Star Trace Gate

Chapter 913 Exploring the Celestial Palace, the Hanging Coffin Hall of the 6th Generation Master

The steward of the Sun family's inner quarters, filled with immense trepidation, shakily stepped into the Li family's gate.

About fifteen minutes later, a servant from the Li family led the steward of the inner palace into the Sixth Grandfather's courtyard, and then into the main hall.

The sixth grandfather, a man known for his love of wine and women, sometimes confused and sometimes lustful, was now sitting languidly on the couch in a light pink robe. He spoke succinctly: "Didn't Taishan go to your Sun family for a banquet? Why is Sun Michen sending a message again...!"

"Reporting to the ancestor, I don't know the specifics either. The patriarch only told me to deliver the letter." The steward of the inner palace was bent over, almost burying his head in the ground.

"Give it to me, let me see it." Sixth Grandpa waved his hand lightly.

"Yes."

The steward of the inner palace held up the letter and was about to step forward.

“Sun Michen has a foul odor, it’s really unpleasant. You don’t need to get close, just trust him.” Sixth Grandfather made no attempt to hide his unpredictable nature.

"Oh……"

The steward of the inner palace hurriedly nodded, then held the letter in both hands, not daring to step forward.

"Shh!"

Sixth Grandfather raised his hand and took the letter from a distance, then slowly opened it and glanced at it.

The letter contained only one sentence: "Uncle Liu, it is as if I am seeing you in person. I had a very pleasant conversation with Brother Li and was reluctant to let him leave, so I decided to let him stay at my home for a few days. Brother Li has already agreed, so you and your family need not worry. — Respectfully yours, Sun Michen"

"boom!"

After reading the small print, Grandpa Liu unleashed a terrifying and overwhelming aura from his body, and his wrinkled old face became extremely fierce.

My Li family's courtyard is vast and spacious, with hundreds of rooms. Do I really need to stay at your Sun family's place? Besides, we all live in the same village and city. Even if we have a pleasant conversation, there's no need for us to stay overnight. Can't we go tomorrow?!

Although the letter was written in a very polite tone, anyone who wasn't actually suffering from dementia could sense the warning in Sun Michen's words, as well as the basic fact that Li Taishan had been detained and placed under house arrest.

The steward of the inner palace naturally understood this as well, so when he sensed the terrifying aura of the sixth grandfather, he was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud, his lips trembling and standing there without daring to raise his head.

Sixth Grandfather stepped off the bed, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and walked toward the steward of the inner palace.

"Elder, I...I'm just a messenger." The steward of the inner palace had really wet himself, his crotch was soaked, and he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead as he said, "Master sent me, I...I had no choice but to come."

Sixth Grandfather was an old monster whose lifespan was about to end. He had traveled away from his hometown more than ten times and his hands were stained with the blood of the strong. The aura emanating from his body was also filled with an indescribable sense of oppression.

He stood with his hands behind his back in front of the inner palace steward and asked in a calm voice, "What else did Sun Michen say?"

"...!"

The steward of the inner palace swallowed hard and said tremblingly, "The...the head of the family said that if Lord Li needs anything while he is staying at the Sun family's house...he will send someone to the Li family to inform him, so you don't need to worry."

"That's all he said?" Sixth Grandfather asked again.

That's all...!

The steward of the inner palace responded with extreme trepidation. He felt that the Sixth Ancestor in front of him could strike at any moment and smash his head to pieces.

Unexpectedly, after asking the question, the terrifying aura emanating from Sixth Grandfather suddenly dissipated, as if he had never existed.

"Why are you kneeling?" Sixth Grandfather asked kindly, "You are not a servant of the Li family, why do you have to perform such a grand gesture?"

"I...I...You are my elder, I should kneel," the steward of the inner palace replied, trembling.

“Alright, I understand. Go back and tell Sun Michen that since Taishan wants to stay at the Sun family for a while, let him stay.” Sixth Grandfather replied calmly, “Anyway, Xuwang Village isn’t that big. Whether the Sun family comes to my Li family’s alchemy courtyard or my Li family goes to the Sun family’s grand mansion, it’s just a matter of lifting a leg.”

"You mean...!"

"Alright, you can go back now." Sixth Grandpa waved his hand gently.

Upon hearing this, the steward of the inner palace felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He stood up, bowed, and then quickly walked out, his crotch tucked between his legs.

Grandpa Liu watched his retreating figure and called out with great concern, "There are trousers in the servants' quarters. Why don't you change into a new pair? The wind is strong at night. Don't let your little chick catch a cold."

"...!"

Hearing this utterly absurd remark, the steward of the inner palace could only laugh awkwardly: "This old servant understands...!"

After saying that, he fled the Li family as if his life depended on it. Only when he got into the carriage did he mutter with lingering fear, "The threatening meaning of this letter is so obvious, but the Li family, which is usually domineering and tyrannical, did not show any anger. They even asked me to change my pants... This... This is too unexpected."

Before long, all the old monsters of the Li family, some over two hundred years old, gathered in Sixth Grandfather's courtyard.

"If this isn't Sun Michen's fault, why keep him around for the New Year?" An elderly man with blond hair slammed his fist on the table and cursed angrily. "The patriarch being placed under house arrest is a disgrace!"

"What's the rush? If Mount Tai is willing to go, then there must be a reason for it."

"No, I can't stand it! I'm going to the Sun family right now...!"

Immediately, the hawkish and dove elders of the Li family began arguing loudly.

Sixth Grandfather listened sleepily for a while, then yawned and said, "The patriarch decrees: the situation is unclear, so we must bide our time and lie low. From this day forward, no one is allowed to have a direct conflict with the Sun family, or they will be severely punished according to family rules…!"

……

The Sun family's compound, beneath which lies an extremely cold Taoist temple.

After taking two pills to regulate his breathing, Uncle Li sipped his wine while coughing lightly, trying to fall asleep.

That's right. Before he left, he did give instructions to his sixth grandfather, telling him that he would definitely be placed under house arrest by the Sun family, but the Li family must not come to ask for him, and must not have any conflict with the Sun family.

Why is this? Is it because the Li family is afraid of the Sun family?

Of course not. If it were out of fear, then Uncle Li wouldn't have needed to pull this stunt and completely break ties with the Sun family.

Since the battle at the Divine Tomb, the Zhao family has proactively dismissed Zhao Haochen and has completely fallen silent regarding the three major cases. No one knows what their next move will be or how they will proceed. Meanwhile, the Qian family's attitude remains ambiguous, and they haven't made any statements. Furthermore, Sun Michen has fully revealed his true colors and begun plotting against the Divine Tomb…

Against this backdrop of insidious and scheming conflict among the four races, whoever strikes first risks becoming cannon fodder, a fool paving the way for others.

Therefore, he ordered the Li family not to act rashly and not to worry too much about their own safety, because Sun Michen certainly wouldn't dare to kill him, at least not now.

The Li family needs to wait patiently for the final whereabouts of the Origin Eyes and for the situation in the Illusion Village to become clear.

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. After finishing his wine, Uncle Li, aided by the effects of the elixir, collapsed onto the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The Celestial Palace, the Land of Hanging Coffins.

Ren and the other two followed their aunt, traversing the intricate tomb passages for nearly two hours, but still hadn't found the area where the blind man had slept and whose coffin had been placed.

This place is truly vast; even the most knowledgeable storyteller was astonished. Ren Ye had done a quick estimation along the way, and the entire tomb passage of this hanging coffin area was probably nine zhang and nine ji (approximately 33 meters) wide.

What does "nine zhang nine" mean? Converted to modern units of length, that's 33 meters, which is roughly the width of a standard six-lane road.

These wide tomb passages, like an orderly grid, meticulously and meticulously cover the entire area of ​​hanging coffins, crisscrossing and connecting with each other. At the bends and intersections of each tomb passage, there is a magnificent complex of buildings comparable to an ancient imperial palace, as well as a plaza in front of the palace that is as large as several football fields combined.

In the square in front of the palace and among the buildings, there are countless coffins, as numerous as the stars, most of them bronze, with the occasional silver one.

These coffins emitted a faint glow, floating in mid-air, each one shimmering. Ren Ye didn't know what was inside the coffins, but as soon as he got close, he felt a strong sense of impending death.

Every single coffin gave him that feeling; there wasn't a single one without exception.

Perhaps it was because the place was so vast, and the maze-like environment made it easy to get lost; or perhaps it was because the aunt had been awake for too long and could no longer remember the route through the Hanging Coffin Land. In any case, she walked and stopped, and it took her more than an hour before her expression gradually became firm, and she led the three of them in only one direction with a clear goal.

"We're almost there, almost at the Azure Palace of the Hanging Coffins." Aunt Tianwei walked ahead with a serious expression and dignified posture, reminding us in a cool tone, "The suppression of the Great Dao in the Azure Palace is quite strong, but we can still bear it. But remember, after entering the Azure Palace, do not wander around, lest you accidentally touch some taboo and get into big trouble...!"

"Okay, Auntie," Li Xiaopang replied sweetly.

"The Azure Palace?!" The storyteller paused briefly, then chuckled, "The name of this palace is quite interesting."

"What do you mean?" Li Xiaopang asked casually.

Before the storyteller could reply, Ren, in the manner of a learned scholar, explained: "In the theory of the Five Elements, the East belongs to Wood, which is associated with the color green, and green represents the growth of all things. Generally speaking, whether it is an ancient dynasty in the human world or a high and mighty divine imperial court, they all like to use 'Green Palace' or 'Eastern Palace' to refer to the palace of the crown prince, which implies the succession to the throne."

"Oh."

Li Xiaopang responded and immediately said proudly, "If that's the case, then you and I, brothers, were both princes back in this land of hanging coffins."

"Hmm?" The storyteller paused slightly, then exclaimed in surprise, "Hiss... You mean, you also woke up in this Green Palace?"

“Yes. But I don’t remember. It was all my second uncle who told me…!” Li Xiaopang nodded honestly. “I only remember some blurry images. Above my hanging coffin, there was always a very bright and dazzling divine object floating around.”

Ren Ye, quick-witted, asked in a low voice, "Brother, you didn't come to this divine tomb just because of that divine artifact, did you?"

“Now that things have come to this, I won’t hide it from you anymore.” Li Xiaopang grinned and said, “That’s right, I came here for that divine object. In my memory, its aura has always been gentle to me and has always nourished me… I’m going to steal it, and I believe it will agree.”

"I see." Ren Ye's words were concise: "You did this for your second uncle?"

“Hmm.” Li Xiaopang nodded with a slightly dim look in his eyes: “The old man is very stubborn. He feels that thing does not belong to him, so I have to take it for him.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Ye immediately flattered him with admiration, saying, "You even forced Sixth Grandfather to take medicine for Second Uncle. You are indeed an extremely filial son."

"Get lost," Li Xiaopang said, rolling his eyes.

As the three were talking, Aunt Tianwei stopped and stared blankly at the seven-colored fairy light at the end of the tomb passage. She said softly, "We've arrived. This is the Azure Palace where we have awakened."

As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them looked up at the end of the tomb passage and saw an extremely spacious square in front of the hall, as well as several magnificent palaces with carved dragons and phoenixes, red walls and golden tiles.