Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 172 - 143: The Holy Coffin

Chapter 172: Chapter 143: The Holy Coffin

Wu Xiaode’s arm injury had not yet healed.

Each time he wielded the Holy Shovel, the pain in his arm grew worse.

He didn’t want to dig anymore.

"Here."

The Holy Shovel was handed to the bronze hand.

Whenever the tunnel was about to close, Wu Xiaode only needed to think —

The floating bronze hand would start digging with all its might.

Following the original tunnel, about a minute later, they finally reached the end of the passage.

There was still a large hole.

He cautiously walked to the mouth of the hole and looked down —

This was another palace.

Compared to the Death Demon Cave, filled with corpses, and the Dark Palace, filled with Dragon Eggs, this place seemed remarkably empty.

In the center of the grand hall, there was a worn sofa covered in patches and tatters.

In front of the sofa stood a large sign with a broken bowl beside it.

The sign bore a few lines of text:

"Crowdfunding Hall."

"To all spirits, I understand your hardships and know your bitterness; let us gather our powers and change everything!"

"This Angel hereby launches a crowdfunding campaign —"

"Bring forth everything of value you possess, entrust it to this Angel, for the purchase of equipment to save the world and all beings."

Wu Xiaode was speechless, his gaze sweeping over to the broken bowl.

Inside the bowl lay half a bitten bun and a copper coin.

Besides that,

The entire grand hall was empty and dusty, with nothing else in sight.

"So poor that you have to steal?"

Wu Xiaode thought to himself.

He descended with the Holy Shovel in hand.

The passage in the ceiling closed swiftly, as if it had never existed.

Just as Wu Xiaode landed, a row of ice crystal letters appeared in the Book of the Dead:

"You have reached the third level."

"Entering the third level of the Demon Cave, the task rating is C-level."

"You may exchange for a C-level title and return to the Holy City."

"If you do not wish to exchange, please continue exploration."

Wu Xiaode glanced at it and paid no further attention.

Everything would depend on the situation.

Why stop here if he could get a better title?

Wu Xiaode’s eyes fell on the sofa and the broken bowl, and he couldn’t help thinking of the ragged robe on that blond man.

—This guy is really poor.

At least he’s a person with Holy Power, so stealing from the Black Dragon seems kind of justifiable?

Perhaps...

Let’s look further...

Wu Xiaode thought silently to himself, squatting down to pick up the sign and look at it.

It was just an ordinary sign.

He set the sign aside and picked up the broken bowl.

What a pitiful sight.

The bun was real, only it had been left out too long, a layer of mold had formed on it, and it was hard enough to kill someone.

The copper coin was also real, just a single one, who knows who took pity on him and gave it, funding his mission to save the world.

Wu Xiaode was looking at it when the Book of the Dead floated leisurely in front of him, displaying rows of ice crystal letters:

"Attention!"

"You have obtained the Holy Storage Equipment:"

"Bowl of Asceticism."

"Usage Restrictions:"

"Only a being with a sufficiently strong Holy Power may use this bowl."

"—The world is full of suffering; I shall comprehend the Tao through humble asceticism."

Humble, ascetic, comprehend, Tao.

Quite lofty concepts.

Wu Xiaode felt increasingly uneasy.

—I initially obtained the seed of Holy Origin, which was stolen by the One-eyed Giant, and the Pope, before dying, betrayed the Giant and left it to me.

This thing fused to form the Thousand Hands.

Now he had encountered a true, pure Holy Ascetic.

Had he accidentally harmed the wrong person?

Wu Xiaode caressed the broken bowl when suddenly, an epiphany dawned upon him.

This thing... seems to be used like this...

He held the bowl as if splashing water and flicked it outward —

Splash!

The sound as sudden as a downpour resonated throughout the empty grand hall.

Emeralds, ambers, rubies, jades, amethysts, sapphires...

All sorts of gemstones rolled onto the ground, mixing with countless gold coins, gradually covering Wu Xiaode’s feet, calves, thighs, and knees.

And reaching up to his waist.

The gemstone rain gradually ceased.

However, from the Void emerged various treasures, such as pure gold apples, shiny Battle Armor, crowns studded with diamonds, capes pulsating with power, and numerous rings of all kinds...

They clattered into the sea of gemstones like fruit garnishing on a cream cake.

In the entire palace, the previous atmosphere of solemnity, simplicity, poverty, and some noble sentiment vanished without a trace.

Wu Xiaode froze for a moment, then clenched his fists tight.

Damn it!

You call this asceticism?

You can go to hell!

Any trace of unease he had felt now vanished completely.

Wu Xiaode looked around for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Eh," struggling out from under the cover of gold and gemstones, stepping onto a large shield to gaze into the distance.

A Holy Sealed Coffin, tinted with purple and gold, lay slanted amidst the golden sand and gemstones.

A coffin...

The entire hall was filled with treasures, showing that the person collecting these items had definite preferences.

——Why would he collect such a coffin?

Wu Xiaode pushed off the ground, lightly leaped, and landed next to the purple-golden coffin.

He placed his hand on the coffin.

Two lines of ice crystal small script suddenly appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"Holy Sealed Coffin."

"Seal in progress."

——What’s sealed inside this coffin?

Wu Xiaode wondered silently.

Suddenly, a deep voice came from inside the coffin, "Dammit, I’ve already given you the passwords to three bank accounts, what more do you want?"

Wu Xiaode was startled, and hastily asked, "Who are you?"

"You aren’t him?" the voice said in surprise.

"I am indeed not him," Wu Xiaode replied.

"Friend... please let me out, I will repay you to the best of my ability," the voice said.

"You haven’t answered my question," Wu Xiaode replied.

"Alright, my name is Ulysses," the voice said.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Book of the Dead shook violently and swiftly emitted several lines of ice crystal small script that exuded a chill:

"You have encountered the multiple Hell Guardian, the evil chaotic beginnings, the Evil Monarch, the supreme law destroyer Ulysses (the Greater)."

"Please be cautious."

"Since the beginning of an unfathomably ancient era, he and his brother Little Ulysses had been immensely powerful beings; each title before their true names manifests infinite Law might."

Wu Xiaode’s heart surged with shock waves.

Neither the appearance of the One-eyed Giant Astalot nor the Black Dragon Gjestastav had prompted such warnings from the Book of the Dead.

It seems this guy is no ordinary one!

But how did he end up sealed within this Holy Coffin?

Was it the doing of the one who stole from the Black Dragon?

"Hello, Ulysses, why were you sealed in here?" Wu Xiaode asked.

The coffin suddenly erupted in intense vibrations.

Streams of white Holy Light drifted from underneath the coffin’s lid, coalescing into a blurred image in mid-air—

but it only existed for a moment before completely collapsing, retracting back into the coffin.

A low and slightly depressed voice came from the coffin:

"...It seems my power really has been sealed, but I was not defeated."

Wu Xiaode was silent for a moment.

In the instant that image had coalesced, he had recognized the figure.

Last midnight.

In a parallel world, deep on some island, he had entered a place akin to an "interrogation room" and witnessed the death of Li Kunlun.

At that time, a group of people from outside the sin-prison wanted to take Li Kunlun’s powers, but instead awakened his memories.

Li Kunlun committed suicide.

Afterwards, he left that place, and just as he was about to go, he encountered a terrifying enemy—

A man with a pair of white wings.

If it weren’t for the power of the silent Demon Mist and Zhao Zhibing’s Sealing Demon Talisman, Wu Xiaode might have been obliterated along with the entire island at the wave of his hand.

The image that had emerged from the coffin just now was that very man with white wings on his back!

This terrifying individual was actually sealed?

"You were not defeated? Then why were you sealed here?" Wu Xiaode asked curiously.

"My brother—he betrayed me and struck me down when I was unprepared!" Ulysses replied.

It seems to be the one who stole from the Black Dragon.

——That guy must be Little Ulysses.

There’s likely some sort of grudge between these brothers, but it has nothing to do with me.

Now.

The situation here is clear.

What I need to do is to hurry and explore the next level while taking advantage of the chaos between the Black Dragon, the One-eyed Giant, and the thief.

"Sorry, I’m busy and have to go. Let’s chat next time," Wu Xiaode said.

He was about to gather all the treasures with the broken bowl in his grasp.

"Wait! Please release me!" Ulysses said.

Wu Xiaode felt the strong sealing power emanating from the Holy Coffin and said with a wry smile:

"You think too highly of me; my Holy Power is not sufficient to open this coffin."

"Take me with you first! I will find a way to teach you to break this seal," Ulysses said.

"I don’t have time to deal with your issues..." Wu Xiaode replied.

——Besides, you are a monster guarding the sin-prison.

He silently added to himself.

"No, I can feel Holy Power within you. You can’t just leave me to die—wait, I have something good for you," Ulysses said.

"Something good?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Yes, all these gemstones you see here, they are extremely expensive and valuable, but these millions of gemstones are just to distract from the most valuable one hidden among them."

"It’s concealed within a green gemstone, atop the Giant’s Crown adorned with a multitude of colorful gemstones," Ulysses said.

Giant’s Crown...

Wu Xiaode glanced left and right, and immediately spotted that Giant’s Crown.

Because it was gigantic.

The crown was at least the size of a bed, studded with a multitude of treasures and gemstones.

At the pinnacle of the crown, there glowed a green gemstone with a faint halo.

"Why would the Giant’s Crown be in your hands?" Wu Xiaode asked curiously.

"I crafted a few problematic souls and tricked that brutal One-eyed Giant into consuming them. My cunning brother took this crown as a payment for his ’healing’ services—"

"But he didn’t share any of the benefits with me!" Ulysses said indignantly.

Wu Xiaode kept silent.

You brothers are quite talented at swindling and deceiving people.

"The Giant was willing to give up this treasure?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"He wasn’t aware of how important this crown was," Ulysses replied.

Wu Xiaode didn’t inquire further. With a light leap, he flew atop the crown, looking at the green gemstone.

Indeed, within the depth of the gemstone, there seemed to be a slight shadow.

Could it be true that another gemstone was hidden inside this green gemstone?