Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Hundred Coffins

Wang Jie nodded slowly. Since things had come to this, what was there left to think about? He would take as many benefits as he could get.

Si Zhuo chuckled softly, “You truly have the heart of my Death Realm. There will surely be benefits, but until your service is needed, your highest priority is to remain hidden.” At this, his gaze turned strange as he continued, “In truth, your great strength as a Lock Force cultivator will only make hiding difficult. You should restrain yourself carefully from now on, lest others notice.”

Wang Jie stared at him skeptically, “Truly, there aren’t any benefits at all?”

Si Zhuo’s voice lowered gravely, “You’re still alive—isn’t that benefit enough?”

Realizing he wouldn’t get anything more, Wang Jie shook his head and muttered, “I thought this Corpse Sect was impressive. Turns out it can’t even compare to the Skeletal Clan. Truly stingy.”

Si Zhuo raised an eyebrow indignantly, “Who says my Corpse Sect can’t measure up to that group of half-human, half-beast creatures from the Skeletal Clan? My sect’s lineage stretches back to the ancient times of the Heaven-Overturning Calamity—” Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, as though he had touched upon a forbidden secret, and he quickly lowered his head in silence.

Wang Jie grew curious. [Heaven-Overturning Calamity?]

“Get in quickly!” Si Zhuo shouted abruptly, breaking the silence.

Wang Jie knew he couldn’t avoid it, so he jumped obediently into the coffin. It was rather spacious inside.

He remembered how desperately Cang Wu had tried to become one of the Hundred Coffins, never imagining he himself would end up in one so effortlessly.

Slowly, the coffin lid began to close.

As darkness surrounded him, Wang Jie called out nervously, “Are you sure it’s only a hundred days? Don’t forget me.”

Si Zhuo gave no reply, sealing the coffin completely and walking away hunched over.

Inside, the coffin wasn’t as dark as Wang Jie expected. As soon as the lid shut tight, faint lines appeared, accompanied by strange dark characters writhing and twisting like living creatures.

The words…were alive?

Wang Jie widened his eyes in astonishment.

It wasn’t just the words—lines and patterns swirled like streams of starlight in the deep darkness. The characters danced around him as though they had minds of their own. [By heavens, the writing’s gained life?]

He stared in fascination, and without realizing, drifted off into a deep sleep.

This sleep lasted three months.

One day, after three months passed, the coffin suddenly shook, waking Wang Jie abruptly. Had the time come? He pushed against the coffin lid but found it immovable. Was it not time yet?

Another tremor followed quickly.

Had this place been discovered?

Though not far away and within the same expanse of space, outsiders couldn’t see this hidden place at all. Even so, someone was attacking through the void.

Two powerful Star Refining Realm cultivators stood in the distance—one called Mad Blade Maniac, and the other Sword Ghost.

Standing in the void, facing them defiantly, was Si Zhuo.

Si Zhuo hadn’t anticipated their discovery. The Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper had too many allies, eventually sensing something amiss. His gaze frequently drifted toward the coffin behind him. Those who had been captured and corrupted by corpse qi didn’t matter—the real concern was Wang Jie.

Just a few more days.

Mad Blade Maniac and Sword Ghost attacked relentlessly, attempting to tear through the void and shatter the Corpse Sect’s forward base, yet no matter their efforts, they could not succeed.

Several days later, Han Heng arrived, puzzled. “Now that their forward camp has been found, Corpse Sect would surely withdraw rather than fight head-on. Why haven’t they moved?”

“Who’s the one guarding?” he asked.

Mad Blade Maniac shook his head, “We don’t know. He hasn’t attacked yet. We can’t even reach the true forward base.”

Han Heng wasn’t surprised. If the Corpse Sect’s forward base were easily found, it wouldn’t have remained hidden for countless years. Death Realm forces existed not only at the Big Dipper Bridge Pillar but spread across multiple pillars—a strange and terrifying presence of beings.

The Skeletal Clan was merely one faction among the Death Realm.

But the Corpse Sect’s heritage was no less powerful.

Han Heng joined the assault, and the three Star Refining experts attacked together, causing the forward base to shake violently.

Si Zhuo watched them coldly, continuing to wait. Corpse qi flowed endlessly within him, surging outward to reinforce the base.

A few days passed again, until Si Zhuo finally waved his hand. The coffin lid flew open, and Wang Jie bolted upright, gasping heavily.

Si Zhuo smiled faintly, saying, “For now, there are no tasks for you. Return to your own path of life. Some among the Hundred Coffins never receive a mission even unto death.”

As he spoke, a chain dropped down, binding Wang Jie tightly. In an instant, Si Zhuo appeared near Su Su, Jiang You Sheng, and the others who had long since fainted.

If not for Wang Jie, Si Zhuo would have either taken or eliminated them even while retreating. But now he couldn’t—they were needed to protect Wang Jie’s secret.

He cast one last glance at Han Heng, stepping forward with billowing corpse qi surging forth like a sea of black clouds, instantly blasting back the three Star Refining experts.

Caught off-guard, the trio stumbled back from the terrifying corpse qi.

“No more games today. Your Big Dipper Bridge Pillar is truly useless, allowing you lot to reach this far,” Si Zhuo sneered and swiftly vanished.

Mad Blade Maniac tried to pursue, but Han Heng stopped him firmly.

It was common knowledge in the cultivation world: when encountering Death Realm cultivators, if you could surround and overpower them, you should. But if not, only cultivators at the absolute peak of their realm should dare to chase—any others risked certain death.

“Let’s first see what’s ahead,” Han Heng ordered calmly. As the forward base dissolved into nothingness, Wang Jie and the others appeared, lying unconscious and corrupted by corpse qi.

“Bring them all back.”

Wang Jie had genuinely fallen unconscious. Si Zhuo had been careful—ever since Wang Jie had been taken, everyone else had been unconscious, leaving them all equally unaware.

One by one, they were thrown into Edge Sect’s prison cells.

When Wang Jie finally woke again, the first thing he saw was Hou Xiao’s familiar face.

“You’re awake?” Hou Xiao greeted him.

Wang Jie sat up, rubbing his head, and asked, “What happened?”

“You got caught by the Corpse Sect and were corroded by corpse qi, don’t you remember?”

Wang Jie tried wearily to get up, but dizziness flooded his mind. [Did Si Zhuo go too far, or was everyone else like this too?]

Hou Xiao rolled her eyes and said, “Alright, stop pretending you’re fine. You can’t move at all right now. If it weren’t for your lock force resisting the corpse qi, you’d already be halfway dead.”

Wang Jie glanced at her and asked, “Then, where am I now?”

“You’re on my Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper logistics warship. You were lucky—the Corpse Sect frontline camp was discovered, and Senior Han Heng personally broke through their defenses. Otherwise, you’d all be finished.”

“What about the others?”

“Either resting or imprisoned.”

“Then what about me?”

“Relax, no one knows you’re here. Everyone is held separately; no one realizes we have you, a traitor, resting onboard.”

Wang Jie coughed, tried to move again, and found he felt somewhat better.

Hou Xiao stared at him and teased, “Hey, your luck’s pretty good. Even that battle didn’t manage to kill you. Were you switched with a substitute or something?”

Wang Jie gave her a weary look, “Not killed by my own people, but saved by the enemy instead.”

Hou Xiao laughed lightly, “Who’s the enemy here?”

Wang Jie fell silent.

Not long after, the Elder from Edge Sect, the hundred-star realm elder who had previously seen him, arrived. After scrutinizing Wang Jie briefly, he ordered him to leave.

Wang Jie also wanted to leave, but he had no idea where to go.

“What about Jiang You Sheng and the others?”

“Naturally, they’re still prisoners.”

“We were all captured together at the Corpse Sect frontline. If I leave now, won’t they all know I’m a spy if word ever gets out?”

“They won’t have the chance.”

“Not necessarily. That Su Su and Qing Xiao—each one is a heaven’s chosen prodigy of their sects.”

The elder didn’t refute this. If negotiations were made, releasing them was indeed possible. Otherwise, they’d have already been killed. Expecting such proud disciples to betray their sects and families wasn’t realistic.

“Then what do you propose?”

Wang Jie didn’t know either. [Rescue everyone and escape together? Impossible. Stay behind? Meaningless.] Although he desperately wanted to save Jiang You Sheng and the others, he simply didn’t have the power.

“Relax. Those above have certainly thought further than you have. Even if they’re released, they won’t suspect you.”

Wang Jie wanted to say more, but he was urged to leave.

Hou Xiao wanted to discuss the sword rain technique further with Wang Jie but was refused. To those who knew Zhong Yi, Wang Jie was bad luck. They didn’t want to attract that woman’s attention. He could die anywhere else, but absolutely not at Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper’s territory.

As the elder led Wang Jie off the warship, he explained, “The Big Dipper Bridge Pillar is divided by the Dual Wind Line of the fourth star cloud. Crossing the Dual Wind Line means entering the main battlefield. Currently, we’ve already captured the Dual Wind Line—a historic victory for our Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper. Reinforcements from the Bridge Pillar continue to arrive.”

“It’s impossible for you to cross the Dual Wind Line and join Black White Heaven. Your only chance for survival is to enter the meteorite belt, find scattered cultivators from the Big Dipper Bridge Pillar, and then provide us their locations to earn your merits.”

Wang Jie asked, “What about the Skeletal Clan?”

The elder frowned slightly, “That’s none of our concern.”

“How many from Big Dipper Bridge Pillar are still out there?”

“Plenty. Though the massive sword formation wiped out a great number of cultivators, many still scattered beyond its reach. With Big Dipper Bridge Pillar’s defeat, they’ve fled to the meteorite belt. We’re worried that too many will regroup and coordinate with those beyond the Dual Wind Line—especially since there are star refining realm experts among them.” As he spoke, the elder looked meaningfully at Wang Jie, eyes gleaming. “If you can locate a star refining realm cultivator, we can remove your restrictions, and your role as a spy will remain a permanent secret.”

Wang Jie gazed at the elder, then raised his hand, pointing into the distance, “Are you certain?”

The elder followed Wang Jie’s finger and saw—Fang He.

Even Wang Jie himself hadn’t expected to run into Fang He here.

Fang He was even more bewildered. The moment he saw Wang Jie, he wondered if he was hallucinating. Seeing Wang Jie point directly at him, Fang He’s pupils trembled. He looked at Luo Kui, then back at the elder, feeling as though the entire world had become an illusion.

[Why was Wang Jie here? And apparently familiar with an elder of the Edge Sect?]

Memories flashed vividly through his mind. He blurted out without thinking, “You’re a traitor!”

Wang Jie rolled his eyes and said nothing.

The elder was speechless, clearly not expecting to encounter Fang He here.

Luo Kui was equally unsure of how to react. Fang He’s betrayal of Big Dipper Bridge Pillar was largely because Wang Jie had forced his hand. After joining Edge Sect, Fang He’s first request had been to kill Wang Jie—specifically after confirming Wang Jie wasn’t a spy. In that fierce battle, his sole obsession was hunting Wang Jie down.

Yet now, Wang Jie truly was a spy.

The contrast was simply unbearable.

Fang He’s expression kept shifting. He glared fiercely at Wang Jie, teeth clenched. [So, this bastard really was a traitor. I was right all along. How else could he escape Luo Kui’s grasp? He must’ve been a spy from the start. Damn him, this traitor!]

[He ruined me.]

[He made me betray my own sect, turned me into a laughingstock, burdened me with accusations of cowardice and fleeing from battle, staining my name forever within Black White Heaven.]

[This scoundrel.]

The more he thought about it, the angrier Fang He became. Unable to control himself, he slashed out furiously with his blade.

Wang Jie didn’t move, but Luo Kui instantly stepped forward, sword intercepting the strike as he shouted sharply, “Fang He, stop!”

Fang He roared in anger, “He’s a traitor!”

Luo Kui looked at him calmly.

Fang He realized his mistake as soon as he’d spoken. [Traitor? No. Now the proper term was comrade in arms. Because he himself was also a traitor.] The thought made him feel sick enough to vomit blood.