Martial World (Web Novel)
Chapter 656: Opening the Goddess’ Sarcophagus Once More

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Lin Ming led Duanmu Qun and the others to leave the tomb, arriving back at the pitch-black space where they couldn’t even see their own fingers in front of them. There were very minor distortions in the power of space here. If it wasn’t for Lin Ming leading the way, it would have been very difficult for Duanmu Qun and the others to leave.

As Lin Ming was about to step out of the mountain, he suddenly felt his body shake. In that moment, he seemed to hear an incomparably beautiful woman’s voice, like the sounds of heaven, illusive and filled with a weeping grief.

The voice seemed to form some strange ancient syllables. Even Lin Ming, who was familiar with the language from the Realm of the Gods as well as the Ancient Giant Demons’, still couldn’t completely understand the meaning behind it.

He slowed his steps and glanced over at Duanmu Qun and the others. He wanted to see whether or not they heard this voice, but their expressions were calm; obviously they hadn’t heard anything at all.

“Is something wrong, Brother Lin?” Duanmu Qun asked, not sure why Lin Ming stopped.

“No.” Lin Ming shook his head. Since no one heard this voice then it was useless if he mentioned it. It would be better if he didn’t speak about it at all.

“Oh.” Duanmu Qun saw that Lin Ming didn’t want to speak further and intelligently didn’t press the issue.

Lin Ming slowed his pace, listening to the woman’s voice as he walked. If he was correct, then this voice was left behind by that goddess within the sarcophagus. Lin Ming had investigated her body but hadn’t found any signs of life. Obviously, she had been dead for a very, very long time. Then, these sounds must have either come from an array formation that she had left behind, or perhaps it was from the battle spirit of her remaining will. Her strength was likely to have been no less than that of the Verdant Feather Holy Lands’ Saintess, a top character even within the Realm of the Gods. It wouldn’t be strange if she could leave behind a battle spirit that still existed after tens of thousands of years.

As Lin Ming walked, he listened to this voice this entire time. Although he wasn’t able to completely understand it, he still carefully memorized these words in his heart. The more he listened, the more unnerved he became. He, Duanmu Qun, Feng Shen, and Lan Xin had all entered the tomb together, but he was the only one able to hear this voice. Just what was this voice trying to tell him?

“Let’s go back!”

Lin Ming suddenly said as he stopped.

“Ah” Lan Xin and Duanmu Qun were shocked. They didn’t think that Lin Ming would have a thought like this even after they left the mountain.

Duanmu Qun’s intuition was that this sudden decision had something to do with his sudden pause a moment ago. But, he tactfully didn’t ask further.

Lin Ming brought the group to return, passing through that pitch black space until they returned in front of that peerless woman’s sarcophagus.

Lin Ming stood in front of the sarcophagus for a long time. Then, he deeply bowed in respect and said, “Senior, I apologize for disturbing your rest.”

With this, he undid all the countless seals he had left behind and shoved open the sarcophagus’ cover.

With a rumbling sound, the sarcophagus completely opened.

As a result, that utterly perfect woman appeared in front of everyone once more.

“Lin Ming, what do you plan on doing?” Lan Xin couldn’t help but ask. In her heart, she thought that Lin Ming shouldn’t be robbing a grave… right?

Duanmu Qun flashed an eye at Lan Xin, and she attentively didn’t say anymore.

Lin Ming was completely silent, only staring at the beautiful woman as she lay there. She was calm, like she had simply fallen asleep.

Lin Ming recalled the voice of the woman from a while ago, and after a long time, he had a faint guess, “Senior, I have a reason, and it isn’t because junior is being disrespectful. If I offend you, then please forgive me.”

With that, Lin Ming bent over and put his hand on the woman’s body, trying to find something.

Of course he wasn’t just randomly groping around, he had a clear purpose in mind.

Before he touched her, he had used his perception to investigate the goddess’ body. He discovered that there were two areas where the fluctuation of energy was obviously different. One was at the woman’s waist and the other was at her neck.

These were the two areas that Lin Ming was searching. At the woman’s waist, he first fished out a jade pendant.

This jade pendant was a deep azure color and incomparably cold to the touch. There was an ancient mystical design carved into the center, looking like some sort of bird-shaped totem.

Whatever this was, it was unlikely to be some sort of magical treasure. Although it exuded a very pure energy, it obviously didn’t have any striking power. It seemed to be more like a keepsake of some sort.

“Senior… were you wronged?”

Lin Ming’s guess was that after dying, her will hadn’t yet dissipated after these tens of thousands of years. Now, she was trying to express to him some message. Was she wronged? Did she have some grudge? Or perhaps this was an absolutely irreconcilable hatred?

After such a long time had passed, would her enemies, or those that had wronged her, still be in this world?

Lin Ming’s mind was full of questions.

He hesitated for a moment and said, “Senior, whether you have a grievance or grudge, this junior will take this item. When junior soars into the Realm of the Gods in the future, perhaps I might have a slim chance of helping senior solve this mystery and completing this cycle of hatred.”

Although Lin Ming didn’t know who this goddess was or what she had done, he had still obtained a number of lucky chances from her tomb. In essence, this could be considered a kindness that she had bestowed upon him. In this situation, if he could help her to the full extent of his power and maybe fulfill her last wish, then that would be completing the cycle of karma between them.

However, there had always been something that Lin Ming didn’t understand. Whether it was the woman in this tomb, or those abnormal existences within the Eternal Demon Abyss, like the massive ancient beast that was thousands of miles long, these were all beings that should belong within the Realm of the Gods.

Just why would they be here at the Holy Demon Continent?

According to Demonshine, the Holy Demon Continent and Sky Spill Continent shared the same planet together. As for the three thousand boundless worlds, that was three thousands multiplied with each other, for a total of one billion!

A billion worlds! And the Holy Demon Continent and Sky Spill Continent combined was just a single one. In fact, this planet could be called insignificant, a negligible drop in the endless ocean!

How could a powerhouse from the Realm of the Gods be entombed in the abyss of the Holy Demon Continent?

Actually, just what was the Eternal Demon Abyss? How was it created? How many tens of thousands of years had it been here for? Where did those evil spirits and unimaginably powerful existences originate from? And, what were the 12 Skysplit Towers? Who had constructed them? Why would there be the Road of Emperor?

Lin Ming’s mind was filled with all these unanswerable questions.

The 12 Skysplit Towers had already existed for countless years, surviving through the endless wind and rain of time. With so many complex ancient arrays, the existence that was able to construct the 12 Skysplit Towers was absolutely on the same level as the woman in this tomb!

Such a character, even if placed with the Realm of the Gods. Would still be the master of the highest level of Holy Land! Just why would they come to the Holy Demon Continent?

Lin Ming really couldn’t figure any of this out. He shook his head and began to trace the woman’s neck. Before, he had discovered that the energy here was also different. As he touched upon something cold, Lin Ming was just about to pull it out, when at this moment he suddenly pulled back his hand as if he had been bitten by a viper!

“This… how is this possible!?” Lin Ming’s complexion paled.

As Duanmu Qun and the others saw Lin Ming’s fierce reaction, they also went on high alert. “Brother Lin, is something wrong?”

Lin Ming’s face was filled with surprise and uncertainty. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand again and traced the woman’s neck once more. This time, his hand specifically moved closer to the woman’s left chest. Touching upon there, he could feel soft and smooth skin. Lin Ming was able to confirm that what he felt was not an illusion.

This woman… had a heartbeat!

Before, he had investigated her and clearly didn’t feel the slightest fluctuations of life. So, how could there be a heartbeat?

If there was a heartbeat, how come he didn’t detect it?

Lin Ming found this impossible to imagine. He wavered for a long time, and then silently said, “Senior, I apologize for offending you…”

Lin Ming let out a wisp of his perception and investigated the woman’s left chest. In fact, the perception of a martial artist was ubiquitous. Naturally, penetrating through clothes was a simple action. But to use his perception to pass through this goddess’ clothing was truly a boorish and disrespectful gesture. But in order to confirm some things, Lin Ming didn’t have a better method. He could only make sure that his mind was as clear as a mirror and that he absolutely had no thoughts of desecrating or blaspheming her in any way, shape, or form.

Passing his perception into the goddess’s left chest, Lin Ming felt his mind tremble. Then, he instantly disappeared from the real world and came to a completely different world of will!

This was a vast starry sky!

“A will world comparable to the endless starry skies?” Lin Ming panicked.

At this moment, he heard a series of cracking sounds, as if crystal glasses were being broken. Looking up, he could see space cracking apart, quickly blowing up in front of him at an ever-growing pace!

Then, a vast, infinite ocean of energy and life force gushed out!

Bang!

Lin Ming was sent flying away. In front of such terrifying energy, he was no different from a leaf in a storm, unable to resist at all!

If this energy had even a tiniest bit killing intent towards Lin Ming, then he would be directly smushed into a bloody fog!

“What a powerful energy, just what is this!?”

Lin Ming finally stabilized himself with great effort and wiped off the blood that leaked out from the corners of his mouth. He looked up to see that in the endless starry skies, in that area where space had broken apart, there was actually a great vibrant red heart, powerfully beating!

Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng!

With every heartbeat, the void trembled. With every beat, Lin Ming could feel all of the blood vitality of his body being pulled away, all of the blood vessels within him wanting to explode and rush out of him!

“This… this is…!” Lin Ming’s eyes went perfectly wide as he stared on at the beating heart in the starry skies. This bright and vivid deep red heart seemed as if it were carved from pure blood crystal. After passing through several tens of thousands of years, the life force within had never dimmed by a single touch!

A bright crimson divine light emitted from this heart, accompanied by a vast, inexhaustible energy of life. This heart could likely beat on in perpetuity for another 100,000 years!

This was the heart of a true Emperor! Moreover, an Emperor of the Realm of the Gods! The master of this heart must have been a top powerhouse, looking down on every other existence!

Was this the heart of the goddess?

This thought instantly cut through Lin Ming’s mind before he rejected it…

It was not.

On the goddess’ body, Lin Ming had felt a serene aura, uncaring of all world problems, as profound as the limitless sea. In her presence, everyone’s hearts would be filled with awe, no one daring to blaspheme her.

And from this heart… from this heart, Lin Ming could feel an overwhelmingly domineering aura, an existence unmatched by all that lived within this universe!

This master of this heart, when living, must have shaken the foundations of the Realm of the Gods, an unrivalled Emperor that looked down with disdain at all of creation!

These were two completely different atmospheres. This proved that this heart did not belong to this goddess… yet, what confused Lin Ming was that when he had touched the goddess’ chest, he had clearly felt a heartbeat…

If he wasn’t wrong, then this heart existed within the goddess. Thus, Lin Ming was able to feel it beat within her. But, because the goddess had died, he couldn’t sense any fluctuations of life from her!

A goddess that had died had the heart of a Great Emperor sealed within her that had been beating for tens of thousands of years!

The final analysis of these facts left Lin Ming inexplicably horrified!

What sort of Great Emperor was this!? He had pulled out his heart and yet it still beat for all these tens of thousands of years!?!?

Such a Great Emperor… who had killed him, and who had sealed his heart within this goddess’ body?