C739 The Bronze Coffin

At the top, Woo Zhengyang and Bing Yue gazed down at the entire tomb chamber, including the bronze coffin before them. As they descended, the once ordinary bronze coffin seemed to transform into a towering mountain.

After navigating numerous dangers and surprises, they finally stood before this mysterious bronze coffin. The coffin was encased within an outer shell, and inside lay the actual coffin. What they saw was the outer shell, which, though of normal size, was twice as large as the stone coffin they had encountered in Fuxi's tomb.

The bronze was ordinary, the patterns unremarkable. What was extraordinary was the coffin's location and the ages it had endured.

"What do we do now? Should we open it?" Bing Yue asked.

"Let's see if there are any clues around first. If not, we might have to take some drastic measures," Woo Zhengyang replied.

Bing Yue nodded, and together they began searching around the bronze coffin. Unfortunately, despite scouring the entire chamber, they found no clues. The vast tomb was empty, save for the bronze coffin.

However, on the walls surrounding the chamber, they discovered a lengthy inscription. It was so extensive that it resembled a diary more than a dedication, covering the entire interior wall of the tomb.

However, the two were quickly drawn in by the content of the eulogy, as it revealed a hidden secret unknown to most.

Eulogy:

In the ancient era, in the 157th year of the Profound Mountain calendar, Emperor Fuxi of Qingyang, with sincere offerings, pays tribute before the spirit of his beloved wife, Nuwa...

The beginning of the eulogy indicates the era when this tomb was constructed. As Woo Zhengyang had suspected, it was built during the ancient epoch, in the 157th year after Profound Mountain led the Human Clan to rise.

The person who constructed this mausoleum was none other than Emperor Fuxi of Qingyang, known to later generations as the founding ancestor of the formation path, the Green Emperor Fuxi. The one being commemorated was Fuxi's wife, Nuwa.

Regarding Fuxi, people generally believed he was a figure from ancient times, yet here it is marked as the ancient era, which seems contradictory. As Woo Zhengyang and Bing Yue read further into the lengthy eulogy, they unraveled the full story.

During the ancient era, the Human Clan was weak, enslaved by the two clans of gods and demons. However, the Human Clan was vast, divided into a hundred tribes. Fuxi and Nuwa belonged to neighboring tribes and grew up together, childhood sweethearts destined to be together.

It was during this time that the Human Clan's ancestor, Profound Mountain, rose powerfully, leading the hundred tribes to resist the enslavement by the gods and demons.

In the beginning, not many among the various clans supported Profound Mountain. The two clans of gods and demons were overwhelmingly powerful, capable of wiping out thousands of humans with a single hand. Their strength was so daunting that the other clans didn't even dare to resist, fearing complete annihilation.

However, Fuxi, young and passionate, followed Profound Mountain without hesitation. Time proved Fuxi's choice to be right. Profound Mountain harnessed the strengths of the gods and demons, discovering a way for humans to become powerful too—through cultivation! This path to strength opened with two martial disciplines: refining energy and body training.

Fuxi, gifted and intelligent, diligently practiced the cultivation methods he learned from Profound Mountain. His efforts paid off, and he reached the imperial realm, earning the title Qingyang, symbolizing the bright sky and soaring vitality.

By then, Profound Mountain's group had grown significantly, even capable of standing against some gods and demons. Those who had wavered among the clans began to see hope. More and more people rose up to fight for the future of humanity, including the clans of Fuxi and Nuwa.

When lovers met, their affection was profound. Under Fuxi's guidance, Nuwa's cultivation advanced rapidly, and she soon reached the imperial realm, joining the team led by Fuxi.

The two lovers were inseparable, whether in everyday life or during the battles against divine and demonic forces, their bond was the envy of all. Yet, fate was not kind, and disaster struck.

During an expedition to gather resources for their cultivation, Fuxi's team was ambushed by a large force of divine beings. Despite leading a valiant fight, Fuxi and his companions were overwhelmed and faced certain doom.

After an unknown period, a dazed Fuxi emerged from the carnage, surrounded by the fallen. He was heartbroken, tears of blood marking his face. Hundreds of warriors had perished, none survived, and even Nuwa was not spared.

Thanks to a protective artifact gifted by Profound Mountain, Fuxi survived, but his core was shattered, his meridians severed, leaving him a broken man. More critically, the divine and demonic forces had claimed the land, encircling him. Even if his powers were intact, escaping their grasp would have been impossible.

Trapped and powerless, yet life persisted. The artifact from Profound Mountain, though destroyed, had released its energy into Fuxi during the attack. This mysterious energy meant that while his powers were lost, his lifespan was unaffected, extending far beyond that of ordinary humans.

In the beginning, Fuxi was unaware of this fact. After realizing he couldn't return to the Human Clan, he knew there was one thing left to do: bury his former comrades and beloved. Though he had lost his powers, he still had his own strength. Without tools, he made use of the broken swords and shattered blades scattered around.

With sheer determination, Fuxi spent countless years constructing a tomb that would hold hundreds of warrior emperors and carved out a chamber for Nuwa. Once Nuwa was laid to rest, Fuxi settled into the tomb, awaiting death. He even prepared a resting place for himself in front of Nuwa's grave.

Yet, as years passed—one, ten, twenty—Fuxi realized he showed no signs of dying. Instead, he was filled with vitality. Although his energy center and meridians were shattered, leaving him unable to cultivate, his body felt lighter and more agile than ever.

Loneliness was the hardest to endure. Initially, Fuxi was resigned to his fate, but now, realizing he couldn't die, the solitude drove him mad. He began to yearn for escape, to return to the Human Clan. Even if it meant facing the gods and demons and dying along the way, it was better than the unbearable loneliness.

Bidding farewell to Nuwa's tomb, Fuxi set out on his journey to leave.

However, he quickly realized with sorrow that even if he wanted to sacrifice himself, it seemed impossible...