Chapter 167: Section 168: Divine Artifact! Green Jade Gold Coffin


    The War Merchant lay prostrate on the ground, his back facing upward. A peculiar long spear, two meters in length, had pierced through his back and out his chest, with the spear tip lodged in the floor tiles.


    This slender spear, appearing as if it were woven from interlaced vines, had dealt the War Merchant his most fatal blow.


    The identity of the Holy Domain powerhouse who had thrown the spear was unknown; it might well have been a desperate final strike, which resulted in the mutually assured destruction scene before everyone’s eyes.


    “This wooden vine spear seems to be the Legendary Weapon recorded in the annals—the Thistlewood Vine Spear,” Zong Ge asserted after some examination.


    The spear constantly emitted a Legendary Level aura; peculiarly, it seemed alive, akin to Magic Plants.


    “The last record of this Thistlewood Vine Spear was its inclusion in the arsenal of the Great Duke Zhan Wan. That must be it. A Legendary Weapon with such distinctive features.”


    ...


    “No wonder the War Merchant was also killed. The Blood Light Sanction Court’s assault team possessed the Legendary King of Flame Dragons, and a Legendary Weapon!”


    But Zi Di shook her head, “This is the War Merchant’s main base, and the Alchemy Factory is part of his Mage Tower. If it had come down to direct combat, the outcome would not be clear. The key is that this team evidently came prepared, they didn’t launch a frontal assault but instead directly infiltrated the inner workings of the Alchemy Factory. The reality is, the War Merchant was caught completely off guard.”


    Zi Di’s analysis won Cang Xu’s approval.


    The old Scholar nodded slightly, looking upon the War Merchant’s corpse with a deep sigh: “A Legendary Mage who could reside within a Mage Tower and even contend with deities has fallen just like this.”


    “His Magic Robe must also be of Legendary rank. Sadly, it could not withstand the Thistlewood Vine Spear.” Someone noted this fact.


    “Even a damaged Legendary Magic Robe, just based on the manufacturing material, is worth a fortune, let alone the possibility that it could be repaired!”


    “Better not to touch him. Who knows if the War Merchant set up some treacherous Spell before his death?” Cang Xu warned.


    His words instantly reminded everyone of the first Holy Domain powerhouse corpse—rashly touching it would result in transformation into a golden statue.


    A shiver ran through everyone’s hearts, and they inwardly heaved a sigh.


    The gap between them was so vast that they couldn’t even approach the corpse.


    “Nor should we touch this Thistlewood Vine Spear. It’s extremely domineering, capable of drawing in almost all substances and energy. When it encounters water, it absorbs water; when it encounters fire, it draws in fire; when it encounters flesh and blood, it absorbs flesh and blood. Therefore, it is a strong counter to a Mage’s energy shield.” Zong Ge reminded them.


    Hearing this, everyone discreetly distanced themselves further from the War Merchant.


    “How are we supposed to clean up the battlefield then?”


    “Yeah, how are we going to take these spoils of war back with us?”


    “I never imagined such a huge gain from this misfortune! My goodness, fate is too unbelievable.”


    “The credit for this is too great, the bounty for the War Merchant is a huge sum. He is seventh on the wanted list, after all!”


    “Hahaha… It’s more than just the bounty.”


    “We’ve picked up a huge advantage. As long as we bring these back to the Empire, we might be granted noble titles, win lands. And the stories about us will spread across the entire Continent, making countless adventurers envious.”


    The crowd gathered around the War Merchant’s body and, gradually, their voices grew louder, their breaths heavier, and many faces flushed with excitement.


    Zong Ge felt the same. He thought of his father and realized that before he even set foot in the Wilderness Continent, he had accomplished such an enormous feat, undoubtedly shortening the distance between himself and his goals.


    Sanda, too, was visibly elated.


    He had been the squad leader of the Sanda Mercenary Group, and had devoted most of his life to it. To think that after being stranded on an island and disbanding the Mercenary Group, he would encounter a turning point in life!


    Zhenjin, however, frowned slightly, looking at the side of the War Merchant’s face. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled, “Strange, why do I have a sense of familiarity when I look at him?”


    Everyone was actually clear about the appearance of the War Merchant, considering the world’s seventh biggest bounty had spread his portrait across almost every Continent.


    However, Zhenjin was sure that this sense of familiarity did not come from looking at portraits but rather resembled that derived from personal contact.


    Cang Xu suddenly spoke up, “Gentlemen, this might not be such an easy bargain to grab. The War Merchant was killed by the Blood Light Sanction Court’s team. What would happen if we presented these spoils? What would be the Blood Light Sanction Court’s reaction?”


    “When we passed through the Magma Battlefield, Flame Mountain roared explicitly at us, warning us not to covet this credit.”


    “Flame Mountain is not just a Legendary Fire Dragon. Its master is the all-powerful Duke of the Mage Empire.”


    Cang Xu’s words caused everyone to involuntarily calm down.


    “That’s true.”


    “This credit is too significant; it’s not something we can swallow up.”


    “My little body wouldn’t even stand a chance against one press of the King of Flame Dragons’ Dragon Claw!”


    The group worried, showing distressed expressions.


    Jia Sha scoffed, “Gentlemen, you must understand, these are gifts bestowed upon us by fate!”


    The priest looked at the crowd, declaring loudly, “Originally, we might have been able to sail safely to the Wilderness Continent. However, the Blood Light Sanction Court’s team assaulted Mysterious Monster Island, perishing alongside the War Merchant. The island collapsed, the Tower Spirit lost control, and the leaking tremendous force caused our ship to suffer misfortune.”


    “We are the victims, the unfortunate ones caught in the crossfire, stranded on this island as a result. Over the past several months, we’ve struggled. We have battled various Magic Beasts, traversed mountains and rivers, and gathered food and water with all our might for self-rescue. In the end, we were still forced to come here, trying to carve out a chance for survival from a desperate situation.”


    “We have succeeded!”


    “Now we have reached this place.”


    “Looking back, we have sacrificed so many companions, shed so much sweat and blood, and survived so many close calls. We supported each other, relying on our own efforts and the indispensable luck, and here we finally stand.”


    Jia Sha pointed at the War Merchant’s corpse, “This is what we deserve.”


    “Right!”


    “Absolutely correct.”


    “The priest spoke the truth!”


    Everyone was deeply moved by Jia Sha’s words.


    Zhenjin, Zong Ge, and a few others remained silent.


    Jia Sha continued, “Indeed, by claiming this feat for ourselves, we will offend the Blood Light Sanction Court, Flame Mountain, the Grand Duke of the Entire Empire, and others. But if I were to pass up the achievements before us, I would regret it for the rest of my life!”


    “As everyone knows, I am a priest. I believe in my lord—the great Holy Emperor! Within the Holy Sect, I have my mentors, I have my superiors, and a large number of colleagues. I was also the son of a noble, and my family’s background could offer me convenience.”


    “So, I will make use of all my connections, relationships, and will fight with all my might for these achievements.”


    “Exactly!” Bai Ya exclaimed, “Don’t forget, we also have Lord Zhenjin.”


    Everyone’s gaze once again focused on Zhenjin.


    “Yes, we have always been following Lord Zhenjin.”


    “He is a Holy Temple Knight, a Divine Favored Knight!”


    “The Hundred Needle Family will undoubtedly support us, ensuring our accomplishments!”


    Zong Ge was thoughtful; he thought of his own father.


    Hei Juan wore a slight smile. Sёarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “Th-thank goodness,” Fat Tongue, with tears in his eyes, said, “Chairman, our Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce will also, also be revived.”


    However, at this moment, Zi Di was unusually calm, “Gentlemen, do not celebrate too soon. Our main purpose in coming here is not to claim achievements. The War Merchant’s and the Blood Light Sanction Court’s squads perishing together was unexpected. We need to survive and escape from here.”


    “Even though we have not felt the earthquakes after entering the Alchemy Factory, it doesn’t mean they have stopped. The source of the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is Flame Mountain.”


    “If we do not hurry and find a way to escape, when the island collapses, we will all perish. If Flame Mountain is liberated, we will all suffer.”


    Their faces turned grave.


    Zi Di was right, and they all sobered up a bit.


    “Quick, let’s go upstairs and check.”


    “This Mage Tower must be the heart of the Alchemy Factory. Inside, there must be a way to control the entire factory.”


    “There must also be a way to leave here, like a passage or a Teleportation Gate of some sort. The War Merchant would have left a route of escape for himself.”


    “We have to hurry and find the command center!”


    “Could this coffin be the command center?”


    On the first floor of the Mage Tower, besides the destroyed door and the corpses of the War Merchant and Holy Domain strongmen, and apart from the Legendary Weapon, Thornwood Vine Spear, at the center stood a massive coffin.


    The coffin seemed to be completely made of gold, its surface inlaid with green jade bas-reliefs followed by silver outlines, depicting an elegant serpentine body and expansive magnificent wings.


    The entire coffin was three meters long and one-point-eight meters wide, splendid and peerlessly luxurious.


    The coffin was not intact; they did not find its lid.


    Approaching carefully, they made another discovery—the interior walls of the coffin were lined with black lines depicting twelve murals, all in an ancient style, showing gods, creation, worship, skylight, and other mythological subjects.


    “This deity seems to be… the Feathered Snake,” Jia Sha recognized after a moment and his expression shifted slightly.


    The Feathered Snake was not a deity of the Human Race but was one of the gods worshiped by the Trolls.


    And now the Troll race was nearly extinct, and the Feathered Snake had long since fallen.


    Jia Sha’s eyes gleamed as he spoke with certainty, “This coffin must be the Feathered Snake’s Divine Artifact—the Green Jade Gold Coffin!”


    “The Feathered Snake deity had dominion over life, reproduction and related Divine Offices, and Divine Authority. According to records, whenever It was gravely wounded, It would retreat into the coffin to receive rapid and complete healing. The healing power of this Divine Artifact, the Green Jade Gold Coffin, is so potent that some even speculated it may be able to resurrect deities!”


    “I cannot believe that War Merchant managed to acquire the main body.”


    “Unfortunately, he did not possess the lid; this artifact is incomplete.”


    “I understand now!”


    Speaking, Jia Sha suddenly turned to look back at War Merchant, “He was gravely injured, retreated to the command center, and aimed to use the Green Jade Gold Coffin to heal himself. He nearly succeeded, but in the end, he perished during the final stretch of the journey.”