Chapter 282: The Seal

Because he was moving with the current of the river, Li Luo reached the outer perimeter of the Forbidden Mountain Range even faster than he had imagined.

In only half a day, the outline of the Forbidden Mountain Range had already appeared within his field of vision.

Gazing at the Forbidden Mountain Range drawing closer, Li Luo's expression also grew Solemn; his plan this time truly did have many difficulties.

Actually, he wasn't worried about how to lure out that strange beast in the Forbidden Zone, because after the incident at the Dark Spirit Pool earlier, he had speculated afterward and was quite confident that the reason that strange beast had gone berserk at the time should have been the eruption of the dual-phase power within his body.

That strange beast must have sensed the dual-phase power, which was why it had been startled into action.

After all, dual-phase power is the mark of a Marquis-level powerhouse; that strange beast might have initially thought the Academy had sent another Marquis-level powerhouse to encircle and suppress it, but later it should have also sensed that this dual-phase power did not truly belong to a Marquis-level powerhouse, but rather came from a frail youth who possessed a Dual Phase Palace.

Thus, greed stirred within it; perhaps, devouring his dual phases would bring some special benefit to that strange beast.

Therefore, the reason Li Luo had come to the Forbidden Mountain Range this time was to use himself as bait to draw out that strange beast.

Of course, there was still one difficult problem now...

And that was the seal left behind by the Dean that Duze Duze Honglian had mentioned.

On a mountaintop at the outer perimeter of the Forbidden Zone, there was a seal left behind by their mysterious Dean; Li Luo had previously witnessed its might with his own eyes.

It was precisely because of this seal's existence that that strange beast was unable to step out of the Forbidden Mountain Range.

So if Li Luo didn't resolve this problem, then no matter how tempting his bait, that strange beast still couldn't come out...

But if it couldn't come out, then Li Luo's plan would lose its effect.

No one had expected that the seal left behind by the Dean would instead become the greatest difficulty Li Luo now had to face.

A contemplative look appeared in Li Luo's eyes, but the fact that he could propose this plan meant he wasn't entirely without a way to deal with the Dean's seal, and the most likely method among them was...

To ask!

Ask whom? Of course, to ask the seal left behind by my lord the Dean!

According to what Jiang Jiang Qinge had said earlier, the seal left behind by the Dean already possessed a spirit, and moreover, for a powerhouse of the Dean's caliber, perhaps even a wisp of his will was connected to the seal, so if Li Luo could go before that seal and pay his respects, it might still draw a wisp of response from the Dean.

Although this method sounded extremely unreliable, Li Luo felt that the methods of a king-level powerhouse should be far beyond what people like them could fathom.

A method that seemed absurd might not necessarily fail.

Besides, whether it would work or not, one had to try it to find out.

If it truly wouldn't work...

He would just stand outside the seal and desperately provoke that strange beast, to see if he could drive it mad enough to break through the seal.

But this method was too extreme; he was afraid that if he provoked the strange beast too severely, it might throw caution to the wind and, even at the cost of being suppressed and killed by the seal, still try to devour him, which wouldn't quite fit his plan either.

Thinking these things over in his heart, Li Luo took out his map, briefly compared the terrain, and quickly identified the mountaintop where the Dean's seal had fallen that day; then, without further hesitation, he set off swiftly, racing toward that towering Shanfeng.

Two hours later, Li Luo's figure appeared atop that Shanfeng; he caught his breath a few times, then his gaze fell upon a bluestone at the peak.

Because upon that bluestone was inscribed an ancient character "Seal."

The surface of the "Seal" character radiated a light so faint it was barely perceptible; if Li Luo hadn't personally witnessed the might emitted by these strokes that day, it would likely be hard to imagine they had been left by a king-level powerhouse.

Li Luo carefully stepped forward and approached that bluestone; fortunately, the seal showed no reaction of resistance, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ahem..."

"Dean, this student is Li Luo, a student of the One Star House of the Holy Mystic Star Academy. I have come to disturb you because Outpost Number Thirteen has suddenly encountered a great calamity: a Catastrophe-class Other has escaped from the depths of the Dark Cave and now has the outpost besieged. This student wishes to release the strange beast from the Forbidden Zone to lure it into fighting that Catastrophe-class Other to the death."

"Although the plan is quite outrageous, fortune favors the bold, and in order to stay alive, a dead horse must be treated as a living one. I humbly hope that my lord the Dean, with your vast divine powers, might lend a hand."

Li Luo bowed once toward the bluestone, then launched into a long, rambling speech.

However, after he finished speaking, the seal on the bluestone still showed no movement; Li Luo hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended his palm and touched the ancient seal upon the bluestone.

The instant he made contact, a cool sensation traveled up from his fingertips, and Li Luo's spirit seemed to waver slightly for a moment, but he didn't sense any unusual activity.

This made Li Luo frown, somewhat disappointed, and he muttered, "No way, my lord the Dean, watching someone die without lifting a finger doesn't suit your status."

He was a bit headache-stricken; if things didn't go as he hoped, then he truly only had the most extreme method left, but that could only be considered a last resort.

However, it was at this very moment that Li Luo sensed something was off, because it was too quiet.

Originally, the mountain wind had been whistling atop this peak, but now, it was as if all sound had vanished.

Li Luo suddenly sensed something and jerked his head up to look at that massive bluestone, and then he saw that upon the bluestone, which had been completely empty before, there now sat a figure cross-legged.

That figure wore a blue robe, had a middle-aged face, Bai Mei brows, and deep, profound eyes like an abyss, giving one a sense of unfathomable depth.

He merely sat cross-legged there in silence, yet he gave one the feeling of a towering mountain ridge—heavy, vast, and immense.

And at this moment, the gaze of this blue-robed, Bai Mei-browed middle-aged man was quietly fixed upon Li Luo.

Under that calm, steady gaze of his, Li Luo felt as if he were being watched by a primordial fierce beast, an indescribable sense of fear welling up within him.

He swallowed hard; the identity of this blue-robed, Bai Mei-browed middle-aged man before him was self-evident—anyone who could appear after he touched the ancient seal was clearly none other than their mysterious my lord the Dean of the Holy Mystic Star Academy.

"This student Li Luo greets the Dean," Li Luo said with a respectful bow; this person was likely the most powerful existence he had ever encountered to date.

The blue-robed, Bai Mei-browed middle-aged man's gaze, deep as an abyss, swept over Li Luo once, then seemed to smile faintly, and a voice came forth.

"Li Luo..."

"Born with an innate blank phase, yet possessing a Three Phase Palace, and using acquired methods to temper the phases—truly rare."

"You are Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's son, aren't you?"

These few words, falling into Li Luo's ears, stirred monstrous waves within his heart; he couldn't help but take two steps back, because this was the first time someone had seen through the hidden secrets within his body.

Could the Dean before him truly be this terrifying?