I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

Upon hearing this, everyone disregarded the crisis of the Yellow River's flood and rushed over. The saying "People die for wealth, birds die for food" is absolutely true. Before the Yellow River actually drowns someone, everyone harbors a侥倖(jiao xing -僥倖 means a僥倖 mentality or a fluke) mentality.

At this moment, everyone looked at each other and hurried over, even Zhang Chen followed.

From afar, a pit of two meters in diameter appeared in the center of the Yellow River's riverbed. The pit was pitch black and bottomless, and the crystal coffin was stuck there, impossible to pull up. The ropes were taut, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.

At this time, a laborer threw a stone into the pit, and after a long time, there was no echo. He then said to the general:

"General, this is not good! A subterranean cave has appeared here. This cave is bottomless. Once the crystal coffin falls in, it will be difficult to dig it out."

"Hold the ropes! We must not let the coffin fall!" The general's voice was filled with seriousness.

"General, what do we do now?" Someone asked.

The general looked at the crystal coffin hanging in the air, somewhat at a loss for a moment: "Now there is only one way, and that is to use the ropes to temporarily hold the crystal coffin, to prevent it from falling. Then we can take the opportunity to open the crystal coffin. In this way, even if the crystal coffin is lost, the funerary objects inside will be enough for us to enjoy. To be able to use a crystal coffin as a funerary object, I'm afraid only the emperors of past dynasties are worthy."

While speaking, he began to arrange for the laborers to tie ropes around their waists. Holding chisels, hammers, and other tools, they jumped onto the crystal coffin, ready to open the lid.

Zhang Chen quietly hid in the crowd, his eyes looking at the people preparing to open the coffin, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

If these villagers could really chisel open the coffin lid and open the coffin, then he could directly throw a soul mark on it, and easily hook out the other party's soul.

It should be known that the other party is transforming into a dragon after death. The fact that he has not yet transformed into a dragon means that he has not come back to life and still belongs to the category of 'dead people'.

Since he is a dead person, then he is within the scope of his skill's restraint!

Thirty or so burly men, with ropes tied around their waists, jumped down, wanting to push the lid of the crystal coffin. However, after pushing for a long time, they found that the lid of the crystal coffin seemed to be welded shut, and it could not be moved at all.

The general on the shore saw this and quickly said: "Use chisels to chisel open the crystal coffin for me! Even if the crystal coffin is damaged, it doesn't matter. A mere crystal coffin is nothing, the funerary objects inside are the main thing."

Upon hearing this, the laborers were not polite. They directly took out chisels and began to chisel at the crystal coffin. Accompanied by the sound of tinkling, the fox spirit, Nannan, suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Chen was a little confused.

"Do you know that this crystal coffin must not be opened? Once the crystal coffin is opened, the dragon energy inside will leak out, and the transformation into a dragon will fail. This is like an egg. Before the chick is hatched, the egg must not be broken. Once the egg is broken, the chick will die in the womb. I have never seen such an unlucky dragon species. It's already bad enough that you took away his true dragon fate, and now, in order to lure you out, he is being chiseled out of his coffin. He is really extremely unlucky," the fox spirit said in a low voice.

"He is, after all, an existence in the Yang God realm. He will never allow people to smash the coffin open," Zhang Chen replied.

As he was speaking, suddenly, there was a 'crack' sound, and the ropes binding the coffin broke one after another. The coffin fell directly into the cave and disappeared without a trace.

Then there was a flood. Floodwater began to rise from the silt of the Yellow River, startling everyone in the field. Then, with practiced movements, they ran towards the shore.

"What do you think now? The crystal coffin actually主动(zhu dong -主动 means actively or on its own initiative) fell into the cave. I'm afraid it won't come out again," Zhang Chen looked at the fox spirit, running in the flood, and asked.

"The other party has already revealed his location and returned to his lair. Next, he is waiting for your move. If you want to obtain the果位(guo wei - 果位 refers to a high level of achievement or attainment, often in a spiritual or cultivation context) of a true dragon, you must carry the true dragon fate to see him and have the final battle with him. If you don't go to see him, he is afraid that he will give up transforming into a true dragon and directly transform into a pseudo-dragon," the fox spirit analyzed for Zhang Chen in detail.

Zhang Chen was silent upon hearing this. He climbed ashore from the Yellow River's water, his eyes filled with unwillingness as he looked at the turbulent Yellow River. The other party was the old ancestor of the 平边(ping bian - 平边 refers to pacifying the border) Prince's Mansion. If he allowed the other party to succeed in走蛟(zou jiao - 走蛟 refers to a dragon leaving its lair and traveling through water, often associated with floods and disasters), even if he didn't transform into a dragon, it would not be good news for him.

He now has a deep hatred with the 平边(ping bian - 平边 refers to pacifying the border) Prince's Mansion, so how could he allow the other party's old ancestor to succeed in走蛟(zou jiao - 走蛟 refers to a dragon leaving its lair and traveling through water, often associated with floods and disasters)?

But even if he went, he couldn't open the coffin, couldn't see the other party's soul, and wouldn't be the other party's opponent.

Unless he could see the other party's soul and then use the soul-hooking skill to mark it, he would have a chance to steal the other party's body.

The fox spirit looked at Zhang Chen with her eyes. She knew Zhang Chen's difficulty. After all, that was an existence in the ninth-level Yang God realm, and not an easy opponent to deal with.

"Actually, there is another way," the fox spirit looked at Zhang Chen, her big eyes rolling around.

"What way?" Zhang Chen turned his head to look at the fox spirit.

"Wait! Wait for the court's experts to come! Or wait for those experts in the Jianghu to come! The Yellow River's water is so abnormal, and with your series of actions, the象(qi xiang - 气象 refers to the overall atmosphere, signs, and indications of an event or situation) of走蛟(zou jiao - 走蛟 refers to a dragon leaving its lair and traveling through water, often associated with floods and disasters) and transformation into a dragon can't be hidden. At that time, there will definitely be experts coming here, and we can take advantage of the chaos to gain profit." But as she said this, the fox spirit looked at Zhang Chen, feeling that Zhang Chen's strength was a little low:

"I'm afraid that we won't get any benefits and instead become cannon fodder!"

Zhang Chen was silent upon hearing this, his eyes looking at the receding water of the Yellow River, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his heart.

"Now that the other party hasn't走蛟(zou jiao - 走蛟 refers to a dragon leaving its lair and traveling through water, often associated with floods and disasters) and transformed into a dragon, what are his attack methods?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Probably controlling water, or the methods of the Yang God. I haven't走蛟(zou jiao - 走蛟 refers to a dragon leaving its lair and traveling through water, often associated with floods and disasters) and transformed into a dragon, how would I know the key points?" The fox spirit said.

If the other party only mastered the water control technique, Zhang Chen felt that he could cope. His supernatural power was to control all water flow within fifty meters. This was a 'conceptual' skill. As long as it was water flow within fifty meters, it was under his Zhang Chen's control. Even the water controlled by the flood dragon would be controlled by him as long as it approached within fifty meters.

As for the Yang God?

If the other party's Yang God didn't leave the body, that would be fine, but if it did, then it would simply be a fish on the chopping board for him.

"It's worth taking a risk," Zhang Chen made a decision in his heart. After all, if he waited for the court or the various experts in the Jianghu to arrive, it would be extremely difficult for him to profit from it.

Thoughts flashed through Zhang Chen's mind: "The opportunity is great!"

Just as Zhang Chen was pondering, the laborers, seeing the Yellow River's waters recede, all rushed forward again, standing before the deep, bottomless hole, their hair standing on end.

“Sir, what do we do now?” someone asked the leading general.

The general fell silent upon hearing this, his eyes filled with reluctance. That was a coffin made of pure crystal! If it could be dug out and broken down into glass cups, how much money could it fetch?

This was definitely a huge profit!

Moreover, the burial goods inside were the real prize. If the wealth inside could be retrieved, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

“I just don't know how deep this cave is. If the crystal coffin fell, it must have shattered into pieces. If we could enter it now, we could directly pick up the burial goods inside. Not to mention, I'm afraid the material of the crystal coffin could also be salvaged,” the general said, standing by the sinkhole, his voice full of temptation.

The eyes of the onlookers turned somewhat red, but they still suppressed the greed in their hearts. The cave was of unknown depth. If another flood occurred, they wouldn't be able to climb out, and they would only be drowned. The people had the fate to obtain treasures, but not the fate to climb out.

Seeing that none of the laborers responded, the general's eyes couldn't help but shift. His gaze swept across Zhang Chen, who was watching from afar. Remembering the letter from the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, the general thought to himself, “This is a perfect opportunity to kill this kid in a justifiable way! The Young Master told me to take it slow, so as not to cause gossip, but if I can find a legitimate reason to kill this kid and handle this matter perfectly, the Young Master will definitely reward me handsomely!”

Then, the general subtly withdrew his gaze from Zhang Chen, cleared his throat, and said with a righteous expression:

“Everyone, I have been ordered to clear the river channel. Now that such a change has occurred in the Yellow River, I cannot sit idly by…”

Zhang Chen looked at the general with a righteous face and said to the fox spirit beside him, “It seems that I don't have to choose myself. Someone has already chosen for me.”

The fox spirit used an illusion, not to make Zhang Chen invisible, but to disguise Zhang Chen as an ordinary citizen, doing the same actions as the people around him.

“I'll kill him for you!” A hint of murderous intent appeared in the fox spirit's eyes.

Zhang Chen glanced at the fox spirit, not expecting the fox spirit to take the initiative to consider him. He was a little moved: “There's no need to cause trouble. I might as well go down first. If I can win the first prize, that would be great. If I wait for those people from the imperial court to arrive, I'm afraid even good things won't be my turn.”

As Zhang Chen spoke, he turned the fox spirit into a rune and put it away. Then, he quietly stood in the crowd, watching the general's performance.

“This general is ordered by the imperial court to clear the river silt, build a three-hundred-mile river embankment, and reinforce a three-hundred-mile dam. But now, a pit of unknown depth has suddenly appeared in the Yellow River, as well as an unknown crystal coffin. If such strange phenomena cannot be investigated clearly, wouldn't it be a dereliction of duty for this general?” The general's voice was filled with righteousness.

The surrounding laborers were all startled and immediately realized that something was wrong. They lowered their heads and shrank their necks, fearing that they would be chosen to go down and explore the cave.

Seeing the laborers around him lowering their heads, a look of pleasure appeared in the general's eyes. This was the power of authority.

“Therefore, this general wants to choose someone to go down and investigate to see what secrets are hidden in the underground cave. Who among you is willing to go down first? If anyone is willing to go down first, this general can decide that you can choose one of the burial goods in the crystal coffin first,” the general said.

Upon hearing this, everyone dared not raise their heads and all became ostriches.

The treasures below were good, but if there were no floods, there would be no shortage of brave people among the people. But the key is that the Yellow River has been flooding all the time! Who knows when the Yellow River will suddenly flood? If the river water poured into the cave, I'm afraid that no matter how good the treasures are, they would have the fate to get them but not the fate to spend them.

“Oh, as expected, there must be brave men under heavy rewards. You are willing, aren't you? Since you are willing, this general will give you the opportunity. You should come forward.” The general suddenly turned his gaze and looked at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen was dumbfounded when he heard this: What do you mean I'm willing? How did I become willing?

I'm standing here properly, when did I say I was willing?

As the general's words fell, a foreman came forward, clamped Zhang Chen, and escorted Zhang Chen to the front.

At this time, the surrounding laborers looked at Zhang Chen with surprised expressions. Some people whispered, “In this day and age, there are really people who want money more than their lives!”

“Come, put the rope on him, and then hand him a torch and send him down.” The general didn't give Zhang Chen a chance to refute and directly ordered.

Zhang Chen didn't refute either, but gave the general a meaningful look. When he escaped from this place, he would have to kill this person.

With his wisdom, how could he not know that it must be related to the Pingbian Prince's Mansion? Did this general want to use him to please the Pingbian Prince's Mansion?

“May I ask the general's honorable name?” Zhang Chen didn't resist, allowing the foreman to tie the rope around him, and then looked at the general with his eyes.

“This general's surname is Ping, and his name is Ping Tao.” The general looked at Zhang Chen with a playful expression: “What? Planning to find a chance to repay me in the future?”

“If there is a chance, I will definitely repay the general's great kindness and virtue, giving me a chance to make a name for myself.” Zhang Chen didn't show weakness either, his voice full of sarcasm.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, the general smiled and said in an eerie tone: “You do your job well. General, I have high hopes for your courage. If you can come back from the underground, then we can talk about repaying or not. This general is looking forward to your repayment!”

A sneer appeared on the corner of Zhang Chen's mouth, but he didn't waste any more words. At this time, someone lit a torch and handed it over. Zhang Chen directly took the torch, then inserted three torches into his waist, lit one torch, and walked calmly towards the cave.

Looking at Zhang Chen's calm back, a look of emotion appeared on Ping Tao's face: “He's a tough guy, but it's a pity that he offended the Pingbian Prince's Mansion. You're going to die anyway, so you might as well die in my hands and become my stepping stone.”

At this time, several people were pulling the rope. Zhang Chen directly sat on the edge of the pit and slid down gently, already suspended in mid-air.

“Release the rope.” A foreman gave an order, and then a dozen men pulled the rope, and Zhang Chen fell into the cave at a slow speed.

Zhang Chen slowly descended in the darkness, the torch in his hand flickering, and the light actually began to continuously lower.