The appearance of the crystal coffin suddenly suppressed the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron.
As a national treasure of Huaguo, the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron naturally would not admit defeat.
In an instant.
The Nine-Legged Great Cauldron emitted an extremely high temperature, and the inscriptions on its body turned crimson, as if injected with magma.
The next moment.
The entire lake of Guanjing Lake began to evaporate at a visible speed due to the high temperature. The water level dropped rapidly.
Before long, the entire Guanjing Lake was dried up.
"Ah!"
Zhang Yang, who was inside the body of the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron, let out a heart-wrenching scream.
He never expected the power of the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron to be so formidable.
His invincible crystal coffin was now being punished and suppressed!
Zhang Yang's expression was grave.
At this moment, the nearly thousand-degree high temperature within the cauldron made him sweat profusely!
If it weren't for his true qi protecting his body, he would have been directly incinerated.
And turned into ashes.
The situation had become quite dire.
Zhang Yang was trapped within the cauldron, unable to escape.
A powerful barrier on the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron prevented him from doing so.
He was like a fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.
Meanwhile.
The Emperor had successfully received the baptism of the True Dragon Qi.
His own dragon qi had been elevated to a certain extent.
He was startled to see Zhang Yang's situation and quickly moved to help!
However.
Provoked by the crystal coffin, the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron had become enraged.
The consciousness hidden within the cauldron was highly resistant and completely disregarded the Emperor's feelings.
The Emperor couldn't even get close to the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron, being blocked by an invisible wave of heat.
"It's going to refine Zhang Yang alive!" The Emperor's veins bulged on his forehead, his heart pounding!
The other spectators were so scared they were swallowing their saliva frantically.
Some of them even wore expressions of schadenfreude.
Earlier, Zhang Yang's assistance to the Emperor in obtaining the True Dragon Qi had made them feel threatened.
The Emperor would surely reward him handsomely, which would encroach upon their existing resources and even endanger their own positions.
However, it seemed they no longer needed to worry.
Zhang Yang was surely going to die, and even the Emperor couldn't save him.
"Heh, truly ignorant. Huaguo's Nine-Legged Great Cauldron is the ultimate national treasure, a divine artifact left by Emperor Yu during his flood control efforts over five thousand years ago. How could such a thing be resisted by his mere small coffin?"
"From my perspective, his sacrifice is for the best. At least the Emperor successfully received the baptism of the True Dragon Qi, and Huaguo's imperial power has increased again."
"Hahaha, indeed. This is like Lei Feng, who does good deeds without seeking recognition. I will definitely remember to light incense for him on Qingming Festival."
...
A group of princes and members of the imperial maternal uncle's families all sneered.
This outcome was undoubtedly the best for them.
However.
Their discussions reached the Emperor's ears.
Instantly, a dragon's might enveloped everyone.
"Whoever dares to gloat and mock Zhang Yang again, I will kill them right now! I will strip them of everything, including anyone related to them."
Instantly.
Everyone shut their mouths and lowered their heads, not daring to look at the Emperor.
However.
Their peripheral vision was fixed on Zhang Yang within the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron.
At this moment.
Zhang Yang, after a struggle with the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron, was on the verge of exhaustion.
Since the temperature of the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron had increased, the absorption capacity of the crystal coffin had been suppressed.
It was no longer able to feed Zhang Yang with a continuous supply of new energy.
Therefore, every bit of true qi Zhang Yang used now meant a depletion.
"It's over, the crystal coffin is already showing cracks," Zhang Yang's expression was grave.
The crystal coffin protecting him seemed to be shattering.
If that happened, he would have no means to resist the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron's counterattack.
Crack!
Suddenly!
Under everyone's gaze, the crystal coffin indeed met with disaster.
The four corners of the coffin turned to powder, gradually disintegrating.
Upon seeing this.
The princes and others were ecstatic, Zhang Yang was about to give in!
But!
Miracles often happen at the most dangerous moments!
Boom!
As the crystal coffin completely shattered and returned to Zhang Yang's palm.
In the Zhang family of the capital, a shocking anomaly occurred!
Where the Zhang family's ancestral house was located, a mysterious passage appeared at this moment.
Before the Zhang family could react,
A crystal coffin flew directly out of the passage.
The crystal coffin moved with extreme speed, heading straight for the imperial city.
Instantly.
Everyone in the imperial city felt a terrifying palpitation.
They only saw a flash of white light and couldn't discern what it was.
Even the old ancestors of the imperial maternal uncle's families couldn't detect it.
Only the Emperor vaguely saw a blurry shape, but he was also unsure.
Boom!
The crystal coffin suddenly descended from the sky and landed directly beside Zhang Yang.
A powerful, ethereal, and transcendent true qi was instantly released.
In an instant, Zhang Yang, who had been dehydrated by the high temperature, finally had a chance to breathe.
And this!
Was merely the beginning of the reversal.
The crystal coffin Zhang Yang had summoned earlier was merely an imprint in his palm.
Even the one that had appeared was just a manifestation of true qi.
But this crystal coffin was a physical object!
Upon its appearance, the crystal coffin exuded a ferocious aura, counter-suppressing the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron.
Instantly.
The Nine-Legged Great Cauldron seemed to sense something and emitted a humming sound, as if showing weakness.
This startled everyone, who couldn't understand.
"How is this possible? The Nine-Legged Great Cauldron is a divine artifact of Emperor Yu, yet it fears this coffin?"
"Did you feel it? The temperature in the center of the lake is dropping. The Nine-Legged Great Cauldron seems to be at a disadvantage?"
"My heavens, what exactly is this crystal coffin that even the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron cannot defeat it."
Exclamations erupted everywhere.
The Emperor also showed a look of surprise.
His gaze was fixed on the crystal coffin, lost in distant memories.
It seemed...
A long time ago, a figure had appeared in the Zhang family.
It was the appearance of that person that led the once obscure Zhang family to glory.
At that time.
Huaguo's Emperor was not him.
But after that person emerged, the Zhang family became a hegemonic existence.
However, good times didn't last.
After that ancestor left, the Zhang family had been in decline.
Until now, they had lost even their reputation.
Could this crystal coffin be the possession of that person from the Zhang family's past?
The more the Emperor thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and he looked at Zhang Yang thoughtfully.
As for Zhang Yang himself.
After enduring the horrific high-temperature baptism, he finally began to counterattack!
"What kind of broken cauldron, I'll smash you to pieces!"
Having recovered his strength, Zhang Yang raised the crystal coffin with both hands and repeatedly smashed it within the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron!
Clang clang clang!
With each strike, the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron emitted a humming sound.
As if crying out in pain?
"Pain doesn't matter. You wanted to steam me alive just now, so now I'll smash you to bits!"
Zhang Yang was unceremonious, wielding the crystal coffin and smashing it.
It was truly a turn of events.
With the initiative in his hands, Zhang Yang acted like a wrecking ball.
If the Nine-Legged Great Cauldron weren't made of bronze, its paint would have likely peeled off.
Finally.
Under Zhang Yang's brutal smashing.
The Nine-Legged Great Cauldron returned to its position in the center of the lake.
At this moment.
A small man wearing a bib, with a bruised and swollen face.
Suddenly appeared and sat at the mouth of the cauldron.
With a wail.
He burst into tears.
His appearance was as if he had suffered inhuman abuse.
This...