Chapter 010: The Vast and Desolate Earth

The interior of the pitch-black bronze coffin gradually fell silent, with no one speaking. Everyone was filled with fear, gazing at the bronze coffin that held a body. The heavy breathing of each person was audible, as their minds were tense.

The bronze coffin was covered in verdigris, and no one knew who was interred within.

"All of this must be related to the five-colored altar on Mount Tai."

After a long while, the group began to discuss in hushed tones, trying to understand why this was happening.

"It must be so, related to the ancient five-colored altar that drew the nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin."

The bizarre events they had witnessed severely challenged everyone's understanding of the world. The five-colored altar, built by ancient ancestors, was shrouded in mystery. Ye Fan pondered deeply—how many secrets of ancient history had been lost to time?

As no danger materialized, the group's nerves slowly settled, and they began to seriously speculate about the situation.

"Perhaps the nine dragons pulling the coffin were summoned by the ancient people," someone suggested. But another immediately countered, "The ancient people have been gone for countless years."

"What I mean is, the nine dragons pulling the coffin arrived late, and their appearance now is a response to the ancient call."

When a female classmate proposed this idea, everyone was stunned. The call from the ancient ancestors, the late arrival of the nine dragons and the ancient coffin, a response spanning thousands of years—was it too incredible to be true?

"The truth is beyond our knowledge; everything is mere speculation, with many possibilities."

"Yes, perhaps the nine dragons pulling the coffin have nothing to do with the ancient people and have returned on their own."

"Did you see those bronze engravings? There are ancient ancestors, ancient gods, and many figures engraved with tears, conveying a sense of desolation and melancholy, as if telling an ancient tale."

"Perhaps it's true, the nine dragons pulling the coffin, breaking through the heavens, returning home! A bloody past..."

Could it be that the ancient ancestors really had unknown means to explore an unknown and distant place? The nine dragons pulling the coffin, returning home, living and going, withered bones returning, and the dead wrapped in a coffin.

As they talked, the group's fear gradually lessened, and they came up with various possibilities. However, they still revered the bronze coffin in the center, with no one daring to touch it, let alone open it.

"I think the rescuers must have reached Mount Tai by now and might be nearby."

"I hope there are no accidents, and they can get us out of here soon."

The group had no way to escape the ancient coffin. The bronze coffin was eight to nine meters high and sealed by the lid, making escape impossible.

As everyone hoped to be rescued soon, the bronze coffin suddenly shook violently. Everyone stumbled, and many fell to the ground.

"What's happening?" the group was uncertain and frightened. Some female classmates were on the verge of tears, clinging to those around them.

"Are the rescuers here? Could they be trying to save us?"

Amidst worry and fear, the vibrations in the bronze coffin intensified. No one could stand firm, and almost everyone fell to the ground, in close contact with the cold bronze coffin.

"Boom!"

Another violent shock, like an airplane passing through the cold clouds at high altitude, encased in a thick layer of ice, shaking incessantly.

"Blast!"

The final shock was like a thunderclap, as if it wanted to shatter all matter. It was clear that the bronze giant coffin had suffered a major collision.

But at this moment, the bronze engravings inside the dark coffin emitted faint glimmers of light, instantly neutralizing an unimaginable force.

The group was bewildered. They had just felt as if the sky was about to collapse, but in an instant, everything became calm, creating a strange illusion.

"That's not right. There was indeed a terrifying force just now; how could it suddenly stop?"

"It's not an illusion. The bronze coffin did collide violently and flipped several times, but we were not affected."

At this moment, the group was shocked to discover that the bronze coffin for the body was hanging on the side wall of the coffin chamber. It was firmly in place and had not fallen.

"The bronze coffin chamber must have fallen to the ground, and the small bronze coffin holding the body must be firmly cast at the bottom of the large coffin, immovable. Therefore, after the coffin chamber tipped and tilted, at first glance, it seemed to be hanging on the side wall."

One could imagine the immense force of the impact just now, yet it was dissipated by the faint light emanating from the bronze engravings, which was incredible.

"Light, light is coming in from outside!" Li Xiaoman exclaimed.

Everyone turned their heads towards the direction Li Xiaoman was looking, and indeed, there were faint rays of light coming in.

"The bronze giant coffin has tipped over, and the coffin lid is tilted, creating a gap. We are finally safe!"

The bronze coffin lid had shifted from its original position, and the gap was wide enough for two people to walk out side by side. However, the outside was dimly lit, so the light entering the bronze coffin was not very noticeable.

The group cheered and rushed forward, eager to escape the dark and terrifying space, not wanting to stay a second longer.

But when everyone emerged from the bronze coffin, they all stood still like statues.

The earth seemed to have been soaked in blood, a reddish-brown color, cold, hard, and desolate. The landscape was barren and empty, with large rocks scattered about, resembling tombstones.

The light in this world was dim, the atmosphere gloomy, like a lifeless dusk shrouded in a faint black mist.

Everyone was stunned; this was definitely not the summit of Mount Tai!

The boundless reddish-brown earth, distant and silent, showed no signs of life, and was not a place they knew.

Never seen, never heard of, it was completely unfamiliar and mysterious!

"This is... where? Have we left Mount Tai?" The speaker's voice trembled.

"Did the rescuers isolate us in a no-man's land to avoid danger from the nine dragon corpses?" The classmate who said this could hardly convince themselves.

Everyone felt a sense of foreboding, as if something extremely bad had happened to them. At this moment, many people tried to make calls with their phones, but there was no signal, and none could get through.

"Where are we?" Many people showed panic, feeling no joy at escaping, only fear.

From being trapped in the bronze coffin to stepping out again, only half an hour had passed, but the scenery before them had changed completely. The majestic and towering Mount Tai, which could overlook all mountains, was gone. Instead, there was an endless desert with rolling, pebble-covered terrain.

Ye Fan quietly observed everything. His ominous premonition had come true. Ever since he saw the Tai Chi and Eight Trigrams diagram condense on Mount Tai, forming a dark and massive passage, he had an uneasy association. Although he did not see the nine dragons pulling the coffin enter that passage leading to an unknown place, what he saw now was enough to explain everything. They were no longer on Mount Tai, and perhaps not even on Earth.