Chapter 181
Chapter 181: Vermilion Bird Bone
“Cough, cough… The coffin must never touch the ground, or disaster will follow endlessly…”
“Xiao Ya… take those two stone pearls and place them into the eyes of the Vermilion Bird atop the coffin. Once it opens… you’ll receive what you desire… cough, cough…”
Murong Fu coughed violently, his aged body trembling as though it would collapse at any moment. Severely injured and poisoned, it seemed immensely difficult for him to maintain the flow of Qi; it appeared as if he might falter any second.
Hearing these instructions, Murong Xiao Ya glanced briefly at her uncle. Then, without another moment’s hesitation, she leaped upward, racing towards the crimson coffin suspended by Qi.
Approaching the coffin, which stood nearly ten meters tall, Murong Xiao Ya clearly saw the carved figure of the mythical Vermilion Bird. The bird’s wings stretched majestically from the head of the coffin to its tail. Its left wing soared high, reaching towards the heavens, while the right wing drooped gracefully toward the coffin’s base. Each feather gleamed vividly, like flickering flames, yet its eyes were hollow and lifeless, empty of jewels.
What should have been a sculpture brimming with life now seemed utterly dead.
Murong Xiao Ya did not hesitate. She immediately flicked the stone pearls from her hand into the Vermilion Bird’s empty eyes, swiftly channeling her martial Qi to retreat afterward.
However, the moment the pearls settled into place, molten-golden beams burst forth from the Vermilion Bird’s eyes, pinning Murong Xiao Ya midair.
At the same instant, the Vermilion Bird’s raised left wing surged upward, throwing open the coffin’s heavy lid and scattering fiery drops of molten sulfur across the cavern’s ceiling. The drooping right wing swept downward, melting the broken chains below into glowing, crimson serpents.
With a piercing, shrill cry, an irresistible force surged from within the coffin, ensnaring Murong Xiao Ya by the throat and pulling her swiftly inside.
The coffin erupted into blazing flames, transforming into a blazing pyre and sending forth surging waves of scorching heat. The powerful heat wave blasted Murong Fu, who had been holding the coffin aloft with his Qi, violently across the cavern floor.
Within the coffin, a crimson Vermilion Bird bone suddenly pierced through Murong Xiao Ya’s chest. The intense pain that followed set her bones melting and blood boiling.
Scarlet-golden threads of fire burst from her pores, her very bones sounding like bubbling molten lava. She felt as though she were being burned alive atop an inferno, forcing an agonized scream from her lips.
Flung to the corner of the cave, Murong Fu lay sprawled helplessly, listening to the echoes of Xiao Ya’s anguished cries. His hollow eyes stared numbly toward the coffin at the center of the chamber.
After some time, the screams finally faded away.
Now, aside from the magma-like heat swirling through the cave, all was deathly quiet.
Struggling weakly upright, Murong Fu glanced around emptily, whispering feebly, “Xiao Ya…”
But only his echo responded; there was no other voice.
Murong Fu called out anxiously several more times, each unanswered. In despair, he slumped to the ground, murmuring brokenly, “Did it… fail after all?”
Yet, just as the words left his lips, Murong Xiao Ya’s voice suddenly sounded beside him:
“Uncle, I am here.”
She stood completely unclothed, surrounded by glowing golden-red flames. Her eyes had become swirling pools of molten gold, reflecting a river of flowing magma. As her bare feet touched the ground, the stone beneath her melted into liquid fire.
However, at the center of her chest, a vivid scarlet wound remained, continually seared by a hidden flame, never fully healing.
Hearing Murong Xiao Ya’s voice, Murong Fu froze momentarily, then joy flooded his features. Strength surged inexplicably into his aged body as he leaped to his feet, laughing heartily.
“Good, good! The Vermilion Bird Bone is indeed a supreme divine treasure. With it, a mortal could nearly reach demigodhood…”
But Murong Xiao Ya’s molten-gold eyes narrowed, abruptly cutting him off.
“Uncle, answer one question: was the destruction of the Murong Family related to you?”
At her sudden question, Murong Fu was stunned. Shaking his head swiftly, he responded, “Xiao Ya… how can you ask such a thing—”
“Just answer me clearly: yes or no.”
The flames surrounding Murong Xiao Ya intensified, instantly heating the air even further. Sensing her murderous intent, Murong Fu quickly replied:
“This matter has nothing to do with me—it was all Han Chui Yuan—”
Yet before he could finish, Murong Xiao Ya’s hand shot out, plunging straight into the elderly man’s heart. Her fingertips, coated in molten-gold flames, pierced his body effortlessly. A scorching scent of burning flesh filled the air.
Frozen in disbelief, Murong Fu slowly looked down at his chest. Feeling her hand gripping his heart, he murmured in shock and pain:
“Why… did you… do this?”
Her expression remained cold and indifferent. “Because you lied just now, when you answered my question.”
“Uncle, perhaps you don’t know—I’ve always had the ability to distinguish truth from lies. Only Father and Mother knew this secret. Even my brother was unaware.”
Murong Fu’s blood-streaked face froze, then twisted into a strange, knowing smile.
“So… that’s how it is… You truly possess the ‘Vermilion Bird Blood Destiny’… No wonder… I didn’t foresee such an ability…”
But Murong Xiao Ya showed no interest in further conversation. Her grip tightened sharply around his heart.
Experiencing the searing agony in his chest, Murong Fu sighed deeply, his voice trembling weakly, “A single move short… Xiao Ya, you have won…”
“But… I have a gift left for you…”
With a shaky finger, he pointed towards a sealed stone door, illuminated by Murong Xiao Ya’s fiery glow.
Not giving him the chance to say more, Murong Xiao Ya squeezed tightly, crushing Murong Fu’s heart into a mist of blood. The blood burned instantly, becoming a thread of energy flowing directly into the still-open wound at her heart.
After casually discarding Murong Fu’s aged corpse, Murong Xiao Ya’s delicate, beautiful face remained impassive. Her gaze swept the cave, finally settling on the Vermilion Bird coffin at the center.
Since Murong Xiao Ya had absorbed the Vermilion Bird Bone, the coffin seemed drained of all its former strength. The once vivid crimson carving of the Vermilion Bird had faded completely to dull, lifeless grey.
With a casual wave of her hand, a gust of fiery wind rushed forth, crumbling the Vermilion Bird coffin into drifting ash.
Only then did Murong Xiao Ya finally turn her eyes toward the sealed stone door.