Immortal of the Nine Realms

Did they catch it?

The crowd froze momentarily. A glimmer of hope appeared in Xu Chenfeng and the others' eyes. If their captors truly reeled in the Profound Mother Yin Beast, perhaps they might find a slim chance of survival.

The old Daoist grasped the hooked chain tightly, pulling it towards the shore with force.

Wu Tai and the burly middle-aged man focused their attention on the Yin River, their eyes fixed on the surface for any sign of movement.

The old Daoist bellowed, giving the chain a mighty tug. "Come up!"

The entire hooked chain shot out of the water, dragging with it a massive redwood coffin.

Bang!

The redwood coffin crashed onto the shore. Clinging tightly to it was the corpse of the Nascent Soul Immortal Seedling used as bait earlier. His limbs were locked in a death grip around the coffin, his gray, lifeless eyes staring blankly. Not only had his physical body perished, but even his Nascent Soul had been frozen to death.

The burly middle-aged man and Wu Tai looked at each other in confusion. "What is this!?"

In their past experiences, they knew that anything not crafted from materials imbued with extreme Yang energy would instantly disintegrate upon entering the Yin River.

Xu Chenfeng and the others exchanged uneasy glances. They had anticipated the appearance of the Profound Mother Yin Beast, not a mysterious redwood coffin.

"Little Mirror, why is there a redwood coffin buried in this Yin River?"

Fang Chen's expression grew grave. The Nascent Soul Immortal Seedling's death grip on the coffin, was it an instinctive reaction at the moment of death, or had some external force compelled him to hold onto it?

Mirror of the Universe whispered, "It is likely tied to the ritual. Without a doubt, this coffin is an Immortal Coffin, housing the remains of an immortal."

Fang Chen was taken aback. Could it be that Immortal Pitu had never left the earthly cave dwelling he had once carved out for himself and had even chosen to bury his remains here after death?

But... how was this related to the mysterious Soul Crossing Ritual?

Fang Chen wanted to probe further, but when informed of the high cost of mid-grade spirit stones for the required insight, he reluctantly set the matter aside.

"Senior Xu, could the Profound Mother Yin Beast be inside the coffin? This coffin... could it truly be an Immortal Coffin?"

The burly middle-aged man's expression turned serious as he raised the question.

"Brother, are you saying... it might house Immortal Pitu?"

Wu Tai's eyes sparkled with excitement. "If that's the case, why not open the coffin and see? We might gain an authentic immortal's legacy. I suspect the so-called legacies given by the immortal sects are mere entry-level techniques!"

"There could even be high-grade spirit stones inside, or perhaps top-grade ones."

The burly man glanced at the old Daoist. "Senior Xu, what is your opinion?"

The old Daoist gazed at the redwood coffin. His eyes betrayed a mix of excitement and hesitation.

Their original mission had been to capture the Profound Mother Yin Beast under orders, yet they had inadvertently hauled up an Immortal Coffin from the Yin River.

"If it indeed holds the remains of an immortal, such a being would undoubtedly have left measures in place to deter grave robbers. To open the coffin recklessly might invite catastrophe."

The old Daoist mulled over the situation before speaking. "I will take custody of this redwood coffin for now. It will be brought back to the Great Expansion Dao Sect for Immortal Xuanzhen to make the final judgment."

"That doesn't seem fair... We discovered it together. Shouldn't the Forbidden Demon Island also have a share?"

Wu Tai forced a sheepish smile, though his eyes flickered with dissatisfaction.

The burly middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Indeed, Forbidden Demon Island should have its share."

The old Daoist suddenly smiled sinisterly, his gaze cold as he looked at the two men. "What's this? Do you intend to take the Immortal Coffin from me?"

Xu Chenfeng and the others snapped back to attention, their eyes flicking between the three men. They silently hoped that the situation would turn into a conflict between them. If the three fought each other, perhaps they would have a chance to escape.

Not only that... perhaps they could also get a share of the opportunity with the Immortal Coffin!

Fang Chen's gaze shifted. He immediately projected his soul outside of his body, but this time, instead of heading toward the Yin River, he flew back along the path they had come.

After flying a short distance, he saw an old man standing in the void, calmly waiting.

The old man's aura felt very similar to that of the burly middle-aged man and Wu Tai, indicating that he was most likely also a practitioner from Forbidden Demon Island.

He was at least at the Dao Union Realm!

The Forbidden Demon Island truly has prepared backup. Although they cooperate with the Great Expansion Dao Sect, their intentions are not as simple as they seem….

Fang Chen sighed inwardly. If it weren't for the appearance of the Redwood Immortal Coffin, he would have immediately summoned his Five Elements Armored Talisman and faced this Dao Union Realm cultivator.

His soul returned to his body just in time to hear Wu Tai sneering.

"Senior Xu, since this is a partnership, everything should be based on fairness. This time, Forbidden Demon Island has invested both manpower and resources, and now that we've fished up the Immortal Coffin, we are entitled to a share."

The old Daoist sneered. "If it weren't for our hook, this Immortal Coffin wouldn't have been brought up. Moreover, I do not wish to take it all for myself; I merely wish to take it back for Immortal King Xuanzhen's inspection. If there is any benefit to be had, how could I deprive you of your share?"

The burly middle-aged man sneered. "Big brother, I told you long ago that cooperating with these Daoist sect cultivators is like bargaining with a tiger. Otherwise, this Immortal Coffin would be ours alone. As for the ritual, we'll take care of that ourselves. The Dao Sects don't hold the monopoly on all legacies in the world."

The old Daoist was enraged but forced a smile. "The soul-crossing ritual? You want to walk the Yin? Do you even know what the Three Divine Beasts are? Do you know the name or appearance of the Yin Divine Beast? You don't know anything, and yet you dare boast about Soul Crossing Ritual? If you insist on this, don't blame me when the thee Great Dao Sects tear up the alliance.

"Your island lord will never see your Wu family's ancestors again or receive those lost legacies that have been cut off for so many years. Think carefully, are those legacies more important, or is the Immortal Coffin in front of you?"

Fang Chen's mind suddenly clicked, and he realized the meaning behind their words. "The soul-crossing ritual?"

The soul-crossing ritual seemed to imply a journey to the underworld or some similar place.

However, was such a place really real, or was it something like the ruins of an immortal?

Wu Tai spoke coldly. "Senior Xu, you have two choices now. Either open the Immortal Coffin, or let us take it back to Forbidden Demon Island. These are your only options."

He paused. "Sure, our Wu family's legacies are important, but so is the legacy of an Immortal."

The old Daoist's voice turned cold. "I've given you two choices. As for the words you just spoke, I'll pretend I didn't hear them. I will take the Immortal Coffin back. The catching of the Profound Mother Yin Beast will continue as planned, and the agreement between Forbidden Demon Island and the Three Great Daoist Sects remains unchanged."

The terrifying pressure unique to the Fusion Realm seemed to subtly gather around the old Daoist. It was as if, if the two men did not agree, they would face a catastrophe.

"Xu Daoist, why bother taking the words of a junior to heart? The Forbidden Demon Island's agreement with the Three Great Daoist Sects will not change," an old voice suddenly spoke up.

Everyone froze, looking around in confusion. Was there someone else here?

Xu Chenfeng and the others quickly turned their heads, only to see an elder who had appeared behind Wu Tai and the burly middle-aged man. The two men immediately clasped their fists in salute, addressing him as "Elder" with a half-smile, clearly acknowledging his status.

The old Daoist's eyes narrowed as he suddenly grew more cautious. "Qin Man?"

"Looks like Forbidden Demon Island was prepared in advance and even sent you. I didn't even notice how you concealed your presence."

Qin Man smiled lightly. "When dealing with Dao sects, one must always be careful. That's what the Island Lord instructed. Looks like he was right."

"Since that's the case, let's each take a step back," the old Daoist said nonchalantly. "Let's open the Immortal Coffin here and see what's inside."

Qin Man shook his head gently. "I will take the Immortal Coffin back to Forbidden Demon Island, and I will also catch the Profound Mother Yin Beast."

"And what about me?" The old Daoist's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in them.

"You can be the bait. I'm sure that the beast will bite quickly with you as the bait," Qin Man said with a smile.

The old Daoist's expression turned from surprise to fury. Not only was Qin Man planning to break their agreement, but they were also going to use him as bait?

Xu Chenfeng and the others exchanged awkward glances. They hadn't expected that the one who had been fishing just moments ago would become the bait so soon…

Just as the atmosphere became tense, the Immortal Coffin suddenly moved. The coffin lid shifted a few inches, and a pale hand slowly reached out from within.