Path of the Sect Leader

Chapter 145: The Soul-Dispersing Coffin

Duoluonuo moved first, drawn like iron to a magnet. Qi Xiu—Foundation chance dangling so close he could taste it—didn’t hesitate either. He hurried after them, practically tripping over his own feet to crowd around the crystal coffin.

Up close the craftsmanship hit harder. The main body was first-tier crystal stone, yet after gods-knew-how-many years submerged in this sealed spring chamber, it remained flawless—crystal-clear, untouched by silt or time. Thin threads of some nameless silvery-white metal wove across the surface in intricate, almost obsessive patterns. Under the glow of the scattered glowstones the lines shimmered faintly—quiet luxury, the kind that didn’t need to shout.

Shen Gu ran a palm lightly over the lid. “Smooth. Luxurious. Slight bone-deep chill when you touch it, but no yin corruption at all. So why the ghosts prowling nearby? Strange.”

Duoluonuo mirrored him, fingers tracing every edge. “The whole cultivation world hates yin ghosts and corpse paths—thanks to the Great Zhou Academy’s disgust. Anyone who cultivates that way either hides for life or gets hunted down. This place sits dead center in a secluded yin-spring land. Whoever placed the coffin here had a damn good reason.”

They muttered back and forth, both fixated on corpse-fiend theories. Neither dared crack the lid. Fear of waking some long-nurtured corpse demon kept them frozen in place. Stalemate.

Qi Xiu, meanwhile, had his own quiet revelations.

His innate Treasure Glow Sight—limited by his cultivation—still painted a clear enough picture. The coffin itself registered as a second-tier magical treasure, mid-to-high grade. Combined with everything he’d learned from the Tend Toward Fortune, Avoid Calamity Technique and years of piecing together yin-yang and feng shui scraps, the pieces clicked.

Soul-Dispersing Coffin. Or just Soul-Dispersing Coffin—that was almost certainly its name.

He couldn’t read the full function; his skill tier wasn’t high enough. But he remembered a dusty old miscellany he’d once skimmed in the Scripture Pavilion—one that dealt with yin souls and forbidden arts. It described this exact type of tool in chilling detail.

To understand the coffin, you first had to understand Possession—one of the most reviled, heaven-defying arts in the righteous path.

Possession: a cultivator forcibly transplants their soul into another’s body, hijacking the flesh to extend their own life. The original owner’s soul is obliterated—utterly erased. Orthodox sects branded it anathema; the Great Zhou Academy had outlawed it outright. Yet for cultivators staring down the barrel of lifespan exhaustion, it remained the final straw—the desperate lunge of a drowning man.

Success rate was abysmal. Even with near-perfect body compatibility, most attempts ended in mutual destruction. The Soul-Dispersing Coffin existed for exactly that problem. It slowly stripped the target’s soul from the flesh without killing the body—weakening resistance, boosting the odds of successful Possession. Only refiners who walked the soul-seizing path could forge such a thing. In the Great Zhou-controlled world those refiners had long since been exterminated. Surviving examples were rarer than phoenix feathers.

And the process took decades—sometimes centuries—to fully disperse a soul. Few had the patience. Fewer still had the inheritance to attempt it.

If Qi Xiu’s memory held true, then the person inside this coffin—sealed away for who-knew-how-long—was likely still alive.

Alive.

And if that living body was the key to his Foundation chance…

A nauseous chill crawled up his spine. Sweat beaded on his temples before he could stop it. Even the Mind-Knowing Heart couldn’t suppress the instinctive revulsion.

“You alright? See something?”

Duoluonuo’s spiritual sense caught the shift instantly. He turned, brows raised.

“Uh… well…”

Qi Xiu hesitated. Telling the truth might be suicide. But Shen Gu’s three-white eyes had already slid toward him—cold, predatory. Better to be useful than disposable. And Duoluonuo had spared him once; the man had invested years in this vault. Lying now felt… wrong.

He explained—quietly, carefully—everything he remembered about Possession and the coffin’s purpose.

When he finished, both Foundation cultivators stared at the crystal lid with new eyes.

“Not a corpse fiend at all,” Duoluonuo breathed. “A pre-dispersed body—perfect for Possession.”

Greed flickered across their faces—raw, unguarded. Shen Gu’s lips parted slightly. Duoluonuo’s breathing deepened.

Cultivation was brutal. Lifespan always ran out eventually. A body already half-soul-stripped? One that massively raised Possession success? Few cultivators could walk away from that temptation. For the right person, this thing was priceless.

They stood frozen a heartbeat longer. Then reality crashed back.

Shen Gu half-turned, angling his body so more of his front faced Duoluonuo—classic defensive stance.

Duoluonuo noticed. He gave a dry laugh. “Easy, Brother Shen. We signed a soul contract. Treasure’s valuable, sure—but let’s not get ideas above our station.”

The words were light. The undertone wasn’t. If not for that contract, Duoluonuo would already be weighing a two-on-one ambush. Qi Xiu could see it in the way his fingers twitched toward his sword.

Shen Gu’s smile was thin. “Glad you understand, Brother Duoluo. Per our agreement—we open the coffin, appraise the goods, then figure out the split.”

He edged back another step—putting more space between them.

Duoluonuo’s face darkened. He finally understood the math. Shen Gu was entitled to sixty-five percent of the vault. This body alone was worth more than everything else combined. And soul contract or no—if push came to shove, breaking it meant soul annihilation.

He forced another laugh—louder, faker. “Of course. Just as you said.”

“Good.”

Shen Gu didn’t waste time. He slapped a palm wrapped in spiritual Qi against the lid and shoved.

Icy vapor billowed upward like dry ice. Inside: crystal-clear, bone-chilling liquid filled the coffin to the brim. The three of them shielded themselves and leaned in.

A naked body floated just beneath the surface—adult female cultivator, hairless, skin pale and waxy like old corpse-fat or frozen stone. Chest rose and fell in the faintest rhythm.

Alive.

In this sealed vault, untouched for centuries—still breathing.

“A woman…” Shen Gu hissed in disappointment. The words dripped with disgust.

Sex-change Possession dropped the success rate to near zero. His earlier excitement guttered out.

Duoluonuo shot Qi Xiu a questioning glance.

Qi Xiu activated Insight Into Human Nature on reflex.

Qi Refining layer one. Innate treasure: Liuflower Vanity Case. Single-tool spiritual root—excellent aptitude. A body tailor-made for Possession.

He relayed the information in a low voice.

Duoluonuo exhaled slowly. Then—brightening—he turned to Shen Gu with forced cheer.

“Brother Shen, if you don’t want her… I’ll take the body. Everything else in the room is yours. Fair?”

Shen Gu’s three-white eyes narrowed. “Don’t even dream it. We bid. Per the contract I get sixty-five percent. Whatever you offer, I’ll top it by just enough. Once this is settled—we go our separate ways. Never see each other again.”

“You—”

Duoluonuo’s face purpled. He snarled, “I didn’t bring much coin. If we bid, you’ll walk away with this priceless thing for pocket change. I’d rather shatter my soul than let that happen!”

His flying sword appeared in one hand. At the chamber exit a lion-shaped spirit beast coalesced—latent trap he’d set who-knew-when.

Shen Gu laughed coldly. “Break the soul contract? Fine. I’ll fight you. You might die. I definitely won’t.”

His natal mountain phantom rose behind him. A stone seal hovered above his right palm—ready.

Qi Xiu watched the standoff crystallize into violence. His hand darted to his pouch—only a first-tier defensive talisman left. The Illusory Moon Spirit Sword was still out there, chasing ghosts. Useless.

He sighed inwardly. When two Foundation cultivators threw down, a Qi Refining nobody didn’t survive the shockwave.

They stared each other down—seconds stretching into lifetimes.

Then Shen Gu barked a laugh and dropped his stance.

“Come on, Brother Duoluo. Don’t bluff. We’re both here for profit. I don’t believe you’d throw your life away over this. And yeah—I know my offer’s low. So let’s compromise.”

He unhooked his storage pouch and tossed it at Duoluonuo’s feet.

“Everything I brought. Everything you two paid me to betray Kuai Liangshu. Everything I took off his crew. It’s all here. I keep the body—and I take nothing else from the room. Deal?”