seal
“There must be something special about Yansha Kingdom, Grand Preceptor. What unspeakable secret does it hold?” Qi Yuan looked at him calmly.
The other two also waited for Ouyang Lanyue's answer. He finally said, "There is a seal in Yansha Kingdom. This seal is second only to the demonic array of the human and demon races back then, ranking second among forbidden arrays. The Ghost King's main reason for coming here is for the seal."
"What is a seal? What makes the Ghost King so concerned?" Gu Youtian asked.
"His... half of his ghostly energy. Decades ago, Di Ming and Xing Gui Jun each led the Ghost Realm and the Demon Realm in a battle. At that time, Di Ming was not as strong as he is now. The Ghost Realm was defeated, and half of his ghostly energy was locked in this seal, hence it is also called the Half-Ghost Seal," Ouyang Lanyue said.
Qi Yuan said solemnly, "His cultivation has already reached its peak, and he still wants to break the seal and obtain half of the ghost energy. I suppose that if he gets half stronger, it's also to fight against the ghost realm and the cultivation world. We'll fight sooner or later, and I don't mind fighting ahead of time."
Mu Qinghuai: "Where is the Half-Ghost Seal? If we go there to guard the seal, what will happen to the plague here?"
"The Half-Ghost Seal is sealed on the border, which is indeed far from here. However, we are already working on a solution to the plague. Perhaps defeating the Ghost King will solve the problem. After all, the transformation of the dead into vengeful ghosts must be the work of the Underworld."
"But the Half-Ghost Seal is on the border, and no one cares where he goes. Why send a demon to attack Yansha Kingdom?" Qi Yuan asked, puzzled.
Gu Youtian didn't think much of it: "They probably want to take over Yansha Kingdom in one fell swoop."
Ouyang Lanyue did not answer the question, but continued, "I will not go with you. The king has requested that Daoist Song go with you. I will give each of you a teleportation talisman, which can be used to break the talisman and teleport back to the country in case of special circumstances."
The next second, each of the three people received a talisman with yellow paper and red characters.
“That Taoist priest Song is unreliable,” Qi Yuan said directly.
“I have no choice. Actually, I wanted to go with you, but this is the king’s arrangement. However, you can prepare well and set off in seven days.” Ouyang Lanyue smiled.
The three returned to the palace from the Imperial Preceptor's residence. On the way, Qi Yuan asked, "Gu Youtian, you were recommended by Daoist Song. What is the background of this Daoist?"
Gu Youtian smiled bitterly: "Actually, I've seen him since the day I was born. My mother said that it was Master Song who insisted on my name, which could only be Youtian. After my mother passed away, I joined the Wanlu Sect. Not long ago, I was falsely accused of colluding with the demons and was expelled from the sect. I started to become a rogue cultivator. This Master Song actually came to me again. I heard that there were 10,000 spirit stones to be won, so I came."
"You're from the Wanlu Sect? How come I haven't..." Qi Yuan suddenly realized and changed the subject, "I've never seen you compete before? I've watched every sect competition."
"I was originally an elder's direct disciple, and I was just accepted as a personal disciple this year. Just before the sect's grand competition in September, I was expelled from the sect. Everyone outside is saying that I defected, but I really just went to have some fun."
It turns out that Wanlu Sect lost its spot in the sect competition to Liugong Sect because of this.
Qi Yuan comforted her, "How could Wanlu Sect so easily expel you from the sect? It's really bullying. Don't take it to heart..."
Gu Youtian said sullenly, "I no longer care about Wanlu Sect. They just threw away a disciple they had raised for ten years. The moment I was expelled from the sect, I had nothing to do with Wanlu Sect anymore. What makes me unhappy is that Master Song told me that according to fate I would return to Wanlu Sect, but I don't want to go back at all."
Who says destiny cannot be defied?
Who says destiny cannot be defied?
Two voices rang out at the same time. Qi Yuan was stunned for a moment. Seeing that Mu Qinghuai did not speak, she said, "Don't believe in fate. If you don't want to come back, then don't. Not everything will come true according to Master Song's words."
Gu Youtian smiled gratefully at the two of them: "Thank you. Actually, it's not so bad. At least it means I didn't die from the Half-Ghost Seal, haha."
However, neither of them detected a genuine smile in his tone, indicating that Gu Youtian had not yet let go.
Back in her room, Qi Yuan began her cultivation. During the day, she would also join Gu Youtian and Mu Qinghuai to help investigate the plague, but even more people were being killed after transforming into ghosts.
Gu Youtian pointed to the red coin on his hand, which was hidden by his sleeve, and asked, "Why do you always wear this, young lady?"
Qi Yuan gently stroked the beaded string: "These were given to me by my parents."
Gu Youtian had never seen Qi Yuan show such an expression before. He said, "Then your parents must love you very much."
"Yes. Me too."
"You two, come here quickly," Mu Qinghuai called from not far away. Master Song had already boarded the carriage.
Qi Yuan sat down next to Gu Youtian, feeling that the two people sitting opposite her were sizing her up.
Master Song stared at her with an ambiguous expression, sighing and looking sullen.
She couldn't help but ask, "Master Song, what's wrong with me?"
"Judging from your face, you are about to face a calamity." Master Song said, his hands clasped together as he held his prayer beads.
Gu Youtian couldn't bear to hear this: "So, she's facing a calamity at the Half-Ghost Seal? Daoist Master, can you save her?"
Qi Yuan pressed him down to sit, not flustered at all: "Then I think I will surprise Master Song."
Suppressing his doubts, Mu Qinghuai said calmly, "I've heard that Master Song's reputation is widespread, which is why the King summoned him. But I wonder, Master Song, are there times when you make mistakes?"
"Impossible. One of you will suffer a bloody disaster. You should worry about yourselves," Master Song said coldly.
Qi Yuan said decisively, "No! All three of us will come back safely."
"Hmph." Master Song remained silent.
She always felt that this Taoist priest Song was a charlatan. Although he did have some skills, there were many suspicious points about him.
The journey from the capital of Yansha Kingdom to the border was indeed long, and the country was quite large. The carriage traveled for three hours. They set off in the morning and arrived at noon.
The driver had been informed of the danger beforehand, so he drove back immediately after arriving at the destination.
"Water bag, peace charm, spirit stone..." Gu Youtian sat on the ground and opened the storage bag to sort out the items.
"Oh no! I didn't bring the array talisman that the Imperial Advisor gave me!" he exclaimed.
Qi Yuan said, "You can use it with me. The teleportation array can accommodate two people at a time."
"Okay, thank you, young lady. I brought two peace charms that I drew myself, here's one for you." Gu Youtian handed over a charm.
"Thank you." Qi Yuan accepted it.
Gu Youtian thought about it and decided to give the other talisman to Zhu Fu. Otherwise, he might be sad if he was the only one without a peace talisman, even though he didn't seem like the type of person who would be sad.
He stuffed the last talisman into Mu Qinghuai's hand: "This one is for you!"
Mu Qinghuai was taken aback: "But don't you want to keep one for yourself?"
Gu Youtian laughed and said, "It's alright. I'll draw it for myself after I finish this commission and go back. Look, even Master Song doesn't have one, does he?"
"Okay, thanks." Mu Qinghuai accepted the gift with relief.
"The border is so vast, where is the seal?" Qi Yuan asked, frowning.
"I'm not helping. You find it yourselves; that's your task." Master Song sat on the ground with no intention of getting up.
Gu Youtian couldn't help but shout, "Find it yourself if you want! Why isn't the Taoist priest calling us 'this humble Taoist' and 'benefactor' anymore? Turns out you're a two-faced lizard after all."
He froze after shouting and took a step back. Fortunately, Master Song didn't react.
Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai had already begun searching for the seal. She said, "Zhu Fu, you go over there, I'll look this way."
"Okay," Mu Qinghuai said.
Their practiced manner made it seem as if they had worked together many times before. Gu Youtian became suspicious, and a thought filled his mind as he recalled Mu Qinghuai's words, "Qi Yuanhao."
He shouted, "Me too!"
Gu Youtian and Qi Yuan were in charge of one side, while Gui Muqinghuai was in charge of the other.
"It's been so many years since the last seal, and thick dust has accumulated on the ground, making it impossible to see any half-ghost seal." Qi Yuan had to cast a spell to clear away the dust every time she reached a section of the road, which was particularly troublesome.
“Seriously, we don’t know when we’ll find it. By the time the Ghost King attacks, we still won’t know where it’s sealed!” Gu Youtian agreed.
Gu Youtian has a gentle and refined handsome face, but when combined with what he says and certain behaviors, the impact of the scene is very strong.
"Gu Youtian, did that Taoist priest Song say anything to you?" Qi Yuan asked.
He paused for a moment: "About the seal? He never told me. But I heard related stories when I was studying at Wanlu Sect, and they differed from what the Grand Preceptor said."
"What is it?" Qi Yuan was very interested in this story.
“Master said that the Ghost Realm and the Demon Realm did fight a battle decades ago, and the Ghost Realm was defeated. But before that, the Ghost King and the Demon Lord actually fought a battle alone in the human realm, but no one knows who won or lost that battle.”
Qi Yuan seemed to be thinking about something with her head down, and after a while she said, "Okay. I understand, thank you."
"Found it!" Mu Qinghuai's voice reached their ears, and they rushed over.
The open ground was yellowish-brown, with a circle drawn on it by pale red marks. The circle was covered with messy patterns connected by black lines, and a faint red light shone in the center.
This is the Half-Ghost Seal.
Qi Yuan knelt on the ground and carefully examined the seal, wiping it with her finger: "This seal must have been drawn with Di Ming's blood."
"Can we place a barrier around the Half-Ghost Seal?" Gu Youtian asked.
"No. What's sealed inside isn't an object, but a dense ghostly aura. I can feel the terrifyingly heavy evil energy of the Half-Ghost Seal. Even with a barrier set up, the ghostly energy can still penetrate Di Ming's body," Mu Qinghuai said in a deep voice.
"The seal was set by Di Ming himself, so only he can break it?" Gu Youtian asked again.
"That's how it should be. However, if there's a ghost with as much ghost energy as the original Di Ming, then the seal can also be broken. If someone can absorb the ghost energy from the half-ghost seal, they can become the second strongest being in the ghost realm after Di Ming," Qi Yuan replied.
Mu Qinghuai: "Both demonic energy and ghostly energy have spirituality and can recognize a master. Di Ming Shi has been unsealed for so many years. If the ghostly energy does not recognize him, it will find another master on its own."
Master Song walked to the half-ghost seal and sat down to meditate, muttering to himself, "The ending is already set in stone, already set in stone..."
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