Within the three-zhang ancient coffin, a hazy mist swirled, obscuring everything inside. However, the two Immortal True Kings were immensely powerful. Dao marks flowed and intertwined within their eyes, divine fire leaped, weaving together into a Heavenly Eye that instantly pierced through the mist, allowing them to see everything within. They couldn't help but widen their eyes, their expressions drastically changing.
"That is—"
They saw that the three-zhang ancient coffin contained its own space, not overly large but not small either, about a hundred zhang in length and width. Lying within the ancient coffin was a hundred-zhang-tall humanoid skeleton, incredibly massive.
This was not a dharma manifestation, but a real fleshly shell. It could actually be over a hundred zhang tall, and even in death, a terrifying pressure still emanated from it. One could imagine just how powerful this being must have been in life.
"This is the skeleton of a Giant Race expert. And with such a massive size, reaching over a hundred zhang, it's likely at least a Saint-level supreme powerhouse of the Giant Race," Ye Gucheng deduced. The stature of Giant Race experts could generally be judged by their height.
However, his expression at this moment was not good. Although this Saint-level Giant Race skeleton appeared tall and large, it was extremely withered. It even seemed as if only a layer of skin wrapped the entire skeleton; the flesh and blood essence beneath the skin had completely dissipated, as if utterly devoured by something, making one's heart tremble.
Although tens of thousands of years had passed, it was clear this Saint-level giant had not passed away naturally but had been killed. There was a huge bloody hole in the center of its brow, piercing through the frontal bone. Long since dried, no blood flowed now; the blood had completely dried up, leaving only near-black bloodstains imprinted on the skin, looking deeply unsettling and terrifying, sending chills down one's spine.
This was a Saint-level giant, immensely powerful in life, capable of shattering mountains and rivers with a mere gesture. Its physical body was extremely robust, a natural advantage of this race, far stronger than ordinary Saints, even comparable to great demons with supreme holy bloodlines like dragon or phoenix blood. Even a Saint Lord-level existence would need to expend considerable effort to subdue it.
Yet it had been killed. Judging from the wound, it was clearly a one-hit kill, directly piercing the brow and annihilating the Primordial Spirit. This was alarming.
What terrifying existence had struck in ancient times, actually killing a Giant Race Saint with a single blow? It must have been even more terrifying than a living pig.
"Brother Yue, look there."
Ye Gucheng suddenly called out softly, snapping Ye Chen out of his contemplation. Following Ye Gucheng's pointing finger, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. They looked at each other, shock evident in their eyes.
Within the body of the Giant Saint, there were seven large holes, distributed at the limbs, abdomen, and left and right chest positions, very regular. Each was even larger than the hole on the forehead.
At a casual glance, one might think they were seven wounds. But upon closer inspection, they were clearly seven cocoons fused with the Giant Saint's flesh and blood. Each was about four zhang in radius. One could clearly see root-like structures connecting to the bones and skin, rooted within the giant, evidently having once absorbed the flesh and blood essence of the Giant Saint.
Now, each cocoon had split open, as if something had emerged from within.
Both saw that within the cocoons on the Giant Saint's two arms, there were still remnants of sparkling liquid. They could sense the divine energy contained within the liquid. Although only a little remained, it was very concentrated and had the special function of sealing vitality.
Moreover, both cocoons carried a familiar and peculiar aura—that of Zhageluo and the crimson-haired monster they had just fought.
Upon discovering this, the two young True Kings exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.
Clearly, these two royal clan members had emerged from their cocoons not long ago.
The other cocoons had been open for a not-so-short time. Based on the residual aura, it was likely at least over a month.
This was alarming. Zhageluo and the crimson-haired monster had only just emerged, their internal power probably not fully recovered, yet they were already so powerful, forcing Ye Chen and Ye Gucheng, the two Immortal True Kings, to expend considerable effort and even sustain injuries.
If those five beings that emerged a month ago were even stronger?
Considering this possibility, both couldn't help but feel slightly startled. They then released their vast spiritual sense, exploring every inch of the space within the ancient coffin.
But they sensed no special auras, making them frown. Clearly, these fearsome beings had already left. Otherwise, they would have appeared during the earlier battle with the royal clan members.
Although it saved them the trouble of dealing with them, the feeling was that the five alien race royal clan members who had left would likely become even stronger.
If they launched a surprise attack, even the two of them would be in danger.
Just thinking of this possibility made the two young True Kings feel heavy-hearted. Only this kind of alien race royal clan could pose such a threat to them.
"No need to worry too much. After all, various immortal forces are participating in this advance into the Purple Mansion Sacred Land. Perhaps the various overlords have discovered them and will directly suppress them," Ye Gucheng said.
After investigating and finding no immediate danger, they both descended into the ancient coffin's space. It immediately felt much more spacious. Against the hundred-zhang giant skeleton, they appeared very small.
Moreover, there was no gravity within the ancient coffin's space, making them feel many times lighter. But they dared not be careless, remaining vigilant.
After carefully examining the seven cocoons, they arrived at a startling fact.
The Giant Saint had been killed by a terrifying existence with a single blow that annihilated its Primordial Spirit. Then, seven cocoons of the alien race royal clan had been placed here, absorbing the Giant Saint's flesh and blood essence to nourish themselves, enhancing their potential and making them stronger.
Furthermore, the cocoons contained a mysterious substance for sealing, not World's Heart fragments, but a different kind of material that could achieve long-term preservation and also possessed abundant spiritual energy, surprising both of them.
They each collected some of this mysterious substance for future research.
In the current era, there were only a few types of divine objects capable of achieving long-term sealing. One was World's Heart fragments, which contained aspects of space and time laws, thus enabling sealing.
Another was divine spirit sources. If spirit stones were the materialized embodiment of spiritual energy, then divine spirit sources were the ultimate sublimation of spirit stones, filled with boundless, dense spiritual energy and capable of locking in the flow of life essence.
But divine spirit sources were too precious, extremely rare. Among billions of catties of spirit veins, one might not find a spirit source, let alone one large enough to seal an entire person, which required a considerable amount. For example, Ye Chen's half-zhang size was barely sufficient.
World's Heart fragments were also considered precious, not easily obtained. They only appeared when a world shattered and its World Heart disintegrated.
Relatively speaking, this mysterious substance might be mass-producible. Once achieved, it would be very important for an immortal force, allowing them to seal numerous sufficiently powerful cultivators one by one, becoming part of their heritage.
When the quantity was sufficient, it would become terrifying.
But what exactly it was required further study.
They turned to investigate other things, trying to find some treasures.
"Hmm?" Ye Chen suddenly made a sound of surprise. When his gaze swept over the ancient coffin walls, he discovered a series of eerie, mysterious patterns inscribed on them. They didn't resemble divine Dao patterns but seemed to adhere with a sinister, demonic aura, making the two Immortal True Kings slightly focus, observing carefully.
After studying for a moment, he was surprised to find that this was a spirit-gathering formation. But what was different was that this formation could gather the world's spiritual energy and then convert it into demonic energy, continuously nourishing the seven cocoons on the giant's corpse.
Moreover, these seven cocoons on the giant skeleton were extraordinary, placed very ingeniously. They were not randomly positioned but arranged according to a special orientation—not only at the Four Extremities of the human body and the center of the chest and abdomen but also at the center of the entire ancient coffin, the core of the formation. All spiritual energy was directed to nourish these cocoons.
It was extraordinary. This was likely left behind by a fearsome existence of the alien race, actually using a Saint as nourishment, absorbing the Saint's life force to nourish these seven cocoons. Truly a grand scheme, and cruel enough.
But this made both of them feel that the earth-shattering change in the Purple Mansion Sacred Land in ancient times might have been due to these alien races, causing it to vanish overnight along with all its living beings.
Ye Chen suddenly said, "Brother Gucheng, may I ask you some questions?"
Ye Gucheng smiled slightly, appearing quite friendly towards Ye Chen. Perhaps because the other was also an Immortal True King, or perhaps because they had once crossed hands, there was a sense of mutual admiration between them. He said, "Brother Yue, you flatter me. As long as it doesn't involve some important secrets of my family, I will naturally explain in detail."
Ye Chen smiled slightly. "It's not exactly about important secrets of the Ye family. I just want to inquire about the secrets of the alien race. Brother Gucheng, as a young genius of the imperial clan Ye Family, you should know some secrets, right? Could you explain them to me?"
Regarding the alien race, he had only a partial understanding. The imperial clan Ye Family had produced a true Great Emperor during the Mythical Era, supremely powerful, who had clashed with the alien race during the great cataclysm of that era.
Ye Gucheng, this True King genius from the supreme imperial Ye Family, was an important figure of the Ye Family, possibly even a future family head. Clearly, he would know some important secrets about the alien race.
Ye Gucheng showed surprise. "Does Brother Yue not know? Haven't your elders told you?"
Ye Chen shook his head, a trace of bitterness in his smile. "To be honest with Brother Gucheng, I am not from a supreme imperial clan, royal clan, or immortal heritage like the Ye Family. I am merely a rogue cultivator. It's simply impossible for me to know too much about the alien race."
But this was precisely what surprised Ye Gucheng. He had originally thought Ye Chen was at least a heaven's favored son from a supreme Sacred Land, otherwise how could he be so supremely powerful and peerless? He never expected him to be just a rogue cultivator, which made him even more respectful.
To reach this level relying solely on oneself, comparable to an Immortal True King—if not unprecedented, it was nearly so.