General of the Heavens

hiss!

Ning Chen didn't react much, but Chen Yulou gasped, whether from shock or from the excitement that caused his old injury to flare up.

Touching his chin, Ning Chen examined the coffin carefully: "The golden nanmu coffin alone should be worth tens of thousands of silver dollars, right?"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ning Chen realized that Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle were looking at him with strange expressions.

Chen Yulou smacked his lips, saying meaningfully, "Third brother, are you really that clueless, or are you pretending not to know? How much is a coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood worth?"

"What? Golden nanmu isn't worth anything?"

These words really overturned Ning Chen's values. Golden nanmu wood has always been reserved for royalty and nobility, and using it to make a coffin requires hollowing out the entire trunk, making it especially precious!

What was the origin of Chen Yulou's statement?

Finally, even Partridge Whistle couldn't stand it anymore. "Third brother, Phoebe zhennan wood was a relatively cheap wood in ancient times. Normally, you could buy a large Phoebe zhennan tree for only a few to a dozen taels of silver."

Transporting timber that is often one or two meters in diameter and more than ten meters long out of the deep mountains would require a large amount of silver, ranging from tens to hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver.

Transporting them to the palace could fetch nearly ten thousand taels of silver.

Moreover, the emperor did not actually value Phoebe zhennan wood. It was only because Phoebe zhennan wood was relatively cheap, large pieces were easy to obtain, and it was suitable for the northern climate.

For example, hardwoods in the north are prone to expansion, contraction and cracking due to changes in humidity, while woods that are not very hard, such as nanmu, do not have such serious problems.

Moreover, the Chinese traditionally like to lacquer wood, and the most touted feature of Phoebe zhennan wood is its golden-thread-like wood grain.

But after lacquering, no wood grain was visible, indicating that the emperor didn't actually care about the so-called golden nanmu wood.

After hearing Partridge Whistle's explanation, Ning Chen was completely taken aback. "But the golden nanmu wood used for this coffin must be at least two meters thick, right? Just transporting such a large piece of wood must have been a huge expense, right?"

Partridge Whistle shook his head: "Third brother, don't forget, this is western Hunan. There are many golden nanmu trees in some deep mountains and forests. In terms of value alone, this golden nanmu coffin is not as valuable as the purple gold outer coffin outside."

Ning Chen looked like a deflated balloon, listless. He had thought that golden nanmu wood was quite expensive, but he didn't know which bastard had hyped it up.

"Without further ado, second and third brothers, prepare to open the coffin!" Partridge Whistle said solemnly, his excitement rising at the thought that the Muchen Pearl might be here.

Ning Chen nodded. He saw the candle in the southeast corner, its flame motionless, indicating that both the living and the dead were abiding by the contract.

"open!"

Partridge Whistle and Chen Yulou, each holding a crowbar, worked together to pry open a small crack in the coffin lid made of Phoebe zhennan wood.

Whoosh! In an instant, black smoke billowed from the coffin. Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle retreated simultaneously, with Partridge Whistle's expression being particularly grave.

"A gentle breeze does not rise, but a black wind rolls forth!"

This is a code among tomb raiders: if there is no breeze, it means there is something unusual in the coffin; if there is a breeze, it means everything is going well.

The rolling black wind specifically indicates the anomaly: the corpse in the coffin has undergone a transformation, and the black mist is emitted by the transformed zombie.

"Third brother, are you ready?"

Chen Yulou asked Ning Chen, who nodded. He held a golden seal in his hand, its surface emitting a faint golden light, representing righteousness.

The Heavenly Official bestows blessings, and all taboos are lifted. This is no mere rhetoric. Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle exchanged a glance and then exerted force, lifting the heavy coffin lid made of golden nanmu wood!

The billowing black mist instantly filled the entire space; an ordinary person would feel a chill run down their spine just from smelling it, and would lose at least half their life.

However, Ning Chen was not frightened by the black aura. Instead, he faced the black aura and pressed the Tomb Raider Seal into the coffin!

The seal of the tomb raider immediately suppressed the zombies!

As the black mist gradually dissipated, Partridge Whistle and Chen Yulou were both panting heavily. It turned out that they had used the technique of holding their breath and breathing like turtles before opening the coffin, and now they could finally catch their breath.

Ning Chen suddenly realized something was wrong. These two people were holding their breath and not telling him. If it weren't for his spiritual energy protecting him, he would probably have been poisoned.

Chen Yulou patted Ning Chen on the shoulder and said, "Third brother, you're young and strong, much stronger than us. It's no big deal for you to absorb a little more black energy."

"Is this even human language...?"

Ning Chen kicked him directly, and Chen Yulou dodged, but let out a painful howl, apparently having pulled too big a step and torn his balls...

Partridge Whistle intently observed the ancient corpse, or rather, the zombie, in the coffin. The zombie was tall and imposing, with a face as purple as a cow's liver.

He wore no crown, his hair was disheveled, and he was dressed in a brocade purple robe with fierce patterns, with a jade and gold belt around his waist, looking every bit the part of a great noble and powerful man.

Partridge Whistle tried to lift the Tomb Raider Seal slightly, and the zombie trembled all over. Then, a burst of black energy suddenly emerged from its body, and it tried to sit up.

Bang! Partridge Whistle reacted quickly.

He quickly pressed the tomb raider's seal back onto the zombie's head, which was enough to prove that the zombie in the coffin was indeed genuine.

Partridge Whistle extended two fingers, his index and middle fingers, and pressed them together like knives, tapping the bent-over zombie dozens of times before withdrawing his hand and standing still.

"How is it?" Chen Yulou asked.

Partridge Whistle said, "I have already used the method of examining corpses. This zombie has actually reached the state of not disintegrating bones. It must have been no ordinary person in life."

"Undying bones?" Ning Chen almost dropped his jaw in shock. In "What the Master Did Not Discuss," zombies are divided into eight categories: purple zombies, white zombies, green zombies, hairy zombies, flying zombies, wandering zombies, lying zombies, and undying bones.

The highest level is the one where the bones do not dissolve.

"Could it be that this zombie has become an immortal? But how could such an existence be suppressed by a single Tomb Raider Seal?" Ning Chen was extremely puzzled.

Chen Yulou chuckled upon hearing Ning Chen's words, "Third brother, the 'unmelting bones' mentioned here doesn't mean that."

Generally speaking, certain parts of a person's body may remain intact after death due to the infusion of their spirit into their remains.

The so-called spiritual infusion is like a rice-carrying worker; because he constantly exerts his strength with his shoulders, the area around his shoulders might not decompose after he dies. This uncorrupted part of the shoulder is called the non-corrupted bone.

"So that's what it means. So, according to that logic, some highly respected monks, after their cremation, will produce relics, which are called 'uncorrupted bones'?"

Chen Yulou nodded and said, "Third brother is intelligent, and these kinds of relics are often blessed with merit, making them the nemesis of evil spirits."

"So the uncorrupted bones of this zombie are..."

"Physical body! This zombie has obtained some kind of fortune; its physical body is extremely powerful. If it weren't for the suppression of the Tomb Raider Seal, once it awakens, I'm afraid even I wouldn't be able to defeat it!"

Ning Chen was shocked. Although he knew the Corpse King was powerful, this was the first time Partridge Whistle had admitted that he was no match for him. At this moment, Ning Chen was very grateful to the system for giving him such a divine artifact as the Grave Seal!

However, before Ning Chen could dissect the zombie to extract its inner core, the Yuan Dynasty zombie king lying in the golden nanmu coffin suddenly opened its eyes…

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