The Coffin That Bound the God

Gu Changyuan raised his left hand and tapped lightly with his index finger.

A wisp of spiritual energy escaped from his fingertip like a fine silver thread, instantly shooting into the sky.

The moment the spiritual energy touched the void, it suddenly transformed into a ripple, spreading in all directions at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Wherever the ripple passed—

The fierce and ominous aura left behind by the strange beast instantly melted away.

That suffocating sense of oppression, the bloodlust and brutality permeating the air, were completely washed clean.

The sky became clear and translucent once again, and the sunlight spilled down, as warm as before.

Gu Changyuan lowered his left hand, raised his right slightly, and pointed his index finger up.

The small black coffin slowly rotated above his fingertip, completely devoid of the terrifying appearance it had when it swallowed the Immortal Kings just moments ago.

Behind him.

Zhuge Dancheng, Gongsun Xiangming, and Xuanyuan Feiyue stood with their mouths slightly agape and their gazes dull, still immersed in the shock brought by that scene.

They were Immortal Kings.

Immortal Kings who had lived for tens of thousands of years.

Immortal Kings who had seen countless grand scenes and experienced countless life-and-death struggles.

But that scene just now—

The terrifying aura when that ferocious beast appeared made even their hearts palpitate.

That pure, primal ferocious power made the Immortal King Dao rhythms within their bodies faintly restless.

This Holy Ancestor of the Heaven and Human Holy Land simply raised his hand and spoke.

In a mere three breaths.

That strange beast, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, was torn to pieces, swallowed, and completely erased.

The three Immortal Kings exchanged glances, all seeing the same shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

Was this really the strength a cultivator from the Lower Realm should possess?

The power of that casual strike, the method of summoning the ferocious beast, the mastery over the laws...

Was the young man before them truly not a supreme existence specially sent down by some hidden top-tier faction of the Upper Realm?!

It wasn't just the three of them; all the members of the five great families behind them were currently experiencing a storm in their hearts, their scalps tingling from the shock.

The strange beast summoned by the formation set up by the three from the Royal Court had already brought them endless oppression.

But what about this Holy Ancestor?

With just a casual sentence, he summoned the phantom of a ferocious beast with one finger, swallowed the strange beast in one gulp, crushed the grand formation with one palm, and sealed three Immortal King-level powerhouses into a coffin with a backhand motion.

Among the five families, two family heads were currently filled with wild joy.

One was naturally Zhuge Jinglong. His gaze subconsciously looked at his son, Zhuge Sijue, beside him, his heart churning.

Previously, he had felt that the relationship between the Zhuge family and the Heaven and Human Holy Land was mutually beneficial, an alliance between the strong.

But looking at it now—how was this an alliance?

It was clearly their Zhuge family clinging to a heaven-sent fortune.

Zhuge Jinglong secretly rejoiced in his heart; fortunately, he hadn't stopped this marriage back then, fortunately, he had always treated Xu Mengyao with courtesy, fortunately...

He took a deep breath, trying hard to keep his expression calm, but the wildly rising corners of his mouth betrayed his inner ecstasy.

Dugu Qirong's expression was even more complex.

His gaze landed on Gu Changyuan, his eyes full of excitement and relief.

His daughter, Dugu Shiling, was this Holy Ancestor's yet-to-be-inducted grand-disciple!

Although she hadn't officially acknowledged her master yet, the matter was already settled.

He wished he could fly back to the Dugu family right now and enshrine that girl.

Back when that girl proposed going to the Heaven and Human Holy Land alone, he had hesitated and even opposed it.

After all, the Dugu family's influence was waning now, and he didn't want his daughter taking risks alone outside.

Thinking about it now...

He wished he could slap himself in the face.

Fortunately, that girl was stubborn and didn't listen to him.

As for Ye Qingxue, Lin Jingyu, and Yue Lingxi—

They stood behind Gu Changyuan, their expressions calm, but deep within their eyes, shock was similarly surging.

They knew their master was very strong.

After returning from the Void of Disorder, they knew their master's strength had reached an unfathomable height.

But knowing it was one thing; seeing it with their own eyes was another.

That scene just now, whether it was the visual impact or the absolute control revealed in his every movement, was enough to be called absolutely shocking.

On Gu Changyuan's finger, that small black coffin was still slowly rotating.

He turned around and looked at the three Immortal Kings behind him who were still in a state of stupor, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"You three."

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly awakened the three from their shock.

The three shuddered simultaneously, their gazes converging on him.

"Would you like to gather inside the coffin?"

Gu Changyuan raised his finger, gesturing toward the spinning small black coffin.

"I would like to know a bit about the matters concerning the Royal Court."

Hearing this, the three of them cast their gazes upon the small black coffin.

Enter the coffin?

These words sounded... somewhat strange.

Zhuge Dancheng spoke first, his tone much more respectful:

"Of course."

Gongsun Xiangming and Xuanyuan Feiyue also nodded.

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly.

He waved his right hand—

A soft stream of light enveloped Ye Qingxue's group of three, as well as Zhuge Dancheng's group of three.

In the next instant, the seven figures transformed into streams of light and vanished into the small black coffin.

The small black coffin remained suspended in the void, slowly rotating.

Zhuge Jinglong took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the shock and ecstasy in his heart, and regained the composure expected of a family head.

He turned to face the guests who were still recovering from their fright and spoke loudly:

"Everyone!"

Everyone's gazes gathered on him.

"What just happened was purely an accident, and it startled you all.

The Zhuge family has prepared fine guest rooms for everyone. You may rest first and recover your vitality."

Hearing this, the crowd nodded in succession and, guided by the Zhuge family's attendants, headed to their respective quarters.

......

Inside the black coffin.

It was an endless expanse of darkness.

A pure, absolute darkness without a single trace of light.

But as Gu Changyuan's figure appeared—

"Buzz—"

Light suddenly flared up.

That light radiated from Gu Changyuan's body, instantly dispelling all the darkness and illuminating the entire space.

Only then did everyone clearly see where they were.

It was a massive space with pitch-black walls.

Beneath their feet was a solid ground, yet it felt as if it had no weight.

And right in the center of the space—

Three figures were tightly bound by thick black iron chains.

It was precisely those three Immortal Kings of the Royal Court.

At this moment, they were covered in blood, their auras feeble, their heads hanging low like three dead dogs whose spines had been pulled out.

Those iron chains extended from the void, wrapping around their limbs, torsos, and necks, locking them firmly in place, unable to move.

The God-Binding Coffin.

This was one of the treasures Gu Changyuan had obtained in the Void of Disorder.

Inside this coffin, the aura, karma, cultivation base, and divine soul of the bound individuals would be completely stripped away and thoroughly sealed off; the outside world could not perceive or lock onto them.

Not only that, the God-Binding Coffin would automatically fabricate an aura and karmic line identical to the captives, continuing to walk their karmic paths in their stead and completing the tasks they were "supposed to complete."

When the Royal Court sent them to the Lower Realm, they were inevitably given a certain amount of time to complete their mission.

If they were killed directly, the Royal Court of the Upper Realm would notice the anomaly before long. At that time, they would definitely send even stronger experts to the Lower Realm, causing unnecessary complications.

That was why Gu Changyuan chose to utilize the God-Binding Coffin.

By forging their tracks and covering up the truth, he could keep the Imperial Court in the dark for the time being, entirely unaware that the three Immortal Kings they had sent down had already been reduced to prisoners.

Only by doing this could his disciples and his three factions develop in peace, steadily improve, and accumulate their strength.

And only then could he receive more cultivation feedback from them.

Through the three Immortal Kings before him, he only grasped the general strength of the Imperial Court, but remained ignorant of their true limits and hidden trump cards.

Especially that bizarre crystal core within their bodies...

Such a thing did not look like it could be easily produced.