Urban Martial Saint

Standing beside the stone coffin, although the lid of the stone coffin seemed to be easily pushed open, Ye Qing dared not directly push the lid off.

After all, this stone coffin is likely to be Ancestor Chen Tuan’s coffin, and the person buried inside is probably Ancestor Chen Tuan. Not to mention whether there are any mechanisms inside the stone coffin, out of respect for this Taoist Sect master, his coffin cannot be opened casually.

Ye Qing bowed three times to the stone coffin, then turned and walked past it, starting to carefully search other places inside the cave. To be honest, Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb is much simpler compared to the secret room where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away. But after all, Ancestor Chen Tuan is considered a figure as famous as Patriarch Bodhidharma, so there might be some crucial secrets left in his tomb.

Ever since coming out of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, Ye Qing has grown increasingly curious about the history of that era. However, the people around him either knew nothing or knew a little but wouldn’t tell him anything. Ye Qing had to investigate those secrets himself. Undoubtedly, Ancestor Chen Tuan must be familiar with that period of history, so Ye Qing hopes to find some crucial information in his tomb.

Actually, Ye Qing somewhat regretted after leaving the Sword Saint Sect. He had hoped to inquire about the situation inside the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, to ask about the secrets concerning Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Yet, he hadn’t begun to inquire about these, when the Knife Saint ran out to fight with someone. After the fight, only a Dragon-breaking Knife was left, and the Knife Saint himself disappeared without a trace. Ye Qing couldn’t find him again to inquire further, and the secrets within Heaven Earth Man Three Gates were left thoroughly unexplored.

Now, upon arriving at Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb, Ye Qing certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity. To be honest, Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb being in this place, probably not many people know about it, judging by the situation. It seems Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb hasn’t been entered by anyone. Not to mention the mechanism of the Innate Nine Diagrams in Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb, even the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal outside has few people capable of moving it.

Perhaps the high masters of the Buddhist Sect can move the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, but even if they could enter that cave, they couldn’t get into Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb. So, this tomb being left here is extremely concealed. Let’s not mention anything else; just the Sword Saint Sect being here for over three hundred years without realizing there is such a hidden world underground speaks volumes about the situation. It’s estimated no one knows Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb is here.

Ancestor Chen Tuan chose such a secretive place to set up his tomb and left such mechanisms, showing how much emphasis he placed on this tomb. So, if there aren’t any secrets inside this tomb, Ye Qing wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death.

The cave isn’t large, surrounded by stone walls, and there are no other roads leading out. Ye Qing walked around inside the cave but didn’t find anything unusual. However, Ye Qing isn’t new to entering tombs; having spent considerable time with Old Wang Ba, he is somewhat knowledgeable about tomb situations. Even if Ancestor Chen Tuan left any secrets in this tomb, they certainly wouldn’t be in plain sight but hidden somewhere.

Ye Qing took up the Scabbard of The Ancestor of Miao Dao, walked to the stone wall, and lightly knocked on the stone wall, listening carefully to the echo, trying to determine if there might be another secret room behind the wall. However, after circling the stone wall, Ye Qing found nothing. This stone wall seems to hold only the stone coffin, with nothing else.

Ye Qing was somewhat skeptical; he couldn’t believe Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb had no secrets, no items left behind. Surely, there must be something crucial hidden here, but where exactly?

Turning around, Ye Qing carefully examined every corner of the cave again, and eventually, his gaze settled on the stone coffin in the center. He had already checked the surrounding cave three times without any discoveries. So, the only possibility seemed to lie within the stone coffin. Could it be that Ancestor Chen Tuan left his belongings inside the stone coffin?

Ye Qing had previously heard Fat Wang speak of their tomb-robbing activities; many burial items were actually placed on the deceased, inside the coffin. If Ancestor Chen Tuan truly left something as burial goods, might he have hidden these inside the stone coffin?

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing’s curiosity ultimately overcame his reverence for Ancestor Chen Tuan. He walked to the front of the stone coffin, knelt respectfully, after three bows and nine kowtows, clasped his hands together sincerely and said: ”Junior Ye Qing unintentionally disturbed Ancestor’s remains today. However, the world is on the brink of chaos, and Junior is powerless to stop it. Ancestor, as a master of the Taoist Sect, surely couldn’t bear to see the world fall into turmoil. Therefore, Junior boldly opens Ancestor’s coffin to retrieve the relics left by Ancestor to save the people. I hope Ancestor’s spirit in heaven will not blame Junior!”

After speaking these words, Ye Qing felt his guilt alleviate considerably. He stood up and walked to the side of the coffin, took a deep breath, grasped the edge of the coffin, and pushed forward forcefully. The coffin lid was pushed open directly. The anticipated struggle did not occur; the stone tablet coffin lid was even easier to push than a wooden coffin lid, which was completely unexpected to Ye Qing.

Upon opening the coffin, Ye Qing dared not look directly inside, as this was Ancestor Chen Tuan’s coffin. Opening the coffin was already a serious disrespect, and looking directly inside would be even more disrespectful.

Ye Qing clasped his hands together again, apologized once more, then held his breath and slowly leaned his head to look into the coffin.

Ye Qing’s attention was immediately captured. Inside the stone coffin, it was unexpectedly empty, devoid of anything!

The stone coffin inside Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb was actually empty!?

Ye Qing widened his eyes, staring at the stone coffin for a long time before coming back to his senses. He had envisioned many scenarios, even imagined that Ancestor Chen Tuan’s body might still be uncorrupted due to his immense power. But he never dreamt that the stone coffin would be in such a state, that it would be completely empty, with absolutely nothing inside!?

What on earth is going on?

Where is Ancestor Chen Tuan’s body?

Where has Ancestor Chen Tuan gone?

Filled with doubt and astonishment, Ye Qing took a deep breath and looked more closely. The stone coffin indeed was empty, with absolutely nothing inside. However, there were some inscriptions carved onto the walls of the coffin.

This discovery invigorated Ye Qing; at least this trip hadn’t been in vain. There were words carved inside the stone coffin, definitely left behind by Ancestor Chen Tuan, possibly hiding a great secret.

Though the inside of the stone coffin was carved with words, it was unclear how long they had been there as they were completely covered in dust. Ye Qing reached out to brush the dust away, but standing outside the coffin, it was tough to see. Hesitating for a moment, Ye Qing decided to climb directly into the coffin, lying inside to read the surrounding inscriptions.

Just as he lay down, the first line Ye Qing saw was on the wall beside him—’To enter this coffin is to be destined. Innate Skill’s Second Level, Nine Charts engraved here, gifted to the destined one.’

Upon reading these words, Ye Qing’s eyes suddenly lit up; he realized this trip wasn’t wasted after all, for he had gained the nine charts of the Innate Skill’s Second Level here. He recalled obtaining the Innate Nine Diagrams at Mount Wendao, which were the foundational basis for the First Layer of Innate Skill. The First Layer had already laid the groundwork for Ye Qing, allowing him to integrate Taoist Sect’s cultivation techniques.

This phenomenon was most evident in Fu Qingping. Fu Qingping had gained the Innate Skill, synthesizing everything he had learned before, ultimately advancing into the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man. That was just the effect of Innate Skill’s First Layer. As for the Innate Skill’s Second Level, hardly anyone was aware of it. In fact, even Wuji, the foremost contemporary figure in the Taoist Sect, didn’t know about it, let alone others.

After learning the Innate Skill’s First Layer, Ye Qing never dared to contemplate the Innate Skill’s Second Level. He never expected such fortune, discovering Ancestor Chen Tuan’s tomb here and obtaining the Innate Skill’s Second Level—this truly was a great blessing.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Qing suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked closely down. As expected, the next sight was an illustration depicting a reclined posture. Though the posture was rather strange, Ye Qing recognized it at once; this was undoubtedly a posture of Innate Skill but different from those he had previously learned. Evidently, it was one of the nine charts of the Innate Skill’s Second Level mentioned by Ancestor Chen Tuan.

Since Ye Qing was conveniently lying inside the coffin, it was relatively easy for him to assume this posture. He quickly reclined according to the illustration and immediately sensed the Taoist Sect power within him being stimulated, slowly starting to circulate. This indicated Ye Qing had learned correctly, and this illustration was indeed the posture of the Innate Skill’s Second Level.

Having thoroughly learned and memorized this posture, Ye Qing continued to look on, seeing the second illustration—another reclining posture. Ye Qing tried adopting it once more, feeling even greater fluctuations of Taoist Sect power within him. Following along this path, Ye Qing found nine illustrations inside the stone coffin—each depicting a posture. These certainly were the nine cultivation postures of Innate Skill’s Second Level. Ye Qing committed these nine postures firmly to memory.