Chapter 195 - 192: Heading to Jingshui Town

Five days had passed. Had Black Dragon returned? He wondered if she had found Mu Chen. Had she discovered the coffin was a fake? Mo Qianqian felt a bit uncertain. He stopped his refinement, stood up, and walked toward the door.

Opening it, he saw Black Dragon—a mature, heroic woman clad in black armor—standing right outside his room.

"You broke through?" Black Dragon asked, her voice betraying no emotion.

Mo Qianqian’s heart tightened. He had no idea if she had just arrived or had been waiting for a while, only calling out after his breakthrough. Given her strength, she definitely could have sensed his seclusion and advancement.

"Greetings, Black Dragon Leader! I was merely lucky to break through to the First-Level Physical Body Realm," Mo Qianqian replied humbly.

"Truly monstrous!" Black Dragon couldn’t help but praise.

An aura then surged from her body, forming a barrier around them to prevent anyone else from eavesdropping.

"Was the coffin you handed over a fake?" she demanded.

Mo Qianqian’s expression changed drastically. Did she know? Had Mu Chen been caught, revealing the fake? However, he forced himself to calm down. These were all just his own speculations.

Her questioning didn’t necessarily mean she had discovered the truth. After all, when he activated the Ninefold Coffin, he had taken out the coffin that contained the Soft Sword holding the legacy of the Chaotic Sword Stance. The material of that coffin was extraordinarily ancient as well. Even if she had found Mu Chen and the coffin, it shouldn’t have been that easy to see through the deception. She might just be trying to bait him!

If he admitted it was a fake and she realized the Ninefold Coffin was still with him, he would be in massive trouble. It was an incredibly precious treasure, and Black Dragon was clearly tempted by it. He had to be on his guard.

"Black Dragon Leader, the coffin I gave Mu Chen was indeed real," Mo Qianqian answered.

It was technically a real coffin—though *what* kind of coffin it was remained an entirely different matter. He subtly watched for any changes in her expression beneath the helmet, maintaining his guard in case she decided to attack him outright.

Yet, not a single shift in emotion was visible on her face. Instead, she said, "Lao Liu mentioned that based on her observation of you and your personality, you would never hand the item over, even if you had to fight to the death."

Mo Qianqian frowned. Why did Lao Liu tell her that? Were they that close? Was Lao Liu really this unreliable?

"Times change. I wanted to keep the Ninefold Coffin too, but with my current strength, I simply couldn’t protect it. It was better to hand it over to save myself," Mo Qianqian replied cautiously.

"Do you know the consequences if you’re lying to me?" Black Dragon asked.

"I wouldn’t dare," Mo Qianqian said, breaking a sweat.

"I’ll believe you for now," she said.

Mo Qianqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she hadn’t decided to kill him on the spot just to see if the item was hidden inside his body. It was also possible that the situation at the time, combined with the extraordinary nature of that fake coffin, had kept her from truly suspecting him. She was likely just probing him.

"Black Dragon Leader, have you managed to find Mu Chen yet?" Mo Qianqian asked, tentatively changing the subject.

"No," Black Dragon said. "Not only did we fail to find him, but he also spread word that he will be auctioning off the Ninefold Coffin in three days. The venue is the Eternal Commerce Association in Jingshui Town."

"What?" Mo Qianqian froze. Mu Chen was auctioning the Ninefold Coffin? Holy crap, had Mu Chen discovered it was a fake and decided to auction it off in a fit of rage? If so, Mo Qianqian had to admit the guy was a genius. Most people would have been so furious they’d cough up blood, then spread the truth or present the fake item to prove their innocence and escape. However, the various major powers definitely wouldn’t believe it.

But by putting it up for auction, Mu Chen could not only make a clean getaway but also reap massive profits. Only someone shrewd and cunning could pull off a stunt like that.

Of course, there was another possibility. It was entirely possible that Mu Chen hadn’t realized it was a fake and was merely doing this to escape. Just like Mo Qianqian, he might have decided to create a fake coffin to auction off, aiming to both reap the benefits and escape. If that was the case—using a fake to create another fake—then things were about to get a whole lot more interesting.

"This Mu Chen is incredibly cunning. He might present a fake item. Come with me to identify its authenticity," Black Dragon said.

Mo Qianqian’s face darkened. She wanted him to verify if it was real? Was there even a need? It was obviously a fake. No matter how real it looked, it was still a fake.

"Alright," Mo Qianqian ultimately agreed. He didn’t want to go at all, but there was simply no way to refuse.

This trip would undoubtedly be fraught with danger. Black Dragon would definitely fight for that fake Ninefold Coffin. Meanwhile, the Imperial Alliance certainly wouldn’t let him off the hook; they would leap at any opportunity to strike at him. Fortunately, now that he had reached the Third Realm Fourth Layer, he had the ability to protect himself—as long as he didn’t encounter top-tier experts like Wu Zonghai and the Cyan Cloud Mountain Sect Leader.

"By the way, is there anything special about the Ninefold Coffin?" Black Dragon suddenly asked.

"My Cultivation Technique and combat skills were obtained from the Ninefold Coffin." Mo Qianqian had to admit this point. Everyone else already attributed his fortuitous encounters to the Ninefold Coffin, so he had nothing to hide.

Hearing him confirm it personally, Black Dragon’s expression shifted slightly. Mo Qianqian’s Cultivation Technique and combat skills were far from weak, which was enough to prove the Ninefold Coffin’s extraordinary nature.

"I heard that an Eternal Strong Person in the Great Xia Dynasty was also searching for the Ninefold Coffin. And then, that Eternal Strong Person died an unnatural death. Was he connected to the Ninefold Coffin?" Black Dragon pressed further.

Mo Qianqian frowned. It seemed the people from the Great Zhou Dynasty had leaked the news. No wonder so many people were desperately hunting him down. Top-tier experts like Wu Zonghai and Black Dragon had undoubtedly caught wind of it.

"That Eternal Strong Person might have emerged from a Land of Opportunity in the Southern Wilderness of the Great Xia Dynasty. Two terrifying entities appeared at that time," Mo Qianqian explained. "As for that Eternal Strong Person, I don’t really know what happened, nor do I know why he knew about the treasure I obtained."

Regardless, no one could verify the truth about the Gun God anyway.

"He was probably just so powerful that he sensed how extraordinary the Ninefold Coffin was," Mo Qianqian continued. "I also think the Ninefold Coffin is remarkable, but aside from allowing me to obtain that Cultivation Technique and those combat skills, I haven’t discovered anything else. I always felt like the Ninefold Coffin was empty."

"Empty?" Black Dragon asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. When opened, there was absolutely nothing inside," Mo Qianqian answered.

Black Dragon paused, lost in her own thoughts. A moment later, she said, "Whatever you obtained from the Ninefold Coffin before is yours. Legacies and inheritances cannot be snatched away by others, so I won’t pry into them. Now, come with me to Jingshui Town."

With that, she strode out.

Following Black Dragon out of the Merit Mansion, Mo Qianqian saw Jiang Wanzhong and three other Generals, along with Lao Liu and dozens of Black Dragon Army experts, waiting outside the main gates.

Mo Qianqian was surprised; it felt as though everyone had been waiting for him. He couldn’t help but glance at Lao Liu. To think she had told Black Dragon that handing over the Ninefold Coffin was out of character for him—he had no idea what was going through her mind. Meanwhile, the entire group was looking at Mo Qianqian with rather peculiar expressions.

"Move out!"

At Black Dragon’s command, the group immediately took to the skies, soaring out of Black Dragon City and heading straight for Jingshui Town.