Chapter Sixty-Six: The Hidden Coffin and the Gathering of Flames

Bone Marrow Spirit Fire—a flame said to originate from human bones, birthed amid endless corpses and chilling ghostly energies, emerging from the marrow of a divine-strength cultivator’s remains as the ultimate yin bone blaze. Legends swirl around its origins, truth uncertain, but its formidable reputation is indisputable.

It is, without doubt, formidable.

The Ancestor of Crimson Corpses, trapped within the Blood Qiyi Coffin and wounded in the chest by the Tai Xuan Eight Extremes Sword, survived for a thousand years without perishing. This fire, perhaps, was the chief reason. Yet even as death approached, the Ancestor refused to unleash this flame, fearing it would dissipate the moment it left his body.

In the end, it was Qin Feng who benefited.

But another issue arose, causing Qin Feng’s brow to furrow. He possessed the flame, yes—but how was he to seize it?

Should he reach into the coffin? Absurd! The coffin itself was terrifying, and the Bone Marrow Spirit Fire was not something his fleshly hands could touch lightly.

“What should I do now?” Qin Feng’s brows knitted tightly, unable to devise a solution after a long pause.

This flame held the same fatal allure for Qin Feng as a flying sword did for Zhan Bai. With the Nine Devouring Heavenly Fire Bead in his possession—a treasure capable of easily consuming and granting mastery over flames—Qin Feng knew that acquiring this Bone Marrow Spirit Fire would exponentially amplify the bead’s power.

Yet the treasure was before him, and he stood helpless, torn with indecision.

“Am I really forced to deal with that entity?” Staring at the coffin, Qin Feng’s vision blurred, and Zhan Bai’s words echoed in his mind:

“Qin Feng, should you one day become a demon, I will surely slay you!”

Qin Feng understood: this coffin was a most sinister and malevolent artifact, unmatched by ordinary evil relics. A single misstep, and if it devoured its master, he would surely lose himself and descend into demonic ways.

But what of the Bone Marrow Spirit Fire? Should he abandon it?

The answer, of course, was no.

Qin Feng sighed helplessly. Perhaps, only this method remained.

Subdue the coffin and suppress the demon!

Steeling his resolve, Qin Feng cleared his throat and spoke:

“Demon Spirit, come forth and let us talk. I know… you cannot digest it.”

He was no longer speaking to himself, but directly to the coffin before him.

—

After speaking, Qin Feng stared intently at the Heavenly Demon Blood Qiyi Coffin, waiting in silence.

The coffin remained unresponsive. Qin Feng was in no hurry; he pulled up a chair and sat before it, continuing, “Demon Spirit, consider carefully. This is your only chance. If you miss it, you will sleep forever within my storage ring. Unless I die, you will never break free.”

No sooner had his words faded than the coffin’s front shifted strangely, and from its flat surface, a massive, crimson demon eye bulged forth. The vertical red pupil swept across Qin Feng’s direction, exuding a fierce demonic aura.

“Damn! It really exists!”

Qin Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Truth be told, Qin Feng wasn’t absolutely certain that such a creature lurked within the Heavenly Demon Blood Qiyi Coffin. His suspicions arose from the faded murals in the Blood Qiyi Temple. Yet, with a single provocation, it truly appeared.

At this moment, Qin Feng would be lying if he claimed he felt no fear. His racing heartbeat left him momentarily speechless.

“Boy, you’re scared!”

A sudden female voice echoed within Qin Feng’s mind, harsh and shrill, grating to the ear. All he saw was that eerie red eye, glancing around before blinking slyly in his direction.

“Afraid! But my greed is greater.”

Qin Feng spread his hands, recovering his composure. He stared intently at the eye and slowly uttered his words.

“Haha! Greed—what a fitting word. In endless ages, I’ve seen countless people, none willing to admit their greed. Yet endless greed destroyed them all, stripped them of their selves, and without exception, they were devoured by me—body and soul!”

“You devour your masters?”

Qin Feng frowned, asking.

“Indeed. Since ancient times, from the day I was born, every master of this coffin has perished beneath my backlash. Their hearts were not strong enough, not powerful enough! Little one, I know you learned the ritual to claim me from the murals in the Blood Qiyi Temple. Do you wish to try it yourself?” The female voice grew increasingly triumphant, ending in manic laughter.

Qin Feng frowned, his heart waging a battle of reason and desire.

From the murals in the Blood Qiyi Temple, Qin Feng had gleaned much about the Demon Spirit’s origins. This villain, notorious in antiquity, was decapitated by a heavenly sword of divine retribution; its body was collected by a master of ancient evil and refined into its current form.

The Demon Spirit was unwilling to yield, so it turned on its owner, passing through many hands before being suppressed by the blood monks with ancient blood curse rituals, locked within the Blood Qiyi Temple.

Yet, as ages passed, the blood curse’s hold weakened.

Thus, the Blood Qiyi Temple appears once every millennium!

The first to discover the coffin a thousand years ago was Xuan Tian, head of the Eight Extremes Sect—a man of noble lineage and righteous spirit. Naturally, he would not let the coffin regain freedom; instead, he set a trap and lured the Ancestor of Crimson Corpses from the Earth Corpse Sect, sealing him within the Heavenly Demon Blood Qiyi Coffin.

Alas, Xuan Tian miscalculated. In his dying struggle, the Ancestor struck back and killed him.

Thus, the coffin lost its first chance to emerge into the world.

Until a thousand years later—

Now it followed Qin Feng, emerging once more!

“Could it be… I am its destined master?”

“I can return your freedom.”

Abruptly, Qin Feng spoke to himself.

“Freedom…?” The demon eye rounded, its crimson lines contracting violently, fixing Qin Feng in its gaze for a long time.

“Little one, your name is Qin Feng, yes?”

Qin Feng nodded.

“From your words, I sense sincerity. From your eyes, I see resolve and indomitability. I believe your unwavering will can resist my evil aura. Yet, my evil is beyond your imagining! Heaven would destroy me—there is no place for me to hide! Tell me, do you believe one such as I could ever regain freedom?”

The demon eye stared at Qin Feng, as if awaiting his answer.

Qin Feng’s heart tightened; he knew that success or failure hinged on this moment.

From the murals, Qin Feng had seen much and learned fragments of the Demon Spirit’s ancient past.

Loathsome, terrifying, worthy of destruction!

But Qin Feng also understood the Demon Spirit’s misery. Imagine: anyone, whose severed head became a lid, whose corpse became a coffin, condemned for endless ages, unable to transcend—how could they not suffer?

Qin Feng sighed and replied firmly, “Yes.”

“How can I be freed?”

“Slay the Heavens.”

…