Chapter 515: The Mysterious Coffin! Great Omen! Luofeng Mountain! Village-Slaying at the Drop of a Hat!?

Several senior monks and novices all wore expressions of lingering fear, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

When they heard Li Yanchu mention that he was a friend of Master Huizhen, the senior monk who had spoken earlier immediately brightened.

“So you are a friend of the abbot. Daoist Master, please step aside for a word,” the monk said mysteriously.

“The abbot instructed before departing that nothing in this hall should be moved. The sun should be allowed to shine on it for several days, temporarily making the hall a forbidden land. He would then deal with everything upon his return. All monks with magic powers left the temple with the abbot.”

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow and followed the monks out of the main hall.

“What exactly happened in Lingxi Temple? Why did all the monks with magic power leave with Master Huizhen?” he asked, puzzled.

“Seven days ago, there was a torrential rain. A group of martial wanderers arrived at the temple carrying a coffin. They all had wounds, some already festering.

“The abbot immediately sensed overwhelming yin qi emanating from them, as if they were tainted by an extraordinary evil entity. But out of compassion, he temporarily placed them in the courtyard, while the coffin was put in the main hall.

“From that day, the temple gates were closed, and pilgrims were turned away. Master Huizhen led the monks with magic powers in the main hall, chanting sutras for seven consecutive days to pacify the spirits. The temple community was anxious, believing a powerful evil had arrived, which is why the abbot had all the mystical monks perform the rituals.

“Then last night, a sudden tremor shook the main hall. Dark energy kept pouring from the coffin, almost becoming tangible. Before long, the coffin broke through the roof of the hall and flew out! The abbot and his monks gave chase. Inside the temple, the coffin seemed alive, flying about and leaving the temple in ruins, before it sped off outside. The abbot pursued, and has not returned to this day.”

Li Yanchu narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the monk’s account.

This coffin is no ordinary thing. Is there a jiangshi inside?!

he thought.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

But then he reconsidered. If a

jiangshi

were sealed inside, when it could no longer be contained, the

jiangshi

itself would break out, not the entire coffin rampaging through the temple.

“Where are the martial wanderers now?” he asked.

“They’re all dead.”

“Dead? When did they die?”

“The very night they brought the coffin, all seven of them died suddenly. There were no new wounds on their bodies, as if their souls had been drawn out by the evil entity.” The senior monk recalled the scene, his voice trembling with fear and sorrow.

He was just an ordinary monk of Lingxi Temple, with no training in Daoist arts, and could not help in such a situation. A whole Lingxi Temple destroyed by a single coffin... it was a heavy feeling for anyone to bear.

This isn’t an ordinary jiangshi. The problem seems far more serious than imagined

, Li Yanchu thought.

“Do you know the background of those martial wanderers?” he asked.

“No, perhaps the abbot does,” the monk replied, shaking his head, looking bewildered.

Li Yanchu didn’t press further. These were ordinary monks, and they likely knew very little.

He had the monk bring Master Huizhen’s personal garments, from which he extracted a trace of qi. Then he used his Art of Pursuit.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated, sensing a faint connection forming in the unseen.

He didn’t speak to the senior monks or novices further, but instead activated his Cloud-Riding Immortal Art. Clouds and mist swirled beneath him, and he lifted off into the air, leaving directly.

Seeing this, the senior monk and the novice were stunned speechless.

Soon, Li Yanchu’s figure quickly vanished into the horizon to chase after a certain direction, leaving the monks and novices staring at each other in astonishment.

“Was that Daoist an immortal? How did he just fly away like that?” muttered the senior monk.

The novice also looked both envious and slightly troubled.

Do Daoists really look this handsome?

***

Mount Luofeng wasn’t far from Lingxi Temple; it took roughly a day or two’s journey to reach.

Li Yanchu pushed his Cloud-Riding Immortal Art to the limit, and within the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he arrived at Mount Luofeng.

Although he had never been here before, he was already somewhat familiar with it, as the mountain was steeped in countless myths and legends. The most famous legend claimed that a phoenix had died here, its body transforming into the mountain itself.

Because of this, the mountain was said to contain numerous divine herbs and exotic beasts. In modern terms, this place would be considered a major scenic site near Lingxi Temple.

Upon arrival, Li Yanchu observed the terrain. The day was clear, the air flowed smoothly, and the landscape was open; the feng shui was indeed excellent. It did not seem like a place that would harbor filth or nurture evil spirits.

He paused briefly and used his Qi Sight to examine the mountain. At first, he detected no anomalies.

Then, he took out the Eight Trigrams Mirror. Although the Qi Sight was powerful for sensing people’s fortunes, it was slightly less precise for surveying terrain.

The Eight Trigrams Mirror hovered around him, as if expressing its own delight. Soon, the mirror revealed areas within Mount Luofeng containing traces of evil qi. Li Yanchu was pleased with this attribute of the mirror, which functioned somewhat like a radar.

However, no spot showed particularly heavy concentrations of evil qi, and this made him furrow his brow. He chose the closest area indicated by the mirror and headed there; while he glided on clouds, his Daoist robe flapped in the wind, making him look truly like a figure of legend.

When he arrived at a village, his expression instantly turned icy. The entire village was deserted, reduced to scorched earth. The air reeked of putrefaction mixed with the smell of roasting flesh.

“Such ruthless methods,” he muttered.

Walking through the village covered in ash, his eyes revealed a glint of murderous intent.

Why the hell do they always massacre entire villages?

He felt a mixture of heaviness and anger in his heart.

Li Yanchu saw many charred corpses: men, women, elderly, children, even infants in swaddling clothes. The once-thriving village had become a hell on earth.

This village seems freshly massacred... could it have something to do with that mysterious coffin?

he pondered.

Shaking his head slightly, he followed the direction indicated by the Eight Trigrams Mirror and flew toward another location.

While in midair, he suddenly felt a strange pulling force, as if something was relentlessly tugging him downward.