The Nine Springs Diagram was far clearer than the Trace Vein Guide Diagram. The location and opening order of every spring were meticulously noted.
The four springs of the four limbs were naturally opened first, and they were the simplest.
Inscribed upon it:
"Those of superior aptitude are certain to succeed after ten years of bitter cultivation."
"Those of moderate aptitude require anywhere from ten to thirty years."
...
The fifth spring was located at the Zhongshu point in the center of the back. The sixth spring was located at the Danzhong point on the chest. The seventh spring was located at the Baihui point at the crown of the head.
Opening all seven springs connected the entire body, allowing one to attempt a breakthrough to a higher realm.
"Those of superior aptitude, after twenty years of bitter cultivation, have hope of achieving the seven springs."
Reading to this point, Li Weiyi felt even more acutely how extraordinarily precious the Golden Crow blood was. Even someone with superior aptitude had to cultivate bitterly for twenty years just to have a chance at opening seven springs. How many years of cultivation had this saved him?
No!
The Dharma-Martial cultivators of this world might start practicing martial arts and opening springs as early as three years old. By his current age, they had already trained for fifteen or sixteen years.
Besides, while he had Golden Crow blood to drink, did the noble scions of this world lack rare and wondrous blood medicines?
The Golden Crow blood was merely compensating for the fifteen or sixteen years he had lost—and was still far from making up the difference.
Furthermore, this was only speaking of superior aptitude. Written further below was that those of truly exceptional talent could attempt to unlock the eighth spring, Fengfu at the back of the head, and the ninth spring, Zutian below the navel.
A mortal who successfully unlocked Fengfu could be hailed as a Paragon, able to overpower mutants in the same realm and rival Pure Immortals.
A mortal who successfully unlocked Zutian could be hailed as an Ultimate One—an expression of a physical limit whose brilliance could even outshine a Pure Immortal.
Li Weiyi was thrilled. So there truly was a way to catch up on the martial way! Though he was ordinary, he was not without a chance to challenge a Pure Immortal in the same realm. At this moment, his fighting spirit surged intensely.
In the same realm, mortals were suppressed by mutants, and they were suppressed across realms by lower-realm Pure Immortals.
Li Weiyi had no desire to live so aggrieved and humiliated.
Fengfu, Zutian...
...
Yet if mortals could strive for Fengfu and Zutian, couldn't mutants and Pure Immortals do the same?
When the time came, wouldn't he still be suppressed?
Just as he was feeling troubled, Li Weiyi's ears twitched. Hearing an unusual noise, he quickly unfurled the ghost banner wrapped around the evil camel bell and draped it over the fire. The flames died, leaving only thick smoke.
The entire room, and the entire Immortal Burial Town, was plunged completely into darkness.
"Tap, tap!"
Dense footsteps entered the town.
Several figures even darted across the rooftops with light, swift steps.
Li Weiyi tossed the Compendium of Nine Springs into the evil camel bell, draped the ghost banner over himself to conceal his aura, and turned into a dark shadow. He vaulted over an earthen wall, switched through several houses in quick succession, and finally hid atop a roof beam.
"I clearly saw firelight from the distance. How did it vanish all of a sudden?"
"Search! Check every single house!"
...
Kicking of doors and hacking through debris resounded all around.
Over a dozen torches were lit.
The soldiers of the Earth Wolf King's Army who entered Immortal Burial Town numbered several dozen. All were hand-picked experts, having opened at least two springs.
Half of them, led by Shi Jiuzhai's tenth disciple, Xing Wanxing, hurried toward the northeastern corner of the settlement.
There grew a thousand-year-old apricot tree so thick it would take seven or eight people with linked arms to encircle it, lush with foliage and sprawling roots.
Beneath the apricot tree was an ancient well over three zhang in diameter, ringed by a stone balustrade and flanked by dozens of colossal stone statues. In the eerie water mist, it gave off an ethereal, ancient impression.
Torches encircled the ancient well.
"Splash!"
Strained iron chains heaved with heavy clanks, water sloshing loudly as a coffin made of white silver, as large as a multi-beamed house, was hauled up.
It was exceedingly heavy; more than twenty immensely strong mutant Dharma-Martial cultivators strained with great difficulty to pull it up.
Yesterday, when a large contingent of experts from the Shouli Tribe arrived to provide reinforcement, the Earth Wolf King's Army was forced to retreat. But this silver coffin was far too heavy and massive to carry away, so they could only conceal it in the well first.
Xing Wanxing's eyes shone with excitement. Yesterday, he had already seen that this coffin was extraordinary. Setting aside whatever unknown items lay inside, this white silver coffin itself was worth a fortune.
Such an otherworld coffin would surely be of immense interest to the great figures of prestigious clans and colossal sects with tens of millions of members.
Selling it for a hundred million silver coins would be routine.
A cultivator with four opened springs beside Xing Wanxing whispered, "Master Xing, why don't we quietly open this coffin and take what's inside? Then we can send it back..."
"Shut your mouth! Once an otherworld coffin is opened, it won't be worth nearly as much."
Did Xing Wanxing not harbor greed himself?
It was simply because an expert could spot at a glance whether an otherworld coffin had been unsealed.
Shi Jiuzhai was not someone easily fooled; Xing Wanxing truly did not have the nerve.
Moreover, opening a blind coffin carried immense risks.
It was possible that the contents were completely worthless, or that the coffin was entirely empty. It was also possible that a horrifying, malevolent entity was sealed within, and unsealing it would kill many people.
Xing Wanxing had heard that a great clan in a certain giant city once spent three hundred million silver coins to buy a wondrous otherworld coffin. When they opened it, an incomprehensible terror was released, slaughtering over a million people in the entire city and turning it into a forbidden dead zone.
There were also legends of corpses suddenly reviving upon the opening of a blind coffin, departing only after slaughtering every person who had taken part in opening it.
Some coffins contained hidden mechanisms and concealed weapons, while others held venomous creatures and corpse bugs...
If opening blind coffins truly yielded guaranteed profits with zero risk, otherworld coffins would never circulate onto the open market.
If hauling, carrying, and opening coffins were not fraught with extreme peril, how could the Jiuli Clan have monopolized the very top of this industry chain all along?
Risk and reward were always directly proportional.
"Bang!"
Just as the giant silver coffin was pulled clear of the ancient well, its immense weight caused the hemp ropes binding it to snap abruptly.
The coffin crashed to the ground.
With a loud clang, the lid was jolted open, sliding downward by more than a foot.
Everyone recoiled in fright.
Xing Wanxing was nearly beside himself with fury: "Can't every single one of you be more careful... Wait, that's..."
Through the gap left by the shifted lid, silver auspicious radiance gushed forth, releasing a dense, exotic fragrance.
The mist drifting among the surrounding houses instantly turned silver, radiant and mysterious like celestial clouds, and silver flowers condensed within it.
Xing Wanxing froze instantly, his eyes widening.
This did not look like a malevolent coffin at all; it was definitely a treasure coffin containing countless otherworld rarities!
"Master Xing, it wasn't our fault! The sealing nails were already pried off earlier, which is why the lid slipped when it hit the ground. When the Cangling Tribe dredged it from the Blood Sea, they probably opened it already!" someone reported after checking.
The four-spring cultivator behind Xing Wanxing whispered once more, "Since a corner is already open, why not take a look at what's actually inside?"
Xing Wanxing calculated inwardly: if there truly was some rare treasure inside, why not take it and flee far away? After an accident like this, sending the coffin back would still draw Shi Jiuzhai's suspicion anyway.
Following Xing Wanxing's order, several mutants joined forces to heave off the heavy silver lid.
The silver brilliance radiating from the coffin blazed even more brightly, illuminating half of Immortal Burial Town.
More and more silver flowers condensed in the mist.
Inside the coffin quietly lay an eleven-to-twelve-meter-tall skeleton of a silver giant. Inside the bones, something like a starry river flowed, brilliantly luminous. But other than that, there was nothing else.
Xing Wanxing let out a long sigh, utterly disappointed.
This silver skeleton might be of wondrous use to some great cultivators, but to him, it was worthless.
"Perhaps the true treasure inside was already taken by the Cangling Tribe," he thought to himself.
"Whoosh!"
Like a wisp of cool night wind, treading upon traces of blue mist and light, Li Ling's slender and graceful figure drifted down onto a three-story rooftop not far from the ancient well.
She had originally tracked Li Weiyi to Immortal Burial Town, never expecting an unexpected bonus.
Aren't these the Fodu Bandits from yesterday?
A chill welled in her eyes. Her jade-like hand unhooked a golden-thread bug pouch from her waist and tipped it outward.
"Whirrr!"
Swarms of rice-grain-sized strange bugs flew out like dense specks of firefly light, enveloping the twenty-odd bandits by the ancient well.
Hearing the dense buzz of wings, Xing Wanxing turned around, his face suddenly changing: "It's ghoulfire ladybugs! Don't let them touch you—scatter immediately!"
Too late!
The first mutant touched by a ghoulfire ladybug let out a shrill scream as his mid-back was incinerated in an instant. The fire spread rapidly, engulfing him in a massive fireball.
Three breaths later, his towering body of over two meters was burned to ashes.
A second, a third...
The soldiers of the Earth Wolf King's Army ignited one after another.
Screams and wails rose and fell across the scene in chaotic disorder. Some fled into the distance, while others leapt into the ancient well.
Through a crack in a window, Li Weiyi gazed at the slender, graceful figure of the young girl on the distant rooftop, recognizing her. He could scarcely believe she would appear here.
Sensing his gaze, Li Ling turned her head and cast a light, fleeting glance toward the abandoned house where Li Weiyi was hiding.
"Her perception is that sharp?"
Li Weiyi hastily withdrew his gaze, suddenly realizing that Li Ling's appearance here might be directed at him.
Why?
In that instant, countless thoughts surged through Li Weiyi's mind.
Had great gratitude turned into enmity? Or had the secret of the dharma artifacts on his person been exposed?
Otherwise, why would she trail him in secret?
Something had definitely gone wrong.
Chapter 35