He had read the Daoist Canons since he was a child, and there was an iron ruler in the books. After entering the Mausoleum of Zhou, Chen Changsheng had plundered all the treasures and magical artifacts in the nine stone rooms, but he had never thought of a way to open this black sarcophagus, even though it was extremely likely that his most precious inheritance was hidden inside. Similarly, Xu Yourong, out of respect for the person in the sarcophagus, did not make such a suggestion.
Now that he heard Xu Yourong's words, he finally understood that even if he had wanted to open this black sarcophagus, he might not have been able to do so.
If there was a lock, there was a key. If Zhou Dufu did not want others to disturb his long slumber, then this mountainous black sarcophagus would naturally be very difficult to open.
Xu Yourong said, "The Soul Wood should have been taken out of the Garden of Zhou by someone a long time ago, but for some reason, it fell into the hands of the demons. Now that I think about it, the reason why they were able to avoid the main gate of the Garden of Zhou and use another path to sneak into the Garden of Zhou might also have something to do with it. And the Soul Wood's return to the Garden of Zhou also means that the time for this black sarcophagus to be opened has finally come. "
"You're saying that before Zhou Dufu died …" Chen Changsheng thought about how to describe it, then continued, "… he was already prepared to reveal his inheritance or secret hidden in the black sarcophagus to the world, so he had someone take the key away? But if that's the case, why didn't he do it directly back then? "
"What you said before actually makes a lot of sense. Time, is the strongest magical artifact." Xu Yourong looked at the black sarcophagus and said, "As everyone knows, Zhou Dufu did not have a successor. This means that before he died, he did not find a descendant that he felt was qualified to inherit his legacy. He let the key wander outside the Garden of Zhou, or maybe he wanted time to help him choose a successor."
He was somewhat shocked and asked, "Could it be that the blade is really in this black sarcophagus?"
Xu Yourong said after a moment of silence, "There's another possibility. Just like you said, this black sarcophagus does not have Zhou Dufu's legacy, but it does have his secret. "
Chen Changsheng said in confusion, "I was just saying casually, could there really be some secret?"
Xu Yourong looked into his eyes and said, "Whether Zhou Dufu is dead or not, this in itself is the most important secret of the world for a thousand years."
Chen Chang Sheng thought of Zhou Dufu's deeds that had long become stories, legends, or even myths. His gaze towards the Black Lotus Sarcophagus became more serious.
There was only solemnity, seriousness, and some nervousness, but there was no burning passion. Regarding the treasures and the inheritance of the experts of the previous generation, whether it was him or Xu Yourong, they were both somewhat indifferent. This kind of calmness couldn't even be described as calmness beyond his age. No matter how old a cultivator was, if they knew that they could possibly obtain Zhou Dufu's inheritance, they would inevitably become incomparably fervent. For example, if the elder of the Setting Sun Sect who sucked Xu Yourong's blood in the cave appeared in front of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus, how could he remain indifferent?
The reason why Chen Chang Sheng and Xu You Rong were able to remain calm was because they were geniuses in cultivation, and what they cultivated was the highest level of cultivation in the world. Without a doubt, Zhou Dufu was the most special one, but they themselves were also special. They had sufficient self-confidence and pride — obtaining it was obviously extremely good, but if they could not obtain it, it had nothing to do with fate. Their fate was always in their own hands. However, thinking that they were about to see the most shocking scene in a thousand years, they could not help but feel somewhat nervous. Chen Chang Sheng's voice subconsciously became very soft, as if he did not want to disturb the great soul within the black sarcophagus.
"When will this Black Nightmare Sarcophagus be opened?"
Xu Yourong looked at the light emitted by the Soul Pivot grow dimmer and dimmer. After calculating for a while, she said, "It should be soon."
Outside the mausoleum, the monster tide slowly approached like a black line. The key to opening the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus had already awakened the Soul Pivot. The opening of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus was right in front of them.
… …
… …
Right before their eyes, the upper half of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus began to slowly slide.
In the gloomy and spacious mausoleum, a great gale blew.
The light emitted by the Soul Pivot became even dimmer, as if it was a candle that could be extinguished at any time.
Chen Chang Sheng shifted to the side, ensuring that he completely blocked her body. The dagger had already been unsheathed and was tightly grasped in his hand.
Rumble! The huge Black Nightmare Sarcophagus slowly opened. The heavy lid and the body of the coffin emitted a terrifying grinding sound. It really was like the rumble of thunder.
The black sarcophagus that was like a mountain slowly separated from the top. It looked like a bolt of lightning that had directly split the black mountain into two.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yourong's pupils constricted slightly. She muttered softly, "Split in two …"
The upper half of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus continued to slide. Only after a very long time did it finally stop.
The wind still whistled through the spacious mausoleum, lingering around the surroundings of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus. Because of the changes to the body of the sarcophagus, the sound of the wind also became even more mournful and sharper. It seemed incomparably sinister, as if someone was constantly crying in the gloomy netherworld. The incessant sobbing mixed into the inaudible music from before. The meaning of the soul returning gradually faded away, but the atmosphere grew denser and denser.
The Soul Pivot finally extinguished all of its light. The mausoleum once again became gloomy. They could not see the scene above from the ground, but they could imagine that the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus had already opened. If that great man was quietly lying in the sarcophagus, or if he was currently looking at the ceiling, of course, it was more likely that his eyes were closed, or that he had already become a set of bones.
However, the person in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus was called Zhou Dufu. No matter how inconceivable something was, it seemed to be very reasonable for it to happen to him.
The sound of the wind gradually stopped, and the music gradually stopped. The soul had already returned, or perhaps he was not.
The mausoleum was deathly silent. Xu Yourong looked at the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus that was like a broken mountain. Her expression was somewhat complicated, and she did not say anything for a very long time.
Chen Chang Sheng's right hand, which was holding onto the hilt of the sword, did not sweat, but for some reason, it felt somewhat sticky and slippery. It was a nervous mental state.
The old friend was gone, so that was good. What if he was still alive? Or to be more precise, he had awakened from his long slumber and revived. Or perhaps, he was unwilling to leave this world and go to the lonely and cold sea of stars, so before he died, he used some sort of secret to turn himself into an immortal but incomparably evil life form. What would happen next?
Chen Chang Sheng's expression was still calm, but in reality, he was already extremely nervous.
Logically speaking, no matter if Zhou Dufu revived or used a secret technique to transform, as long as he could preserve his consciousness, he should help them deal with the demon experts and the terrifying monster tide that were getting closer and closer to the mausoleum. This was because Zhou Dufu was a human expert, an unparalleled hero that had defeated the Demon Lord — this was also the only way for him and Xu Yourong to leave the Garden of Zhou and survive — but for some reason, he had a strong feeling that if Zhou Dufu really did not die, then everyone in the Garden of Zhou … would die, and even the entire continent would welcome a storm of blood.
"I want to go up and take a look." Xu Yourong's voice broke the silence of the mausoleum.
She looked at the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus. Her eyes, which were slightly dim because of her injuries, had unknowingly become extremely bright.
Chen Chang Sheng supported her and walked in front of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus. He raised his head to look at it for a while, confirmed the route to climb, and carried her on his back.
After a while, they stood at the edge of the broken cliff of the black mountain and looked inside.
The space inside the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus was extremely large. Let alone a single person, it was completely enough to hold a concert and invite over a dozen girls to sing.
But right now, there was not even a single person in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus.
Not a single person.
There was no one.
The Garden of Zhou was Zhou Dufu's world.
This mausoleum was his palace of death.
The dangerous and mysterious Plains of the Unsetting Sun was the mausoleum that surrounded the mausoleum. Those incomparably powerful monsters were the mausoleum guards.
It was very obvious that he did not want anyone to disturb his long slumber, except for the key that had wandered outside the Garden of Zhou and chosen a new master with the help of time.
However, he did not sleep in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus.
There was still no one who had seen his remains.
His life or death was still unknown.
There was an extremely high chance that he was still alive.
This was the true secret of the Garden of Zhou.
This was the true secret that the Plains of the Unsetting Sun wanted to protect.
… …
… …
The Black Nightmare Sarcophagus did not have the remains of that imposing man, but this did not mean that the sarcophagus was empty.
The sarcophagus was filled with leaves carved from crystals, green grass carved from top-quality jadeite, and rouge stones condensed from Earth Essence Fire. They were casually scattered about.
There were countless treasures in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus.
Ever since she was young, Xu Yourong had come and gone as she pleased from the Imperial Palace and the Li Palace. Afterwards, she studied at Holy Maiden Peak, so she had seen countless treasures. Although Chen Changsheng had lived a simple life when he was young, he had also gone to the Palace of Great Clarity and the Li Palace. He had even seen the Golden Sea Coral Trees and the starry sky decorated with Night Pearls in the Black Dragon Catacombs. As a result, when they saw the treasures in the nine stone rooms, they were not moved.
However, at this moment, they were truly somewhat shocked.
Because there were too many treasures in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus, and it was too wasteful, the crystals carved into leaves could not even retain a tenth of their original effect. The top-quality jadeite that could clearly be used to make countless beautiful works of art was all carved into leaves, not to mention the rouge stones condensed from Earth Essence Fire … if this was not a reckless waste of natural resources, then what was?
What shocked them the most was that those leaves, grass, and stones were not even the least bit beautiful.
The treasures in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus gave off a faint light into the gloomy mausoleum, but it only made people feel that it was tacky.
These treasures that were buried together with the dead were definitely enough to match even the most powerful of nobles or the most powerful of cultivators.
However, how could they match the owner of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus?
In the imagination of the common people, Zhou Dufu should have been a perfect person, especially in the aspect of his aura. He would inevitably overlook the mountains and rivers, and ignore the sea of stars.
Whether it was the Garden of Zhou, the Plains of the Unsetting Sun, or this magnificent mausoleum, they were all proof.
How could such a person fill his sarcophagus with these extremely valuable but extremely crude treasures? Standing at the edge of the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus and looking at the golden leaves, green grass, and blood rouge inside, Chen Changsheng could not help but shake his head. His eyes were pierced by the glint of treasures emitted from the sarcophagus, and he said, "Why do I feel that the aura of treasures is fierce?"
'Aura of treasures' was a dialect of Wenshui. In the Orthodox Academy, Tang Thirty-Six often used these two words to describe the Tianhai clan and the elders in the court. Chen Changsheng had heard it many times, so he naturally remembered it.
Xu Yourong's focus was clearly not on the methods used to flaunt wealth within the sarcophagus. She looked at the completely empty black sarcophagus, and after a moment of silence, she said, "All the cultivators that enter the Garden of Zhou want to find the Mausoleum of Zhou the most. I am no exception, but I've thought many times. If I enter the Mausoleum of Zhou, the thing I want to do the most is to confirm whether or not he is dead."
Because of these words, she thought of many things. Before entering the Garden of Zhou, she had been entrusted with a task by her elders, and her shoulders once again became heavy.
Previously on the stone platform, because of Chen Changsheng's clear eyes, she had temporarily forgotten about everything. Because of this Black Nightmare Sarcophagus, they had all returned to her.
Although the inheritance of the Orthodoxy, the confluence of the north and south, and the resistance against the demons were not tied to her alone, because of this new discovery, she had to do something.
"If … you can leave the Garden of Zhou alive."
She looked at Chen Changsheng and very seriously requested, "Please, you must tell the world that he might still be alive."
As she spoke, her complexion was very pale. This had nothing to do with her unhealed injuries, but rather because her spiritual world had been shaken.
Before the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus had opened, Chen Changsheng had also felt an indescribable fear towards Zhou Dufu. Now, hearing her serious request and seeing her pale complexion, his confusion deepened. He thought to himself, Zhou Dufu is a heroic figure, so why is it that no matter if it's her or me, we don't have that kind of admiration for a senior expert? Instead, we're very vigilant?
"He's a hero, but also a demon."
Xu Yourong looked at him and said, "Back then, he traveled to the far north and heavily injured the Demon Lord with a single blade. At that time, he was a hero. For the sake of advancing on the Dao, he killed countless human experts. He was cold-blooded, heartless, and extremely cruel. At that time, he was a demon. Calling him an ambitious and ruthless person is actually more appropriate. If he's still alive and really reappears in the world, I'm afraid that the continent will sink into great turmoil and chaos."
Although Chen Changsheng was familiar with the Daoist Canons, he did not have much understanding of the history of that time. He did not have any understanding of Zhou Dufu's personality either. Seeing her face filled with worry, he explained, "Not seeing his remains does not mean that he's still alive. For such a legendary figure, returning to the sea of stars and not leaving behind a body is also possible."
"But his blade is also not in this Black Nightmare Sarcophagus." Xu Yourong said.
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng fell silent. Yes, that blade was also not here.
Zhou Dufu had relied on that blade to become invincible throughout the world.
The blade's name was Halving.
Halving with a blade.
Before the edge of the blade, no matter how strong the opponent, no matter how sturdy the divine weapon, or even the boundless earth, they would all be cut in two.
Just like the small mountain-like Black Nightmare Sarcophagus that had previously slowly split in front of them.
The Halving Blade was ranked second on the Tier of Legendary Weapons, second only to the Frost God Spear that was ranked first.
But in reality, or perhaps it could be said that everyone on the continent believed that if the Frost God Spear had not been Emperor Taizong's personal weapon, if it had not left behind too many miraculous scenes in the war between humans and demons, then its ranking on the Tier of Legendary Weapons would definitely not have been able to suppress the Halving Blade. In other words, in the hearts of the people, the Halving Blade was the true first place on the Tier of Legendary Weapons.
Because outside Luoyang, the Frost God Spear in Emperor Taizong's hands had lost to the Halving Blade in Zhou Dufu's hands.
If Zhou Dufu had truly died and did not leave behind a corpse, turning into a wisp of smoke and returning to the sea of stars, then no matter how one thought about it, his blade should have been left in this Black Nightmare Sarcophagus.
If that blade was not in the Black Nightmare Sarcophagus, then it should still be by his side. Was this the most important proof that he was still alive?
Xu Yourong no longer continued to ponder this matter. She began to face the incoming monster tide and also began to prepare for what would come next. She looked at him and said, "Nanke is Black Robe's disciple, and the key to the Mausoleum of Zhou and that piece of Soul Wood are in her hands. Black Robe and Zhou Dufu are people of the same generation, so he cannot be Zhou. However, it's very clear that Black Robe and Zhou Dufu have some sort of connection."
Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused as to why she was saying these things to him.
Xu Yourong looked into his eyes and said, "If you are able to leave the Garden of Zhou alive, remember to tell this discovery to the entire world. This will be of great assistance to finding Black Robe's true identity. In the war between humans and demons, it might even have a decisive meaning."
This was the second time she had asked him.
She had asked him what he wanted to do if he lived.
Then first, she was asking him to live, to ignore her, to live, and to bring this news out of the Garden of Zhou.
When the phoenix was about to die, its cry was also loud.
If it were any other time, Chen Changsheng would have been moved by her calmness and perseverance, or perhaps he would have agreed to her request without the slightest hesitation. Then, he would have used every method possible to strive to leave the Garden of Zhou alive. However, at this time, after experiencing such a long time together and escaping, after their conversation in the stone platform in the Green Parasol Tree, he was unable to agree to her request.
"Even if I throw you in the mausoleum, wanting to break through the monster tide and leave the Garden of Zhou alive is basically a one in ten thousand thing." Looking into Xu Yourong's eyes, he said, "One in ten thousand thing, yet I have to go against my heart. I am not willing, because I cultivate the path of following my heart."
The monster tide brought the shadow of death. At this moment, how could he follow his heart? His heart was to accompany her, either to escape or to die here.
Xu Yourong's face paled slightly. She was unable to accept his decision, but her gaze was very warm. She was happy with his decision.
Chen Changsheng did not give her any more chances to persuade him. He sheathed the dagger and began to tidy up the golden leaves, verdant grass, and blood rouge in the black serpent sarcophagus.
These jewels were indeed very vulgar. The carving was not bad, but in terms of aesthetics, they were extremely inferior. However, they were all made from the best quality materials, so they were extremely rare and precious. Moreover, since Zhou Dufu did not die, then this could not be considered as grave robbing — the iron ruler of the three thousand scriptures of the Daoist Canon was thus circumvented by him.
Of course, with his personality, the reason why he was willing to circumvent it was because he sensed that in the lake outside of his Ethereal Palace, the Black Dragon was already showing signs of awakening. He did not want to be scolded by the bad-tempered First Master Dragon. The feeling of being scolded by a dog's blood could not be good, and the feeling of being covered in dragon saliva was also very bad.
The dagger was sheathed, but it was still invincible. Where the sword sheath pointed, the golden leaves, verdant grass, and blood rouge all disappeared, silently taken away.
After doing these things, he supported Xu Yourong and prepared to get down from the black serpent sarcophagus. Suddenly, Xu Yourong seemed to have seen something and let out a cry of surprise.
He turned his head and followed her line of sight, only to see that the black serpent sarcophagus where the treasures had been taken was completely empty.
On a certain part of the inner wall of the black serpent sarcophagus, a few lines that had been carved faintly appeared.
Those lines were not patterns, but seemed to be words.
Some of the lines seemed to be pictures.
… …
… …
(First of all, today, I discovered that [Book of Heaven Selection] was being pushed on Qidian. Hmm, it feels a bit complicated. I didn't think that in such a short period of time, I would once again meet some friends on Qidian. Right now, I still have no way of managing the book review section of Qidian, nor can I upload it myself, so I have no way of communicating with everyone. Let me say hello here, and thank you everyone. Also, the task for this month. The Ugliest Sub Editor helped me calculate a few times. He said that until the end of yesterday, there were still eight thousand words short. I calculated it myself, and in the end, there were still more than ten thousand words short … In the end, both of us were confused. Whatever, I'll just write according to the upper limit. This chapter has five thousand words, so I'll add more than five thousand words today. It's about the new year, the golden keyboard, and thanking everyone. Once I'm done with my work, I'll contact everyone again. See you tonight.
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