467: Chapter 467 The Devil Resurrects, So Filial

The gasp broke the solemn and respectful atmosphere of the Dharma assembly, and the crowd watching the cremation suddenly stirred with commotion.

The first to speak was a tall and robust servant who had been standing right beside the bonfire, specifically responsible for adding firewood.

At this moment, however, he stared blankly at the coffin in the fire, his voice trembling as he didn't dare to shout too loudly.

Several nearby members of the Family stretched their necks over, craning them to peer at the firewood pile that was over a person's height.

When they saw the scene inside the coffin clearly, their eyes widened instantly, and their bodies instinctively shrank back, their expressions looking as if they had seen a ghost.

This commotion quickly attracted other Family members, who gathered around in twos and threes to watch and whisper.

"What is going on? Why is the coffin still completely fine?"

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"I don't know. Having burned for so long, theoretically even if it's nanmu wood, there should be some reaction..."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan was standing by the Dharma altar talking with Fang Cheng and the others. Hearing the commotion, his expression inevitably sank.

He suppressed the unease in his heart, quickly walked through the commotion-filled crowd to the front of the bonfire, and asked:

"What's the situation?"

The servant guarding the edge of the bonfire hurriedly lowered his head and swallowed hard:

"Second Young Master, we've added firewood three times and poured gasoline on it, but this coffin acts as if it's not afraid of burning at all."

"And Old Master Chen Hongye, his... his corpse doesn't seem to have changed at all..."

Hearing this, Second Young Master Chen Xuan suddenly raised his head, casting his gaze straight at the black-lacquered coffin at the top of the bonfire.

Afterward, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he also drew in a sharp breath.

Fang Cheng and Lin Chuqiao exchanged a glance, tacitly walking to the outer perimeter of the crowd, likewise staring intently at the bizarre phenomenon in the fire.

Blazing flames enveloped the coffin, and the dancing tongues of fire were over two stories high.

The firewood cracked and snapped loudly, and sparks continuously flew upward.

Even separated by a distance of several meters, the skin on their faces could feel the scorching heat rushing toward them.

Under such fierce fire, ordinary wood would have long since carbonized and turned black.

Yet that coffin was unusually tough, with only a faint charred color gleaming at the edges.

At most, the black lacquer on the outer layer of the coffin body was heavily cracked, revealing the dark red wood underneath.

"This is a nanmu coffin."

Lin Chuqiao said softly, explaining to Fang Cheng:

"Wealthy people often use this kind of wood for coffins. Its density is much higher than ordinary wood, it's as hard as iron, and it carries natural antiseptic components. The temperature of an ordinary bonfire naturally makes it difficult to burn through completely."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly; he knew this as well.

But the current situation was clearly not as simple as just being "difficult to burn through."

The fire accumulated by the firewood had already covered more than half of the coffin body.

Several orange-red tongues of fire were continuously drilling along the opening of the coffin, darting into its interior.

Meanwhile, Old Master Chen Hongye inside the coffin seemed to stand aloof, as if isolated from this blazing fire.

Ever since his physical attributes successively broke through the 60-point milestone, Fang Cheng's height had grown to 1.85 meters, making him a head taller than most of the surrounding Chen Family members.

Others needed to stand on tiptoe to barely catch a glimpse of the interior scene of the coffin, but he could clearly see the full view inside.

At this moment, the burial garments on Old Master Chen Hongye turned a scorched yellow under the roasting of the tongues of fire, their edges curling slightly, yet they were never ignited.

The pitch-black hair also merely twisted and withered at a slow speed, without turning into ashes.

What was even more bizarre was that his skin was intact, without the slightest scorch mark from the flames, and not even a trace of smoke-scorching could be found.

Instead, amidst the flickering firelight, it faintly emitted an eerie luster, as if covered by a thin layer of wax.

Fang Cheng then relayed the scene he saw to Lin Chuqiao.

"Even the burial garments can't be burned?"

Hearing this, Lin Chuqiao's eyes brightened, her voice carrying undisguised shock:

"This is simply not the degree of isolation nanmu can achieve... I'm afraid there is something else protecting his body."

"That's really seeing a ghost!"

Pan Wendi also crowded close to the two of them at this time, his face a mix of astonishment and a hint of excitement.

"What Materials is this old man's body made of? Could he have cultivated the legendary indestructible body of vajra?"

Bailing followed closely behind, asking in a low voice:

"Sister Xiaochu, could this be another wicked sorcery spell?"

Lin Chuqiao did not speak, only furrowing her slender brows in deep thought.

A sudden stir arose in Fang Cheng's heart, as if he had grasped some vague notion.

He stepped half a step forward, focused his gaze again, and carefully observed the bonfire.

Red light faintly flickered in his pupils, and the Scavengers Eye quietly activated along with it.

Under this dark red visual filter, the details originally obscured by flames and thick smoke instantly became clear.

Fang Cheng was shocked to find that Old Master Chen Hongye's entire body was currently shrouded in a faint halo.

That was not the effect of the flame's reflection.

It should be some kind of abnormal energy surging within the corpse, slowly radiating out from the pores.

This kind of scene...

Like thermal imaging seen through night-vision equipment, it clearly indicated the presence of highly concentrated bio-energy within the corpse.

Moreover, this energy, like a materialized Qi field, tightly wrapped around the corpse, forming an invisible barrier that firmly blocked the high temperature of the flames outside.

Even part of the energy was slowly dissipating outward, attaching to the burial garments and the surrounding coffin boards, as if wrapping them in a protective film as well.

It seemed precisely because of this that the burning efficiency of the coffin was reduced to a certain extent, making it difficult to burn through quickly.

Fang Cheng observed intently, making guesses in his heart.

At the same time, the Chen Family members also whispered to one another, filled with shock and uncertainty.

Such a thing as a corpse refusing to burn was completely unheard of in their cognition; it was simply too bizarre.

An uneasy atmosphere quickly permeated the air, and even the chanting of the monks seemed unable to suppress it.

"This is our Chen Family Bloodline Power at work!"

An elderly voice suddenly sounded from the crowd, breaking the commotion.

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw Elder Chen Dehai walking forward with a cane.

He first swept a glance at the panicked Family members, then raised his head to look at the coffin in the bonfire, before continuing to speak:

"Hongye is a once-in-a-century peerless Genius of our Chen Family. He was naturally gifted during his lifetime, having cultivated the Family's Bloodline Power 'Solidification' to a Transcendent realm, and after his death, his body is even harder than gold and stone."

Elder Chen Dehai paused, trying hard to make his voice sound calmer:

"Now that he passed away from illness three years ago, there is still residual Bloodline Power protecting his corpse, which is completely normal. Everyone need not panic!"

These words acted like a reassuring pill, allowing many Family members to quietly let out a breath of relief, and the whispering voices also died down.

Yet someone still frowned, their gaze falling into the coffin.

The residual energy of the corpse protecting the Physical Body was barely justifiable.

But not even being able to burn the burial garments and hair still seemed far too bizarre and could not be explained by a "normal phenomenon" at all.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan stood in front of the bonfire, staring intently at that corpse inside the coffin. Remembering that his grandmother had also said similar words, his heart suddenly wavered somewhat.

Could he have been wrong?

His expression changed constantly, turning pale one moment and sinking the next.

Afterward, he closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, that trace of hesitation had been replaced by ruthlessness and determination.

Matters had already reached this extent; it had been burned, and the Family members were watching. There was simply no turning back.

He could not just stop and give up now.

"You few, go and move all the remaining gasoline in the storeroom over here!"

Second Young Master Chen Xuan immediately turned around, pointing at the servants not far away and commanding with an undeniable harshness in his tone.

He wanted to burn this fire even more fiercely and violently, completely incinerating all the bizarreness before his eyes!

A moment later, several servants carrying oil drums rushed back one after another, panting.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan stepped forward and personally took a drum of oil.

When he unscrewed the lid, the pungent smell of gasoline instantly dispersed, floating in the air mixed with the charred smell of firewood.

He poured it down along the gaps in the firewood stack with crisp and neat movements.

The gasoline slowly seeped in along the grain of the wood.

As soon as it touched the flame, with a "boom", an orange-red flame over two meters high surged up.

The cracking and snapping sound of the firewood was even more intense and dense than before.

Even the surrounding air was scorching hot, and standing a few meters away, one could feel the skin burning with pain.

Even so, Old Master Chen Hongye's corpse remained completely undamaged.

Seeing that the space above the coffin was not completely enveloped by the flames, Second Young Master Chen Xuan frowned tightly.

He immediately had the servants fetch more firewood, continuously piling it onto the coffin, wishing he could stuff it tightly.

"Hey, don't pile it too densely."

Lin Chuqiao calmly reminded him:

"Leave some gaps to let the wind in. Only with enough oxygen can it burn more fiercely."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan was stunned upon hearing this, only then realizing that he had been a bit too impatient just now.

He immediately followed Lin Chuqiao's prompt and directed the servants to adjust the structure of the firewood stack.

First, they pushed the half-charred firewood on the outer layer toward the bottom of the coffin to clear up some gaps.

Then they had the servants stuff new dry firewood into the gaps, intentionally hollowing out several small openings at the bottom of the firewood pile.

Finally, the new firewood was leaned obliquely against both sides of the coffin, so that the firewood closely clung to the coffin body without completely blocking the passage for air circulation.

After the adjustment, the flames indeed seemed smoothed out, darting upward along the gaps and rapidly weaving into a dense net to envelop the entire coffin.

The nanmu coffin body began to be roasted black and charred, the cracking sounds became more urgent, and the wooden boards also began to show signs of glowing red from the heat.

The burial garments on the corpse, which had long been roasted scorched yellow and brittle, finally seemed to have reached their limit.

The moment they were licked by the tongues of fire, they caught fire as well, and the orange-red flames darted rapidly across the fabric.

Before long, the burial garments turned into fine ashes, covering the corpse in a thin layer like a sprinkling of gray powder.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan gritted his teeth, picked up a long wooden stick nearby, and cautiously poked at the firewood pile.

From time to time, he also shouted at the servants, ordering them to continuously add new dry firewood and pour gasoline.

Looking at Second Young Master Chen Xuan's ruthless drive, he had the posture of never stopping until he burned his grandfather's corpse into ashes.

Fang Cheng actually admired him a bit; he was truly filial enough.

The site of the corpse cremation experienced some changes.

The nearby grand water-and-land Dharma assembly, however, was still proceeding methodically.

Great Master Yuanjue sat cross-legged in the center of the Dharma altar, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand and chanting scriptures in a low voice.

The dozen or so monks behind him also chanted in unison, striking Magical Artifacts.

Dong-dong — — Qiang-lang-lang — —

The low chanting of scriptures and the sound of bells and cymbals echoed through the manor, mixed with the crackling sound of the firewood burning, exuding an indescribable sense of bizarreness.

The very last trace of the setting sun's afterglow was finally swallowed by the horizon, leaving only a lead-gray evening glow on the edge of the sky.

Soon, Chen Family Manor was completely enveloped by night.

Everything around grew dark, except for the blazing flames in front of the Dharma altar, which appeared increasingly bright in the dark night.

The orange-red pillars of fire darted straight up, almost dyeing half the sky red.

The firelight elongated the figures of the monks and illuminated the faces of every onlooker.

The soul-calling banner beside the Dharma altar swayed gently in the wind, and the runes on the cloth surface flickered under the reflection of the firelight, as if summoning something.

The large pile of firewood was still crackling and burning, and thick smoke wrapped in fine ash billowed upward, carrying a choking charred smell as it fell on their faces.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan stood at the front of the crowd, the scorching heat wave making sweat beads pop out on his temples.

Yet he did not step back, merely narrowing his eyes and staring closely at the coffin.

At this time, the flames had completely swallowed the coffin.

The firewood piled high burned glowing red, and looking from afar, it resembled a giant tomb burning away.

After a continuous hour of cremation, that originally pitch-black nanmu coffin had long since turned into charred coal, its surface cracked with dense patterns.

The air was filled with the burnt smell of wood after carbonization, mixed with the pungent scent of gasoline, causing the onlookers to cough a few times from time to time.

The tongues of fire continued to lick the corpse inside the coffin.

Old Master Chen Hongye's originally intact skin gradually turned scorched yellow, slowly growing black and wrinkled like meat roasted for too long.

The hair clinging closely to his scalp was also singed by the flames, first curling and withering, and soon igniting small flames that dropped down bit by bit into charred ashes.

The crowd stared at the changes appearing in the bonfire, their pupils reflecting the firelight, and the tension on their faces slowly faded away.

Someone let out a breath of relief and muttered in a low voice:

"It's finally going to burn away..."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan also secretly let out a breath, raising his hand to wipe the sweat on his temples, his eyes carrying relief.

As long as this bizarre corpse was thoroughly burned through, everything the Chen Family encountered could come to an end.

Lin Chuqiao and Bailing on the side, however, did not relax.

Their fingers unconsciously clenched at their sides, their faces showing a bit of disappointment while faintly waiting for something.

Fang Cheng's expression remained calm, but the red light in the depths of his eyes grew increasingly intense.

The Scavengers Eye was never withdrawn.

He clearly sensed that the corpse was undergoing some kind of abnormal change.

Especially the heart area, which was originally the place where the halo was most intense.

The energy density there had become even higher, presenting a nearly flowing dark red.

Thump... thump...

Faint sounds came over, as if life signs were rapidly reviving.

That heart within the chest cavity of the corpse, which should have been dormant, faintly beat.

"Crack!"

A burning piece of dry pine wood suddenly burst, and sparks splashed upward into the sky like a fine rain.

Tracing countless brief and bright arcs in the night, they slowly drifted down and quickly extinguished upon hitting the ground.

Fang Cheng's pupils suddenly constricted, locking his gaze into the fire.

The red light emitted from the skin of that corpse suddenly became several times stronger than before, almost condensing into substance.

Even the surrounding air was dyed light red, beginning to distort slightly.

This red energy was still slowly dissipating all around. When it touched the flames, the tongues of fire actually shrank to the side subconsciously, as if avoiding it.

Such an abnormal movement was noticed by Lin Chuqiao, Pan Wendi, and Bailing before long.

At the same time, Second Young Master Chen Xuan and the other Chen Family members quickly discovered the abnormality as well.

Under the gaze of all, amidst the reflection of the firelight.

On the surface of that corpse which had originally begun to char, one twisted dark red spell after another actually emerged.

Those spells, like living creatures, wound and crawled across the corpse's chest and arms, occasionally contracting and occasionally stretching.

Even though the roaring fire burned right in front of them, it could not cover up the chill emitted by the spells.

It was as if they were outlined stroke by stroke on the charred skin, exuding an indescribable wickedness.

An extremely chilly aura, accompanied by the appearance of the spells, quietly permeated from the fire, spreading all around along the gloomy wind.

The few servants closest to the bonfire couldn't help shivering, instinctively taking two steps back.

The temperature in the air seemed to drop abruptly; the physical sensation that was scorching just moments ago suddenly felt like returning to the bitter cold of winter, with even breaths carrying a bit of white vapor.

Over at the Dharma altar, the monks' scripture-chanting voices also became somewhat shaky.

The originally neat rhythm of the rituals was disrupted by a bit, and someone's hand holding the wooden fish started slipping.

Great Master Yuanjue sat in the center of the Dharma altar, his brows furrowing tightly, clearly having also sensed that something was amiss.

The speed at which he twirled his Buddhist prayer beads became several times faster, and the amplitude of his lips opening and closing also grew larger, as if he were urgently chanting scriptures to deliver the departed souls.

Everyone in the Chen Family widened their eyes, staring fixedly at the bizarre scene in the fire.

The hearts that had finally relaxed just a moment ago hung suspended once again, and an uneasy emotion surged up like a tide in an instant.

Right at this moment.

"Hoo..."

From deep within the bonfire, a deep, lingering sigh suddenly came over.

That voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry penetrative power, drilling straight into everyone's ears.

Heavy and cold, as if floating from the depths of Hell, wrapped in an unresolvable resentment and hatred, making people's hearts tighten.

Then, an elderly yet majestic voice slowly sounded from the fire, every single word carrying heavy pressure:

"Three years have passed... This old man is about to achieve Karma Perfection, why must you all insist on disturbing my peaceful slumber?"