Chapter 729: Ye Sanshui, Ancestral Zombie

The Divine Emperor's bell shrank as it landed in her palm, but it continued to reverberate and toll. Clearly, the golden-crowned zombie king within was continuing to struggle furiously.

The Divine Emperor formed a barrier around the bell to isolate the sound.

"I don't suppose there are any zombies remaining here. All of them together only produced a single Boundless Immortal ancestral zombie—it's less than we'd hoped for, isn't it?" The Divine Emperor gave Xiao Nanfeng a wry smile.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "The zombies in the other black coffin must have grown stronger because they've been specially cultivated by the saint and the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue. The zombies here haven't received that sort of treatment. Yin Shenhua might have obtained the black coffin in the past, but I expect he never figured out how to unseal it. That's why Emperor Feng was the only one who knew about the secret of this hidden realm."

"And Emperor Feng was just devoured by the ancestral zombie, so he won't be able to revive." The Divine Emperor frowned.

"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't trust Emperor Feng's information, at any rate. Why don't we have a look around?"

"Very well," the Divine Emperor replied.

The two cultivators flew across the hidden realm. Along the way, the Divine Emperor emanated spiritual energy as she tried to seek out any remaining life in the hidden realm, but there were no zombies to be found. They quickly arrived at a large valley.

"It's just like in the other black coffin. There's a fan-shaped altar here, too." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

"And a copper tombstone," the Divine Emperor exclaimed, staring at the north of the altar.

"There wasn't one in the black coffin hidden realm I went to. A bejeweled throne was in its place, a brand-new one that didn't really seem to fit the environment. Perhaps there was a copper tombstone there, too, before it was taken away."

"Did the master of these black coffin cursed effigies write the inscription?" the Divine Emperor wondered, frowning as she scanned the tombstone.

Xiao Nanfeng began to read as well.

"In life, I conquered all the lands of the world and received the recognition of the heavens. I was granted this karmic altar, a branch of the primordial altar, and sacrificed all manner of treasure and fortune to receive a cursed effigy from the world away: a pool of black blood.

"I infused the black blood into my body, transforming myself into an indestructible ancestral zombie, in order to resist the heavens.

"Yet so strong were the heavens that, despite possessing all the strength of the world, I fell short and succumbed to their might.

"I revived as black blood, a cursed effigy.

"Once again, I mastered the world and conquered the legends of the present era. I regained my former strength and attempted to take on the heavens with the power I accumulated over ten thousand years.

"In this life, I sacrificed countless treasures and fortune once more to obtain a new cursed effigy from the world away: a black coffin.

"The black coffin boasted incredible strength, but I was unable to fuse it into my body. The black blood into which I had become seemed to possess a terrible flaw: perhaps intrinsic, or perhaps one that had lingered during my confrontation with the heavens. I was unable to meld any more cursed effigies into my body.

"I had prepared for ten thousand years to contend against the heavens, and the final battle was drawing near.

"I chose to deposit my karmic altar into the black coffin, then split it into three.

"If I conquer the heavens, then all is moot.

"If I fail, I shall revive once more by the karmic altar.

"For those in the future fortunate enough to encounter one of these coffins, reunite all three and I shall grant you a tremendous blessing. Together, let us take on the heavens again."

The contents of the tombstone succinctly described the achievements of the former hegemon of an era.

"The zombies must have come from that black blood cursed effigy—and there are three of these black coffins!" the Divine Emperor exclaimed.

"Is the karmic altar this fan-shaped altar over here?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"I once heard the Spirit Emperor mention that he had a karmic altar of his own, but it was circular. Allegedly, all hegemons of their respective eras are awarded one such altar by the heavens. These altars connect to the primordial altar and can be used for sacrificial rites," the Divine Emperor recalled.

"In other words, the black coffin's ability isn't to facilitate exchanges. That derives from this altar..." Xiao Nanfeng strode forward to inspect it more carefully.

"This fan-shaped altar is rather interesting—no, if we combine three of these altars, they'd form a perfect circle," the Divine Emperor pointed out.

"That explains it, then. The black coffin was split into three, as was the karmic altar."

"Only the hegemon of the era will obtain a karmic altar. I'd believe in the authenticity of these claims," the Divine Emperor surmised.

Xiao Nanfeng suddenly recalled that the Venerable Buddha had invoked an altar while fighting Yin Shenhua. At the time, Xiao Nanfeng had believed that to be the primordial altar, but that now no longer seemed to be the case. It must have been the Venerable Buddha's own karmic altar, which had a connection to the primordial altar of yore.

"We can't trust the inscribed account fully. It can only serve as reference," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Oh?"

"Why would this supposed hegemon leave a tombstone behind but not reveal his name? What's more, isn't this tombstone rather extraneous? If he really could revive, why would he need others to reunite the three coffins for him? What's the point of informing cultivators of subsequent eras about all this?"

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The Divine Emperor frowned and nodded. "You're right. Even the ancestral zombie that I've trapped in the Divine Emperor's bell doesn't seem all that intelligent. Could a former hegemon of the era have been suppressed by Emperor Feng for so long?"

"How did you feel during the process of attuning to this black coffin?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Perhaps no one has attuned to it fully before. It had a very strange feel to me. There were signs that Emperor Feng had attuned to it at a superficial level, but nothing deeper. Emperor Feng's supposed black coffin physical body invoked only the barest hint of a connection."

"Oh?"

"Perhaps I'll have to attune to all three coffins simultaneously. This single black coffin isn't a coherent whole, which may explain Emperor Feng's and others' failure."

Xiao Nanfeng hummed thoughtfully. "I suspect that the saint placed that black coffin at the Southeastern Aquatic Palace not just to lure cultivators in and zombify them, but also to fish out the bearers of the other two black coffins. The saint must want to unify all three coffins as well."

"It's very likely. Thank goodness you didn't bring this black coffin over, or the saint might have homed in on you."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded in relief.

"Right, how should we deal with this ancestral zombie in the bell? It may be a lacking portion of the true ancestral zombie—the consciousness of this supposed hegemon hasn't been restored."

"Do you want an avatar?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I don't need one, let alone one with the flaw described in the tombstone."

Xiao Nanfeng tilted his head. "Do you think it'd be possible for me to make Ye Sanshui into an ancestral zombie?"

The Divine Emperor blinked and nodded. "It's viable."

"Good. Since this coffin is ultimately linked to the ancestral zombie, as a precaution, let's carry out the attunement outside."

"Very well!" The Divine Emperor nodded.

Days later, in the palatial valley of Shenfeng's capital, black smoke surged into the air as a formation blocked anyone from observing what was happening from afar.

Ye Dafu and the others were standing vigilantly on guard within the valley.

Xiao Nanfeng and the Divine Emperor had left the black coffin and secured it. Before them was Blue Lantern, who had just arrived at the scene.

"Blue Lantern, release Ye Sanshui," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

Blue Lantern nodded and retrieved a small bottle. He upended it, causing a blue ball of light to float out from within. The ball of light was being nurtured and held together by energy from a draconic vein.

As Blue Lantern cast a technique, the blue ball of light resolved into Ye Sanshui's form. There were more cracks across his body now, and it was evident he wouldn't last long.

"Your Majesty!" Ye Sanshui bowed toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Ye Sanshui, I've acquired a cursed effigy's spiritual avatar with which you can exist in symbiosis. However, this cursed effigy is particularly domineering, and you'll have to focus intently during the assimilation," Xiao Nanfeng warned.

"I understand. As you will, Your Majesty," Ye Sanshui said.

Xiao Nanfeng was worried about Ye Sanshui's lack of mental fortitude owing to his limited cultivation. To bolster him, he continued, "I've investigated the matter of the assassination carefully. Your wife was completely clueless about what had happened. She's innocent. She's been particularly attentive to her unborn child as of late, and she murmurs your name all the time. You must live on. Don't make your wife a widow, and don't make your unborn child lose a father."

Ye Sanshui's eyes glimmered with tears. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He didn't believe that his wife was involved, but having it confirmed as a certainty was still a huge relief. At the same time, his longing toward his wife and child deepened.

"Blue Lantern, you'll assist Ye Sanshui in assimilating with the ancestral zombie's body. This is the Rainbow Soul-Suppression Jade. The majority of its energy has been drained, but the remaining should suffice," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Blue Lantern took the piece of jade with an astonished expression. He knew that Xiao Nanfeng was particularly capable and efficient, but this was ridiculous! Blue Lantern himself had been considering ordinary cursed effigies which would be suitable hosts for Ye Sanshui, but Xiao Nanfeng had already prepared an ancestral zombie and a Rainbow Soul-Suppression Jade in a matter of days."

"I understand." Blue Lantern nodded.

The Divine Emperor manipulated her bell, releasing the golden-crowned zombie king.

The golden-crowned zombie king roared as it tried to break free from the Divine Emperor's bell. Unfortunately for it, the bell continued to immobilize it with bursts of golden soundwaves, freezing it in place.

Then, with a finger, the Divine Emperor sent a beam of black energy straight toward the back of the golden-crowned zombie king's head.

The golden-crowned zombie king screeched in pain, but to no avail.

Blue Lantern immediately placed the piece of rainbow jade over its head and activated it. An incredible burst of energy pierced through its head.

"Enter, Ye Sanshui!" Blue Lantern commanded.

With a wave of his hand, he sent Ye Sanshui's shattered soul into the golden-crowned zombie king's mindscape.

Ye Sanshui shouted in pain the moment he entered. Clearly, it wasn't going to be easy to exist in symbiosis with the golden-crowned zombie king.

"Your cultivation is too weak, so the assimilation process will be particularly painful," Xiao Nanfeng said. "You need to bear with the pain. Don't let it deter you. Think of your wife and child."

Ye Sanshui gritted his teeth and howled. He continued to forge onward despite the pain, risking his life to assimilate with the golden-crowned zombie king.

The rainbow jade's energy surged madly into the golden-crowned zombie king's body as more cracks developed over its surface.

After almost an hour, drained of all its energy, the rainbow jade dissipated in the form of a cloud of powder.

The golden-crowned zombie king had stopped struggling by then. Its eyes were closed and its body unmoving.

Blue Lantern cautiously released his grip, and the Divine Emperor stopped immobilizing it as well.

Everything fell silent as the Divine Emperor stood guard beside Xiao Nanfeng and waited patiently.

After an hour, the golden-crowned zombie king's eyes suddenly opened as an incredible aura emanated from it.

Everyone took a deep breath and stared at it warily.

The next moment, the golden-crowned zombie king bowed down and exclaimed in excitement, "I, Ye Sanshui, thank Your Majesty for my new body and life!"