Chapter Sixty-One: The Nine Coffins of the Shadowed Valley

“What’s wrong?” I asked Wu Xin.

Wu Xin replied, “Feng Zi Mo has suddenly disappeared.”

What?

“You said what? Brother Feng is gone?” I asked in confusion.

Wu Xin nodded. “Yes, just as we were walking, he vanished. At first, I thought he was playing a joke on me, but no matter how I searched, I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

After Wu Xin briefly recounted what happened, knowing Feng Zi Mo as I did, though he could be a bit unruly at times, he always knew when to draw the line. He would never pull a prank in a situation like this.

It seemed things weren’t as simple as they appeared—something must have happened to Brother Feng.

I asked Wu Xin where Feng Zi Mo disappeared, and told him to take us there.

Wu Xin said, “It’s just up ahead!”

With that, he led Lin Wei Yan and me toward the spot where Feng Zi Mo vanished.

Soon, Wu Xin pointed to a large tree ahead. “It was right here.”

We looked around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, apart from the particularly luxuriant weeds.

“Are you sure this is the place?” I asked.

Wu Xin pointed at a pile of firewood nearby. “Absolutely. I remember clearly—here’s the pile of wood we gathered.”

I glanced at the firewood, wondering how Feng Zi Mo could possibly disappear here.

Try as I might, I couldn’t make sense of it.

I realized I had a bad habit: whenever things happened, I always let my imagination run wild, often in the wrong direction.

I turned my gaze to Lin Wei Yan. In critical moments, she was always our anchor; she’d walked more roads than I’d eaten salt.

Lin Wei Yan saw me looking at her and gave a helpless expression.

Apparently, she was also clueless as to why Feng Zi Mo had disappeared so suddenly.

Could he have been kidnapped?

Or perhaps fallen into some kind of trap?

“Brother Feng…” I called out.

No response. Anxiety gnawed at my heart.

I prayed we wouldn’t end up losing Feng Zi Mo before even finding the Soul Capturing Pearl fragment.

Just then, as we were at a loss, Lin Wei Yan noticed something peculiar.

The tree beside me—upon closer inspection, it was different from the others. This pine tree looked darker, almost blackened.

“Wei Yan, hand me the Azure Cloud Sword,” I said.

Lin Wei Yan seemed to understand my intention; the Azure Cloud Sword promptly appeared in her hand.

Taking the Azure Cloud Sword, I approached the pine tree and swung the sword to stab it.

But just as the blade was about to strike, the tree vanished.

Watching this unfold, it confirmed my suspicions—there was something wrong with this tree.

As soon as I lowered my sword, the tree reappeared.

Pointing the sword at the tree, I said, “Stop your tricks and release my friend, or I’ll set this pine forest ablaze!”

Threatened, the pine tree actually spoke.

Its voice was weary, like that of an old man.

“Don’t set fire—this has nothing to do with me.”

Hearing the pine tree speak, I was prepared for something strange, but still, it shocked me.

Clearly, this pine had become a spirit—able to speak our tongue.

“There’s only you here. How is this not your doing? Tell me the truth,” I demanded.

The ancient tree spirit sighed. “Ah, you’re misunderstanding me. Though I’ve lived for over a hundred years, I am still just a tree. Your friend has fallen into the underground tomb.”

What?

An underground tomb?

“Don’t try to fool me—what underground tomb could there be here?” I pressed.

The old tree spirit replied, “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, take seven steps forward. The entrance is hidden in the weeds.”

Hearing this, I was half-convinced. I told Lin Wei Yan and Wu Xin, “Keep an eye on him. I’ll check it out.”

I shot another look at the pine tree spirit. “Don’t play any tricks, or you’ll regret it.”

At the sixth step, I used the Azure Cloud Sword to part the grass at my feet. Sure enough, there was a hole a meter in diameter—just large enough for a person to fall through.

Peering down, it resembled a dried well; from above, nothing could be seen inside.

Still, I doubted the old tree spirit’s explanation. Even if Feng Zi Mo had lost his powers, he shouldn’t have fallen down here so easily. With his agility and reflexes, avoiding a fall would have been child’s play.

Lin Wei Yan and Wu Xin came over and looked down as well. Lin Wei Yan shared my skepticism—a hole this small, Feng Zi Mo couldn’t have fallen without a sound.

Wu Xin stared for a long time, his brows furrowing deeply.

“Strange, I feel like I’ve heard my master mention such a hole before… What was it called?”

Suddenly, Wu Xin exclaimed, “I remember now, this is…”

Before he could finish, a powerful suction from the hole pulled me inside.

Immediately, Wu Xin and Lin Wei Yan were sucked in as well.

As we fell, I noticed the hole grew larger and larger below, to a terrifying extent.

Splash… splash… splash… Three sounds of bodies hitting water.

We landed in an underground river, about two meters deep.

Fortunately, we all knew how to swim and quickly made it to the shore.

Wiping water from my face, I noticed a trail of wet footprints on the ground.

Most likely, they belonged to Feng Zi Mo. I quickly called to Lin Wei Yan and Wu Xin, urging them to follow the footprints before they dried, hoping we might catch up to him.

Following the trail, we pressed onward.

Until the footprints vanished before a stone gate. It seemed Feng Zi Mo had gone inside.

But how had he opened the stone gate?

I asked Wu Xin, “By the way, Wu, what were you about to say before we fell in?”

Wu Xin recalled what he’d been about to say.

He frowned. “I was just about to say, this is the Valley of Nine Coffins.”

“Valley of Nine Coffins?”

“What does it mean?” I asked.

Wu Xin replied, “It’s a long story, but simply put, there are nine coffins here. Each coffin holds a formidable figure.”

“Then Brother Feng is in grave danger!” I exclaimed.

Wu Xin nodded. “It’s a deadly place. Even if you survive, you’ll be lucky to escape with your skin intact.”

What?

Wu Xin’s words became increasingly alarming.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s find Brother Feng!” I said.

I continued, “But how do we open this stone gate?”

Wu Xin pointed at the gate. “Look—Feng Zi Mo’s handprint. We just need to follow his method.”

I cursed myself—how could I have missed something so simple?

Wu Xin walked up to the stone gate and, in no time, opened it.

Beyond lay a stone tunnel, lit with a dim, eerie glow.

Looking at the oil lamps on either side, could these be the legendary Eternal Shadow Lamps?