“If I don’t investigate just because it’s a little dangerous, then what will happen in the future when I face dangerous situations? I’d probably be even more willing to hold back. That’s not the proper att.i.tude with which to face the law of the jungle in the Cultivation world. This Demon Sealing Jade is from Patriarch Reliance. It’s obviously an artifact from the Demon Sealing Sect. Furthermore… I myself am a disciple of the Demon Sealing Sect. I must figure out what’s going on!” Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as he thought back to the Demonic technique used by Shangguan Xiu, and the Demonic magic of Patriarch Reliance. Stubbornness filled his heart as he entered the cave.

“That having been said, I still need to be extremely cautious. If there are any signs of enemies that I can’t contend with, then I’ll leave immediately, with no regrets.” Meng Hao’s eyes s.h.i.+ned with determination. Lightning-filled mist arced around him, his two wooden swords hovered around, and the feathers spun in a protective spiral. A look of utmost caution covered his face and spiritual energy emanated out from him. He would instantly be able to sense even the slightest sign of trouble.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his body was stronger; he could fly and had Spiritual Sense. All of these made it easier to protect himself and ensure that he lived a long life. They also gave him the opportunity to face dangerous situations with confidence.

At the moment, if Meng Hao were of the Qi Condensation stage, even if he had the courage to enter this place, he simply couldn’t.

It was pitch black, and Meng Hao felt the threatening pressure of the intense coldness which continuously roiled out from up ahead.

Within the cold, there was also the faint Blood Qi, which became thicker and thicker the further Meng Hao proceeded. A look of caution on his face, he continued onward. Three hundred meters in, he stopped momentarily and used a wooden sword to cut a hole into the earth wall. Then, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a talisman, which he placed inside the hole.

This talisman was the one he’d acquired from w.a.n.g Tengfei that day long ago.

He moved onward until he was about six hundred meters into the cave. There, he stopped and produced ten flying swords from within his bag of holding, which he stabbed into the walls. As he proceeded further into the cave, he continued to stop every few hundred meters and make such preparations. If anything unexpected happened, then he would have some backup life-saving options during his retreat.

By the time Meng Hao was about twelve hundred meters into the cave, the mist surrounding him had begun to seethe and roil. A faint moaning sound could be heard. A look of concentration appeared on Meng Hao’s face, and he stopped momentarily. He looked around carefully for a long moment before proceeded further into the cave, following the red rope with flickering eyes.

Soon he was fifteen hundred meters. Suddenly, a piercing shriek emanated from within the recesses of the cave, along with an ear-splitting roar. The mist surrounding him flickered with ma.s.sive quant.i.ties of electricity, which formed together to form a Lightning Globe. With a boom, it shot out and slammed into an indistinct figure up ahead. The figure flickered and disappeared.

Meng Hao gasped. His Lightning Flag was very powerful, even more so now that he was at the Foundation Establishment stage. The fact that it hadn’t exterminated the indistinct form proved how powerful the figure was. Meng Hao stopped for a moment, hesitating. He looked up ahead in the cave, rubbing the Demon Sealing Jade. Gritting his teeth, he moved forward.

He continued on another six hundred meters, bringing him a full two thousand or more meters into the cave. The intense cold caused his body to quiver. The Blood Qi buffeted against him, filling his nostrils with every breath he took. Dark, crimson patches had begun to appear on his skin, and his eyes glowed red.

“I’m two thousand or more meters in, only about three hundred meters from the end….” His eyes had s.h.i.+ned with more redness. At the moment, his unwillingness to let a matter drop had flared up. He moved forward, the full power of his Foundation Establishment Cultivation base in play. His Dao Pillar thrummed, sending boundless spiritual energy coursing throughout his body. He moved faster, speeding down the tunnel.

In the s.p.a.ce of a few breaths, he caught sight of what appeared to be the end of the cave, as well as the sword he had sent in.

As things became clear, he realized that the cave was not twenty-five hundred meters deep as he had thought. Twenty-five hundred meters in was a round platform, in the middle of which was a hole, two meters wide!

The rope, which appeared to be soaked through with blood, disappeared into the deep hole, which seemed to drop down into eternity.

Meng Hao’s sword was embedded into the side of the platform, which was why he had a.s.sumed the cave was twenty-five hundred meters deep. He was surprised to see this. But then, his eyes suddenly narrowed; the Demon Sealing Jade was now emitting a ma.s.sive amount of blinding light. It was then that he noticed a corpse, sitting cross-legged next to the platform!

In the corpse's hand was an ancient-looking jade slip. This slip also emitted a brilliant glow, as if it were somehow connected to the jade slip he held in his own hand.

Before Meng Hao had the chance to process all of this, a shrill scream filled the air. A blurred figure raced toward him. The mist defended him, but Meng Hao could clearly see a six-fingered hand pressing against it, reaching toward him. It stopped about two meters from him, where a ma.s.sive conglomeration of lightning resisted it.

A ghastly coldness emanated from the hand, which appeared to belong, not to an adult, but a child!

Boom!

Meng Hao was shoved backward. Eyes flas.h.i.+ng, he waved his hand, and the two wooden swords shot toward the indistinct figure. However, despite the swords’ incredible speed, the figure was faster. It dodged and then shot backward to crouch next to the round platform. Underneath the glow of the ancient jade, Meng Hao could not see it clearly.

It had an emaciated body, like that of a feral animal. But upon closer examination, it looked more like a seven- or eight-year-old child. It’s eyes were completely red, and as it stared at Meng Hao, it opened its mouth to reveal black teeth. It screamed.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever, although coldness gleamed in his eyes. Sword auras began to glow around the two wooden swords as they circled Meng Hao. Suddenly, Meng Hao’s eyes narrowed. From within the hole in the flat platform, ten dim streams of light emerged as ten figures appeared which looked exactly the same as the child. They radiated viciousness as they stared at Meng Hao.

If this was the extent of it, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But, behind the ten phantoms, revealed by the glow of the ancient jade, Meng Hao saw a white-haired man floating up out of the hole in the platform.

His face was devoid of blood, and he wore a white robe. His white hair floated about him. His eyes were closed, and a vicious scar stretched from his forehead down to his chin. The flesh around the wound stretched back to reveal bone. The ten phantoms surrounded him. The whole scene caused a profound sense of danger to well up in Meng Hao.

His scalp grew numb, and he began to inch backward. Before he could even take three steps, a shrill screaming filled the air. The ten phantoms launched themselves from the platform, shooting directly toward Meng Hao.

It was at this moment that the Demon Sealing Jade flew into the air of its own volition. A bright glow spread out from it. At the same time, the ancient jade in the hands of the corpse next to the platform also flew up into the air.

An ancient and profound voice filled the air. “Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!” It boomed throughout the ancient cave, causing the ten phantoms to emit blood-curdling screams. Meng Hao watched as they instantly transformed into black smoke.

The white-haired man suddenly opened his eyes.

Within his eye sockets…. were no eyes, only b.l.o.o.d.y holes. It looked as if the eyes had been dug out years ago!

As his eyes opened, the two ancient pieces of jade emitted beams of light which interlocked to form a restrictive spell filled with magical symbols. It settled down over the area, causing the white-robed man to begin to tremble, unable to move further.

He slowly lifted his right hand, pus.h.i.+ng against the restrictive spell. He himself made no sound whatsoever, but his action caused the entire cave to begin to shake.

All of this happened too quickly. Meng Hao breathed raggedly as he looked at the two ancient pieces of jade. He lifted his hand, and instantly, the two pieces of jade flew toward him to land on his palm.

The second piece of ancient jade was inscribed with a magical character. Meng Hao had seen this character before in his studies in the Magic Pavilion in the Reliance Sect. It was the character for ‘eight!’

As soon as it touched his hand, a profound voice filled his mind. It sounded ancient, as if it were being projected from a time long, long ago. It echoed out in his mind.

“The League of Demon Sealers has existed as long as the Dao. I am the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer Daoist Master. I am determined to walk the path of Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas. In all likelihood, I will perish, so I leave my sentience along with my clone here to resolve the ill-fated relations.h.i.+p between Da Nu and myself….

“Sealed three million meters down, pressed down by the weight of this section of the Milky Way Sea, buried. Grief and sorrow are part of the Dao of Heaven and Earth. However, I am a Demon Sealer Daoist Master, and I must not allow distractions into my heart… so I leave my clone here to accompany her and resolve her Demonic resentment.

“If you are of the League of Demon Sealers, place a drop of your blood onto the jade in confirmation. If you are not of the League of Demon Sealers, then remove yourself from this place. If the jade leaves without tasting blood, you will be cursed for three generations; your descendants will never see the moon and you shall perish.”

The voice disappeared, and the glow from the ancient jade slowly faded. Meng Hao muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. He wasn’t sure whether or not to place a drop of blood onto the ancient jade. But if he didn’t, then he didn’t dare to take the jade away. He didn’t fully believe the warning uttered by the ancient voice. And yet, he couldn’t ignore it.

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This chapter was sponsored by Joshua Jacobs and Metazone