Translator – Misty

Chapter 54: The Seal

As one of the chief disciples of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect’s Twelve Courtyards, Huang Yao’s cultivation and strength were undeniably impressive.

Indeed, with a Three-Colored Spiritual Root, he had already reached the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm at a young age. His talent was exceptional, his comprehension sharp, and his mastery of martial techniques remarkable.

Perhaps due to his smooth cultivation path—pampered by both family and sect—Huang Yao had developed an arrogant demeanor from a young age. After becoming one of the Twelve Courtyard Chiefs, his arrogance reached the point of disregard for others, whether within the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect or outside.

Seeing his opponent ignore him now, Huang Yao sneered coldly. With a sudden burst of strength, he lunged forward like an arrow, determined to teach this ignorant fool a lesson.

Just as his palm was about to strike Gu Qingfeng’s shoulder, Gu Qingfeng suddenly turned around, effortlessly grabbing Huang Yao’s wrist. A playful smile curled at his lips.

“Kid, why such a bad temper? You should learn to be more cautious when you’re out and about. Otherwise, you’ll regret it later. I don’t have time to deal with you now—go cool off.”

With a casual flick, Gu Qingfeng sent Huang Yao staggering backward, his wrist numbed by the force.

Seeing this, Li Qiandong, standing nearby, was both shocked and suspicious. “Who exactly are you?” he demanded.

Even earlier, Li Qiandong had found Gu Qingfeng odd, unable to sense any spiritual qi from him. Now, seeing him casually repel Huang Yao with such overwhelming strength only deepened his confusion.

Climbing to his feet, Huang Yao looked at his trembling wrist, realizing he couldn’t muster any strength. His shock quickly turned to rage.

“You dare lay a hand on me? You’re courting death!”

Huang Yao roared, channeling his spiritual power. Taking a heavy step forward, his arms danced wildly, bursts of light flickering violently around him. This was the Thunderclap Palm, a martial technique from the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect. The strike he unleashed now was at its peak, infused with fifty-four principles of thunderous force.

“You insolent brat, you’re asking for it!”

Gu Qingfeng turned around, his patience clearly wearing thin. A flash of irritation crossed his dark eyes as Huang Yao’s thunderous palm approached. Without hesitation, Gu Qingfeng lifted his leg and delivered a simple yet devastating kick.

Boom!

The thunderous force collapsed instantly, dissipating into nothingness. His kick landed squarely on Huang Yao’s chest, tearing his robes and sending him crashing into the wall. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose as he collapsed onto the ground, pale-faced and trembling.

“Junior Brother!”

Li Qiandong rushed over, his expression filled with shock and fear. Huang Yao lay motionless, clutching his chest, blood dripping from his lips, unable to utter a single word.

“Who… are you really?” Li Qiandong’s voice shook with anger and dread. Though he summoned his flying sword, fear kept him from attacking.

Yes, fear.

He had witnessed Gu Qingfeng’s terrifying power firsthand. Huang Yao, a cultivator at the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, had unleashed a peak Thunderclap Palm—yet Gu Qingfeng had shattered it with a single kick.

Li Qiandong’s own cultivation surpassed Huang Yao’s by only a small margin. Facing this mysterious stranger, whose physical body alone exuded overwhelming strength, he had no choice but to proceed with extreme caution.

Gu Qingfeng paid him no mind and turned his attention back to the mechanism embedded in the wall. Detecting its subtle intricacies, he formed a hand seal and directed spiritual qi toward it. Buzz! A hidden stone door suddenly appeared within the wall.

Without hesitation, Gu Qingfeng stepped through.

After passing through two stone doors, he entered another grand hall.

At the center stood a tall, cylindrical platform, beneath which lay a strange formation. Scattered atop the platform were fragments of shimmering purple-gold crystal.

This was a formation core—and a damaged one at that. It wasn’t drained but deliberately destroyed.

Gu Qingfeng examined the formation beneath the platform. The deeper he studied it, the more his brows furrowed. His expression turned solemn as recognition dawned.

It was a powerful seal—a Great Ming King Sixfold Seal.

Such a seal wasn’t something ordinary cultivators could arrange. But that wasn’t what concerned Gu Qingfeng the most. The true mystery was that seals of this caliber were typically used to suppress terrifying entities.

Demonic Entities? Evil spirits?

No.

Using a Great Ming King Sixfold Seal for mere demonic entities would be overkill.

Gu Qingfeng didn’t know who the original owner of the cave dwelling was, nor what terrifying being the seal had contained.

But one thing was clear: Whatever was sealed here had already broken free.

Otherwise, the formation core wouldn’t have been forcefully destroyed.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Qingfeng gathered the fragments atop the platform.

These were no ordinary shards—they were fragments of Purple-Gold Sunlight Crystal, an incredibly rare and precious resource imbued with pure solar essence. Such treasures were invaluable, even in the Three Thousand Mortal Realms, and were perfect for Gu Qingfeng’s cultivation needs.

“A Great Ming King Sixfold Seal… Purple-Gold Sunlight Crystal… Just who was the master of this cave dwelling?”

Shaking his head, Gu Qingfeng dismissed his doubts. He knew that six formation cores were required to fully activate the seal. This was just one of them.

“I should find the other five cores first and gather all the Purple-Gold Sunlight Crystals.”

“I wonder if the creature that broke free is still inside this cave dwelling…”

The cave dwelling was vast—far larger than Gu Qingfeng had initially expected.

Though he had used his spiritual sense to probe the entire cave upon entering, there was one area he had avoided.

That place was strange.

With five hundred years of cultivation behind him—having ascended to the throne of the Heavenly Demon King, slain immortals, butchered demons, and defied the heavens—Gu Qingfeng knew one thing well: the universe was filled with the unknown, and recklessly probing into such mysteries could lead to disaster.

This cave dwelling was riddled with anomalies. Even the most powerful immortals couldn’t have created something so intricate.

For now, Gu Qingfeng decided not to investigate that peculiar area.

As he continued deeper, he found three more formation cores linked to the Great Ming King Sixfold Seal. Each one held more fragments of Purple-Gold Sunlight Crystal, which he collected.

Opening another stone door, he entered yet another hall.

There, he encountered two familiar figures—a man and a woman.

It was Daoist Qingning from the Jiuhua Alliance and Mu Zibai, the top chief of the Twelve Courtyards of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect.

They appeared to be arguing but fell silent in shock upon seeing Gu Qingfeng enter through a side door.

“Fellow Daoist… how did you get here?” Daoist Qingning asked, surprised.

“Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“That’s not what I meant. I was asking if you encountered any danger along the way.”

“No,” Gu Qingfeng replied calmly. “What about you two?”

“Nothing so far,” Daoist Qingning shook her head. Though they felt uneasy, no real danger had emerged.

“Just because you’re safe now doesn’t mean you’ll stay that way. I suggest you leave soon.”

Though he didn’t care whether they heeded his warning, Gu Qingfeng offered his advice out of courtesy.

Daoist Qingning wanted to question him further, but Mu Zibai interrupted, “Qingning, ignore him. Let’s continue.”

“I have a bad feeling about this door,” Daoist Qingning said, frowning.

“The mechanisms are inactive. There’s nothing to fear.”

“Still…”

Though she couldn’t explain it, something about the door unsettled her. Despite knowing the mechanisms were inactive, her instincts screamed danger.

Seeing her hesitation, Mu Zibai shook his head and moved forward to open the door—only for Daoist Qingning to stop him.

“Let’s wait.”

“Wait for what?”

Daoist Qingning turned to Gu Qingfeng. “Why don’t we ask him?”

“Him?”

Daoist Qingning nodded. “I don’t know who he is, but he noticed a hidden formation core earlier. His spiritual sense must be extraordinary. Perhaps he can tell if there’s danger.”

“You trust him?” Mu Zibai sneered.

Approaching Gu Qingfeng, Daoist Qingning asked, “Fellow Daoist, could you check if there’s danger behind this door?”

Glancing briefly, Gu Qingfeng responded, “There’s a hidden mechanism on the door. I suggest you don’t open it.”

“What kind of mechanism?”

“A Cloud Sea Devouring Mechanism. Triggering it would trap you as if sinking into quicksand.”

Mechanism arts were a form of immortal technique, though not part of the Ten Great Arts of the Dao. They were considered a unorthodox path arts, like puppet arts or spirit communication techniques.

Mu Zibai chuckled mockingly. “You know mechanism arts?”

“A little.”

Mu Zibai didn’t press the issue and turned to Daoist Qingning. “You can’t seriously believe him, can you? If such a mechanism existed, wouldn’t I have noticed it? I’ve studied mechanisms for years, and I’ve never heard of a Cloud Sea Devouring Mechanism.”

“There’s a lot you haven’t heard of.”

Gu Qingfeng, now inspecting another mechanism on a nearby door, added, “If that mechanism triggers, it’ll trap you in a sea of quicksand-like energy. Escaping will be nearly impossible. You’d be wise to leave it alone.”

“Nonsense! Trying to scare us with tricks?”

Though Mu Zibai was arrogant, his arrogance was more restrained than Huang Yao’s. Still, Gu Qingfeng’s superior tone infuriated him. With a cold snort, he reached out to push open the door.

(End of Chapter)