25: Killing Tathagata

The three of them advanced step by step into the depths of the ancient path.

only their footsteps and strong heartbeats could be heard.

The longer they stayed in the dark environment, the more Zi Yuan grew afraid, and the tighter her grip on Lin Ye's clothes became.

Hoo... Just as the three of them thought the darkness was endless, suddenly, clusters of firelight appeared on the walls on both sides.

The flames were not the usual crimson color but a mesmerizing blue. The appearance of this firelight did not bring warmth; instead, it added a chilling coldness to the surroundings.

The firelight led deep into the unknown. Was it kindly guiding them, or was it luring them towards an abyss?

For some unknown reason, Lin Ye felt that certain things deeper within seemed to have a close connection with him.

The black Golden Core in his Qi Sea trembled slightly at this moment.

Following the path emanating blue light, the three quickly arrived at a secret chamber.

However, rather than a secret chamber, it was more like a burial chamber.

The decaying smell they had encountered above was already pungent enough, but the scent of this corpse Qi at its source was even more dizzying.

At the very front lay a massive coffin, seemingly cast from bronze, inscribed with complex runes.

Faint blue light added a eerie atmosphere to the entire tomb.

"Ah!!!"

Zi Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

It turned out that when Luo Weiyu's illuminating crystal lit up the tomb, they could see a pile of charred corpses all around.

These corpses were not mere skeletons; they seemed to have flesh, but all had turned a charred black, as if burned by fire.

Sitting, standing, lying—the corpses were in various states. The only commonality was that on their charred faces, their mouths were upturned.

This meant that all these people had died smiling.

Lin Ye found this scene very familiar. After careful thought, he suddenly remembered that this was precisely the scene depicted in the murals on the wall when they entered the underground passage.

Upon seeing the bronze coffin, Luo Weiyu immediately walked up excitedly to examine it closely.

Lin Ye, on the other hand, approached the tombstone beside the bronze coffin. He waved his hand, and a surge of spiritual power blew away the dust on the tombstone, revealing the carved words.

Buddha's light saves all suffering beings, ghosts cry and gods howl as Supreme Bliss opens.

Good and evil are never their true forms; Killing slays the heart, Evil Tathagata.

only these four short lines of poetry were left on the tombstone.

Tathagata?

As a Transmigration, Lin Ye was naturally very familiar with this Buddhist title, but Evil Tathagata... Was this tomb the Tathagata's?

Absolutely impossible!

A bronze coffin suppresses evil. But if the person inside the coffin was the Tathagata, then they would have been utterly unable to enter the tomb.

In this fantastical world, even the corpse of a powerful individual possesses the Divine Might it had in life. There are even legends that the bodies of Great Emperors buried in the Void Realm come back to life, turning entire domains into desolation.

Although he didn't know what kind of powerful being the Evil Tathagata in this poem was.

But just from the bloody and pungent verses, he knew that this person was definitely an unparalleled powerful individual.

"I finally found it! I finally found it!!!"

Luo Weiyu caressed the bronze coffin as if he were looking at a peerless beauty.

It was a long time before he came back to his senses.

He had regained his gentle and elegant demeanor and came before Lin Ye: "Dao brother, I told you before that we would split the Opportunity here fifty-fifty. You might not know, but both this bronze coffin and what's inside it are rare and great Opportunities."

"If you don't mind, I'll take this bronze coffin, and the contents inside will be yours, Brother Lin."

Zi Yuan, who should have stepped forward to ask why he was given the Opportunity while they were left with a broken coffin, was unusually silent at this moment. She didn't know if it was out of fear or because she had been holding Lin Ye's clothes the entire way, creating a so-called 'companion effect.'

"The Opportunity in the coffin is for me?"

Lin Ye looked at Luo Weiyu with interest.

The latter put on a resolute expression: "That's right! Although this Opportunity came easily, Brother Lin, believe me, the Opportunity inside is absolutely unimaginable. If I hadn't found the map to this place, plus Junior Sister's broken seal talisman, this Opportunity would probably have been buried forever."

"Oh, you're right. But how about this: we switch. I'll take this bronze coffin, and you take the Opportunity inside?"

Hearing Lin Ye's words, Luo Weiyu's face stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "Alright, Brother Lin, you call the shots. Then the Opportunity inside is mine, and this bronze coffin is yours, Brother Lin."

"Good."

Lin Ye nodded and continued: "Then you go take the Opportunity inside, and I'll just carry this coffin away."

"This..." Luo Weiyu's expression suddenly became troubled.

"Could it be that there's some danger after opening this coffin? Brother Luo, you wouldn't try to harm me, would you?"

"..."

Seeing Lin Ye wink at him, the veins on Luo Weiyu's forehead bulged, but he still forced them down and said with a strained smile: "How could that be? Brother Lin, you underestimate me a bit. If I truly intended to harm you, why would I bring you here?"

"You're right."

Lin Ye walked towards the coffin and placed his hand on the bronze coffin.

As soon as he touched the bronze coffin, a strong sense of decay enveloped his entire body.

That feeling made his Divine Soul tremble and his Qi Sea churn.

Yet Lin Ye acted as if nothing had happened, calmly sensing this decaying aura.

In a short while, Lin Ye turned his palm into a finger and pointed a Sword Finger at the coffin.

Clang!!!

White Sword Qi shot out from his body, striking the bronze coffin with a loud clang.

Rumble!!!

The entire tomb began to shake.

Zi Yuan, scared, quickly ran to a corner, while Luo Weiyu's face was somewhat dark. He slowly came behind Lin Ye, his eyes hidden in the darkness like a predator eyeing its prey.

"The material of this bronze coffin is indeed good, Brother Luo. What do you think of this thing as your permanent residence?"

Lin Ye suddenly turned his head, his two fingers directly clamping the incoming Spirit Sword.

At this moment, Luo Weiyu's face was ferocious. Holding the Spirit Sword, he intended to ambush Lin Ye from behind, but he didn't expect the other party to turn around at that moment.

"Brother Lin, I kindly brought you here to seek Opportunity, yet you have repeatedly spoken ill of me. This is beyond endurance, so let me use your blood to open this bronze coffin!"

With that, the Spirit Sword in Luo Weiyu's hand vibrated, directly breaking free from Lin Ye's two fingers.

Immediately after, he formed a hand seal with one hand.

The Spirit Sword shone brightly, its Sword Qi echoing throughout the entire tomb.

"Die, Lin Ye!"

Luo Weiyu's face grew increasingly ferocious. The Spirit Sword thrust forward, then continuously enlarged in the air, severing Yin and Yang. A pure white light flashed on the sword's body, like a silver Dragon charging in.

The silver Dragon opened its massive mouth, intending to swallow Lin Ye whole in one go.

If he were swallowed by that silver Dragon, there was no doubt that the sharp Sword Qi would likely tear him to shreds.