The crystal coffin was transparent. When Chu Feng climbed onto the elevated platform, he could clearly see an elderly man lying within.
The old man's hair was white as snow, his face pale as parchment, his body withered and gaunt as a dry branch. Yet despite this, he still radiated a crushing sense of oppression—for in life, he had been a cultivator of the Heaven Martial Realm.
"A Heaven Martial Realm cultivator! Haha, this is wonderful—quick, help me absorb his origin! If I can absorb his origin, I'll be able to step into the Xuan Wu Realm."
"Once that happens, I'll transfer the power to you. With your current abilities, you'll be able to slaughter that Gong Luyun with ease. Even the Shangguan family in Vermilion Bird City won't have anyone who can stand against you."
Eggy's delightful voice rang out. At this moment, her spirit was bouncing around in excitement inside his spiritual world, happy as a child—the origin of a Heaven Martial Realm powerhouse was simply too tempting for her to resist.
"A Heaven Martial Realm… it's actually the remains of a Heaven Martial Realm expert! Could this be the old ancestor of the White Tiger Villa—the Murong Xiaoyao who wielded the most devastating offensive techniques?"
Compared to Eggy, who was single-mindedly focused on devouring the old man's origin, Chu Feng gazed at the elderly figure with nothing but reverence. His appearance was strikingly similar to the legendary Murong Xiaoyao.
"Who cares who he is? Open the crystal coffin quickly—don't wait for that Spirit World Master to come back, or we'll both be dead!" Eggy urged urgently.
"A Spirit World Master? The one who entered this place before me—he was a Spirit World Master?" Chu Feng was startled. He hadn't expected Eggy to identify the person's identity without ever having seen him.
But thinking about it, he could understand. Whoever could crack the so-called life vein and gain entry to this place could only be a Spirit World Master. A Xuan Wu Realm Spirit World Master—even if not on Zhuge Qingyun's level—would certainly be a formidable figure.
With that thought, Chu Feng wasted no more time. After opening the lid of the crystal coffin, he first bowed to the Heaven Martial Realm expert as a sign of respect, then began to absorb his origin.
He had to admit—the origin was extraordinarily dense, far beyond anything a Xuan Wu Realm cultivator could compare to. Absorbing it required considerable effort from Chu Feng, but in order to devour the entire supply before the Spirit World Master returned, he had to give his full cooperation to Eggy.
"Haha, wonderful! This sensation is absolutely marvelous—my cultivation has finally increased again!"
After roughly half an hour of absorption, Chu Feng had managed to devour all of the remains' origin. Eggy was beside herself with joy, for she had benefited the most from the absorption. She had now stepped into the first level of the Xuan Wu Realm.
*Bzzz—* Just then, Chu Feng watched in astonishment as the previously intact remains began to transform. The body beneath the white robes was rapidly contracting—the flesh and blood dissipated swiftly, leaving behind only a pile of dry, bleached bones.
"Wh-what… how can this be?"
Chu Feng was utterly stunned. He clearly remembered that absorbing one's origin should not affect the physical remains themselves. So why, this time, had the absorption caused the body to deteriorate from its complete state into a skeletal frame?
"Idiot, what's there to be shocked about? The reason his body stayed intact was the special effect of this crystal coffin. Once you opened it, the remains were bound to change," Eggy explained.
"So that's how it is. Then—is this the entrance to the Emperor's Tomb?"
"Where did that Spirit World Master go?" Chu Feng carefully surveyed his surroundings, finding them similar to the life vein in structure—corridors branching off in every direction, with numerous passages leading to unknown destinations.
"This doesn't look like an entrance. It looks more like a sealing formation—and a very powerful one at that."
"If I'm not mistaken, this is very likely Murong Xiaoyao. He must have obtained something within the Emperor's Tomb back then, but for some reason, he didn't want anyone to open it again, which is why he sealed this place."
"However, based on what happened earlier, the cracking of the life vein has already affected this sealing formation. And looking at the talismans around us, they appear to be the work of that Spirit World Master—he stabilized the formation."
"As for the so-called life vein, it was probably nothing more than a lie Murong Xiaoyao crafted. From the very beginning, he intended to entomb himself here. So while building the White Tiger Villa, he also constructed this place."
"Perhaps to prevent anyone from disturbing his peace after death—or perhaps there really is something beneath this sealing formation that he didn't want anyone else to access. Regardless of the reason, he was certainly alive when he did all this."
"He deliberately pretended to vanish while still living, and when intruders eventually came, he ruthlessly cut them down—using that to intimidate future generations." Eggy reasoned through it all.
"But even so—how did he suddenly transform from a man in the prime of his life into a wizened old man? If the legends are true, that would mean he lived for three hundred years. Doesn't that surpass the limits of human lifespan?" Chu Feng was puzzled.
"He must have experienced something that caused the change. The Emperor's Tomb is far more complex than you imagine—it contains not only evil spirits, but many other terrifying guardians as well."
"The fact that he could go from a youthful man to a decrepit old one means he could just as easily have lived for several hundred years. In truth, once your cultivation reaches a certain level, living for a thousand years isn't impossible."
"But right now, what you need to be thinking about isn't the reason for Murong Xiaoyao's transformation, or whether there are treasures he left behind."
"What you need to do are two things. First—eliminate that Spirit World Master. Only then can you claim this place's treasures for yourself and inherit Murong Xiaoyao's legacy."
"Second—find a way out. Because if you don't even know how to leave, everything else is meaningless."
Eggy's voice turned solemn as she delivered her reminder.
Only then did Chu Feng realize—he had stepped through that black hole and arrived here directly. There was no path back.