Chapter 95: Cracks
At dusk, the pandas were waiting outside the presidential suite, occasionally chatting with Yi Feng, who was fixing Lao Sun. Jiang Hong was startled when he returned, fearing Yi Feng might accidentally touch the pandas and faint from shock.
Fortunately, the pandas were restrained, just watching without touching, and rolling around when bored.
"Your Highness, Xiao Wang asks if you'd like dinner in the main hall or here."
"Let's have it here," Jiang Hong said. "Is there a guest arrangement?"
"Yes!" The pandas then scattered to prepare the meal.
Guessing Lu Xiu might be busy, Jiang Hong decided to dine in the bedroom with Yi Feng.
"Jiang Hong, Yi Feng says he can install a drone for me," Lao Sun suddenly said.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
Jiang Hong immediately gestured to Lao Sun, hadn’t he told him not to speak?
As Lao Sun’s camera lens whirred, Yi Feng commented, "Wow, this AI is really smart. Has the technology advanced this much already?"
"Yes, haha," Jiang Hong laughed nervously, hoping not to cause any trouble. Even if they were discovered, Lu Xiu would probably just suggest, "Just give him a sniff of soul-separating pollen," but Jiang Hong didn't want to resort to that with a helpful guest.
Yi Feng seemed quite unfazed about Lao Sun speaking and said to Jiang Hong, "It’s fixed now."
"Thank you so much," Jiang Hong said hastily. "How much do I owe you?"
"That'll be thirty-five yuan," Yi Feng replied, pulling out a QR code from his bag. Jiang Hong was thrilled; although it was just a simple repair of a Tmall Genie, it meant a lot to him, and no amount seemed too much.
Yi Feng added, "Your AI asked me about upgrading with a drone, wondering if I could sell one."
Jiang Hong, taken aback, exclaimed, "Lao Sun, you..."
The combination of a cleaning robot, a drone, and a Tmall Genie was bizarre.
"A regular drone can't handle the weight of external equipment," Yi Feng explained as he packed up his tools. "You’d need a logistics-level one, capable of carrying small parcels, but it's quite expensive. Your AI can't decide on its own."
Jiang Hong inquired, "How much would that cost?"
Lao Sun chimed in, "Buy it for me?"
Jiang Hong retorted, "You just want to go around causing trouble, don't you?"
Lao Sun promised, "I won't cause any trouble."
Yi Feng said, "Eight thousand five hundred. I can get you a discount from my supplier; it should be around eight thousand."
Jiang Hong agreed, "Alright... Eight thousand five isn't too expensive."
Lao Sun, overjoyed, zoomed off in the cleaning robot, circling around. Jiang Hong thought to himself: It's really enough. Instead of seriously cultivating to transform into a human form, he's just adding more gadgets to himself. I hope he doesn't end up needing missile launchers...
Jiang Hong could almost envision Lao Sun causing havoc in a Gundam-like machine in the near future.
The pandas outside made way, and Jiang Hong peeked out to see Lu Xiu arriving.
Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow at Jiang Hong, signaling an inquiry about the progress.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, dinner is served," another panda approached to announce.
Seeing Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong felt a pleasant surprise and asked, "Don't you have... affairs to deal with?"
Lu Xiu replied, "I've handled everything already, came to find you."
Yi Feng packed up his things and pulled out two sealed bread packs from his bag, the kind that cost one yuan at the supermarket, saying, "Don't worry about me, I brought my own food."
Lu Xiu glanced at Yi Feng and offered, "Let's eat together, it's no trouble."
Yi Feng didn't insist and joined them in the bedroom for dinner.
"I saw Lao Sun," Lu Xiu mentioned, "Is it fixed?"
"Yes." Jiang Hong was eating a grilled pork belly lettuce wrap while the pandas grilled meat, shrimp, shellfish, lobster, and fish outside on the terrace, bringing them in as they were ready.
Yi Feng exclaimed, "This is delicious, thank you for your hospitality."
"Eat more," urged Jiang Hong, "Thank you for helping us with the repairs."
Yi Feng remarked, "It's good to be wealthy."
Jiang Hong laughed, glancing at Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu seemed curious about Jiang Hong's sudden appearance today but refrained from asking in front of Yi Feng.
"Lao Sun wants a drone," Jiang Hong mentioned.
"Oh," Lu Xiu responded, "Buy it, how much?"
Jiang Hong answered, "A little over eight thousand."
Lao Sun, returning excitedly, asked Yi Feng, "How soon can I get the drone?"
Yi Feng replied, "I'll ask them to ship it out tonight. If it's express, it should arrive within twenty-four hours. I can help you set it up."
Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu for approval, and Lu Xiu indicated it was fine, agreeing to let Yi Feng stay another day.
"Can you decrypt chat message packets?" Lu Xiu inquired.
"That's quite difficult," Yi Feng said. "What's the matter, boss? Did someone intercept your chat messages?"
Lu Xiu remained silent, and Yi Feng continued, "However, I can set up double encryption for you on the wifi."
"Do it," decided Lu Xiu, opting to purchase this service from Yi Feng. Despite the mystical abilities of the demon tribe, they still relied on humans when it came to internet technology.
After dinner, Jiang Hong took Yi Feng to his room and also reminded the students living in the upper district that there was a human staying with them, so as not to frighten him.
Lu Xiu remained in the bedroom.
"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Jiang Hong asked.
"This is my bedroom," Lu Xiu replied. "Where else should I go? Are you trying to send me away?"
Jiang Hong was speechless.
"So you're sleeping here tonight?" inquired Jiang Hong.
"Of course," responded Lu Xiu.
Jiang Hong wondered to himself, "Really? Sleeping together in one bed tonight? Just like old times?" He couldn't help but glance at the large bed, and Lu Xiu commented, "Isn't that what you said about being like before?"
Jiang Hong chuckled and lay down, resting his head on Lu Xiu's thigh.
"What were you doing today?" Lu Xiu asked.
Jiang Hong, now free to talk, recounted the afternoon's events to Lu Xiu, who requested, "Let me see the notebook. What kind of seal was it?"
Handing over the notebook, Jiang Hong asked, "Do you recognize it?"
Lu Xiu replied, "It's normal for Lian Jiang not to know. I don't recognize any of them either; they're all very ancient seals."
"I'm thinking of checking it out tonight," said Jiang Hong.
"We need to find a map of the holy land first," Lu Xiu suggested. "Lao Sun."
As Lao Sun returned, Lu Xiu inquired, "Does your vacuum cleaner have a map of the holy land stored in it?"
"Right!" Jiang Hong, as if waking from a dream, remembered that Lao Sun, on his last visit, wandered around the sanctuary, probably inputting many maps into the cleaning robot.
"Only 47%," Lao Sun said, "I hardly ever go to the lower levels."
"That's enough." Lu Xiu said, "Export it so I can see."
Lao Sun sent the map of the sanctuary to Lu Xiu's phone. The sanctuary, built along the mountain, had layers staggered with intermediate and transition levels, making the terrain extremely complex. Lu Xiu glanced at it, then compared it with another map.
"Indeed, they're different," Lu Xiu said. "This is the map Feng Li sent me."
The map used by the demon kings only showed main passages, and many areas weren't even marked for their purpose. Of course, given the number of people in the upper-level palace, most rooms were empty and unnecessary to open.
Lao Sun often sneaked in behind moving people, many high-ranking demons thought it was just a regular cleaning robot and paid little attention. The only time it was discovered was in the sanctuary, by Lu Chaoyang.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said. "I'll go turn off all the surveillance in the sanctuary first."
"Will there be a problem?" Jiang Hong was still worried. "What if the rebellious guy finds out?"
Lu Xiu: "Then he should be the first to arrive at the scene to make sure his seal hasn't been broken, right?"
Jiang Hong thought it might be a good opportunity to lure someone out.
"Feng Li, I've found a technician to upgrade the network," Lu Xiu said in a voice message, "The network in the sacred land is too cluttered and needs a technical upgrade. The wireless will be unstable during this period."
"Okay," Feng Li responded without any further questions, very professional, "I understand."
"Mark the location," Lu Xiu instructed, "I can't go through walls, so I'll rely on your memory."
So, Jiang Hong, accompanied by Lu Xiu, began to swipe access cards, looking for the way, relying on the memory from the afternoon to find the seal.
"Don't get too far from me." Lu Xiu held Jiang Hong's hand, and Jiang Hong turned back, saying, "I'm not afraid here."
"I am," Lu Xiu said, "There are many traps in the sacred land, and I'm afraid you'll trigger one. No matter who we encounter, put on your pot immediately."
Once again, Jiang Hong's heart raced as he held hands with Lu Xiu, one hand holding the Book of Everything, the other holding Lu Xiu's hand, storing the pot in his dragon blood mark space.
They walked through a dark corridor with no lights, only the light from their phones illuminating their faces in the darkness. In the dark, Lu Xiu intertwined their fingers.
"Did you bring that sword?" Jiang Hong asked.
"I have it," Lu Xiu replied casually, "but I've never had to use it."
Jiang Hong asked, "If we come across any demon king rebelling, would you use it?"
"To slay them," Lu Xiu responded, "I won’t even need to unsheathe it."
Jiang Hong laughed, Lu Xiu was always so confident, even using the word "invite" specifically.
"Have you named it?" Jiang Hong asked again.
"No," Lu Xiu said, "I haven't thought of a good one yet. Do you have any suggestions?"
Jiang Hong replied, "No, you name it."
Naming an object creates a special connection with it.
"Why is your name 'Xiu'?" Jiang Hong asked again. "Is it because you wish to cultivate into a human?"
Jiang Hong knew that the surname 'Lu' was given by himself, as "Kuru" means "dragon" in Tibetan.
"Didn't you name me that?" Lu Xiu said, "At that time, you kept shouting 'Kuru, xiu—!' That was the first human speech I heard."
"Uh," Jiang Hong said, "Why was I shouting that?"
Lu Xiu: "I don't know either, I'm not a fool."
Jiang Hong: "We're here..."
Leading Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong arrived at the first seal. Lu Xiu first looked up at the surveillance to ensure no lights were on, then pressed his hand against the seal.
Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything at the seal, where spiritual energy was flowing. The sacred energy from all around the sanctuary was being channeled into this seal.
"Has the Book of Everything indicated anyone coming?" Lu Xiu asked.
Jiang Hong replied, "No."
The surroundings were very quiet and felt safe, with no sensation of any external enemy approaching.
Lu Xiu: "I'll try to unlock it, it will take at least ten minutes."
Jiang Hong, not daring to breathe heavily, watched Lu Xiu's movements. Lu Xiu used three fingers to make a virtual grip in the air, like turning a safe's dial, and a small orb of light appeared between his fingers. The orb emitted thousands of strands of spiritual energy, seeping into the seal. The energy continuously flowed towards the seal, while the seal itself was resisting Lu Xiu's power.
Lu Xiu was trying to find the right way to unlock the seal through this continuous probing. Once the flow of spiritual energy aligns with the correct circuit of the sealing array, it could be opened.
Lu Xiu's power emitted a blue light, while the seal radiated a faint yellow glow, steadily eroded by Lu Xiu's energy, visibly progressing.
"Has Lao Sun not cultivated into human form yet?" Lu Xiu casually asked in the quiet.
"Uh, no," Jiang Hong initially feared distracting Lu Xiu, but seeing that he could break the seal while chatting, relaxed and answered, "It's still the same, only able to form a vague human shape."
"Perhaps it needs a catalyst," Lu Xiu responded.
Jiang Hong smiled, Lu Xiu looked puzzled and glanced at Jiang Hong.
"What is it?"
"You seem quite concerned about Lao Sun," Jiang Hong said, "You care about it a lot."
Lu Xiu: "Because if it successfully cultivates, it might be able to protect you."
Jiang Hong: "Forget it, in my heart, it will always be a cleaning robot... Besides, if there's any danger, I can summon you."
Lu Xiu: "There will be times when I can't come."
At this moment, Jiang Hong seemed to sense something faintly, but as Lu Xiu's spiritual energy fully infiltrated the seal, the array flashed with a "buzz" and then completely vanished.
Subsequently, the door slowly opened inward, revealing a staircase leading downward.
"Let's go." Lu Xiu snapped his fingers, creating a blue illuminating orb at his fingertip, still holding Jiang Hong's hand, they descended the stairs.
The area with the seal was already on the mountain wall, the staircase seemingly leading into the interior of the Wushan mountain range. Had they gone inside the mountain?
As Jiang Hong walked, he compared the area with the map organized by Lao Sun, and indeed, this area wasn't on it.
"Huh?"
"Be careful," Lu Xiu said.
At the bottom of the stairs, Jiang Hong stepped into water, followed by Lu Xiu turning off the illuminating light. They were in a massive cave, the size of a football field, with a wide ceiling, but the ground was covered in a shallow layer of water.
On the walls of the cave, there were faint blue lights, like some kind of luminescent fungi underground, clinging to the mountain.
"What is this?" Jiang Hong waded through the water behind Lu Xiu, looking around curiously.
In the center of the huge cave, there was a five-meter-tall skeleton, resembling a prehistoric beast, quietly resting on the water's surface, which was less than five centimeters deep.
"I see," Lu Xiu said, "It's probably unrelated to us. This is a burial site, let's go."
"Is that a whale?" Jiang Hong asked, "Or a dinosaur?"
The skeleton was incredibly imposing, and if it were still alive, it must have been a magnificent sight. Lu Xiu just led him away from the stairs and closed the door.
"The corpse of a Kun," Lu Xiu said. "When I succeeded as the demon king, I read their ancestral scrolls. This was a long time ago, a rebellious demon king who was eventually vanquished."
"Oh..." said Jiang Hong, "So it's dead? I feel like it's just sleeping."
"Maybe?" Lu Xiu said, "Get on my back."
Jiang Hong leapt up, riding on Lu Xiu's back, who naturally bent over and transformed into a sleek black dragon. They floated along the wide corridor in the air, gliding towards the dark unknown and the next seal.
"Don't you know everything that's in the sanctuary?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Xiang Cheng couldn't possibly have told me every little detail," the black dragon said, "They left in too much of a hurry."
Jiang Hong said, "But that's true, places like the Exorcism Committee are full of mysterious things."
The black dragon said, "The Exorcism Committee has been established for a long time, passed down for thousands of years, and naturally harbors many secrets unknown to the public. The sanctuary has only been rebuilt for ten years."
Jiang Hong: "Here we are, this is the place, another spot we can't pass through."
Lu Xiu then transformed back into human form, surveyed the surroundings, and said, "There shouldn't be any surveillance here."
Lu Xiu turned on the light, and they found themselves in a storage room, blocked by a wooden staircase in front of them. It was the same warehouse Jiang Hong had visited in the afternoon, filled with various festival supplies and an attic above.
"I don't think there's anything unusual upstairs..." Jiang Hong said, "What do you think? People come and go here often to fetch things. If there was a seal, the pandas would definitely notice it."
"Just to be safe, let's check it out," Lu Xiu said.
As soon as Lu Xiu approached the seal, it flickered with a dim white light.
"So most seals can be unlocked?" Jiang Hong said. "It seems like these seals are no match for you."
"Not necessarily," Lu Xiu said. "The premise is that your spiritual level is higher than the other party's, and secondly, control over power must be very precise... Do you want to try?"
"Can I?" Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu positioned Jiang Hong in front of him, embracing him from behind, guiding his right hand, and said, "Samadhi True Fire is one of the highest spiritual powers, but you must focus all your attention..."
Jiang Hong had learned how to unlock some simple seals at school, as some were just to prevent ordinary people from accidentally stumbling upon them, like simple ghost walls in the wild, which held little significance for exorcists.
"Everyone says so, why is Samadhi True Fire so powerful?"
"Samadhi True Fire is the primordial fire. Primordial fire, apocalyptic ice, Senluo wood, Wanxiang earth, Lei Huang metal," Lu Xiu continued, "are the five types of pure spiritual matter in the universe. Above them are light and extinction, making a total of seven categories."
"But how did Principal Cao come to possess such powerful Samadhi True Fire?" Jiang Hong asked, puzzled. "Uh, am I asking too much?"
Lu Xiu: "……"
Jiang Hong cheerfully said, "Shall I give it a try?"
Lu Xiu placed his hand on the back of Jiang Hong's hand, speaking softly, "Release your perception, like tentacles, to understand the flow of spiritual energy."
Jiang Hong closed his eyes, concentrating as he followed Lu Xiu's guidance. Lu Xiu, holding Jiang Hong, turned his head to study Jiang Hong's closed eyes, observing his jawline, eyelashes, nose, and lips.
"And then?" Jiang Hong asked with a smile, eyes still closed, motionless.
"Inject your spiritual energy little by little into the array," Lu Xiu said. "The most important thing is to maintain balance... too much energy in one spot can cause an explosion... constantly adjust, making appropriate tilts..."
Jiang Hong: "……"
Jiang Hong opened his eyes, meeting Lu Xiu's gaze.
Lu Xiu: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Hong: "This is just like..."
Lu Xiu: "Like what?"
Jiang Hong: "I feel like I'm holding a forty-inch cake, standing on one foot on a lightning rod, with a typhoon swirling around me! How do you do it, ahh?! And still manage to chat?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't get agitated."
Maintaining balanced dispersal of spiritual energy in the seal was extremely difficult, like balancing a huge iron ball on a chopstick while running and keeping it balanced for ten minutes... If Lu Xiu weren't an exorcist, he definitely could have been a surgeon.
"The level of perception of the world is different," Lu Xiu said.
Lu Xiu shifted his gaze away from Jiang Hong, and now it was Jiang Hong who admired Lu Xiu's focused expression. He was so handsome! Jiang Hong really wanted to kiss him.
But if he did that, embarrassment would be the least of his concerns; the seal would definitely explode...
As the Samadhi True Fire permeated the entire seal, the seal exhibited an effect completely different from being infiltrated by the ice of the apocalypse. It burned away, disintegrating into countless particles and vanishing.
"It’s open," Lu Xiu said, "Let's go up and check."
Jiang Hong decided he would never again attempt to break any kind of seal.
Up in the attic, Lu Xiu turned on the light, revealing a space that was spotlessly clean. In the center was a carpet with various items piled on it, covered with a cloth.
"What's this?" Jiang Hong asked curiously.
Lu Xiu lifted the cloth, revealing a table underneath. On the table was a deck of playing cards, a wine bottle filled with red wine, and a speaker-like horn beside it.
There was also a card on the table with neat handwriting.
"This isn't what we're looking for," Lu Xiu commented, glancing over.
"Huh?" Jiang Hong exclaimed, "You're amazing! You actually found this place... Who wrote this card?"
[You're amazing! To find this place! Searching for clues everywhere in the holy land must have been dizzying, right? It must have taken a lot of effort to break the final seal? Actually, the hint was already given to you - it's love. As long as you love each other, one day you'll be able to overcome all obstacles together...]
Jiang Hong: "I guess it's mostly some sort of treasure hunt game, maybe left over from a festival? Chances are no one won it."
[...The prize is on the table, it’s this megaphone, called 'The Truth Discerner'. But I guess since you've made it here, you might not need this anymore? Shout towards the person you like with this megaphone, and they will surely speak their truth...]
Jiang Hong hadn't finished reading the signature when Lu Xiu took the card away and put it back, covering it with the cloth again.
Jiang Hong didn't say anything, just glanced at Lu Xiu.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said with a slightly unnatural expression, "to the next seal. We're short on time, it's already midnight."
Jiang Hong: "Hmm."
Neither of them spoke. Jiang Hong thought, what would happen if he shouted at Lu Xiu with the megaphone? But he never lied to himself; doing so would be meaningless.
Lu Xiu: “?”
Jiang Hong: "Oh! This way! Yes, right..."
After Lu Xiu came out of that room, his mood seemed to worsen. He didn't turn into a dragon again, nor did he hold hands with Jiang Hong. They just walked, one after the other, slowly.
"I just remembered something," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu: "What?"
The rain had stopped, and they walked through the suspended corridor of the sacred site, where the moonlight emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating Mount Wu.
Jiang Hong: "I remember, back in May, it was Confession Day."
Lu Xiu: "Hmm?"
Jiang Hong: "On the school's message board, someone left a confession for me."
Lu Xiu: "Who?"
Jiang Hong watched Lu Xiu from behind, unable to see his face. He was just walking ahead calmly, as always.
"I don't know," Jiang Hong laughed a little and said, "It's actually quite embarrassing. I started to think that..."
"It wasn't me," Lu Xiu replied, still not turning back, not even to glance at Jiang Hong.
"Yeah," Jiang Hong said, "I wonder who it could be? Strange."
Lu Xiu said: "Maybe someone is secretly in love with you?"
Jiang Hong: "That's really... But falling for someone is something you can't help, right? Well, that's how it is."
Lu Xiu: "Do you want to find out who it is?"
Jiang Hong: "I'm actually quite curious."
Lu Xiu: "If that person confessed to you, would you accept?"
Jiang Hong: "Of course not! It would be too awkward, especially if we don't even know each other."
Lu Xiu: "Maybe they like you. But what reason could they have for not confessing to you?"
Jiang Hong: "Hmm... but..."
Jiang Hong thought to himself: Would I accept a confession from anyone other than you? But who could it be? For a moment, he really thought it was Lu Xiu.
"Here we are, this is the place," Jiang Hong led Lu Xiu to another seal location, a bridge with a fence in front, sealed with a spell.
"Beyond here is forbidden territory," said Lu Xiu. "The seal blocks all living beings. Old Sun made it past because he's a magical artifact. We don’t need to worry about this seal; there’s only a statue inside, nothing important."
"Oh, okay," said Jiang Hong. "Then, only the last one is left. Let’s go."
Jiang Hong then checked the map and headed back towards the deeper part of the palace, still pondering who the confessor could be. He was quite sure that no one at school had ever shown him more than friendly affection, and even if there was, Lu Xiu would have noticed it before him, right?
The final seal was a mural relief in a spacious hall.
Lu Xiu turned on the lights, and the whole hall lit up.
This time, he didn’t rush to break the seal, just stood quietly in front of the mural.
"What does this mean?" asked Jiang Hong.
The mural depicted the Goddess of Mount Wu, entwined with a giant serpent, a scene from an ancient myth. Below Mount Wu were countless demons in worship.
"The goddess Yao Ji is the bearer of the Heavenly Demon," Lu Xiu explained. "Every thousand years, the demon seed is transferred into the body of the Ba Snake, then to Yao Ji. Yao Ji gives birth to the Heavenly Demon, and the demon tribes revere it as their supreme leader."
"So, the demons see the Heavenly Demon as their true king?" Jiang Hong inquired.
Lu Xiu replied, "That was indeed the case in the past. Demons led by demons. But the cycle was broken ten years ago. Xiang Cheng, who has the demon soul of the Ba Snake and later transformed into a dragon, became the new demon king."
"And what about Yao Ji?" Jiang Hong asked further.
"She was killed by demon hunters long ago," Lu Xiu said. "She was also Principal Xiang's mother. She gave birth to Xiang Cheng, who was supposed to inherit the demon seed and become the Heavenly Demon as planned. However, the Yao Ji of this generation fell in love with a mortal, Xiang Cheng's father, and ultimately abandoned her mission."
"Why does the Heavenly Demon have to be reborn?" asked Jiang Hong. "Has it existed since the creation of the world?"
"I don't know," Lu Xiu answered. "Maybe not? I suspect that what we're looking for is behind this shadow wall. Let me handle it."
Jiang Hong then stood behind Lu Xiu as he began to break the seal.
Lu Xiu was highly concentrated, his brows slightly furrowed. Jiang Hong asked, "Is this seal very complex?"
"Yes," Lu Xiu replied, "more complex than the previous three and, I suspect, recently placed, not an ancient seal."
Jiang Hong held his breath, not wanting to disturb Lu Xiu. The seal was particularly massive, extending across the entire mural relief like cracked lines. Lu Xiu's spiritual power was slowly spreading over the mural, and there seemed to be mechanisms under the bricks.
When the seal was completely lifted, suddenly, a strange sound echoed from afar, like the clear chime of a bell.
Simultaneously, the mural disintegrated into countless steps, tightly arranged, extending into the profound distance.
"What's that sound?" Jiang Hong quickly turned.
"An alarm," Lu Xiu responded.
Lu Xiu turned outward, and Jiang Hong immediately took out the Book of Everything. The alarm also appeared there.
[Time until Lu Chaoyang’s arrival: 00:00:09.]
"Nine seconds!" Jiang Hong exclaimed immediately.
Lu Xiu: "Who?"
Jiang Hong: "Lu Chaoyang!"
It was clearly too late to enter the sealed space and come out again. As they wasted a few more seconds with each question and answer, Jiang Hong made a quick decision: "I'll go in, you hold him off outside!"
"No way!"
"Whatever is inside, they won't find me. I'm safe. As soon as he leaves, I can summon you," Jiang Hong said quickly.
Lu Xiu had to make a quick decision, with only three seconds left on the countdown: three, two, one.
Jiang Hong pushed Lu Xiu away, not allowing them time to consider the best option. Jiang Hong darted into the seal, while Lu Xiu quickly drew back and drew a rune in the air, restoring the mural relief to its original state.
Lu Xiu disappeared in front of the mural, and in an instant, Jiang Hong vanished behind it.
Footsteps approached; Lu Chaoyang had arrived.
Behind the mural.
A long staircase made of white marble led to the misty depths of a secret realm.
Faint daylight was omnipresent, yet it was impossible to distinguish between day and night. The distance was obscured by mist, concealing the end of the path. Looking down revealed an endless abyss, not engulfed in darkness but displaying a gentle milky white, as if the sky was reflected underfoot.
This was a fissure, and Jiang Hong had encountered many such fissures before—the countless doors within the Yuyu Golden Cup, the Buddhist palace at the base of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the inner space of the Exorcism Committee…
Although this place was within the sanctuary, it was also independent of it. The sanctuary itself was a concealed fissure, making this a "fissure within a fissure."
Jiang Hong took out an aluminum pot from his personal space, put it on his head, and fastened the strap, using it as a safety helmet. Since falling into the cafeteria at the Exorcism Committee last time, Jiang Hong had added a strap to it.
"Is anyone there?" Jiang Hong looked around, murmuring, but he didn't expect any presence to respond.
The staircase led to a platform in the midst of the clouds, which gradually dispersed to reveal a vague figure. Jiang Hong tensed up, but for some reason, the atmosphere here felt very gentle, not frightening at all.
He observed the figure from a distance, not daring to approach rashly, even though the other might not notice him.
Chapter 95: Cracks
At dusk, the pandas were waiting outside the presidential suite, occasionally chatting with Yi Feng, who was fixing Lao Sun. Jiang Hong was startled when he returned, fearing Yi Feng might accidentally touch the pandas and faint from shock.
Fortunately, the pandas were restrained, just watching without touching, and rolling around when bored.
"Your Highness, Xiao Wang asks if you'd like dinner in the main hall or here."
"Let's have it here," Jiang Hong said. "Is there a guest arrangement?"
"Yes!" The pandas then scattered to prepare the meal.
Guessing Lu Xiu might be busy, Jiang Hong decided to dine in the bedroom with Yi Feng.
"Jiang Hong, Yi Feng says he can install a drone for me," Lao Sun suddenly said.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
Jiang Hong immediately gestured to Lao Sun, hadn’t he told him not to speak?
As Lao Sun’s camera lens whirred, Yi Feng commented, "Wow, this AI is really smart. Has the technology advanced this much already?"
"Yes, haha," Jiang Hong laughed nervously, hoping not to cause any trouble. Even if they were discovered, Lu Xiu would probably just suggest, "Just give him a sniff of soul-separating pollen," but Jiang Hong didn't want to resort to that with a helpful guest.
Yi Feng seemed quite unfazed about Lao Sun speaking and said to Jiang Hong, "It’s fixed now."
"Thank you so much," Jiang Hong said hastily. "How much do I owe you?"
"That'll be thirty-five yuan," Yi Feng replied, pulling out a QR code from his bag. Jiang Hong was thrilled; although it was just a simple repair of a Tmall Genie, it meant a lot to him, and no amount seemed too much.
Yi Feng added, "Your AI asked me about upgrading with a drone, wondering if I could sell one."
Jiang Hong, taken aback, exclaimed, "Lao Sun, you..."
The combination of a cleaning robot, a drone, and a Tmall Genie was bizarre.
"A regular drone can't handle the weight of external equipment," Yi Feng explained as he packed up his tools. "You’d need a logistics-level one, capable of carrying small parcels, but it's quite expensive. Your AI can't decide on its own."
Jiang Hong inquired, "How much would that cost?"
Lao Sun chimed in, "Buy it for me?"
Jiang Hong retorted, "You just want to go around causing trouble, don't you?"
Lao Sun promised, "I won't cause any trouble."
Yi Feng said, "Eight thousand five hundred. I can get you a discount from my supplier; it should be around eight thousand."
Jiang Hong agreed, "Alright... Eight thousand five isn't too expensive."
Lao Sun, overjoyed, zoomed off in the cleaning robot, circling around. Jiang Hong thought to himself: It's really enough. Instead of seriously cultivating to transform into a human form, he's just adding more gadgets to himself. I hope he doesn't end up needing missile launchers...
Jiang Hong could almost envision Lao Sun causing havoc in a Gundam-like machine in the near future.
The pandas outside made way, and Jiang Hong peeked out to see Lu Xiu arriving.
Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow at Jiang Hong, signaling an inquiry about the progress.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, dinner is served," another panda approached to announce.
Seeing Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong felt a pleasant surprise and asked, "Don't you have... affairs to deal with?"
Lu Xiu replied, "I've handled everything already, came to find you."
Yi Feng packed up his things and pulled out two sealed bread packs from his bag, the kind that cost one yuan at the supermarket, saying, "Don't worry about me, I brought my own food."
Lu Xiu glanced at Yi Feng and offered, "Let's eat together, it's no trouble."
Yi Feng didn't insist and joined them in the bedroom for dinner.
"I saw Lao Sun," Lu Xiu mentioned, "Is it fixed?"
"Yes." Jiang Hong was eating a grilled pork belly lettuce wrap while the pandas grilled meat, shrimp, shellfish, lobster, and fish outside on the terrace, bringing them in as they were ready.
Yi Feng exclaimed, "This is delicious, thank you for your hospitality."
"Eat more," urged Jiang Hong, "Thank you for helping us with the repairs."
Yi Feng remarked, "It's good to be wealthy."
Jiang Hong laughed, glancing at Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu seemed curious about Jiang Hong's sudden appearance today but refrained from asking in front of Yi Feng.
"Lao Sun wants a drone," Jiang Hong mentioned.
"Oh," Lu Xiu responded, "Buy it, how much?"
Jiang Hong answered, "A little over eight thousand."
Lao Sun, returning excitedly, asked Yi Feng, "How soon can I get the drone?"
Yi Feng replied, "I'll ask them to ship it out tonight. If it's express, it should arrive within twenty-four hours. I can help you set it up."
Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu for approval, and Lu Xiu indicated it was fine, agreeing to let Yi Feng stay another day.
"Can you decrypt chat message packets?" Lu Xiu inquired.
"That's quite difficult," Yi Feng said. "What's the matter, boss? Did someone intercept your chat messages?"
Lu Xiu remained silent, and Yi Feng continued, "However, I can set up double encryption for you on the wifi."
"Do it," decided Lu Xiu, opting to purchase this service from Yi Feng. Despite the mystical abilities of the demon tribe, they still relied on humans when it came to internet technology.
After dinner, Jiang Hong took Yi Feng to his room and also reminded the students living in the upper district that there was a human staying with them, so as not to frighten him.
Lu Xiu remained in the bedroom.
"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Jiang Hong asked.
"This is my bedroom," Lu Xiu replied. "Where else should I go? Are you trying to send me away?"
Jiang Hong was speechless.
"So you're sleeping here tonight?" inquired Jiang Hong.
"Of course," responded Lu Xiu.
Jiang Hong wondered to himself, "Really? Sleeping together in one bed tonight? Just like old times?" He couldn't help but glance at the large bed, and Lu Xiu commented, "Isn't that what you said about being like before?"
Jiang Hong chuckled and lay down, resting his head on Lu Xiu's thigh.
"What were you doing today?" Lu Xiu asked.
Jiang Hong, now free to talk, recounted the afternoon's events to Lu Xiu, who requested, "Let me see the notebook. What kind of seal was it?"
Handing over the notebook, Jiang Hong asked, "Do you recognize it?"
Lu Xiu replied, "It's normal for Lian Jiang not to know. I don't recognize any of them either; they're all very ancient seals."
"I'm thinking of checking it out tonight," said Jiang Hong.
"We need to find a map of the holy land first," Lu Xiu suggested. "Lao Sun."
As Lao Sun returned, Lu Xiu inquired, "Does your vacuum cleaner have a map of the holy land stored in it?"
"Right!" Jiang Hong, as if waking from a dream, remembered that Lao Sun, on his last visit, wandered around the sanctuary, probably inputting many maps into the cleaning robot.
"Only 47%," Lao Sun said, "I hardly ever go to the lower levels."
"That's enough." Lu Xiu said, "Export it so I can see."
Lao Sun sent the map of the sanctuary to Lu Xiu's phone. The sanctuary, built along the mountain, had layers staggered with intermediate and transition levels, making the terrain extremely complex. Lu Xiu glanced at it, then compared it with another map.
"Indeed, they're different," Lu Xiu said. "This is the map Feng Li sent me."
The map used by the demon kings only showed main passages, and many areas weren't even marked for their purpose. Of course, given the number of people in the upper-level palace, most rooms were empty and unnecessary to open.
Lao Sun often sneaked in behind moving people, many high-ranking demons thought it was just a regular cleaning robot and paid little attention. The only time it was discovered was in the sanctuary, by Lu Chaoyang.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said. "I'll go turn off all the surveillance in the sanctuary first."
"Will there be a problem?" Jiang Hong was still worried. "What if the rebellious guy finds out?"
Lu Xiu: "Then he should be the first to arrive at the scene to make sure his seal hasn't been broken, right?"
Jiang Hong thought it might be a good opportunity to lure someone out.
"Feng Li, I've found a technician to upgrade the network," Lu Xiu said in a voice message, "The network in the sacred land is too cluttered and needs a technical upgrade. The wireless will be unstable during this period."
"Okay," Feng Li responded without any further questions, very professional, "I understand."
"Mark the location," Lu Xiu instructed, "I can't go through walls, so I'll rely on your memory."
So, Jiang Hong, accompanied by Lu Xiu, began to swipe access cards, looking for the way, relying on the memory from the afternoon to find the seal.
"Don't get too far from me." Lu Xiu held Jiang Hong's hand, and Jiang Hong turned back, saying, "I'm not afraid here."
"I am," Lu Xiu said, "There are many traps in the sacred land, and I'm afraid you'll trigger one. No matter who we encounter, put on your pot immediately."
Once again, Jiang Hong's heart raced as he held hands with Lu Xiu, one hand holding the Book of Everything, the other holding Lu Xiu's hand, storing the pot in his dragon blood mark space.
They walked through a dark corridor with no lights, only the light from their phones illuminating their faces in the darkness. In the dark, Lu Xiu intertwined their fingers.
"Did you bring that sword?" Jiang Hong asked.
"I have it," Lu Xiu replied casually, "but I've never had to use it."
Jiang Hong asked, "If we come across any demon king rebelling, would you use it?"
"To slay them," Lu Xiu responded, "I won’t even need to unsheathe it."
Jiang Hong laughed, Lu Xiu was always so confident, even using the word "invite" specifically.
"Have you named it?" Jiang Hong asked again.
"No," Lu Xiu said, "I haven't thought of a good one yet. Do you have any suggestions?"
Jiang Hong replied, "No, you name it."
Naming an object creates a special connection with it.
"Why is your name 'Xiu'?" Jiang Hong asked again. "Is it because you wish to cultivate into a human?"
Jiang Hong knew that the surname 'Lu' was given by himself, as "Kuru" means "dragon" in Tibetan.
"Didn't you name me that?" Lu Xiu said, "At that time, you kept shouting 'Kuru, xiu—!' That was the first human speech I heard."
"Uh," Jiang Hong said, "Why was I shouting that?"
Lu Xiu: "I don't know either, I'm not a fool."
Jiang Hong: "We're here..."
Leading Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong arrived at the first seal. Lu Xiu first looked up at the surveillance to ensure no lights were on, then pressed his hand against the seal.
Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything at the seal, where spiritual energy was flowing. The sacred energy from all around the sanctuary was being channeled into this seal.
"Has the Book of Everything indicated anyone coming?" Lu Xiu asked.
Jiang Hong replied, "No."
The surroundings were very quiet and felt safe, with no sensation of any external enemy approaching.
Lu Xiu: "I'll try to unlock it, it will take at least ten minutes."
Jiang Hong, not daring to breathe heavily, watched Lu Xiu's movements. Lu Xiu used three fingers to make a virtual grip in the air, like turning a safe's dial, and a small orb of light appeared between his fingers. The orb emitted thousands of strands of spiritual energy, seeping into the seal. The energy continuously flowed towards the seal, while the seal itself was resisting Lu Xiu's power.
Lu Xiu was trying to find the right way to unlock the seal through this continuous probing. Once the flow of spiritual energy aligns with the correct circuit of the sealing array, it could be opened.
Lu Xiu's power emitted a blue light, while the seal radiated a faint yellow glow, steadily eroded by Lu Xiu's energy, visibly progressing.
"Has Lao Sun not cultivated into human form yet?" Lu Xiu casually asked in the quiet.
"Uh, no," Jiang Hong initially feared distracting Lu Xiu, but seeing that he could break the seal while chatting, relaxed and answered, "It's still the same, only able to form a vague human shape."
"Perhaps it needs a catalyst," Lu Xiu responded.
Jiang Hong smiled, Lu Xiu looked puzzled and glanced at Jiang Hong.
"What is it?"
"You seem quite concerned about Lao Sun," Jiang Hong said, "You care about it a lot."
Lu Xiu: "Because if it successfully cultivates, it might be able to protect you."
Jiang Hong: "Forget it, in my heart, it will always be a cleaning robot... Besides, if there's any danger, I can summon you."
Lu Xiu: "There will be times when I can't come."
At this moment, Jiang Hong seemed to sense something faintly, but as Lu Xiu's spiritual energy fully infiltrated the seal, the array flashed with a "buzz" and then completely vanished.
Subsequently, the door slowly opened inward, revealing a staircase leading downward.
"Let's go." Lu Xiu snapped his fingers, creating a blue illuminating orb at his fingertip, still holding Jiang Hong's hand, they descended the stairs.
The area with the seal was already on the mountain wall, the staircase seemingly leading into the interior of the Wushan mountain range. Had they gone inside the mountain?
As Jiang Hong walked, he compared the area with the map organized by Lao Sun, and indeed, this area wasn't on it.
"Huh?"
"Be careful," Lu Xiu said.
At the bottom of the stairs, Jiang Hong stepped into water, followed by Lu Xiu turning off the illuminating light. They were in a massive cave, the size of a football field, with a wide ceiling, but the ground was covered in a shallow layer of water.
On the walls of the cave, there were faint blue lights, like some kind of luminescent fungi underground, clinging to the mountain.
"What is this?" Jiang Hong waded through the water behind Lu Xiu, looking around curiously.
In the center of the huge cave, there was a five-meter-tall skeleton, resembling a prehistoric beast, quietly resting on the water's surface, which was less than five centimeters deep.
"I see," Lu Xiu said, "It's probably unrelated to us. This is a burial site, let's go."
"Is that a whale?" Jiang Hong asked, "Or a dinosaur?"
The skeleton was incredibly imposing, and if it were still alive, it must have been a magnificent sight. Lu Xiu just led him away from the stairs and closed the door.
"The corpse of a Kun," Lu Xiu said. "When I succeeded as the demon king, I read their ancestral scrolls. This was a long time ago, a rebellious demon king who was eventually vanquished."
"Oh..." said Jiang Hong, "So it's dead? I feel like it's just sleeping."
"Maybe?" Lu Xiu said, "Get on my back."
Jiang Hong leapt up, riding on Lu Xiu's back, who naturally bent over and transformed into a sleek black dragon. They floated along the wide corridor in the air, gliding towards the dark unknown and the next seal.
"Don't you know everything that's in the sanctuary?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Xiang Cheng couldn't possibly have told me every little detail," the black dragon said, "They left in too much of a hurry."
Jiang Hong said, "But that's true, places like the Exorcism Committee are full of mysterious things."
The black dragon said, "The Exorcism Committee has been established for a long time, passed down for thousands of years, and naturally harbors many secrets unknown to the public. The sanctuary has only been rebuilt for ten years."
Jiang Hong: "Here we are, this is the place, another spot we can't pass through."
Lu Xiu then transformed back into human form, surveyed the surroundings, and said, "There shouldn't be any surveillance here."
Lu Xiu turned on the light, and they found themselves in a storage room, blocked by a wooden staircase in front of them. It was the same warehouse Jiang Hong had visited in the afternoon, filled with various festival supplies and an attic above.
"I don't think there's anything unusual upstairs..." Jiang Hong said, "What do you think? People come and go here often to fetch things. If there was a seal, the pandas would definitely notice it."
"Just to be safe, let's check it out," Lu Xiu said.
As soon as Lu Xiu approached the seal, it flickered with a dim white light.
"So most seals can be unlocked?" Jiang Hong said. "It seems like these seals are no match for you."
"Not necessarily," Lu Xiu said. "The premise is that your spiritual level is higher than the other party's, and secondly, control over power must be very precise... Do you want to try?"
"Can I?" Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu positioned Jiang Hong in front of him, embracing him from behind, guiding his right hand, and said, "Samadhi True Fire is one of the highest spiritual powers, but you must focus all your attention..."
Jiang Hong had learned how to unlock some simple seals at school, as some were just to prevent ordinary people from accidentally stumbling upon them, like simple ghost walls in the wild, which held little significance for exorcists.
"Everyone says so, why is Samadhi True Fire so powerful?"
"Samadhi True Fire is the primordial fire. Primordial fire, apocalyptic ice, Senluo wood, Wanxiang earth, Lei Huang metal," Lu Xiu continued, "are the five types of pure spiritual matter in the universe. Above them are light and extinction, making a total of seven categories."
"But how did Principal Cao come to possess such powerful Samadhi True Fire?" Jiang Hong asked, puzzled. "Uh, am I asking too much?"
Lu Xiu: "……"
Jiang Hong cheerfully said, "Shall I give it a try?"
Lu Xiu placed his hand on the back of Jiang Hong's hand, speaking softly, "Release your perception, like tentacles, to understand the flow of spiritual energy."
Jiang Hong closed his eyes, concentrating as he followed Lu Xiu's guidance. Lu Xiu, holding Jiang Hong, turned his head to study Jiang Hong's closed eyes, observing his jawline, eyelashes, nose, and lips.
"And then?" Jiang Hong asked with a smile, eyes still closed, motionless.
"Inject your spiritual energy little by little into the array," Lu Xiu said. "The most important thing is to maintain balance... too much energy in one spot can cause an explosion... constantly adjust, making appropriate tilts..."
Jiang Hong: "……"
Jiang Hong opened his eyes, meeting Lu Xiu's gaze.
Lu Xiu: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Hong: "This is just like..."
Lu Xiu: "Like what?"
Jiang Hong: "I feel like I'm holding a forty-inch cake, standing on one foot on a lightning rod, with a typhoon swirling around me! How do you do it, ahh?! And still manage to chat?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't get agitated."
Maintaining balanced dispersal of spiritual energy in the seal was extremely difficult, like balancing a huge iron ball on a chopstick while running and keeping it balanced for ten minutes... If Lu Xiu weren't an exorcist, he definitely could have been a surgeon.
"The level of perception of the world is different," Lu Xiu said.
Lu Xiu shifted his gaze away from Jiang Hong, and now it was Jiang Hong who admired Lu Xiu's focused expression. He was so handsome! Jiang Hong really wanted to kiss him.
But if he did that, embarrassment would be the least of his concerns; the seal would definitely explode...
As the Samadhi True Fire permeated the entire seal, the seal exhibited an effect completely different from being infiltrated by the ice of the apocalypse. It burned away, disintegrating into countless particles and vanishing.
"It’s open," Lu Xiu said, "Let's go up and check."
Jiang Hong decided he would never again attempt to break any kind of seal.
Up in the attic, Lu Xiu turned on the light, revealing a space that was spotlessly clean. In the center was a carpet with various items piled on it, covered with a cloth.
"What's this?" Jiang Hong asked curiously.
Lu Xiu lifted the cloth, revealing a table underneath. On the table was a deck of playing cards, a wine bottle filled with red wine, and a speaker-like horn beside it.
There was also a card on the table with neat handwriting.
"This isn't what we're looking for," Lu Xiu commented, glancing over.
"Huh?" Jiang Hong exclaimed, "You're amazing! You actually found this place... Who wrote this card?"
[You're amazing! To find this place! Searching for clues everywhere in the holy land must have been dizzying, right? It must have taken a lot of effort to break the final seal? Actually, the hint was already given to you - it's love. As long as you love each other, one day you'll be able to overcome all obstacles together...]
Jiang Hong: "I guess it's mostly some sort of treasure hunt game, maybe left over from a festival? Chances are no one won it."
[...The prize is on the table, it’s this megaphone, called 'The Truth Discerner'. But I guess since you've made it here, you might not need this anymore? Shout towards the person you like with this megaphone, and they will surely speak their truth...]
Jiang Hong hadn't finished reading the signature when Lu Xiu took the card away and put it back, covering it with the cloth again.
Jiang Hong didn't say anything, just glanced at Lu Xiu.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said with a slightly unnatural expression, "to the next seal. We're short on time, it's already midnight."
Jiang Hong: "Hmm."
Neither of them spoke. Jiang Hong thought, what would happen if he shouted at Lu Xiu with the megaphone? But he never lied to himself; doing so would be meaningless.
Lu Xiu: “?”
Jiang Hong: "Oh! This way! Yes, right..."
After Lu Xiu came out of that room, his mood seemed to worsen. He didn't turn into a dragon again, nor did he hold hands with Jiang Hong. They just walked, one after the other, slowly.
"I just remembered something," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu: "What?"
The rain had stopped, and they walked through the suspended corridor of the sacred site, where the moonlight emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating Mount Wu.
Jiang Hong: "I remember, back in May, it was Confession Day."
Lu Xiu: "Hmm?"
Jiang Hong: "On the school's message board, someone left a confession for me."
Lu Xiu: "Who?"
Jiang Hong watched Lu Xiu from behind, unable to see his face. He was just walking ahead calmly, as always.
"I don't know," Jiang Hong laughed a little and said, "It's actually quite embarrassing. I started to think that..."
"It wasn't me," Lu Xiu replied, still not turning back, not even to glance at Jiang Hong.
"Yeah," Jiang Hong said, "I wonder who it could be? Strange."
Lu Xiu said: "Maybe someone is secretly in love with you?"
Jiang Hong: "That's really... But falling for someone is something you can't help, right? Well, that's how it is."
Lu Xiu: "Do you want to find out who it is?"
Jiang Hong: "I'm actually quite curious."
Lu Xiu: "If that person confessed to you, would you accept?"
Jiang Hong: "Of course not! It would be too awkward, especially if we don't even know each other."
Lu Xiu: "Maybe they like you. But what reason could they have for not confessing to you?"
Jiang Hong: "Hmm... but..."
Jiang Hong thought to himself: Would I accept a confession from anyone other than you? But who could it be? For a moment, he really thought it was Lu Xiu.
"Here we are, this is the place," Jiang Hong led Lu Xiu to another seal location, a bridge with a fence in front, sealed with a spell.
"Beyond here is forbidden territory," said Lu Xiu. "The seal blocks all living beings. Old Sun made it past because he's a magical artifact. We don’t need to worry about this seal; there’s only a statue inside, nothing important."
"Oh, okay," said Jiang Hong. "Then, only the last one is left. Let’s go."
Jiang Hong then checked the map and headed back towards the deeper part of the palace, still pondering who the confessor could be. He was quite sure that no one at school had ever shown him more than friendly affection, and even if there was, Lu Xiu would have noticed it before him, right?
The final seal was a mural relief in a spacious hall.
Lu Xiu turned on the lights, and the whole hall lit up.
This time, he didn’t rush to break the seal, just stood quietly in front of the mural.
"What does this mean?" asked Jiang Hong.
The mural depicted the Goddess of Mount Wu, entwined with a giant serpent, a scene from an ancient myth. Below Mount Wu were countless demons in worship.
"The goddess Yao Ji is the bearer of the Heavenly Demon," Lu Xiu explained. "Every thousand years, the demon seed is transferred into the body of the Ba Snake, then to Yao Ji. Yao Ji gives birth to the Heavenly Demon, and the demon tribes revere it as their supreme leader."
"So, the demons see the Heavenly Demon as their true king?" Jiang Hong inquired.
Lu Xiu replied, "That was indeed the case in the past. Demons led by demons. But the cycle was broken ten years ago. Xiang Cheng, who has the demon soul of the Ba Snake and later transformed into a dragon, became the new demon king."
"And what about Yao Ji?" Jiang Hong asked further.
"She was killed by demon hunters long ago," Lu Xiu said. "She was also Principal Xiang's mother. She gave birth to Xiang Cheng, who was supposed to inherit the demon seed and become the Heavenly Demon as planned. However, the Yao Ji of this generation fell in love with a mortal, Xiang Cheng's father, and ultimately abandoned her mission."
"Why does the Heavenly Demon have to be reborn?" asked Jiang Hong. "Has it existed since the creation of the world?"
"I don't know," Lu Xiu answered. "Maybe not? I suspect that what we're looking for is behind this shadow wall. Let me handle it."
Jiang Hong then stood behind Lu Xiu as he began to break the seal.
Lu Xiu was highly concentrated, his brows slightly furrowed. Jiang Hong asked, "Is this seal very complex?"
"Yes," Lu Xiu replied, "more complex than the previous three and, I suspect, recently placed, not an ancient seal."
Jiang Hong held his breath, not wanting to disturb Lu Xiu. The seal was particularly massive, extending across the entire mural relief like cracked lines. Lu Xiu's spiritual power was slowly spreading over the mural, and there seemed to be mechanisms under the bricks.
When the seal was completely lifted, suddenly, a strange sound echoed from afar, like the clear chime of a bell.
Simultaneously, the mural disintegrated into countless steps, tightly arranged, extending into the profound distance.
"What's that sound?" Jiang Hong quickly turned.
"An alarm," Lu Xiu responded.
Lu Xiu turned outward, and Jiang Hong immediately took out the Book of Everything. The alarm also appeared there.
[Time until Lu Chaoyang’s arrival: 00:00:09.]
"Nine seconds!" Jiang Hong exclaimed immediately.
Lu Xiu: "Who?"
Jiang Hong: "Lu Chaoyang!"
It was clearly too late to enter the sealed space and come out again. As they wasted a few more seconds with each question and answer, Jiang Hong made a quick decision: "I'll go in, you hold him off outside!"
"No way!"
"Whatever is inside, they won't find me. I'm safe. As soon as he leaves, I can summon you," Jiang Hong said quickly.
Lu Xiu had to make a quick decision, with only three seconds left on the countdown: three, two, one.
Jiang Hong pushed Lu Xiu away, not allowing them time to consider the best option. Jiang Hong darted into the seal, while Lu Xiu quickly drew back and drew a rune in the air, restoring the mural relief to its original state.
Lu Xiu disappeared in front of the mural, and in an instant, Jiang Hong vanished behind it.
Footsteps approached; Lu Chaoyang had arrived.
Behind the mural.
A long staircase made of white marble led to the misty depths of a secret realm.
Faint daylight was omnipresent, yet it was impossible to distinguish between day and night. The distance was obscured by mist, concealing the end of the path. Looking down revealed an endless abyss, not engulfed in darkness but displaying a gentle milky white, as if the sky was reflected underfoot.
This was a fissure, and Jiang Hong had encountered many such fissures before—the countless doors within the Yuyu Golden Cup, the Buddhist palace at the base of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the inner space of the Exorcism Committee…
Although this place was within the sanctuary, it was also independent of it. The sanctuary itself was a concealed fissure, making this a "fissure within a fissure."
Jiang Hong took out an aluminum pot from his personal space, put it on his head, and fastened the strap, using it as a safety helmet. Since falling into the cafeteria at the Exorcism Committee last time, Jiang Hong had added a strap to it.
"Is anyone there?" Jiang Hong looked around, murmuring, but he didn't expect any presence to respond.
The staircase led to a platform in the midst of the clouds, which gradually dispersed to reveal a vague figure. Jiang Hong tensed up, but for some reason, the atmosphere here felt very gentle, not frightening at all.
He observed the figure from a distance, not daring to approach rashly, even though the other might not notice him.
