the only遗物 left by my parents!" Li Xuan's eyes were resolute, and his hands were clenched tightly. Li Xuan's hands were already injured, and as he clenched his fists, his wounds split open, and blood seeped out, instantly spreading onto the black ring.
Unbeknownst to Li Xuan, as his blood spread onto the black ring, it was immediately absorbed. Then, a searing sensation struck him. Li Xuan immediately lowered his head to look. In the instant Li Xuan lowered his head, the black ring on his thumb suddenly transformed into a black light and vanished into his brow.
Concurrently, Li Xuan's figure also disappeared into thin air. When Li Xuan reappeared, he was in a realm of endless darkness.
Before Li Xuan stood a massive stone coffin. Standing before this stone coffin, Li Xuan was as insignificant as an ant before an elephant.
The stone coffin was covered in dense runes, which now glowed with golden light and writhed as if alive. Even more bizarrely, a colossal golden sword was embedded in the top of the stone coffin. Li Xuan's gaze followed it; it seemed as though half of this great sword was plunged into the stone coffin.
Even in death, one must be skewered again? Li Xuan suppressed the shock in his heart and then shifted his gaze to a stone tablet slowly appearing on his left.
"I wield three swords: Past, Present, and Future. All gods and demons, who can withstand my strike? I was once invincible in this world, yet the heights were too lonely. My entire life has been spent wandering, yet I never expected to meet her..."
"My destiny also decreed a disciple. I now leave this inheritance, awaiting the one who comes after."
The brief words on the stone tablet left Li Xuan utterly stunned.
Invincible?
Who can withstand my strike?
Li Xuan shook his head. Although he had not yet entered the realm of a Spiritual Master, Li Xuan knew that the strong among Spiritual Masters were formidable and hidden. To claim invincibility seemed rather arrogant. However, the power of the person before him must surely be extraordinary. After all, Li Xuan had never heard of such methods.
"This stone coffin..." Li Xuan took a step, only to find that he was walking as if on level ground. As he approached the stone coffin, Li Xuan discovered a stone door beneath it.
Should he enter or not? Li Xuan frowned, hesitating. Li Xuan knew that all of this before him might be an opportunity. Of course, danger was inevitable.
After a few breaths, Li Xuan still chose to push open the stone door and enter. Given his current state, what was there to fear? Moreover, leaving like this left Li Xuan feeling unwilling.
This is a coffin within a coffin?
As Li Xuan pushed open the stone door and stepped inside, he found another stone coffin before him. Of course, its size was less than one percent of the stone coffin seen outside. And on this stone coffin, a golden sword was also embedded. The area around the stone coffin was as black as an endless abyss.
*Creak.*
Just then, a faint sound suddenly drew Li Xuan's attention. Li Xuan's pupils then contracted sharply; the lid of the stone coffin before him was moving!
However, as soon as the stone coffin lid moved an inch, the golden sword on it suddenly lit up. The stone coffin trembled, and the lid immediately stopped.
"Young friend, can you do me a favor and pull out this golden sword? If you help me, I promise to mend your dantian!" As soon as the stone coffin lid stopped moving, a clear voice suddenly emanated from within the coffin. Li Xuan was startled by the sound; there was a living person inside?
Wait, he can mend my dantian?
Li Xuan swallowed hard, a distinct look of eagerness in his eyes.
"Young friend, a Spiritual Master needs a dantian to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth for their use with their spiritual roots. Rest assured, I will keep my word and give you a complete dantian!" Seeing that Li Xuan had not acted, the voice from within the coffin spoke again. However, compared to before, the voice was noticeably more hurried.
"Senior, is all I need to do is pull out this golden sword?" Although Li Xuan felt some apprehension, he ultimately decided to give it a try. After all, his greatest predicament at the moment was his crippled dantian.
"Yes, you only need to pull out the golden sword." The stone coffin responded.
"Alright, I hope you will keep your promise, Senior." Li Xuan clasped his hands in greeting, then his gaze shifted towards the golden sword as he walked over.
"If you pull out this sword, you will die."
Just as Li Xuan was about to pull the sword, a clear voice suddenly rang out. Li Xuan froze, then his gaze directly turned towards the source of the sound. The next instant, Li Xuan was utterly shocked. He saw a woman in a yellow robe walking slowly towards him, her expression extremely haughty.
There's actually a living person in this stone coffin?!
Li Xuan watched the woman in yellow with caution, his body slightly crouched in a defensive posture.
"You're cautious now, how were you so foolish earlier?" Apparently sensing Li Xuan's movement, the woman in yellow's lips curved slightly as she continued, "Don't be afraid, I won't harm you. And if I had malicious intent towards you, you wouldn't be able to resist me at all."
Li Xuan let out a wry smile upon hearing this, then clasped his hands in a bow, "This junior, Li Xuan, greets Senior."
"You're also surnamed Li? We're kin then." The woman in yellow glanced at Li Xuan, then fixed her gaze on the stone coffin, "Yi Qin, you wish to come out?"
"No, I don't." The stone coffin remained silent, and after a few breaths, its voice emerged.
"It's not impossible for you to come out, but he must willingly release you." The woman in yellow smiled slightly and then looked at Li Xuan, saying, "That sword is the one suppressing her. If you pull it out with your current strength, you will likely be instantly counterattacked to death. Even if you miraculously survive, she probably won't let you go."
Whether speaking to Li Xuan or Yi Qin within the stone coffin, the woman in yellow continued, "An existence suppressed for tens of thousands of years, it's unlikely she'd still harbor thoughts of a physical body and would simply possess someone."
"He is the first living person to enter this place in tens of thousands of years," Yi Qin responded.
"But you should also know that he is the one chosen by the Master." The woman in yellow smiled slightly and then beckoned to Li Xuan, "Come with me. We'll discuss any questions later."
"Speak, what are your thoughts?" After following the woman in yellow for a few steps, she stopped, turned, and looked at Li Xuan with a smile.
"Senior, what is this place? What is all this?" Li Xuan glanced back, his heart filled with immense shock. Just a few steps away, the stone coffin had already vanished. Upon hearing the woman in yellow's words, Li Xuan pondered for a moment before voicing his questions.
"This place, you can call it the Prison of Suppression. Within it, gods and demons from all heavens are suppressed. Hmm, let me reveal a bit more to you: the beings within were once overlords of their domains. The one just now was the weakest among them. Furthermore, the Prison of Suppression has nine layers, and this is the first. Each layer is an independent space, and the higher you go, the stronger the beings suppressed become. Even I cannot defeat those on the second layer."
The woman in yellow spoke, then gazed at Li Xuan, "As for why you could enter, I already said you are the one chosen by the Master. At least in the past tens of thousands of years, no one has ever entered this place."
"Senior, who is the Master you speak of?" Li Xuan frowned, his heart churning with emotions. The Prison of Suppression, and this is merely the first layer. According to the woman in yellow, there are likely eight such places! How many powerful beings are suppressed within? Li Xuan was becoming unsettled.
"I cannot tell you the Master's name for now. When you have fully received the Master's inheritance, you will naturally know. However, your dantian seems to have been crippled?" The woman in yellow shook her head, then her gaze fell upon Li Xuan's dantian.
Li Xuan nodded with a wry smile. He couldn't even know the name of the inheritor.
"With a destroyed dantian, it's unlikely you can become a Spiritual Master. I seem to recall that one of the Master's avatars attempted to walk the path of a Spiritual Master, and its power was immense," the woman in yellow said with a hint of regret.
Li Xuan nodded with a bitter smile, "Without a dantian, my life will likely end here."
"Hmm, without a dantian, the path of a Spiritual Master is indeed impossible," the woman in yellow agreed.
Li Xuan was taken aback, then his eyes lit up as he looked at the woman in yellow and clasped his hands, "Senior, are there other paths besides becoming a Spiritual Master?"