The stone coffin stood silent at the center of the chamber, ancient inscriptions glowing faintly beneath layers of dust and time.
Nie Li narrowed his eyes.
"The coffin is completely sealed… and these inscriptions… I've never seen this type before. Is this really Emperor Kong Ming's tomb?"
The air around it hummed.
"There's also soul power emanating from the top," he muttered. "Which powerful expert left this behind?"
Blue spiritual light flickered across the surface.
Beside him, Karma stood casually, arms folded.
Nie Li glanced at him.
"Karma… do you feel anything standing beside the coffin?"
Karma tilted his head slightly.
"Nope. Not at all," he replied easily. "Feels like a regular oversized stone box to me."
He stepped a little closer, eyes sharpening just slightly.
"But…" he added more thoughtfully, "it doesn't feel like something strong is here either. Not in the way you're thinking."
Nie Li frowned.
That didn't make sense.
There was clearly pressure in the air.
Something resonating.
Something ancient.
His curiosity won.
"What exactly is inside this coffin…" he murmured.
He reached out—
And placed his hand on the stone surface.
The moment his palm made contact—
BOOM.
A pillar of blinding blue light erupted upward.
A terrifying force surged out like a tidal wave, pressing down on Nie Li from all directions.
His body trembled.
"Aaaahhh—!"
The spiritual pressure tried to crush him, suppress him, devour his soul force.
From the edge of the platform, Ziyun gasped.
"Nie Li! What happened?!"
The shockwave exploded outward—
And hurled her backward.
She slammed against the stone floor.
"Ah!"
Her body skidded across the ground, coughing.
"Just the white light emanating out has such power…" she thought in shock. "Then who is standing right inside…?"
Back at the coffin—
The pressure intensified.
Nie Li's knees nearly buckled.
His soul realm churned violently as if something ancient was attempting to dominate him.
But before the suppression could fully descend—
A second hand landed firmly on the coffin.
Calm.
Steady.
Unshaken.
Karma.
His expression no longer playful.
His eyes turned sharp, faint golden light flickering within them.
"You're being noisy," he said casually.
A surge of his own soul force poured into the stone.
Not explosive.
Not chaotic.
Just absolute.
The pressure that had been crushing Nie Li suddenly halted—
Then began to push back.
The air vibrated.
Two forces clashed invisibly over the coffin.
Karma's voice remained calm.
"If you want to test someone," he said lightly, "test me."
And with that—
His soul force pressed down—
Suppressing the suppression itself.
The blue pillar of light roared like a descending waterfall.
Nie Li's body trembled violently as steam rose from his skin.
"So thirsty… it feels like the water within my body is going to evaporate…"
Sweat poured down his face.
"My soul ocean is being overwhelmed! I have to hold on! If I relax even a little, I'll be done for!"
Inside him, his soul ocean churned wildly, expanding under the crushing white light.
The force tried to swallow him whole.
And then—
Suddenly—
The pressure lessened.
Just slightly.
Enough to breathe.
Nie Li's eyes widened.
"…What happened?"
The crushing suppression that had been suffocating him was still there—
But something else was pressing against it.
Another force.
Familiar.
Steady.
Dominant.
He closed eyes briefly and sensed it.
That pressure…
He immediately understood.
Karma.
Karma was suppressing the coffin's pressure—just enough for him to handle.
Not destroying it.
Not overpowering it completely.
Just controlling it.
Balancing it.
Giving him space to endure.
Nie Li gritted his teeth.
"Then I'll absorb it!"
His soul ocean expanded further, devouring the white light.
The storm raged—
Until finally—
Silence.
The pillar of light faded.
The chamber returned to stillness.
Nie Li staggered back slightly, breathing heavily.
"Hoo… hoo…"
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
The moment the danger passed—
He grabbed a water pouch and started drinking desperately.
"Glug glug glug glug—"
He emptied one.
Then another.
The empty pouches dropped to the floor with a dull thump.
"Hah!"
His breathing finally steadied.
He wiped his mouth and turned his head.
Karma stood a short distance away.
Completely fine.
Not even a bead of sweat on his forehead.
Arms relaxed.
Expression casual.
As if nothing had happened.
Nie Li stared at him.
"…Why didn't you get overwhelmed?"
Karma blinked once.
"Hm?"
He glanced at the coffin and shrugged.
"The pressure wasn't that great."
He stretched his shoulders lazily.
"It's strong, sure. But not strong enough to overwhelm me."
He said it simply.
Like it was obvious.
Nie Li fell silent.
…Yes.
That made sense.
Because deep down—
Nie Li knew.
Karma was someone who would never bow to anyone — no matter who stood before him.
Gods.
Demons.
Ancient sovereigns.
Even in front of the Sage Emperor… Karma had never been suppressed. Not even for a single second.
Not intimidated.
Not shaken.
Not bent.
If anything—
He had looked down on the Sage Emperor.
That was the difference.
There was an overwhelming sense of self within him — an absolute certainty of his own existence. A will so firm that the world itself seemed forced to accommodate it.
That was why external suppression could not truly affect him.
Because to suppress someone—
They must first accept that you stand above them.
And Karma never did.
Behind him, the massive stone coffin gave a low, grinding sound.
Creak… creak…
The lid slowly shifted.
Nie Li stepped forward cautiously.
Karma walked up beside him, hands in his pockets, looking completely fine.
"See? Just a noisy box," Karma muttered casually.
Nie Li leaned over the coffin.
"Hm? Where's the corpse?"
He frowned deeper.
"Not even any residue…"
The inside of the coffin was empty.
Completely empty.
And then—
His eyes caught something.
A faint blue glow.
"!"
At the bottom lay a page.
A single torn page… with a small blue stone attached.
"This is—!"
His pupils shrank.
Karma raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Found treasure already?"
Nie Li ignored the teasing.
He picked up the page carefully.
This page remnant… nobody knows this more clearly than I do. This is a page remnant of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book!
His thoughts trembled slightly.
In my previous life, I was able to obtain great power by relying on this book… but eight pages were torn out from the end.
He clenched the paper tighter.
I was never able to decipher even a single phrase of its contents… and I was also unable to find those remaining eight pages.
Karma leaned slightly closer, glancing at the page.
"So this little scrap caused all that drama?" he said lightly.
Nie Li's mind raced.
"That was the resonating thing within my soul ocean… They are both presumably linked to the Temporal Demon Spirit Book."
He looked thoughtful.
I wonder what will change now that I have one more page?
Then suddenly—
His expression shifted.
"…Ah."
"But now… the Temporal Demon Spirit Book isn't in my hands yet."
He fell silent.
Nie Li stood quietly near the opened coffin, the torn page still in his hand.
In my previous life, I obtained the Temporal Demon Spirit Book by reaching the end of the Endless Desert and entering the Desert Labyrinth… I wonder if it will still be the same in this life…
He frowned slightly.
Even a remnant page can nourish one's soul energy… My soul ocean is already starting to swell.
His gaze shifted to the necklace attached to the page.
A profound gemstone… This is a rare item.
He nodded to himself.
"This necklace can increase cultivation speed at least threefold… I'll give this one to Ziyun."
But then his thoughts grew heavier.
But what exactly is going on with this stone coffin? Why is a remnant page from the Temporal Demon Spirit Book here? Where is Emperor Kong Ming's body?
He turned.
"Ziyun? Did you find anything?"
Silence.
Karma, who had been leaning casually against a pillar, suddenly straightened.
His eyes sharpened.
He sensed something off.
Without hesitation, he moved.
"Ziyun."
By the time Nie Li started looking around—
Karma had already spotted her.
She was lying against the stone wall, unconscious.
Her dress was torn in places, faint burn marks visible across her skin.
Karma reached her instantly, kneeling beside her.
His usual light smile was gone.
"Ziyun."
He checked her breathing first.
Steady.
Then her pulse.
Alive.
Just unconscious.
Nie Li rushed over a moment later.
"Ah?! Ziyun!"
He froze for a split second when he saw the burns on her skin.
"That's a relief… she's just unconscious…"
His expression darkened.
"Are these burns due to the white light? That means Ziyun tried to save me and was attacked by the stone coffin's barrier…"
He clenched his fist.
"Even her soul ocean was probably affected by the impact."
Karma's jaw tightened slightly, though his movements remained controlled.
He gently lifted her upper body to check the injuries more carefully.
"She needs treatment," Karma said firmly.
Nie Li nodded.
"Yes. I must dress her wounds first."
Without wasting another second, they prepared to tend to her injuries—
The atmosphere in the chamber no longer filled with curiosity—
But with quiet concern.
The chamber fell into an awkward silence.
Ziyun lay unconscious, faint burn marks visible along her shoulder and collarbone where the white light had struck her.
Nie Li swallowed.
"She needs treatment… but…"
Karma looked down at the injuries, calm but serious.
"The burns are near the fabric. If we don't clean and apply medicine properly, it'll scar."
Silence.
Nie Li slowly looked at Karma.
Karma slowly looked at Nie Li.
The air between them became strangely heavy.
Nie Li's thoughts spiraled instantly.
If I see her undressed…
He imagined Karma's earlier display of strength — suppressing ancient pressure like it was nothing.
After what I saw today… if Karma punches me once, I might die on the spot.
He stiffened.
Cold sweat formed on his back.
Karma's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Do you have effective medicine with you?"
His tone was completely serious.
No teasing. No smile.
Just focused concern.
Nie Li blinked.
"Oh."
He relaxed slightly.
"Yes. I do."
He quickly took out a bottle from his pouch and handed it over.
"This ointment is good for burns. Apply it evenly. It'll prevent scarring and stabilize her soul force."
He immediately turned around.
"I'll… look the other way."
Karma gave a short nod.
"Good."
He moved carefully, supporting Ziyun gently.
His movements were precise and respectful — loosening only the damaged fabric enough to treat the injuries properly.
He cleaned the burns first, his expression steady.
When Ziyun flinched slightly in her unconscious state, his hand paused briefly.
"It's alright," he muttered softly. "Just treatment."
Behind him, Nie Li stood stiff as a statue.
Don't turn around.
Don't even breathe wrong.
He stared firmly at the opposite wall like it contained the secrets of the universe.
A few minutes later—
"It's done," Karma said calmly.
Nie Li finally exhaled the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
He turned back carefully.
Ziyun's wounds were properly dressed.
Karma sat back slightly, arms resting on his knees.
"She'll wake up soon."
Nie Li nodded.
"…Thanks."