The Coffin

Lu Yang ignored Immortal Fairy's incessant chattering and concentrated on carrying the coffin. "Speaking of which, this coffin really is of exceptional quality. According to Fellow Daoist Xinghai, it can even block the divine sense of a cultivator at the Body Integration stage." Generally speaking, coffins in the cultivation world had the property of blocking divine sense out of respect for the deceased. However, refining a coffin to such a standard was exceedingly rare. "For some reason, this coffin's design looks familiar." Lu Yang frowned, and then it suddenly dawned on him. "Isn't this the kind of coffin the Grand Elder often sleeps in?" Back when Lu Yang had just learned Inches to the Ends of the Earth and randomly teleported off a cliff, he had had the good fortune of stumbling into a tomb built by the Grand Elder. The style of the coffin in that tomb looked remarkably like the one Xiao Xinghai was currently lying in. "The Grand Elder probably went around building tombs all over the East Sea, and Fellow Daoist Xinghai happened to dig one up," Meng Jingzhou remarked, not in the least surprised. Many similar tales circulated throughout the East Sea—some prodigy would inadvertently stumble into an ancient tomb, pass the trials left behind by predecessors, obtain an inheritance and treasures, and soar to greatness from that moment onward. It was just that the treasure Xiao Xinghai obtained happened to be a coffin. Lu Yang felt Old Meng made a fair point. Back in the day, hadn't Immortal Ying Tian been buried as a funerary object before rising to supreme power? This was simply following historical precedent. "According to Fellow Daoist Xinghai, the Dragon Clan is domineering and spends money lavishly. They would never sell their blood just because they're short on funds. Whenever they offer their blood, it's usually because they need something done; once the requested task is fulfilled, they reward you with dragon blood." "Because dragon blood is worth a fortune and cannot be bought for mere gold, the difficulty of these requested tasks is exceptionally high." "Moreover, some tasks involve the Dragon Clan's private affairs and cannot be made public, which is why they are only posted through clandestine contact points." "Is it really a good idea for us to go running around carrying a coffin?" Man Gu asked. He could clearly feel the surrounding gazes converging on them. "Even though we wouldn't have to worry about someone making off with it if we left it by the roadside, it still looks a bit improper. Why don't we find a place to drop it off, and then fetch the coffin once we find the dragon blood?" Meng Jingzhou suggested. Since they had already arrived at the Sea Market anyway, transportation distance was no longer an issue, so there was no danger of the dragon blood losing its freshness. He sent a voice transmission to Xiao Xinghai: "Fellow Daoist Xinghai, what do you think?" No response. "Oh, right. The coffin blocks divine sense, so transmissions can't get through," Meng Jingzhou recalled. His voice couldn't penetrate the coffin unless they pried off the lid. "Then we'll decide on Fellow Daoist Xinghai's behalf and find a place to store it... Hmm, up ahead is the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce. Turns out they have a branch here too." Meng Jingzhou smiled. The Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce had a remarkably broad reach, having expanded its business all the way to the East Sea. On that front, his Meng Family was just as capable; both the East Sea and the Demon Domain fell within their scope of business as well. "Perfect timing. Chambers of commerce always provide temporary storage services for bulky items." ... At the far end of the Sea Market, inside the Dragon Palace. "Dammit, haven't you found the supreme treasure yet?" a Dragon Clan elder roared in fury. With the head of a dragon and the body of a human, he burned with incandescent rage, wishing nothing more than to tear whoever stole the supreme treasure into ten thousand pieces! "The plot was meticulously planned. This was a long-premeditated theft, pulled off by someone at least at the Body Integration stage. I fear finding them won't be so easy," another Dragon Clan elder said, equally furious yet still able to remain rational and assess the situation. "Ancient Ancestor above, please protect us and grant that we may locate the supreme treasure as swiftly as possible," a third Dragon Clan elder prayed, beseeching the legendary Ancient Ancestor to manifest. "Keep searching! Spatial travel is impossible while carrying the supreme treasure, so they certainly haven't fled far. Even if we have to turn the East Sea completely upside down, we must find them!"