Everyone’s spirit was utterly exhausted. Just moments ago, their souls had nearly left their bodies — the shriek of the incomparable Ancestral Crocodile carried an inconceivable power, seemingly capable of seizing and drawing out a person’s very soul.

If not for the Ancient Bronze Coffin emitting that single strange metallic tremor, the fate of all those present would have been dire indeed.

A torrent of vicious, violent energy swept over from the distance like a tidal wave. The great demon that had broken free from beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple advanced no further and had stopped where it stood — yet even so, the sheer aura it naturally radiated was more than any person could withstand. The soul shuddered.

A surging tide of murderous energy roiled and shook the length of the sky. A sandstorm that had been raging was instantly stilled by it. At that spot, demonic energy flooded the heavens; from within the darkness, two lantern-like blood-red eyes stared unblinking in their direction.

Its true form could not be discerned — there, black clouds churned and tumbled, blotting out the stars and moon, shrouding the entire vault of heaven.

Though it had not pressed close before their eyes, the sheer aura of this supreme demonic ancestor was still beyond what any ordinary person could endure. Many on the Five-Colored Altar came close to collapsing to the ground, and even with divine relics in hand, they could not resist it.

So this was the great demon personally suppressed by the Buddha? An existence out of myth and legend — and yet here it was before them in reality, its presence undeniable at no great distance, truly as though from a dream.

As modern city dwellers, when had they ever witnessed a scene so terrifying? Everything they saw and heard felt so profoundly unreal. What they were witnessing at this moment was nothing short of world-shaking and awe-inspiring.

Now that the Ancestral Crocodile had broken free, countless ages had passed — seas had changed to mulberry fields and back again, the celestial palace had collapsed, the Great Thunder Sound Temple had long since fallen to ruin. The old order was gone, the divine ones departed. Who was left who could suppress it?

Roooarr!

Suddenly the Ancestral Crocodile unleashed a roar like muffled thunder — as though ten thousand thunderclaps had detonated right beside one’s ear. Among those present, a number of people instantly pitched forward and fell to the ground. This was not a true attack — merely the vibration of sound waves — yet even so it was unbearable for those present: several people had blood streaming from their ears and noses.

A rustling, scraping sound reached them. Outside the Five-Colored Altar, a dense black mass spread without end — countless divine crocodiles pressing in from all sides, rapidly boring through the luminous barrier and swarming up onto the Five-Colored Altar. It was the Ancestral Crocodile issuing commands to its small crocodile offspring; it appeared to hold some wariness toward the bronze coffin itself, and had sent these progeny and descendants to probe.

“Get up — quickly, get up!”

Several classmates who had collapsed, blood streaming from their ears and noses, were utterly spent and could barely move — even the Buddhist instruments in their hands were almost impossible to hold on to. One could only imagine how terrifying that bellow had been.

With everyone calling out to them, a few of them finally managed to stand — but two of them were a step too slow. The divine crocodiles, surging forward like a great tide, swamped them entirely.

No miracle came. Two muffled groans rang out. In the blink of an eye, two living lives vanished forever. That spot was drenched in a spray of blood as the divine crocodiles scrambled over one another, boring into the bodies and skulls of the fallen. Red blood and white brain matter — strikingly lurid and horrifying.

The others had no time to mount a rescue — each was surrounded by thousands of divine crocodiles and could barely manage to protect themselves.

By now, thirteen people in total had lost their lives. The remaining seventeen were also teetering on the edge of death. Life was capricious, and death came with such suddenness, liable to descend at any moment.

Radiance flashed as everyone swung the divine relics in their hands, fighting off the cold-blooded killers all around them, trying to carve open a path to survival. Even those classmates who were softer by nature had long since forgotten to weep or cry out — at this point they had no choice but to fight with all they had.

Yet the most dangerous situation still materialized: anyone sharing a Buddhist instrument with another found themselves in peril — their movements constrained, unable to act with true freedom.

Roooarr!

From the distance, the Ancestral Crocodile let out a roar. Seeing no unusual reaction from the bronze coffin, its arrogance surged to the heavens — exhaling billowing clouds and mist, it began to close in slowly. Its blood-colored eyes, large as washbasins, shone with a gleaming light in the darkness, like two blood-red suns hanging in the sky.

When it pressed close, no one could remain standing. The overwhelming, wretched energy it exuded had without question been forged from the slaughter of countless living beings; under it, one’s three souls and seven spirits trembled, threatening to burst free from their mortal shell.

Less than ten meters away — yet still its true form could not be made out. The group saw only those two blood-red eyes, and nearly fell into despair.

Wuuuu—!

Suddenly, a demonic wind surged between heaven and earth — a sound like ghosts weeping and spirits howling — many times more fierce than the sandstorm from before, as though ten thousand thunderbolts were splitting the sky and rending the earth.

From within that sky-filling black mist, a great black hand reached down toward the Five-Colored Altar, its shape perfectly mirroring a human hand — only impossibly large, each finger alone a full seven or eight meters in length, black and gleaming and terrifying, enough to make not a few people feel their souls had fled their bodies in fright.

This was the supreme great demon personally suppressed by the Buddha!

Even after being subdued for countless ages, the very moment it emerged into the world, it still shook heaven and earth — its power and majesty beyond all compare.

And at this moment, the Taiji Eight Trigrams diagram in the sky at last became fully and completely formed — replenished to completion by the divine power contained within the blood of the divine crocodiles. All eight trigram symbols lit up simultaneously, releasing a dazzling brilliance: the star gate manifested once more.

Boom!

A deep, muffled tremor rang out. The Taiji Eight Trigrams diagram opened completely, like the swinging of a great door, revealing a mysterious and vast passageway — where it led, none could say. Within it was absolute darkness.

The great reaching hand was pushed aside by a mysterious force. At the same time, the nine enormous Dragon Corpses that had lain still and silent until now suddenly began to tremble.

Dragons that had once stood as peers of the gods — even now reduced to cold, lifeless remains — would not suffer desecration. A powerful dragon’s aura emanated from them; every divine crocodile on the Five-Colored Altar trembled with fear and prostrated itself on the ground, then shuddered as if sifted through a sieve, utterly overwhelmed and subdued. Finally, like a receding tide, they retreated swiftly backward.

The altar was left strewn with the carcasses of crocodiles — and several human corpses — and in an instant fell silent.

“Let’s go — into the bronze coffin!” Ye Fan was the first to stand, and then helped Pang Bo to his feet.

It was not that they were inadequate — the supreme great demon was simply beyond the ordinary, and the sheer force of its aura alone was enough to be lethal to common people. The demonic energy flooding the heavens was perfectly capable of shattering the vitality of mortals.

Everyone swayed on their feet as they stood, their resolve unanimous: they would enter the Ancient Bronze Coffin. The star gate had already opened, and the mortal body alone could likely not traverse the Ancient Star Path. Entering the Ancient Bronze Coffin was a choice born of helplessness — the coffin was uncanny and unsettling — but there was no other option now.

In the darkness, the Ancestral Crocodile’s gaze grew ever more icy and cold. Its enormous blood-colored eyes hung like red suns. Suddenly, it shot two piercing beams of blood-colored radiance that crossed and locked down the Taiji Eight Trigrams diagram in the sky.

At the sight of this, the color drained from every face!

This supremely powerful great demon would not rest until it had gotten its way. It unleashed its great demonic mystical arts, seeking to seal the Ancient Star Path and block everyone’s escape. Simultaneously, the great black hand reached down once more, easily puncturing the now-dim luminous barrier and grasping toward the altar.

The group recoiled in terror, quickly piling into the bronze coffin and stumbling back step by step. The pitch-black great hand swiped downward — but its target was not the people. It was the Ancient Bronze Coffin itself!

Clank!

The black hand seized the enormous bronze coffin and a resonant metallic clang rang out. Everyone’s heart sank. This supreme Ancestral Crocodile’s power was boundless — only the Buddha could suppress it. If the mysterious bronze coffin showed no unusual reaction now, there was truly nothing anyone could do.

Just as everyone felt their blood run cold with terror, the Ancestral Crocodile’s black hand recoiled with startling speed — as though avoiding a venomous serpent. From between the fingers and palm, a radiant and brilliant demonic blood flowed freely, like a small river, spilling down onto the altar and bursting into streams of blood-colored radiance — as though the Ancient Bronze Coffin had wounded it in the palm.

Yet the ancient coffin made no movement of its own, still lying quietly on the altar as before. From not far away came a bone-chillingly cold laugh — the sound of the Ancestral Crocodile grinding its teeth — a sound that made one’s scalp crawl.

“What do we do? The Ancient Star Path has been sealed by this great demon. How are we supposed to leave?”

Many were in a panic. Escape had seemed within reach, only for the way out to be blocked, leaving them both frightened and anxious.

“Energy — what’s needed now is mysterious energy to open the Ancient Star Path!”

“What’s happening? The divine radiance in our divine relics is draining away continuously!” someone cried out in alarm.

At this moment, regardless of whether it was Ye Fan’s Ancient Bronze Lamp, or Pang Bo’s Great Thunder Sound Temple bronze plaque, or Zhou Yi’s alms bowl and the others — the divine radiance within them all was flowing outward in a steady stream, converging together.

Suddenly, a cold laugh rang out like the screech of a night owl, and a figure nearly two meters tall appeared without warning outside the Ancient Bronze Coffin. Everyone was stunned: the converging divine radiance from all the divine relics was streaming directly toward this figure.

This shadow exuded a sky-filling demonic energy, surrounded by churning black mist — its features impossible to make out. Yet everyone could sense it: this had to be the Ancestral Crocodile itself! It had manifested upon the altar and meant to enter the Ancient Bronze Coffin. It disregarded everyone entirely; its two blood-colored eyes stared fixedly at the coffin within the coffin!

This was an entity that had once crossed blades with the Buddha — stepped out of myth and legend and into the group’s very presence. It was a scene none of them would forget for the rest of their lives — truly staggering to the soul.

Boom!

Confronted with the demonic energy of the supreme Ancestral Crocodile, all the divine relics seemed to ignite. They blazed with spectacular, dazzling radiance, converging together and engulfing the Ancestral Crocodile.

At the same time, the Ancient Bronze Lamp, the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque, the alms bowl, the vajra pestle, the fish drum — all the Buddhist instruments blazed with ten thousand beams of light, rising into the air of their own accord, and then bore down upon the Ancestral Crocodile to suppress it!

An icy, eerie cold laugh rang out — chilling to the very bone. The supreme Ancestral Crocodile gave its body a light shudder, and dark light burst forth in all directions, demonic flames flooding the sky.

All the Buddhist instruments were stopped dead in front of it. Then the meditation cushion, the disciplinary ruler, and several other Buddhist instruments shattered one after another — with a puff, the meditation cushion crumbled to pieces first, followed by the disciplinary ruler and others. Four divine relics in succession were reduced to fine powder.

The four Buddhist instruments dissolved into four brilliant beams of radiance, scattering entirely upon the Five-Colored Altar — providing immense mysterious energy for the star gate.

All nine of the enormous Dragon Corpses trembled simultaneously, then emitted a rolling, rumbling sound and slowly rose into the air!

The Ancestral Crocodile was startled. It skirted past the Ancient Bronze Lamp and the other divine relics, and surged skyward. Its right hand rapidly enlarged, blanketing heaven and earth as it reached out to grasp the nine enormous Dragon Corpses.

And at this moment, the Ancient Bronze Lamp, the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque, and the rest — as though possessed of a will of their own — each unleashed the most blazing divine radiance they could muster, so brilliant it was impossible to keep one’s eyes open, and it swept toward the Ancestral Crocodile.

Endless light flashed and flickered in the sky, breathtakingly magnificent, impossible for anyone to look directly upon. No one could discern what was happening — the nine Dragon Corpses were temporarily halted by the Ancestral Crocodile.

Clang… Clang…

Clear, crisp sounds rang out from the altar as the Buddhist relic prayer beads, the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque, the alms bowl, and the rest all came tumbling to the ground — dim and lightless. Even the Ancient Bronze Lamp had been extinguished.

“The nine Dragon Corpses have been stopped — what do we do?” Everyone was anxious.

The Ancient Bronze Coffin had not risen into the air; the nine Dragon Corpses were held at bay in midair, unable to enter the star gate.

Everyone stepped out of the bronze coffin and quickly gathered up the now-dim Buddhist instruments. Pang Bo, with particular nimbleness, collected the mineral water bottles from the bodies of the fallen.

Ye Fan, meanwhile, removed his outer shirt and bundled up a large pack of crocodile carcasses from the ground.

Just then, a violent tremor reverberated from the sky. Everyone was alarmed and immediately rushed back into the bronze coffin.

The Ancient Bronze Coffin emitted a metallic tremor, and all nine Dragon Corpses gave their massive tails a single swing — with a thunderous crash, they struck simultaneously at the Ancestral Crocodile’s great black hand, sending it reeling back.

Boom!

A thunderous sound rang out from the sky as the nine enormous Dragon Corpses slowly ascended toward the star gate. With a loud clang, the Ancient Bronze Coffin shuddered and flipped over. Everyone instantly felt the world spinning around them.

The Ancestral Crocodile’s blood-colored gaze grew incomparably cold and glacial. Before the coffin lid could close, it attempted to force its way inside — its target still the coffin within the coffin!

But at that very moment, the ancient carvings covering the bronze-encrusted coffin walls — those engravings of primordial ancestors and divine beings, those bronze patterns of primeval fierce birds and wild beasts — all began to emanate a hazy, indistinct radiance. The Ancestral Crocodile halted in its tracks. It seemed to suddenly recall something, and from its eyes erupted two beams of ice-cold, murderous blood-light. Stepping backward through the void, it retreated several rapid paces.

Clang! A thunderous sound rang out as the bronze coffin lid sealed shut. The nine enormous Dragon Corpses dragged the Ancient Bronze Coffin slowly into the air, piercing through the blood-colored seal laid down by the Ancestral Crocodile, and disappeared into the star gate.