Chapter 334: Seal

Inside the deep, downward stair passage, glowstones emitted a soft yet cold light, illuminating the steps covered in years of dust and the rough rock walls on both sides.

The air was heavy, carrying a strange mixture of earth and aged spiritual plants.

Jiu Er clung tightly to Wang Ping's collar, looking around curiously, occasionally pointing to faint, barely recognizable ancient herbal carvings on the rock wall, speaking in a childish voice about her vague memories:

"This... looks like the 'Seven Stars Accompanying Moon Grass,' Grandpa said it's hard to grow... that twisted one is probably the 'Earth Dragon Root,' right?"

Wang Ping proceeded carefully while, through mental linkage, combining Jiu Er's fragmented memories with his own chaos perception, he tried to sketch a rough layout of the Void-Suppressing Immortal Palace in his mind.

According to Jiu Er's account and the information currently at hand: the 'gate' through which they entered the Immortal Palace should connect to a vast, chaotic area similar to a 'front hall' or 'teleportation hub.'

Wang Ping guessed it should be the Spacetime Maze Corridor, linking the various functional zones on the palace's periphery, such as the Scripture Pavilion, Sword Tomb, and Phantom Sound Hall—places for trials or storing inheritances.

Meanwhile, the secret passage through the Pill Hall seemed to lead to a more 'inner' region of the Immortal Palace, belonging to the private or core activity domain of the Chaos Immortal King.

Including the destroyed 'Hundred Herbs Garden,' the sealed 'Chaos Palace,' and finally the 'Void-Suppressing Platform' that leads deepest down, suppressing the 'Great Terror.'

"The Immortal Palace's structure is complex, layered and progressive; the deeper one goes, the more central and dangerous it becomes."

"The seal core spoken of by the survivors is undoubtedly the Void-Suppressing Platform, and any inheritance or important items left by the Chaos Immortal King are likely hidden in the Chaos Palace."

"The Hundred Herbs Garden... perhaps we can still find some remnant spiritual plants, or clues about what happened back then."

Wang Ping pondered, his goal gradually becoming clear—first go to the Hundred Herbs Garden to scout, then attempt to approach the Chaos Palace without triggering dangerous seals, and finally decide whether to proceed to the Void-Suppressing Platform based on the situation.

But regardless, we must first rendezvous with our other companions—strength in numbers, and Cangxuan, Yuliuli, and Youying may also hold other crucial information.

The stairs seemed endless, stretching downward for several thousand steps. The lower we went, the more pronounced the mixed herbal aroma in the air became, mixed with a hint… a faint whiff of decay and blood?

Wang Ping's heart tightened; he slowed his steps, and the Chaos Domain silently enveloped him.

Jiu Er seemed to sense something as well, ceasing her chatter and lying still on Wang Ping's shoulder, her small hands gripping his hair tightly.

Finally, ahead appeared a faint green glow unlike that of the glowstones. The stairs ended, opening onto an arched doorway half-covered by vines.

Wang Ping pushed aside the hanging vines and stepped out of the doorway.

Before him lay an indescribable… shattered garden.

This place seemed to have once been a vast indoor garden covered by a dome.

The dome had largely collapsed, revealing the broken layers of the Immortal Palace's architecture above and the dim void, with occasional chaotic streams of energy light flashing across.

The soft artificial heavenly light system that simulated the sun, moon, and stars had long failed; only a few patches of luminous moss embedded in the remaining dome or rock walls, and a handful of stubbornly surviving luminous plants, provided a faint light source.

As far as the eye could see, the once neatly arranged medicinal fields and spiritual paddies were now unrecognizable.

The earth had split, forming bottomless gullies in which murky wastewater emitting a strange odor flowed slowly.

Countless rare spiritual herbs and grasses were either uprooted, withered and rotted; or torn apart by some violent force, turning into patches of scorched black; or mutated into ferocious, twisted monster plants exuding an ominous aura, brandishing their claws.

Some artificial hills, spiritual springs, and pavilions originally meant as scenery now lay as broken walls and ruins.

The air reeked of rotting vegetation, a faint trace of blood, and a more subtle yet unsettling sense of 'contamination,' as if emanating from deep within the earth.

Is this the 'Hundred Herbs Garden'? Once the immortal's medicinal garden, it has now become a wasteland filled with death and distortion.

"Wuu… Hundred Herbs Garden… how did it become like this…" Jiu Er looked at the scene before her, her little mouth pouting, tears glimmering in her eyes.

"It used to be beautiful here, with singing flowers, glowing trees, and sweet spiritual springs… Grandpa often took me for walks here to learn herbs…"

Wang Ping gently patted Jiu Er's back to comfort her, though his heart grew heavier.

The grim state of the Hundred Herbs Garden vividly showed how terrifying the disaster that shattered the Immortal Palace had been—even the Chaos Immortal King's private herb garden was not spared.

Moreover, the lingering 'contamination' aura here gave him a faint sense of familiar unease, as if he had felt something similar in the Forbidden Abyss, but there it was a purer, more terrifying sense of 'destruction' or 'return to the void.'

He carefully walked among the broken grounds, avoiding the obviously abnormal twisted monster plants and filthy water channels, his Chaos Nascent Soul operating at full strength, sensing the surrounding energy flow and any potentially valuable remnants.

Most spiritual plants had indeed been completely destroyed, but he found a few clinging to life in relatively intact corners, still emitting a faint pure spiritual glow.

According to the Immortal World Spirit Medicine Compendium and Jiu Er's identification, there was the 'Pure Heart Three-Leaf Orchid' capable of refining high-grade soul-nourishing pills, the 'Seven-Colored Poison-Avoiding Mushroom' that can cure all poisons, and a sapling of the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Green Spirit Vine' with only three leaves left, yet containing pure yin-wood vitality.

Wang Ping carefully transplanted these remaining treasures with their soil, storing them in specially made jade boxes with spiritual soil. Though the harvest was meager, it was better than nothing.

Just as he finished gathering the last Pure Heart Three-Leaf Orchid and was about to seek a route out of the Hundred Herbs Garden toward the Chaos Palace, a sudden, extremely faint yet sharp sword-intent energy ripple came from beyond a collapsed artificial hill ruin, accompanied by a lingering yet urgent-sounding immortal melody!

"Someone! And… could it be Cangxuan and Yuliuli?" Wang Ping's spirits lifted; that sword intent was unmistakably Cangxuan's Stellar Law Sword, and the immortal sound was Yuliuli's signature technique!

They seemed to be nearby as well, and might have run into trouble!

Deep within the Hundred Herbs Garden, behind the ruins of that collapsed hall, there indeed lay an extremely concealed crack, hidden by layers of twisted vines and spatial folds.

Had Jiu Er not indicated the approximate direction, and had Wang Ping and the two not forcibly disturbed the area with their Chaos Spiritual Power and Law Sword Intent, even ordinary cultivators passing through here a thousand times would hardly notice it.

The crack was narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways; inside lay an uneven, wet, icy stone passage, the walls bearing faded ancient runes that barely traced the path's direction.

The air was thick with a stronger mixture of iron rust, decay, and an indescribable 'malice,' weighing on the mind.

Jiu Er lay on Wang Ping's shoulder, her tiny body trembling slightly, clearly filled with instinctive fear of this untraveled path.

Wang Ping used his Chaos Domain to clear the way ahead, purifying and dispelling the uncomfortable atmosphere as much as possible, while soothing Jiu Er.

Cangxuan and Yuliuli followed closely behind, each maintaining high vigilance. Cangxuan's sword intent remained restrained but ready, his Stellar Guide Disk hovering at his side, illuminating a radius of about a zhang ahead.

Yuliuli's Immortal Sound Bell hummed low, forming a thin wave of sound shield that guarded against possible mental erosion from the surroundings.

The passage was long and winding, seeming to lead deep into the earth. Along the way, they encountered several attacks, all born of this place's eerie environment.

Shadow monsters coalesced from foul energy, worm-like beasts with fangs suddenly bursting from stone cracks, and even some shattered remnants of the Immortal Palace's guards, awakened by the place's malice, reduced to bone and broken armor, driven by the foul energy.

These monsters' strength mostly lay in the early to mid Nascent Soul stage; though the three of them dispatched them quickly when working together, they undoubtedly slowed the group's pace and increased spiritual power consumption.

"This 'shortcut' is indeed fraught with danger." Cangxuan swung his sword, cutting down the last guard remnant, his brow furrowed, "Hopefully we're not too late."

"If Youying could send a message, it means he's temporarily safe or has successfully hidden. We must trust him." Yuliuli's voice was firm, but worry showed in her eyes.

Wang Ping said nothing more, merely pushing his speed to the limit. The Shadow Jade in his bosom continuously transmitted a faint, directional warmth—the resonance of Youying's last sent location coordinates.

Who knows how long they had traversed the dark, oppressive passage, when ahead finally appeared a faint crimson glow, accompanied by a faintly transmitted, heart-pounding energy fluctuation and the eerie chanting of an incantation!

The passage's exit was abruptly carved into the side wall near the top of a massive stone cavern. The three concealed their breath, silently crept to the edge of the opening, and looked downward.

The sight below made the three's pupils contract sharply, their hearts heavy.

It was an enormous, inverted-bowl-shaped underground cavern, its vaulted ceiling suspended hundreds of zhang above the floor.

At the cavern's center stood a majestic palace constructed entirely of a strange, dark-red stone that seemed soaked in blood, its scale rivaling that of the external Pill Hall, though its style was far more ferocious and evil.

The hall's plaque was already ruined, but the two twisted seal characters "Reverse Yuan" remained clearly legible—Reverse Yuan Hall!

The entire Reverse Yuan Hall was shrouded in a thick, churning dark-red evil light that could not be dispelled; within the light, countless tormented spirits flickered and wailed, exuding overwhelming resentment and a bloody stench.

The evil light was not static; centered on the hall, it formed rings of inward-spinning vortices, frantically devouring the pure netherworld death qi emanating from all sides of the hall and even from cracks in the ceiling rock walls, as well as a pale gray energy imbued with ancient immortal resonance yet mixed with a corrupt, fallen aura—this seemed to be some primordial power supplied by the fallen remnants!

And before the Reverse Yuan Hall, on the vast, empty expanse of dark-red stone ground, a massive, shocking evil ritual was underway!

He hesitated no longer; with a flick of his form he shot toward the direction the disturbance came from. Jiuer also nervously clung to him.

Bypassing the ruined fake mountain, before them lay a relatively open clearing whose floor was covered in sword marks and tremors from sound waves. In the center of the clearing, Cangxuan and Yuliuli stood back to back, their expressions solemn.

Cangxuan held the Star-guiding Disk, starlight twining around him; strands of sword qi imbued with law power swirled around his body. His robes were torn in several places, stained with black-green grime, his breath slightly unsteady, but his eyes remained sharp as ever. Yuliuli wore the Immortal Sound Bell on her head; seven-colored sound waves like a water curtain enveloped the two, light halo flowing on her gauze robe, her face slightly pale, evidently greatly expended.

And their opponents were not cultivators or demonic beasts, but three enormous, grotesque "Demonic Plants"!

One of them resembled a man-eating flower magnified a thousandfold, its entire body pitch-black as ink; its huge corolla constantly opened and closed, spewing a foul-smelling purple mist that was highly corrosive and hallucinogenic, while from its pistil protruded dozens of thorn-covered vines, swift as lightning, lashing and entangling wildly.

The second resembled a bark-stripped ancient tree, its trunk twisted, presenting an ominous dark-red hue; dozens of eyes filled with resentment and madness opened on its trunk, its branches transformed into countless sharp bone spurs that continuously shot forth, each spur carrying a strange power capable of piercing spiritual shields.

The third was strangest of all, having no fixed form, like a writhing, proliferating dark-green tumor, its surface covered with pustules and mouths that constantly opened and closed, emitting an irritating hissing sound.

Wherever it passed, the ground was eroded into sticky mire, from which crawled numerous small monsters formed of decayed plants and sludge, rushing forward in wave after wave toward Cangxuan and Yuliuli.

These three demonic plants each exuded the aura of late Nascent Soul stage; their attacks were bizarre and vicious, perfectly coordinated, firmly trapping Cangxuan and Yuliuli in the middle.

Moreover, they emitted an aura that shared the same source as the "pollution" of the Garden of Hundred Herbs, but far more intense and violent!

"Fellow Daoist Cangxuan! Fairy Yuliuli!" Wang Ping shouted sharply, his body like lightning, instantly cutting into the battlefield!

Before he even arrived, a hazy Five Elements Chaos Domain had already expanded, enveloping Cangxuan, Yuliuli, and part of the demonic plants' attacks!

Within the domain, chaotic currents flowed; the corrosive mist was rapidly diluted and dispersed, the speed and force of the bone spurs and vines were weakened, and even the mental-polluting hiss of the tumor demonic plant became indistinct.

"Fellow Daoist Wang Ping!" Upon seeing Wang Ping, Cangxuan and Yuliuli's eyes simultaneously flashed with delight; the pressure instantly eased.

"First deal with these wicked obstacles!" Wang Ping said without wasted words, both hands thrust out! His left hand turned Solar True Fire into a fire ring, incinerating the poisonous mist and vines.

His right hand condensed Yin Wood Divine Thunder into a thunder spear, blasting toward the core of the bone-spur demonic tree! At the same time, the "Conclusion" intent of the mutated Chaos Domain focused on that ever-proliferating tumor.

With Wang Ping's powerful aid, Cangxuan and Yuliuli's spirits rose greatly. Cangxuan let out a long cry, fully unleashing his Law Sword "Splitting Light Shadow"; countless fine sword qi poured down like an inverted galaxy, precisely cutting the energy nodes and weak points of the three demonic plants.

Yuliuli shifted her Immortal Sound from defense to an impassioned battle hymn; sound waves condensed into countless sharp sound blades, cooperating with the sword qi to slaughter the small sludge monsters and interfere with the demonic plants' movements.

With the three joining forces, how could their power compare to when they were previously besieged? Especially Wang Ping's Five Elements Chaos Domain, which seemed to have an extremely strong restraining and purifying effect on these polluted demonic plants.

In just a moment, the man-eating flower demonic plant's vines were mostly burned away by Solar True Fire, and the poisonous mist was nullified by the Chaos Domain.

The bone-spur demonic tree was repeatedly struck at its core by Yin Wood Divine Thunder, the eyes on its trunk bursting one after another, emitting shrill wails.

As for the tumor demonic plant, under the Chaos Domain's continual erosion and Wang Ping's deliberate activation of a hint of "Return to the Void" intent, its proliferation rate sharply dropped, even beginning to wither!

Finally, Cangxuan seized the opportunity; a sword thread of "Breaking Illusion" condensed with all his sword intent silently pierced the core pistil of the man-eating flower demonic plant.

Yuliuli then activated the Immortal Sound Bell's strongest strike; a seven-colored sound-wave spear, condensed as if substance, fiercely pierced the center of the bone-spur demonic tree's trunk.

Wang Ping then fully drove the Chaos Domain, combining Solar True Fire and Yin Wood Divine Thunder, completely enveloping and refining the withered tumor demonic plant!

The three mighty late Nascent Soul demonic plants, under their combined effort, exploded apart, turning into three pools of foul-smelling black sludge and several twisted crystals imbued with polluted Dao resonance. Wang Ping carefully purified the sludge with Five Elements Divine Light and likewise sealed away those few polluted crystals.

The battle ended, and only then did the three have a chance to catch their breath and converse.

"Fellow Daoist Wang Ping, thank you for your aid!" Cangxuan put away his Star-guiding Disk, his face showing sincere gratitude, "Had you not arrived in time, I and Fairy Yuliuli would likely have endured much trouble, possibly even injury."

Yuliuli also gave a slight bow, her expression easing: "Fellow Daoist Wang Ping, your cultivation has advanced again; this domain divine ability grows ever more mysterious. Who is this?" She glanced curiously at the nine-year-old spirit peeking from Wang Ping's shoulder, its aura faintly glowing.

"This is the Elixir Spirit Child I chanced upon in the Pill Hall, named Jiuer, formed from the Nine-turn Rebirth Immortal Pill." Wang Ping gave a brief introduction, then said to Jiuer, "Jiuer, these two are my friends, Elder Brother Cangxuan and Elder Sister Yuliuli."

Jiuer was a little shy, but still obediently called out, "Hello, Elder Brother Cangxuan! Hello, Elder Sister Yuliuli!" His pure spiritual form and adorable appearance instantly won Yuliuli's affection.

"The Nine-turn Rebirth Immortal Pill condensed into a spirit?!" Upon hearing this, both Cangxuan and Yuliuli were shocked, their gazes toward Jiuer changing. This was the legendary supreme immortal pill!

"It's a long story; I'll explain later." Wang Ping waved his hand, his expression grave as he looked over the ruined Garden of Hundred Herbs all around, "How did you end up here? Did you also encounter the random teleportation of the Spacetime Maze?"

Cangxuan nodded: "I was teleported to a place called the Ancient Sword Stele Forest; there sword qi crisscrossed, yet it also retained extremely strong battle traces and… a kind of uncomfortable strange aura.

From it I gained some insights into sword truth, but I also discovered that the sword stele forest itself seemed to be a seal or suppression node, and… the seal showed signs of loosening, with wisps of black qi seeping from the base of the steles, similar to the 'pollution' I feel here.

Yuliuli then said: "I was teleported to a place called the Lingering Shadow Immortal Crystal Hall. Inside, some ancient image fragments recorded in immortal crystals are preserved.

I saw… saw an immortal king radiant with immortal light, who in battle was suddenly invaded by a pitch-black, writhing, twisted 'shadow' entering his body, and then… then he became frenzied and violent, began attacking his former companions, his immortal power also tinged with filth and destruction… the images are fragmented, but that despair and terror make one's heart pound.

As she spoke, her face turned pale again, evidently that image had left her with a deep psychological scar.

Wang Ping's heart shuddered violently. Cangxuan's discovery of the seal loosening, Yuliuli's vision of the immortal king corrupted by the "pollution," plus Jiuer's mention of the "great monster," and the pollution aura permeating the Garden of Hundred Herbs and even the entire immortal palace—all clues pointed to the same shocking truth!

He drew a deep breath and laid out his findings and conjectures: "I obtained some ancient texts in the Scripture Pavilion, and from Jiuer in the Pill Hall I learned some information.

Taken together, this Void-Suppressing Immortal Palace is certainly no mere relic treasure! It is highly likely that the primordial Chaos Immortal King, together with other immortal kings, built it as the final bulwark to seal and suppress a terrifying 'pollution source' that could shatter the immortal realm!

The ruin of the Garden of Hundred Herbs, the anomaly of the sword stele forest, and the images in the Lingering Shadow Immortal Crystal Hall all attest to how terrible that ancient catastrophe was. And the Void-Suppressing Platform at the deepest part of the immortal palace is where the seal's core lies!"

After hearing this, Cangxuan and Yuliuli's faces became extremely grave. This truth was far heavier and more dangerous than they had imagined.

"So what the remnants said is not false; opening the immortal palace could indeed bring great calamity." Cangxuan said in a deep voice, "But now we have penetrated deep inside, the seal seems to be loosening—should we just stand by and do nothing?"

"Moreover, other cultivators who have entered, such as Xuehe Shangren, the Severing Affection Palace, and the Netherworld Clan, will likely pay no heed to seal pollution; they will only madly hunt for treasures, possibly unintentionally or intentionally destroying the seal's structure." Yuliuli said worriedly.

Just as the three were discussing countermeasures, deciding first to rendezvous with Youying and then, depending on the situation, attempt to approach the Void-Suppressing Platform to at least ascertain the seal's current state—

In Wang Ping's bosom, the Shadow Jade corresponding to Youying suddenly grew scorching hot, transmitting a surge of extremely urgent mental fluctuations laced with a strong warning!

It was an emergency transmission from Youying!

Wang Ping immediately immersed his mind into the Shadow Jade. Youying's thoughts came in fragments, yet clearly conveyed the following hair-raising information:

"Wang Ping…… I infiltrated a secret gathering of the Netherworld Clan and some of the remnants; they assembled at the Reverse Yuan Hall on the outskirts of the Void-Suppressing Platform.

The leader of the Netherworld Clan colluded with an elder of the remnants who called himself Yunshang; they knew that at the seal's core an evil blood sacrifice formation was being laid, intending to tear the seal's outer layer.

By drawing on the power of the 'pollution source,' they aimed to open a passage to some point of the Abyss of Return to the Void to obtain a forbidden power…… the formation is nearly complete…… hurry…… location……

The message cut off abruptly, as if Youying's concealment had been detected, or the transmission had suffered strong interference.

Wang Ping's face changed drastically; he snapped his head up toward Cangxuan and Yuliuli, his voice laced with an unprecedented chill: "Major trouble! Youying's transmission— the Netherworld Clan and some immortal realm traitors (the fallen among the remnants) have colluded, and are setting up a blood sacrifice formation around the Void-Suppressing Platform, intending to break the seal!"

"What?!" Cangxuan and Yuliuli turned pale with shock. They had just confirmed the seal's horror and importance, only to learn that someone actively sought to destroy it? This was nothing short of dragging everyone down with them in a mad act!

"We must stop them!" Cangxuan's eyes blazed with sword intent, "Once the seal is torn, the pollution source will leak— the consequences are unthinkable!"

"But, relying only on us three..." Yu Liuli looked at Wang Ping.

Wang Ping's eyes were resolute: "We can't worry about that much anymore! Youying gave the location; we must rush there immediately! At least, we need to hold them off, or destroy the formation! Jiu'er, do you know the quickest way to the 'Inverse Yuan Hall'?"

Jiu'er was also infected by this tense atmosphere, her small face tight, she struggled to recall

"Inverse Yuan Hall... it seems to be on the way to Suppress Void Platform, a very remote and gloomy great hall..."

From the Hundred Herbs Garden side, it seems there is a shortcut, passing through the outer edge of the Chaos Palace's 'Confounding Formation Corridor' one can get to... but that path, Jiu'er has only heard her grandfather mention, never walked, it's very dangerous"

"Never mind the danger! Lead the way!" Wang Ping made a decisive decision.

Cangxuan and Yu Liuli also nodded without hesitation. At this moment, personal gains and losses had long been cast aside; stopping this possibly catastrophic disaster is the top priority!

The three of them plus one spirit, under Jiu'er's vague guidance, hurried toward the direction of a certain collapsed hall ruin deep in the Hundred Herbs Garden. There, it is said there is an ancient path, half-concealed by a seal, leading to the outer region of the Chaos Palace.