Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

In fact, Shangguan Wan'Er, Liu Rulong, and Wang Zhongtian had all considered whether a Corpse King might exist inside the Ancient Coffin.

But greed is human nature, and they all wanted to believe the best-case scenario. So, they operated on the assumption that the master of this place was a great sage seeking to defy the heavens and be reborn, not some zombie. After all, becoming a zombie meant you were no longer yourself—just a walking corpse.

Zombies came in many varieties...

The most common were the Walking Dead, which possessed only a vague will.

A step above them were Spirit Corpses. They had independent consciousness, but they still moved like corpses—stiff, with withered bodies devoid of vitality.

Only upon reaching the Celestial Corpse Level could one use certain evil methods to restore a trace of vitality to their decaying body.

But it wouldn't last!

Above the Celestial Corpse was the Corpse King.

An existence of this level could already move like a normal person, having nurtured a sliver of vitality. Even if they mixed into a regular crowd, they wouldn't be easily discovered.

But how rare was a Corpse King?

The perfect convergence of time, place, and opportunity was required to create one.

Furthermore, even if one became a Corpse King, the consciousness that emerged would no longer be the same person they once were.

For some great sages, such a path was utterly beneath them.

And the sage here had clearly made preparations before death, intending to be reborn.

However, because two zombies had already appeared, Ling Fei couldn't help but consider the possibility.

'If there really is a Corpse King here, this could get troublesome.' Ling Fei was wary.

Those common zombies just now were probably only peak-level Walking Dead, yet they were already comparable to Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivators. If there was a Corpse King, how powerful would it be?

Full of suspicion, Ling Fei carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Overhead, the not-quite-jade Ancient Coffin was suspended by iron chains entwined around nine pillars, hanging about nine meters off the ground.

For an Innate Realm Cultivator, that distance was nothing. Ling Fei could easily leap up to it.

Let alone Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivators like Liu Rulong.

Ling Fei continued to sense the area.

'The aura of the colored light at the top is holy, like a sacred object. Why would it be here?' Ling Fei mused, beginning to connect all the clues from the ancient ruins. 'When these ruins split open, colored light shot into the sky, like an auspicious sign appearing, attracting countless people here. Was it all a coincidence? Or did some existence orchestrate this deliberately?'

At this thought, Ling Fei's heart skipped a beat.

If that were the case, they might have fallen into a trap.

Meanwhile, his Heart Spirit continued to probe the cavern ceiling where the colored light originated.

BUZZ!

Suddenly, the Dragon Bone in his back trembled, humming within his body as if drawn by something, stirring with a pulse.

WHOOSH!

At that exact moment, the colored light on the cavern ceiling swirled, forming what looked like a vortex.

Relying on his powerful Soul Power, Ling Fei sent out his senses and could vaguely see a Five-Colored Crystal Stone suspended within the vortex.

The Five-Colored Crystal Stone radiated an auspicious aura. Colored light filled the air, and its Essence Qi was so pure it was like the most primal Essence Qi between heaven and earth.

As Ling Fei's Heart Spirit sensed it, he immediately felt an urge to immerse himself within it.

"Yip!" Just then, a soft cry suddenly sounded out.

Inside that Crystal Stone, there was clearly a small, furry beast.

A clear, crisp sound entered the Heart Spirit Ling Fei had released, then traveled into his mind.

The voice was high-pitched and incredibly cute, causing his brows to arch. Filled with curiosity, he extended his senses toward the colored light.

'There's a little beast inside this Crystal Stone?' Ling Fei was astonished as his Heart Spirit probed further.

At the same time, Ling Fei's curiosity about these ancient ruins grew.

'What kind of Ancient Beast is this? Why is it inside a Crystal Stone?'

The Essence Qi within this Crystal Stone was pure, as if it were nurturing the great sage in the Ancient Coffin. But there was a little beast inside instead?

It defied all logic.

"Yip! Yiya!" As Ling Fei reeled in surprise, the little beast let out another cry. Its gemstone-like eyes were fixed on him.

Ling Fei felt a ripple run down his spine, as if he was being targeted by this little beast.

Yiya! Yiya!

The little beast's eyes were full of confusion. It stared at Ling Fei, crying out "yiya, yiya" over and over.

Within its gemstone-like eyes, a fervent light flickered. It seemed... as if something was attracting it.

But it couldn't quite tell what that something was.

'It discovered my Dragon Bone?' Ling Fei's heart jolted, and his brows knitted together tightly.

The Dragon Bone...

This was his greatest secret. If it could be discovered so easily by others, it was definitely not a good thing for him.

In the future, it would surely bring him a great deal of trouble.

"Heh heh, Young Master Ling, our ability to reach these ruins is all thanks to your Soul Secret Technique. As such, per our agreement, you should be the first to take the treasure from the Ancient Coffin. Please!" Just as Ling Fei was lost in thought, Wang Zhongtian, who was standing nearby, narrowed his eyes and gave him a faint smile.

Liu Rulong also watched Ling Fei with a smile in his eyes.

Although they were all consumed by greed, they still had some reservations.

If Ling Fei went to open the Ancient Coffin first and there was any real danger, they would have time to react.

Seeing Wang Zhongtian looking at him, Ling Fei finally retracted his Heart Spirit.

"This is the coffin of a great sage. For us to open it so rashly... I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate!" Ling Fei's brows arched as he smiled at Wang Zhongtian.

Ling Fei naturally understood what these people were thinking.

He was already apprehensive to begin with, and now that he had discovered a small beast hidden within the Five-Colored Crystal Stone, his wariness had only intensified.

Of course, by the same token, his interest in the Ancient Coffin had also grown.

There might be some earth-shattering secret here.

But he certainly wasn't foolish enough to be the first to open the Ancient Coffin.

"And what is it you mean by that, Young Master Ling?" Seeing Ling Fei refuse, Wang Zhongtian frowned.

"In my opinion, this place is very suitable for cultivation. Why don't we just cultivate here?" Ling Fei spread his hands and said with a smile.

"Indeed. The Essence Qi here is rich. Cultivating here would certainly benefit us in the future." Shangguan Wan'Er understood his meaning and nodded in agreement.

"So you're saying you don't want the treasures inside the Ancient Coffin?" Hearing this, Wang Zhongtian's brow furrowed as he looked at Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er.

"Heh heh, if Young Master Zhongtian opens the coffin, the first Supreme Treasure should naturally be yours to choose," Ling Fei said with a laugh.

The meaning was plain: if there were any extra treasures, he wouldn't turn them down.

At this, Wang Zhongtian's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

Liu Rulong also knew full well what was going on.

Everyone had worked so hard to get here; of course they had come for Supreme Treasures and opportunities.

If there really were treasures, who would just hand them over?

Therefore, Ling Fei's words actually put Wang Zhongtian at ease.

"Fine. In that case, I won't be shy about it. However, I hope you'll stick to our agreement when the time comes and let me choose the first treasure," Wang Zhongtian said.

"But of course," Liu Rulong said with a smile.

"As it should be," Ling Fei also nodded.

Then, with a flicker in his eyes, Wang Zhongtian's body moved like a Flood Dragon, darting toward the nine iron chains ahead.

The chains were very thick. Wang Zhongtian was as light as a swallow; when he landed on one, his settling weight merely caused the Light Patterns on it to ripple.

The Ancient Coffin resting on the chains, however, didn't move an inch.

"It's safe!" Seeing this, Wang Zhongtian was delighted. He then took a light step and walked toward the Ancient Coffin ahead.

"Fall back!" By the edge of the pool, Ling Fei glanced at Shangguan Wan'Er.

He then moved backward, looking extremely cautious and alert.

Shangguan Wan'Er understood his unspoken message and immediately followed.

She also felt that this place was not as simple as it seemed.