From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 492 The Strange Movement of the Divine Artifact Seal

My hand, holding the Key of Destiny, was damp with a thin layer of sweat, and the four words "Sealed Land" on Envoy Li's communication talisman were still flashing before my eyes.

The roar of the Netherworld Beast made my eardrums ache, but the warmth of Wen Chen's palms came through our clasped hands, reminding me of what he had said the night before when he was flipping through ancient books—"The appearance of the Netherworld Beast will surely cause a change in the sealing of heaven and earth."

“Wen Chen.” I turned to look at him; the dark patterns had already crept up behind his ears, like a cold little snake.

The red mole at the corner of his eye was made even more vivid by the flames of war, yet he still maintained his composed demeanor, as if he could hold up the sky with his wide sleeves even if it collapsed.

“I know.” He pressed his thumb lightly twice on the back of my hand. “The matter of the sealed land is more important.”

On the Alliance's side... He turned his head to look at Fairy Zhao, who was fighting the Netherworld Beast with her sword. Half of the silver hairpin in her hair was broken, and the ends of her hair were stained with black blood, but she was still laughing and cursing: "Beast!"

"Taste my Frostless Sword Technique!" The Wind Demon King's wine gourd smashed against the beast's claw, shattering into a piece of porcelain white. "Little Xiao, you and Little Friend Wen can go ahead!"

I'll wear down this damn wolf for you!

My throat feels tight.

An alliance is essentially a group of people who, knowing the danger, still entrust their backs to each other.

But the Key of Destiny was so hot it almost burned through my palm. I touched the dark mark on my neck—a mark left by the power of the artifact last time. It would awaken whenever the seal was disturbed.

"Let's go." Wen Chen pulled me into the air, the Qingfeng sword slicing through the wind.

The shouts of battle below faded into the distance. As I gazed at the shrinking battlefield, I suddenly remembered what Blood Fiend had said before he dissipated: "The day the Netherworld Beast broke free of its seal."

It turns out that the soul he had nurtured for three hundred years was merely to clear the way for this ferocious beast.

The fog in Fairy Valley is three times heavier than usual.

When I landed, the soles of my boots were covered with a layer of cold, damp dew, and a putrid smell suddenly rushed into my nose—like rotten wood mixed with blood.

Wen Chen's wide sleeves billowed at her side, shielding me from the fishy smell: "Something's not right."

The ancient pine tree in the middle of the valley is still the same, but the stone house behind the tree, which is engraved with array patterns, has changed.

The sealing array, which was originally shimmering with azure light, cracked in several places, as if it had been slashed open with a blunt knife. Black mist seeped out from the cracks, twisting into small snakes like living creatures.

"Alliance Leader Xiao!"

The ethereal immortal rushed out from the side door of the stone house. His plain white Taoist robe was stained with mud, and a few strands of his usually neatly combed white hair were loose, with even his jade crown askew at his temples.

I had never seen this old immortal, who had guarded the divine artifact for three hundred years, so flustered. His withered hand grabbed my wrist: "The seal has been shaking since last night. With each shake, the array patterns crack more."

"I tried to suppress it with the Spirit Guardian Technique, but..." His Adam's apple bobbed, "...it's like something's thrashing inside, trying to break free."

I looked at the lintel of the stone house—where a bronze plaque that originally read "Suppress Demons" used to hang, but now it was buzzing and the patina was falling off in a flurry.

Wen Chen walked to my side, his fingertips lightly touching the crack, his brows furrowing slightly: "It's the aura of the Netherworld Beast."

"As expected." I gripped the Key of Destiny tightly, the dark lines creeping up my arm, burning my skin red.

The page of the ancient book that Wen Chen had turned to the night before suddenly appeared before his eyes: "The Nether Abyss Beast is an extremely Yin creature, and it loves to devour the power of sealing."

"If Blood Fiend is released, it's probably to use it to break the seal here..."

"And what happens after you bite it open?" The ethereal immortal's voice trembled. "What lies beneath this stone house is the remnant soul of an ancient demon god."

If the Netherworld Beast and the remnant soul of the Demon God could be merged into one…

I didn't let him finish speaking.

The Key of Destiny suddenly emitted a clear ring, and the white light from its blade pierced through the crack in the stone house door, casting a bright streak on the ground.

My intuition tells me that this is guiding me—since I transmigrated, this sword has always pointed me in the right direction at crucial moments, like my other self saying, "Don't be afraid, you can do it."

“I’ll go in.” I released Wen Chen’s hand. He was about to speak when I shook my head: “Only the Key of Destiny can sense the sealing core. You stay outside and guard it.”

The stone door hinges creaked loudly.

It was colder inside than outside, and the four walls were covered with dense array patterns, like living vines entwining the stone walls.

I walked to the central altar, where a dark stone was placed. That was the core of the seal—the "Demon-Suppressing Stone".

It was shaking violently at the moment, and the gold-painted runes on its surface were being shaken off, revealing dark red patterns underneath, like congealed blood.

I placed my hand on the Demon-Suppressing Stone, and spiritual energy flowed into it through my palm.

In an instant, countless images flooded my mind—the claws of a black-scaled behemoth scraping against the stone wall, its hot, metallic breath spraying onto my face; a figure in blood-stained clothes laughing, saying, "Tear this broken stone apart, and the Demon God will return"; and a hoarse voice crying, "Let me out, I want revenge..."

"Enough!" I gritted my teeth, and the white light of the Key of Destiny rushed into the Demon-Suppressing Stone along my arm.

Dark lines crept up my neck, and the pain was so intense that I could barely stand.

Wen Chen's voice suddenly came from outside the door, trembling with spiritual energy: "Yao Yao, I'll transfer my spiritual energy to you."

A warm current flowed into my back, like drinking a bowl of hot ginger soup in winter.

I closed my eyes tightly and sent all my spiritual power into the Demon-Suppressing Stone.

The dark red patterns were gradually pushed back by the white light, and the vibrations of the Demon-Suppressing Stone weakened until they finally subsided.

"Phew..." I collapsed to the ground, my forehead covered in cold sweat.

Wen Chen immediately steadied me, dabbing the sweat from my face with his fingertips, and frowned, saying, "Why are you so cold?"

The ethereal immortal trembled as he touched the Demon-Suppressing Stone, his withered fingers tracing the newly flowing golden runes. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face: "It's stable...it's stable..."

I leaned on Wen Chen's shoulder to catch my breath. Just as I was about to speak, a sudden gust of mountain wind brought a series of hurried footsteps.

Zi Ling's breathless voice pierced through the crack in the stone house door: "Sister Xiao!"

Mr. Wen!

Oh no—

Her last words seemed to be swept away by the wind.

Wen Chen and I exchanged a glance. He helped me stand up and gently supported my lower back with his fingertips.

What was supposed to come finally came.

The sound of Zi Ling smashing open the wooden door of the stone house was even faster than the mountain wind.

Half of the jade bell at her waist was broken, and her hair ribbon was tangled with a few withered leaves. When she saw me, her eyes were red: "Sister Xiao!"

I just went to the front lines to deliver a message and heard that old bastard Blood Fiend shouting—that he calculated we were guarding the divine artifact in Immortal Spirit Valley and was leading the Hundred Ghost Army this way!

My fingertips had just brushed against the newly stabilized golden patterns on the Demon-Suppressing Stone when I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

Wen Chen's hand immediately covered the back of my neck; I could feel the warmth of his palm even through my collar: "How much longer until we arrive?"

"At most half an incense stick's time!" Zi Ling gasped for breath, her sleeve stained with dark brown blood. "I took a shortcut, crossing three cliffs to get here. I saw their will-o'-the-wisps—like clusters of glowing green phosphorescent flames, covering the entire mountainside!"

Suddenly, a ethereal, immortal-like gasp came from outside the stone house.

I turned to look at him. The old immortal was leaning against the doorframe, gazing towards the valley entrance. His white hair was whipped by the wind, revealing his sallow face. "The howls of the Netherworld Beasts have weakened... Blood Fiend has transferred most of his forces here."

My nails dug into my palms.

The ancient book that Wen Chen found a couple of days ago mentioned that Xue Sha's "Soul Erosion Technique" was most adept at manipulating Yin objects. All the ghost cultivators in the Hundred Ghost Army were refined by him using living souls, and ordinary cultivators would have no chance against him.

But what's even more deadly is—

"The artifact hasn't awakened yet," I said softly, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with a wad of wet cotton. "Although we temporarily stabilized the seal, the Netherworld Beast is still gnawing at the array patterns. If Blood Fiend brings the Hundred Ghosts Army to disrupt things again..."

"I know a way!"

A slightly hoarse male voice suddenly broke in.

Elder Qingfeng appeared at the entrance of the stone house at some point. His usually neatly tied dark green Taoist hat was askew behind his ears, and he was holding a half-roll of yellowed ancient book in his arms. "Three hundred years ago, I saw a fragment of a scroll recording the awakening ceremony of an ancient artifact in the ruins of the far north ice plains."

To awaken the full power of the Key of Destiny, one must go to the 'Starfall Altar' deepest within the valley.

I stared at the ancient book in his arms, the three seal characters "Zhenlinglu" on the cover worn white—it was the treasure he often said "contains obscure techniques".

Wen Chen had already asked the crucial question for me: "What do we need to prepare?"

"The altar itself is the core of the formation. As long as the Heavenly Key is used to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and combined with the hand seals of the 'Nine Luminaries Technique,' it can be activated." Elder Qingfeng turned to a certain page, his knuckles tapping heavily on the yellowed paper. "But the altar is hidden in the mist at the deepest part of the valley, and ordinary people cannot find the way."

I went there once with my master when I was young, so I know the path.

Zi Ling suddenly grabbed my sleeve: "Sister Xiao, Young Master Wen and I will go with you!"

Wen Chen pressed down on the back of her hand, his fingertips lightly touching her wrist pulse—there was a bluish-purple bruise on her wrist, a sign of being corrupted by ghostly energy: "Go and have the Void Immortal exorcise the ghostly energy for you. Someone needs to guard the Demon-Suppressing Stone here."

Zi Ling bit her lip and nodded, then turned back to call out to me, "Sister Xiao, if you encounter any danger, just squeeze the communication bead I gave you!"

The light inside the stone house suddenly dimmed.

I looked up and saw Wen Chen draping a black outer robe over my shoulders. His fingertips brushed against the stray hairs on my head, damp with cold sweat. "I'll go with you."

“No.” I gripped his wide-sleeved hand tightly. “The Blood Fiend’s Hundred Ghosts Army will be here soon. You need to guard our allies here.”

The ethereal immortal is old, and Zi Ling is injured...

Wen Chen's red mole at the corner of her eye twitched slightly.

He understands me best—if I say "I need it," he will brave any danger; but if I say "I must," he will swallow his worries.

He lowered his head and kissed my forehead, his voice as soft as a mountain stream: "Go quickly and come back soon, I'll be waiting for you at the valley entrance."

Elder Qingfeng had already stepped out of the stone house first.

I gripped the Key of Destiny tightly and followed, the white light on the sword flickering with my heartbeat, as if echoing my panicked pulse.

The fog in Fairy Valley was even thicker than before, and the ancient pines just five steps away were only blurry shadows.

Elder Qingfeng walked very fast, the hem of his Taoist robe sweeping across the dewy wild grass, making a rustling sound.

I followed him around three bends, and the gravel under my feet suddenly turned into cool bluestone slabs—the old path of the ruins.

"We've arrived." Elder Qingfeng stopped and raised his hand to push aside the vines blocking his path.

I looked up, and the sight before me sent chills down my spine.

The so-called "deep place" turned out to be a cliff shrouded in mist.

Seven stone pillars, each about half a person tall, stand on the edge of the cliff. The pillars are covered with weathered star maps. The altar in the very center is only half intact, and a half-broken stele with the words "Starfall" is visible in the pile of rubble.

A mountain wind suddenly swept by, carrying a chilling aura.

I shivered. The Key of Destiny suddenly trembled violently, and the sound of the sword was mixed with a faint sob—just like the wailing remnant souls in the Demon-Suppressing Stone just now.

Elder Qingfeng's figure was somewhat blurred in the mist.

He bent down to pick up a pebble, ran his fingertip along its surface, then suddenly turned and smiled at me: "Alliance Leader Xiao, do you know why only I recognize the path to this altar?"

His voice changed.

It was as if two mouths were speaking simultaneously: one was Elder Qingfeng's hoarse voice, the other sharp and thin like a fingernail scraping bronze, mixed with the stench of rotting flesh: "Because three hundred years ago, I personally killed the guide."

Countless dark figures suddenly emerged from the fog.

I took a half step back, my lower back slamming against the broken monument—those dark figures were translucent ghost cultivators, their eye sockets filled with black blood, their fingernails long enough to snag on my clothes.

The white light of the Key of Destiny pierced through the thick fog.

My hand holding the sword trembled, not from fear, but from anger—it turned out that from the very beginning, Elder Qingfeng's "proactive help" was nothing more than a trap to lure me into.

"Who exactly are you?" I gritted my teeth and swung my sword to cleave the ghost cultivator who pounced on me. The moment the sword cut through the ghost energy, Elder Qingfeng's face suddenly twisted into another shape: blood-red pupils, a mouth that stretched to his ears, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Who I am is unimportant," he said, a smug laugh escaping his lips. "What matters is..."

The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from the fog.

I turned my head and saw two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps rising from the mist at the bottom of the cliff—those were the eyes of the Blood Demon.

Behind him, the wailing of the Hundred Ghosts Army was already close at hand.