Youbao Chapter 33: Heavenly Corpse Vein (5)
I was so scared that I jumped up and down, and I stepped on the red-spotted python's body and went to the old Taoist priest. The red-spotted python's head moved again, as if it wanted to turn around. I guess it definitely didn't want to swallow me now, and wanted to use its tail as a whip to beat me to death.
However, the old Taoist had pierced its abdomen, leaving a huge bloody hole that almost broke its body. I turned it over and saw that its back had been cut with countless scars, blood and flesh flying everywhere, and scales scattered all around, looking quite miserable.
The old Taoist priest didn't care about it. He pulled me to the edge of the pond and ordered me: Use the jade pendant to see what's down there.
I was still in shock, and only woke up after the old Taoist priest slapped me on the back of my head. After taking out the jade pendant that could lead to the underworld, the old Taoist priest put it on my forehead. My vision extended along the lake, which was another novel feeling.
The water in the pond was rippling everywhere. It was dark at first, but became clearer as it went deeper, as if the sun was shining in the water.
The view quickly extended to the bottom of the pool. Although the time was short, it was roughly estimated that the pool was at least 20 meters deep. The bottom was not very flat, and the traces of being run over by the huge python could be clearly seen.
On the east side of the pond, there was a passage. At this time, I was diving into the water with my vision, and I was not afraid of encountering any monsters, so I simply went in along the passage.
The passage was not short, and was longer than the depth of the water, about thirty meters. Soon, I saw the shore. It was a huge space, and on the land side, a coffin was tilted. The coffin lid had been opened, and I looked inside, and there was only a little bit of golden residue.
Looking elsewhere, there was no other way out. The old Taoist priest also saw the situation, so he took the jade pendant from my forehead. Then he asked me: Can you hold your breath?
I thought about it and asked: Does being able to swim count as being able to hold your breath ?
OK. The old Taoist nodded, then kicked me down.
I subconsciously wanted to speak, but was filled with water. The water was bone-chillingly cold, and it was like eating ice cubes in minus 40 degrees Celsius.
At this time, another person fell down from above. It turned out that the old Taoist priest had also come down.
I only said that I could swim, but I didn't say that I could dive. I was about to jump up, but the old Taoist grabbed my collar and dragged me down like a dead dog.
This analogy is so inappropriate, but I really feel that way.
Fortunately, I had the company of an old Taoist priest, so there was nothing to be afraid of. With him holding my hand, I just closed my eyes, mouth and breath.
After a while, my lungs felt like they were about to explode, but I suddenly felt my whole body relax and I came out of the water.
Clawing onto the shore, I gasped for breath and loudly scolded the old Taoist priest: You, you old, old... almost, ha, ha... you almost suffocated me.
If you are left alone there, I am afraid they will come back, the old Taoist priest explained .
I exclaimed, so that's what it was. This old man is quite thoughtful.
What did you say about me being old? The old Taoist priest suddenly asked.
Ah? Old... uh... my mind was confused for a moment, and then I felt someone step on my fingers that were clinging to the shore, and it hurt so much.
You old man... Gululu...
When I climbed ashore again, the old Taoist priest was already standing in front of the coffin, studying it.
I know this old guy is narrow-minded and I can't beat him, so I just pretend nothing happened.
This underground space is huge, even bigger than what I saw with the jade pendant. A rough estimate is that it is at least several hundred square meters, and there is a constant buzzing sound when talking or walking.
It is not known whether this was formed naturally or dug by the ancients. If it was man-made, it would be a huge feat that would shock the world. Even with modern technology, it is not easy to dig out a huge space several dozen meters high in the mountains. Moreover, the only entrance is a passage under the pool, and excavators cannot drive in.
I looked around and felt there was nothing interesting, so I went to the old Taoist priest. Seeing that he was staring at it intently, I asked: What ?
The old Taoist priest bent down silently, took out some golden residue from the coffin, twisted it with his hands, and looked at it closely for a while. He didn't say anything, so I could only look for clues myself. The most convenient way was to look at the whole coffin.
The most eye-catching thing about both the coffin lid and the coffin body is the faint and charming fragrance. This fragrance is barely audible, and the harder you try, the less you can smell it. When you don't pay attention, it becomes clearer, like an illusion caused by direct stimulation to the brain.
I've heard that today's advanced medical methods can directly stimulate the brain nerves of people, so that even if you don't eat, you can still feel the aroma of food. It's magical, but not very useful.
The coffin was plain, without any special decorations or patterns. Without identification, it was hard to tell what era it was from. But what surprised me was that even in such a humid place, the coffin was still extremely dry. It felt slightly warm to the touch, but it disappeared the next second.
Just these two points can confirm that this coffin is very unusual, perhaps it is used to bury some important person. It is said that some dignitaries in ancient times liked to find strange places and use special coffins, hoping to be resurrected in the future or to have a better life in the underworld.
This place is strange enough, located inside the mountain, coming out from the bottom of the pond. In the pond, there is a huge red-spotted python, who is not sure whether it grew on its own or was released by someone. Just looking at the body of the python, it must be at least several hundred meters long.
This means that this coffin has existed at least two or three hundred years ago.
Did you see anything? I asked again.
The old Taoist took out a few pieces of talisman paper from his arms, picked up all the golden residue in the coffin, wrapped it up, and put it carefully into his arms.
I was watching from the sidelines with great curiosity. I followed the old Taoist priest because I was afraid of death and because I wanted to make my life more exciting. But the old Taoist priest just watched and said nothing, like a mute. Wasn't it obvious that he was anxious for me?
After checking the entire underground space and finding nothing unusual, the old Taoist priest raised his hand to lift the coffin lid and put it back on. His movements were gentle and careful, as if he was doing something extraordinary.
Then, the old Taoist lit a paper talisman with one hand and threw it toward the top of the mountain wall. The fire flashed and the old Taoist seemed to see something and nodded imperceptibly.
I was so anxious watching this that I wanted to tear the old Taoist's head off and put it on my neck, so that I would know what he was thinking.
Perhaps sensing my curiosity, anxiety, and impatience, the old Taoist priest said leisurely: This coffin was originally hanging up there, and someone dropped it down. Judging from the traces, it must have been done by those people.
They came all the way from the zombie vein, and they were willing to lure me into the game to get the things here. The secret was naturally in the coffin. However, they took everything away, and I only got a little remnant.
Did you have any special feelings just now? The old Taoist priest suddenly asked.
I thought about it and said: I smelled a little fragrance, and the coffin felt a little warm, it seemed to be there and not there, and I don’t know if it was an illusion.
The old Taoist nodded and said with some appreciation: The spiritual blood of the Eight Ropes lineage is indeed extraordinary. Even if one has no Taoist power, one can still sense abnormalities.
Then he changed the subject and said: What is placed in this coffin should be the remains of a person.
Bones? Skeletons? I was a little surprised. These people went to such great lengths just to get the skeletons of dead people? Are they the walking corpse sect or the tomb robber sect? Even if they were tomb robbers, they wouldn't like to take skeletons. They're perverts.
The old Taoist priest naturally didn't understand the strange thoughts in my mind, and continued to explain: Even I was surprised. This skeleton has existed for a long time, but even on the tiny broken bones, I can still feel the pure Taoist power. It is as vast as the sky, and the righteousness is so great that you feel warm. In fact, it is not the coffin, but the Taoist power left on the broken bones.
What does that mean? I was completely confused.
The old Taoist explained: People who cultivate the power of Taoism can cast spells and slay demons. However, after death, dust returns to dust, and earth returns to earth, and all the cultivation in life will be gone. This is what the monks said, that after a hundred years of life, one is just a stinking skin. But this skeleton, even the broken bones still have the power of Taoism, which is shocking.
Perhaps, this was a great master from ancient times. I think their purpose was to study this strange phenomenon, or to gain other benefits from it.
What are the benefits? I asked.
The old Taoist said: I don’t understand either, but if not, then what is the reason?
We couldn't figure out this problem, so the old Taoist priest packed up the remaining broken bones and planned to study them carefully when he returned.
After confirming one last time that there was nothing he had forgotten to check, the old Taoist priest took me away from the pond and returned to the ground.
After I came out, I took a few deep breaths. It felt so bad to be in the water. I felt like I was suffocating. Maybe it was because the water was too deep.
Looking up, I saw half of a zombie's body and a huge, bloody red-spotted python lying in the mountain stream. All of this indicated that a big battle had just taken place. Seeing this reminded me that we were still in danger.
Following the old Taoist priest, we ignored the zombies along the way, and the red-spotted python lay there motionless, as if it was dead.
The old Taoist priest took a look and suddenly seemed to remember something. He asked me: Do you want a protective treasure?
A protective treasure? I thought about it, and then I wanted to slap myself. Is there any need to think about it? Of course I want it.
The old Taoist nodded and asked me for the jade pendant that could lead to the underworld. He was about to cast a spell when he suddenly stopped.
What's wrong? I asked.
The old Taoist looked at the red-spotted python and said: It is not dead yet.
Uh, you have to die to control it?
Yes. The old Taoist nodded: Extracting the soul of a living being is against the will of heaven, and will lead to heaven's punishment and shortening of life.
Or should I stab him to death? I asked.
