Super Combat Soldier
Chapter 383 - 382: A Flower

Chapter 383: Chapter 382: A Flower

The Ancient Tomb Sect was located within a mountain, and after Ye Tianchen carried Dongfang Meng inside, he encountered many ancient tomb chambers. These chambers weren’t separate; instead, they were connected, much like a row of houses, one leading into another. Beneath this vast complex of ancient tombs lay an even larger ice cellar, filled with ten-thousand-year-old ice that would never melt. Ye Tianchen was surprised to find that upon entering the ice cellar, he could barely withstand the severe cold inside, a kind of cold that could freeze the marrow in one’s bones, which was incredibly terrifying. Moreover, in the middle of the ice cellar, Ye Tianchen discovered an ice coffin that faintly enclosed two people. This was utterly baffling. Who could these two people be?

According to what Ye Tianchen had learned from Zhang Yide, the Ancient Tomb Sect was founded a thousand years ago, meaning that this place was long occupied by a remarkable woman who had founded the sect—a woman Ye Tianchen greatly admired. Not only because this woman had developed an Inner Strength Skill on par with the Shaolin Yijin Jing, but also because of her perseverance and free-spirited personality that Ye Tianchen greatly respected.

Thus, it was unlikely for this remarkable woman to leave any corpses in the ancient tomb, yet what was the story with the corpses in the ice coffin within the ice cellar? Could it be that of the remarkable woman herself? It was common knowledge that the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect had been wounded by love and had never married. Even if it were her, how could she possibly allow others to be buried with her?

Since he couldn’t leave for the time being and was thinking about this, Ye Tianchen grew intensely curious. Holding Dongfang Meng, he leapt upward and flew onto the towering ice wall. The moment he landed, Ye Tianchen unexpectedly found that he could not clearly see the faces of the two people inside the ice coffin.

Just after landing, Ye Tianchen felt a powerful and strange force seemingly blocking him from approaching the ice coffin. He couldn’t help but activate the energy of his king-level superpower realm within his body to resist moving forward, feeling increasingly strenuous. By the time he reached the side of the ice coffin, he was already drenched in sweat. In such bone-chilling conditions, his body felt as if on fire, due to the overwhelming power bursting forth from the ice coffin. Without putting up resistance, Ye Tianchen might have already been dead.

By then, Ye Tianchen had reached the front of the ice coffin, which was not sealed. Inside, there was a thick presence of ice energy, so dense that it completely veiled the faces of the two people inside, making it no wonder that he couldn’t see clearly what these two looked like.

"No offense intended, just wishing to take a look. My apologies..."

As soon as the words left Ye Tianchen’s mouth, he tightly clenched his right hand. When he opened it, his palm was already ablaze with flames. This was a cultivation technique of the Ancient Martial Sect, known as the "Flame Saber." Ye Tianchen had once battled with a powerful expert who used the "Flame Saber" and had grasped some of its mysteries. Although he still couldn’t fully wield it like that top expert, it was still quite powerful. Therefore, he decided to use the "Flame Saber" to try to see the faces of the two people inside the ice coffin.

Boom!

A huge blaze swept over the top of the ice coffin. Ye Tianchen was very cautious, not wanting to offend the two people lying dormant inside the ice coffin. He merely passed it over the surface, then intently stared into the ice coffin, hoping to clearly see the faces.

When Ye Tianchen used the "Flame Saber" to momentarily disperse the ice mist floating above the ice coffin, he glimpsed the faces of the two people inside in that instant. He gasped in shock, furrowed his brow, and showed an expression of disbelief because he never imagined that the two individuals lying inside the ice coffin looked no different from living people; there wasn’t a single sign of decay on the corpses. What shocked him the most was that the two people in the ice coffin were both young, and the one on the right was precisely the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, that remarkable woman.

"What in the world is going on here? Could it be..."

Suddenly, Ye Tianchen seemed to understand many things and, driven by a huge question, to verify what he had thought, he swiftly inserted his right hand into the ice coffin and pulled out a jade token. Ye Tianchen’s right hand froze up from the cold. He quickly activated the superpower in his body to dispel the chill and held Dongfang Meng tightly in his arms, fearing she might freeze to death, which would be truly absurd.

Looking at the jade token in his hand, Ye Tianchen placed it upon his right hand and saw a row of small characters engraved on it, seemingly recording the two people within the ice coffin.

"Founder of Ancient Tomb Sect and the second-generation Sect Leader of Quanzhen Sect buried together..."

Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but read these words aloud. He was greatly surprised, for he had not expected the two people in the ice coffin to be the peculiar woman who founded the Ancient Tomb Sect and the second-generation Sect Leader of Quanzhen Sect. But how could these two be so young?

It turned out that the jade token recorded all of this. The founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, the peculiar woman, established her sect when her beloved man assumed the position of Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect. From then on, the Ancient Tomb Sect and Quanzhen Sect were only separated by a mountain. The initial resentment between them gradually faded with time until the peculiar woman and her beloved man, both having reached their fifties, started to meet from observing each other across the mountain every night. Later, discussing life and martial arts with the courtesy of a gentleman, they both felt extraordinarily happy. As for the affection in their hearts, they both buried it, for they were both prestigious as Sect Leaders by then, and at such an age, announcing to be together would only cause others to scoff at them, adversely affecting the reputation of their sects.

The conditions recorded on the jade token indicated that in their later years, the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect and the man she loved deeply were both very happy, strolling in the sunset, discussing martial arts and life, akin to a truly old married couple. Though they lacked the connection of Yan Ming, both were very content and satisfied in their hearts. As for past grudges, they had long since dissipated. Everyone had their difficult circumstances and considerations at the time, who could truly abandon family, mentors, the sect, and everything to pursue love?

In their twilight years, they decided that if they had but a few days to live together, they should die together. However, as Sect Leaders of two sects, dying together was easier said than done. As one could imagine, if a Sect Leader died and the body was missing, that sect would likely go mad looking for them. Moreover, they could not disclose their wish to be buried together to anyone in their sect, something utterly unspeakable.

In the end, they thought of a method. They chose the ice cellar of the Ancient Tomb Sect as their burial place. At the same time, the Sect Leader of Quanzhen Sect sought the "Rejuvenation Flower," a highly poisonous herb that would undoubtedly kill any powerful expert upon consumption. The marvel of the "Rejuvenation Flower" lied in its ability to restore an aged person back to their twenties instantaneously, hence the origin of its name.

It was a bright and sunny morning when the Sect Leader of Quanzhen Sect declared that he would travel the world. If he did not return within the designated time, someone else would take over as the Sect Leader. Ignoring everyone’s objections, he took the "Rejuvenation Flower" and left to meet with the peculiar woman, founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect. It was evident that the two were willing to die together, showing that this man also deeply loved the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, despite his inability to leave behind the master who had raised him and his emotional ties to Quanzhen Sect.

After the Sect Leader of Quanzhen Sect met with the peculiar woman, they went to a secluded, desolate place and consumed the "Rejuvenation Flower." Then, they both returned to the age of twenty, a youthful and attractive couple, truly a match made by heaven. At that moment, they held each other’s hands tightly, savoring their last day left, which was also the happiest moment in their lives. At last, they could be together, hand in hand forever.

In that one day, they visited many places and viewed numerous beautiful sceneries, knowing well that their time was limited. To be together in their final moments of life, joyfully and blissfully, was already more than enough for them. One was the peculiar woman who founded the Ancient Tomb Sect, who in her later years developed the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture, a mental method rivaling the Shaolin Yijin Jing in power, earning her the title of one of the rare peculiar women. The other came from the more culturally profound and expert-filled Quanzhen Sect, whose founder was once universally acknowledged as the best in the world, a title seldom achieved throughout history. The sect he founded remains immensely powerful, with a legacy of martial arts that was unprecedented and unmatched. Yet, at their final moment, both of them, for their love, abandoned all else, journeying together to the Netherworld. Such love could only be described as "magnificent."

"What is love in this world that it commands ones to give their life for it..."

After reading the information on the jade token, Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but recite this poetry line again, because at this moment, only these lines could express his feelings. A man and a woman, both extraordinary martial arts prodigies of their time, who as absolute top experts in the martial world, ultimately sought nothing of fame or the title of the best in the world, but tried everything to be together, to die and be buried together. How majestic! (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation.)