432 Breaking the Seals
Multiple days later, a million miles away from Blue Waves Island.
Deep under the ocean, at an underwater canyon, there were many caves etched onto the stone wall. It was dark; it had never once receiving sunlight over the course of 10,000 years. It was also perpetually freezing at these depths. The multitude of pitch black holes marking the caves' entrances were like giant mouths waiting to devour those who passed by.
Su Yu stood atop the canyon, circulating his spirit energy to protect his body. He secretly activated his Soul Eyes to scout the caves.
Strangely, his Soul Eyes could not see through the dense, chilly Yin energy that was present! All he could faintly see was a thin veil of water outside each cave. The bigger the cave, the more ripples of water veil there were. The lowest had a single layer of ripples. The most ripples were concentrated at the central giant cave, with four layers of ripples! The ripples forcefully repelled Su Yu's soul powers.
"Seals!" Su Yu said, retracting his Soul Eyes without expression.
Qi Ming stored his flying divine artifact, saying, "Do you all know what this place used to be?"
Su Yu and Zheng Bing were silent, gravely looking at the weird caves without saying a word, but Xin Wuhen raised her brows, saying with uncertainty, "Could this be the origin of one of the Eight Great Ancient Clans, the Gui clan? The Thousand Ghost Cellar?"
Qi Ming had a look of admiration. "Miss Xin, you sure are well-read. I am in awe. This place is indeed the birthplace of the Gui clan! It is rumored that this was the habitat of the Gui clan in the ancient times. But following the huge changes throughout history, they shifted to the southern continent, abandoning this place."
The group's gaze collectively fell on Su Yu. The Black Snow Devil King had the bloodline of the Evil Ghost of the Gui clan. This fact was known all throughout the continent.
Qi Ming continued, "The Undead Herb of the Netherworld is the sacred treasure of the Gui clan. Only by using the Evil Ghost Energy of the Gui clan to nourish the herb can it be cultivated! Even though this place has been abandoned, we have investigated it thoroughly. No one over the ages has discovered this place! We are fairly certain that there will be remnants of Evil Ghost Energy within the relics. The energy may have given birth to one or two Undead Herb of the Netherworld. If we wish to obtain this herb, the only way is to enter the area."
The group looked at one other. After a few moments of deliberation, they nodded in approval. If no one who had entered this place over the course of history, the possibility of an Undead Herb of the Netherworld being present was not low.
Qi Ming looked at the central cave, his eyes full of anticipation. "Folks, by reading up on historical annals, I have learned that the central cave leads to the sacrificial altar of the Gui clan. That place was used by the Gui clan to pray to the heavens and is rich with ghost energy. It has the highest probability of having the Undead Herb of the Netherworld."
Zheng Bing shifted his gaze. "All right, I'll be the first to say it. Before we arrive at the sacrificial altar, we are not to attack one another! When we find the Undead Herb of the Netherworld, then it will be up to our abilities. If anyone breaks the rule and attacks first, the other three can group together to kill that person!"
The four of them exchanged looks, agreeing with this point. Without finding their objective, it was too early to be killing one another.
"Since everybody agrees, it shall be decided." Qi Ming laughed, then his expression turned serious. "There are four layers of seals blocking the cave we want to enter! They are extremely powerful. If we barge in without caution and activate the seals, we would be disintegrated!" As he examined the seals, Qi Ming's lips twitched. "I won't lie to you. When the Golden Light pavilion first investigated this place, we utilized a Heaven Master. He unintentionally activated the seal and died with his blood essence entirely absorbed."
The hearts of everyone in the group grew cold. To be able to kill a Heaven Master easily, the seals must indeed be very dangerous.
"There are four layers to the seal," said Qi Ming. "The power of each layer is about equal. To be fair, each of us should break one layer. According to my estimates, the one closest to the outside world would be the most dangerous. Thus, the arrangement will be as follows! I will be the first to break the seal, Xin Wuhen second, Zheng Bing third, and the last one should be broken by the Black Snow Devil King, but when the time comes, we should all work together and help him break the seal."
No one had any objections other than Zheng Bing who was slightly unhappy that he was placed after Xin Wuhen. To make them feel at ease, Qi Ming naturally had to try breaking the seal first. He flew to the giant cave, his aura as a Heaven Master faintly visible.
Su Yu was secretly surprised. He had hidden his abilities well! Even though his aura was not as strong as the other two, it was not considered weak. Qi Ming took out a dark blue amulet from his sleeves, manically infusing his spirit energy into it.
Xin Wuhen gasped. "The Broken God Amulet. It harbors an attack close to that of a Human King. Its powers are incredibly formidable and not to be looked down on. It is an immensely valuable item that is used to safeguard one's life. To think that Shopkeeper Qi has two of them!"
Su Yu was secretly surprised. How extravagant! Each of the amulets had a value higher than the Black Crystal!
Shopkeeper Qi infused 30 percent of his spirit energy into the amulet. At that moment, the amulet glowed with a blue light. A shred of alarming spiritual pressure radiated around in waves.
Su Yu and the others subconsciously retreated, avoiding the spiritual pressure. When the amulet was thoroughly suppressed, Shopkeeper Qi's eyes flickered, retreating in a hurry as he threw out the Broken God Amulet from his hands. A piercing blue light exploded as a Human King level power suddenly assaulted the surroundings!
When the blue amulet split open, the radiating blue light started to gather once again, turning into a thin blue longsword, slicing down on the outermost veil of water. The ripples suffered the attack, trembling violently. The seal flickered wildly as if it was going to shatter in the next moment.
When the blue sword vanished, the ripples on the veil of water gradually stabilized, leaving behind several slits that were slowly piecing themselves back together.
Everyone frowned. A blow from a Human King was not able to destroy a single layer of the seal! The seals here were more powerful than expected.
Even Qi Ming was a little surprised. He creased his brows and flew down once again. With a low grunt, he activated an immortal-level technique cultivated to Stage Two Peak! With that attack, the power of the heavens descended. A half-zhang footprint, glowing with green light, stomped down mercilessly.
All that was heard was a deafening crack. The first layer of the veil of water shattered.
Qi Ming's breathing was rushed, his face turning pale. He had used the Broken God Amulet as well as a good portion of his physical strength. It was no wonder no one had set foot here in 10,000 years.
"Miss Xin, please." Qi Ming smiled, but his gaze flickered. He was looking forward to seeing how she would break the seal.
Xin Wuhen stepped forward without expression, her red robes billowing in the water. This, coupled with her cold expression, radiated a frigid aura. She formed seals with her fingers, leaving behind afterimages, and a huge black tiger materialized behind her.
Zheng Bing wore a look of caution. "Spirit of the Dead Summoning Technique? How could it be? This is a mysterious art only existing in ancient times and long lost. Just who is this Xin Wuhen?"
Even Qi Ming was a little surprised, silently observing her. He had a strange glow in his eyes, his thoughts difficult to discern.