Cang Li then introduced Li Weiyi to everyone, recounting the brutal battle by the Sui River a month ago. Before long, however, the discussion shifted to Cang Li's own climactic clash against the Dragon Gate Inheritor by the river.
After listening for a while, Li Weiyi finally learned that such an event had unfolded that night after he fled.
Finding themselves completely pushed to the periphery, Li Songlin led Li Weiyi away.
He smiled. "Don't take it to heart! You have to understand—no elder brother ever looks fondly upon his sister's sweetheart. They'll always do everything they can to pick faults in you. Still, the fact that he carried a booklet of his insights on opening the nine springs with him shows he put genuine thought into it.
"It's just that the scene Xue Zheng made on the street earlier was probably twisted into wild rumors, which left Cang Li with quite an unfavorable impression of you.
"Young men—especially prodigies gifted to his degree—are exceptionally proud. Naturally, their words carry a sharper edge.
"Even so, there's one thing he said that I wholeheartedly agree with: you must fight. You have to strive for it. If you don't breach Zutian, how can you ever defeat Xue Zheng?
"Ever since Cang Li burst onto the scene, the Jiuli Clan has placed tremendous weight on the successes and failures of the younger generation. In his generation, they mean to rise again and suppress the Sui Sect, Sanchen Palace, Tianyi Gate, and Guanhai Pavilion entirely."
"Rest assured, Fourth Uncle. I will give everything I have to break through to the ninth spring." Li Weiyi remained calm, tucking away the booklet Cang Li had given him.
In truth, he had no need for it, having three antique masters of his own. But to refuse Cang Li in such a setting—how would the foremost talent of Lizhou's younger generation save face?
Li Ling hurried to catch up. "I'll explain everything clearly to my brother! It's all just wild rumors. It was only Xue Zheng—how could you possibly fear him?"
Li Weiyi appeared indifferent, not caring in the least about their opinions.
All he cared about was settling the score with Xue Zheng, Tang Yan, and the rest for hunting him down.
Up ahead on a stone bridge, a woman in her early thirties walked toward them. She wore a cloud-patterned outer robe over a white silk inner garment, with wide sleeves embroidered with leaf-and-branch motifs.
"Mother!"
Like a lively gazelle instantly turning into a frozen quail, Li Ling lowered her head and shrank slightly behind Li Songlin.
"Sister-in-law," Li Songlin greeted her with cupped hands.
Li Weiyi knew his place and bowed alongside him, taking care not to stare directly at the young woman.
Yet a fleeting glance was enough to tell him she possessed a Pure Immortal Physique. Her face bore few marks of time, and her gaze was exceptionally piercing.
Without any preamble or pleasantries, the woman asked, "What are your plans next?"
Of the three present, she obviously wasn't asking Li Songlin or Li Ling.
Li Weiyi replied truthfully, "For now, I only wish to cultivate in seclusion for a time and strive to break through to the ninth spring, Zutian."
"Stay at Zaomei Manor for the time being, then."
...
By the time Li Weiyi looked up again, Li Ling's mother, Qin Dan, had already walked far away, having spoken merely two sentences from start to finish. He remarked, "Fourth Uncle, why do I feel like you set me up? I shouldn't have come to Zaomei Manor."
Li Songlin chuckled. "Feeling the pressure? To tell you the truth, our Li family's mistress rarely shows herself. Never mind you—even I feel the pressure."
The head of the Cangling Tribe's direct lineage was Cang Li and Li Ling's father—Li Songgu.
Of course, the head of the house was not the clan leader.
The household head oversaw the tribal mansion in Jiuli City, while the clan leader presided over Ancestral Mountain.
"An otherworld coffin is being opened! The master is going to open an otherworld coffin!"
"I came specifically for the excitement after hearing an otherworld coffin would be opened tonight."
"What's the joyous occasion?"
"Never mind that! The Cangling head's coffin-opening skills easily rank among the top ten in Lizhou, and few of the older generation can surpass him. Today will definitely be an eye-opener."
...
Not only the young cultivators, but even some mid-generation figures who had caught wind of it surged toward the rear courtyard.
Li Ling was somewhat surprised. "What's gotten into my father? It's been quite a while since he personally opened a coffin, hasn't it?"
Li Songlin laughed. "My guess is that your father wants to show off his strength in front of his future son-in-law, lest the lad heed idle rumors and believe the mistress truly calls all the shots in the Li family."
Li Weiyi would never buy such words.
Even so, genuine curiosity stirred in his heart regarding otherworld coffins.
It was said that even the most ordinary otherworld coffin was worth ten million copper coins, enough to buy an entire estate in Jiuli City—a treasure that only great cultivators could afford to dabble in.
The Jiuli Clan had amassed peerless wealth precisely by salvaging otherworld coffins.
As it happened, inside his evil camel bell were fifteen otherworld coffins meticulously handpicked by Coffin Master at the Blood Sea Coffin Dock, which he had long planned to sell.
"Go on ahead and watch. The otherworld coffin being opened today is quite extraordinary; it might yield something incredible," Li Songlin said with a meaningful smile.
When Li Weiyi and Li Ling reached the rear courtyard, it was already packed with people.
The central area displaying the otherworld coffin was surrounded so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through.
The two did not squeeze toward the center, instead finding higher ground to observe from afar.
The coffin encircled by the crowd was normal in size and crafted from black timber. As laymen, none of the cultivators present could perceive what made it so extraordinary.
Yet all otherworld coffins were dredged from the Blood Sea, having soaked there for who knew how many years. If it were truly ordinary wood, how could it have remained so impeccably preserved?
Standing beside the otherworld coffin was Li Songgu, a man in his forties. He was rather lean, clad in plain, simple green robes, wearing a square scholar's cap with sideburns hanging down to his shoulders. He appeared vigorous and brimmed with scholarly refinement.
His gaze swept calmly over the crowd before his fingers formed a seal.
*Whoosh!*
The heavenly eye of spiritual light at his brow snapped open. A veil of spiritual light mist surged forth from his body like an aurora, reaching toward the clouds, casting a formidable aura over the area several rods around the coffin.
"Scatter Chiming cinnabar, just in case," he ordered softly.
Two senior assistants tossed a reddish earth toward the otherworld coffin.
When the Chiming cinnabar struck the spiritual light mist Li Songgu held up, it slid down on its own, tracing a circle roughly three rods wide across the ground.
Li Ling whispered, "That's to guard against departed spirits inside the coffin! If one rushes out, the Chiming cinnabar will contain it within the circle."
*Thump! Thump! Thump...*
Maintaining his hand seals, Li Songgu tapped the otherworld coffin from every direction. He struck the bottom in particular twelve times.
With every tap, ripples of spiritual light surged outward.
A moment later, he furrowed his brows and said, "Based on my years of experience in opening coffins, this is an otherworld coffin from Kunlun. This wood may very well be divine timber. The coffin itself holds extraordinary medicinal value, comparable to a thousand-year refined herb."
*Boom!*
The cultivators throughout the courtyard were thoroughly shaken.
Even the coffin boards were equivalent to a thousand-year refined herb?
Even a single liang of a thousand-year refined herb could fetch an astronomical price.
Just how many jin did this coffin weigh? How much was it worth?
Li Weiyi naturally felt a surge of longing. If he could obtain a jin of coffin wood to feed the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, he might be able to nourish them until their combat strength rivaled martial cultivators of the Wuhai Realm.
Provided, of course, that this otherworld coffin truly rivaled a thousand-year refined herb.
Seeing that the crowd was skeptical, Li Songgu accepted a dagger-grade dharma artifact from a senior assistant and drew it across the top of the coffin.
The dharma artifact managed to leave only a shallow scratch.
From that faint mark, a gentle auspicious glow wafted out. Those with keen senses noticed that the surrounding vegetation was noticeably affected, turning visibly greener and more lush.
Gasps of awe rippled through the courtyard, and many eyes grew hot with greed.
Li Songgu's expression turned solemn. "It is indeed just as the legends say. This otherworld coffin cannot be opened further!"
After putting on such a grand display and tapping away for so long, he was refusing to open it!
What was the meaning of this?
Li Songgu cupped his hands with polished grace and apologized, "It is not that Li wishes to withhold it, but rather that my current thought force cannot master it. A divine-wood coffin from Kunlun such as this was once opened by a Jiuli forebear..."
He broke off midway, then said, "Never mind. This matter is of grave consequence; it is best you know as little as possible. Store it away. Hurry, pack it up and transport it back to Ancestral Mountain as soon as possible."
Never mind the gathered cultivators—even Li Weiyi could barely restrain the urge to curse out loud.
He was deeply interested in this coffin that rivaled a thousand-year refined herb, but he was far more interested in "Kunlun." In Earth's myth and legend, that was the most mysterious realm of all, the mountain of the gods.
How could the name be such a coincidence?
Once the crowd had dispersed, Li Weiyi took the initiative to step forward and pay his respects as a junior.
Li Songgu possessed an amiable, remarkably gentle demeanor. "You must be Li Weiyi. I've heard Fourth Brother speak of you. Quite fine, yes, quite fine indeed."
Li Weiyi was already growing weary of the scrutinizing looks he had endured all evening, and he asked eagerly, "May I ask the family head—how do you determine where an otherworld coffin originates?"
Li Songgu was quite talkative and explained in detail, "The world believes that the most precious things inside otherworld coffins are secret treasures, funerary vessels, or the remains of the deceased. But I believe the most precious things within are the books and records. You should know that although the scripts in those records differ, they can be deciphered using thought force.
"What is recorded and depicted in those various books and records are real, existing worlds. It is only that no one knows where these worlds lie.
"I truly wish I could step beyond in my lifetime to seek the worlds chronicled in those otherworld coffins. Alas, the You Realm is vast, and the Blood Sea knows no bounds... Well, I've wandered off topic. In short, so long as one has sufficient experience and has perused enough records, determining the origin of an otherworld coffin is no difficult feat."
Li Weiyi asked, "Have the two words 'Kunlun' appeared in records from certain otherworld coffins before?"
"Kunlun is likely a major realm, and its otherworld coffins are not few in number. It is just that the one before us is far too extraordinary; its timber is exceptional, so it must not be touched lightly," Li Songgu said.
Li Weiyi pressed further, "Among the otherworld coffins from Kunlun, do any records mention the Queen Mother of the West?"
Li Songgu knitted his brows, searched his memory thoroughly, and shook his head.
Reflecting on the myths and legends surrounding Kunlun, Li Weiyi asked again, "What about Tianyong City? Or Xuanpu Palace?"
Li Songgu shook his head once more.
Li Weiyi gave up. It seemed that although this world partially overlapped with Earth's myths and legends, the details did not match at all.
Li Ling hurried over, saying anxiously, "Father, Eldest Uncle and Aunt have arrived. They've come demanding the immortal-haze-tainted herb Fourth Uncle gathered, and an argument has already broken out! Go have a look quickly!"
"What a headache! Fourth Brother gathered that herb himself—what business is it of theirs? Airing family scandals like this! Weiyi, make yourself at home for now. Later tonight, we can have a proper chat about otherworld coffins."
Li Songgu let out a sigh and strode swiftly toward the covered walkway.
Li Weiyi glanced at the otherworld coffin being carried away, then looked at Li Songgu's retreating back. As understanding slowly dawned on him, he reflected on everything that had just occurred and thought to himself, *Could the household head have been deliberately fishing? That otherworld coffin is no ordinary bait.*
Naturally, Li Weiyi did not think the man was angling for or testing him. A small fry like himself hardly had the standing to warrant such elaborate calculations from the head of the house.
Chapter 72