Chapter 131: The Seal

Martial combat is, after all, quite entertaining.

Shortly after the bouts began, the atmosphere in the plaza reignited. The explosive roars of various spells, shouts of breath-adjustment, and cheers converged into a roaring wave.

With no restrictions on the martial contests, practitioners deployed the Five Elements, stellar and martial auras, sword techniques, talisman arts, and thunder magic. The dazzling, multicolored spiritual light of the spells was simply breathtaking.

As for why Cheng Xinzhan, who had shone so brightly during the praying-for-clear-weather ritual, did not enter the ring, the crowd guessed that he must have exhausted his spiritual power performing the altar rituals earlier. After all, executing a ritual for such a massive downpour was certainly no easy task.

Others speculated that Cheng Xinzhan was afraid of embarrassing himself, suspecting that his actual combat prowess might not be all that impressive, and thus chose to sit out entirely to avoid tarnishing his reputation.

There was also a faction of onlookers with exceptional vision who could read lip movements, having "seen" Cheng Xinzhan explaining his reasons to his teacher.

These people might not necessarily agree that Cheng Xinzhan would have secured a top-three finish had he entered, but overall, they felt a bit more at ease. There would be plenty of opportunities to spar with Cheng Yifu in the future, but getting into the top three today granted the chance to observe the Celestial Master's Seal—an unmissable stroke of serendipity that came only once in a lifetime.

Everyone brought out their trump cards, making these martial bouts delightfully unconventional.

The matches continued until sunset.

To Cheng Xinzhan, it was like savoring fine wine; the martial contests had truly benefited him immensely.

The Junior Celestial Master announced the rankings for the martial bouts.

For the Second-Realm Arena:
First place: A Taoist priest of the Mount Longhu Celestial Master Mansion;
Second place: A Taoist priest of the Jingming Sect from the Mount Xishan Wanshou Palace;
Third place: A swordsman from the Mount Lu Sword Sect.

Cheng Xinzhan remembered this clearly. The first-place Taoist from Mount Longhu had indeed overwhelmed the competition, unleashing both stellar and martial auras simultaneously, with the manifestations of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger appearing as solid as reality. He thoroughly deserved first place.

Daoist Brother Zheng Miaoqi had probably held a grudge against him, calling him out by name to take the stage during the defense of the arena, yet he had suffered a narrow defeat by a single move. Otherwise, given Daoist Brother Zheng's strength, entering the top three would have been effortless.

The performance of the second-place Jingming Sect Taoist could only be described as astonishing. Wielding a horsetail whisk and simultaneously commanding a flying sword with his mind, his water-attribute magic was unfathomable. Ordinary practitioners could not even approach him, and his flying sword was agile, razor-sharp, and completely unstoppable.

The third-place winner was an old acquaintance, Lan Yuqing. His double magic swords had grown even more treacherous, leaving opponents exhausted and struggling to respond.

For the First-Realm Arena:
First place: A Taoist priest of the Mount Longhu Celestial Master Mansion;
Second place: A Taoist priest of the Wanfa Sect from Mount Sanqing;
Third place: A Taoist priest of the Shenxiao Sect from Mount Bingfeng.

The champion of this realm was also an acquaintance of Cheng Xinzhan: Liang Zhenjing.

However, Cheng Xinzhan could tell that Liang Zhenjing's expression was less than pleasant. As for the reason, he could guess a thing or two. When the two had first met, their ages and cultivation realms were nearly identical, yet Liang Zhenjing remained in the First Realm.

Cheng Xinzhan refused to believe this was due to a lack of innate talent on Liang Zhenjing's part.

He had crossed paths with Liang Zhenjing numerous times. In the early days, they frequently contested for thunder resonance; midway, they had clashed at White Jade Capital; and later still, during the rotation battles at Western Kunlun, Liang Zhenjing had also participated.

This man cared deeply about his pride, and as his master's closing-door disciple, he had been doted on since childhood. His personality carried a degree of arrogance, largely because his master bore that exact disposition—a trait shared by most within the Celestial Master Mansion.

Yet, Cheng Xinzhan felt that the man's essence was not bad. Especially during their time in Western Kunlun, when Cheng Xinzhan had changed his appearance and traveled under a false name during the latter half of the period, he had repeatedly encountered Liang Zhenjing saving people from peril without asking for rewards or seeking fame. He was quite a free-spirited individual—or rather, a man prone to self-admiration.

His talisman arts were formidable, earning Cheng Xinzhan's genuine respect, and his natural aptitude was naturally exceptionally high. Otherwise, he would not have been accepted as a closing-door disciple by a renowned elder of Mount Longhu, nor would the Junior Celestial Master have insisted on bringing him along on travels.

For someone like this, practicing within Mount Longhu with resource backing and formal Daoist talismans inscribed on his soul, he ought not to have remained stuck in the First Realm.

Judging by his sullen expression, it was evident that he had been instructed to suppress his cultivation realm to participate in the Dharma assembly specifically to contend for the championship.

Furthermore, Cheng Xinzhan guessed that the Second-Realm champion had similarly suppressed his realm; seeing his stellar and martial auras condense into physical substance, the man could likely have formed his golden elixir long ago.

The runner-up belonged to Cheng Xinzhan's own camp. Cheng Xinzhan was not very familiar with him, knowing only that he was a newly recruited disciple of Mount Baihu. Though quite young, his talent was remarkably high, and he employed sword formations and formation diagrams.

Cheng Xinzhan found this deeply inspiring. His own Five Elements magic swords were currently in preparation, and by then, he too could assemble a sword formation.

The third-place winner was a Shenxiao Sect Taoist, also an acquaintance—the younger sister of the Meng siblings. He had not expected the talent of these two siblings to be so extraordinary, wielding astonishing thunder magic.

Mount Longhu had claimed first place in the top three of both martial arenas. This was understandable, given they were the hosts; suppressing one's realm to participate and secure a title was entirely normal, especially since they had inducted new disciples today and could hardly afford to lose face in front of them.

Conversely, Mount Gezao had not secured a single spot. This, too, was entirely normal, as the Lingbao Sect of Mount Gezao focused primarily on rituals, offerings, and deliverance; martial combat was simply not their strong suit.

With this, the first day of the Dharma assembly came to a close.

That evening naturally featured endless banqueting and lavish feasts.

During the banquet, Lan Yuqing carried his wine cup over and sat down beside Cheng Xinzhan, his words laden with grievance.

"Daoist Brother Cheng, when we met last night, you promised to spar with me. Why did you end up sitting out today?"

Cheng Xinzhan offered him a cup of wine in toast and smiled, saying,

"Do not blame me, Daoist brother. Today, this poor Daoist truly lacked the strength to continue. There will naturally be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Lan Yuqing seemed about to say more when Cheng Xinzhan smoothly changed the subject.

"Daoist brother, during our sword discussion at White Jade Capital last time, your $chi$-shaped sword qi was truly too difficult for me to parry. I caught a glimpse of it again during today's martial bouts. How did you ever conceive of such a technique? Once your spiritual power grows even more profound, wouldn't you be able to weave sword qi into a veritable net?"

Hearing this, Lan Yuqing burst into laughter. "Indeed, it is like this..."

Thus, the two of them engaged in a pleasant conversation. Later, Zheng Miaoqi, Zeng Jinian, and several others from Sword-Dropping Mountain, along with those from Bright Moon Mountain, also gathered at this table to discuss the Dao of the sword.

Moving from magical swords to physical swords and flying swords, Cheng Xinzhan could speak expertly on every topic, frequently offering novel insights and unorthodox theories that left the entire group filled with admiration.

---

The second day arrived.

The various Great Golden Elixir Masters were cordially invited separately into a secret realm. According to hints dropped by several Golden Elixir Masters from Mount Sanqing, they had gone to discuss the Dao.

They would be deliberating upon the essential refinements of purifying the elixir and the methods for evading calamities.

Compared to stellar/martial auras and divine mystical abilities, this was a discussion on an entirely different plane.

The leaders of the Fourth Realm from various sects also gathered within another secret realm, commencing negotiations regarding the allocation of resources in Yuzhang for the next three sixty-year sexagenary cycles.

The performance scores of the First and Second-Realm disciples from yesterday would serve as their bargaining chips in dividing those resources.

As for sects lacking a Fourth Realm practitioner—such as the Golden Phase Sect—they would unite the various powers across the entire Poyang Lake region and jointly push forward a single representative to attend the resource allocation meeting. Even so, such factions could only scavenge whatever scraps remained after the major sects had divided the lion's share.

At times like this, the major ancestral courts of the great teachings not only had to fight for themselves, but they also had to contend for their smaller subordinate branches.

Truth be told, this meeting alone constituted the true Longhu Dharma assembly; everything else was merely trimming.

With the high-tier grandmasters absent, the First and Second-Realm disciples were free to tour Mount Longhu under the escort of the host sect—an opportunity rarely afforded on ordinary days.

Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, the top three finishers in yesterday's alchemy, rain-praying, and martial combat competitions were personally led by the Junior Celestial Master toward the Celestial Master Mansion.

The Celestial Master Mansion was situated upon a majestic peak on the eastern side of Mount Xianding.

The estate was built against the mountain, emanating an imposing and towering aura.

The main gates were tightly shut, with a straight vertical plaque suspended directly above reading: "Han-Succession Celestial Master Mansion," denoting that the estate had been built during the Han dynasty and had been passed down for eight millennia.

The two pillars flanking the front entrance bore a pair of antithetical couplets:
Guests of immortals upon the Qilin Hall,
A prime minister's household within Mount Longhu.

The first line of this couplet alluded to the Ancestor Celestial Master being a descendant of Marquis Liu, the founding statesman of the Western Han. As for Marquis Liu, legend held that he was a companion of the primeval true immortal Chisongzi and a disciple of the divine man Huangshigong of Xiapi. After assisting in the founding of the Western Han, he achieved Daoist ascension, ascending to the Heaven of Supreme Clarity to serve the Dao Ancestor—a figure about as thoroughly immortal as an immortal could possibly be.

The second line referred to how, after the Ancestor Celestial Master pioneered the lineage of Mount Longhu, the estate received successive imperial enfeoffments spanning the Eastern Han, the two Jins, and right down to the contemporary era.

The Junior Celestial Master led the group in through a side gate.

This was only natural.

These juniors were not yet qualified for the Celestial Master Mansion to throw open its main gates.

Upon entering the estate, the Hall of the Mysterious Altar lay to the east, dedicated to the veneration of the Great God Zhao Gongming. To the west stood the Bureau of Talismans and Registers and the Office of Superintendence—the former being the repository for sacred talismans and the latter the administrative center for governing the teachings.

As the group walked further inward, magnificent halls and restraining spiritual lights dazzled the eye at every turn. The deeper they went, the more they lost their sense of direction; everywhere shimmered with spiritual light, and everywhere pulsed with numinous restrictions. Eventually, even the ground beneath their feet ceased to be ordinary soil, and the group felt as though they were walking across ethereal corridor-bridges woven from pure spiritual light within a void realm.

Until the radiance before their eyes suddenly shifted. The group found their footing on solid ground once more, coming to a halt before a courtyard.

A plaque hung above the courtyard gate, bearing the inscription:

Place Where the Celestial Master Stores Seals and Swords.

---

The group stood in a cluster before the courtyard gate. Though the gate was tightly shut, it remained unlocked.

The Junior Celestial Master stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said,

"Aunty Bao, acting upon my father's imperial decree, I have brought the talented youths of various sects to observe the seal. I ask that you open the door."

Hearing this, everyone instantly understood that such a vital stronghold was bound to be guarded. Yet, judging by the Junior Celestial Master's phrasing, this guardian appeared to be a woman.

Screech—

The courtyard gate swung open.

The group stepped inside.

The courtyard contained two halls facing each other on the left and right. The hall on the left bore the characters "Receiving the Seal," while the hall on the right bore the characters "Receiving the Sword."

Right in the exact middle between the two halls—directly facing the position where the courtyard gate opened—stood a wooden pavilion.

Beneath the pavilion stood a person.

A breathtaking beauty.

This woman's appearance achieved the pinnacle of exquisite loveliness, her physique possessing not an ounce of excess fat nor a shred of undue thinness.

The beauty wore her hair piled high into a bun—the traditional coiffure of a married matron. As for her age, she possessed the endearing innocence of a sixteen-year-old, the vibrant youth of a twenty-year-old, and the dignified poise of a thirty-year-old, blending them in a manner that defied easy categorization.

In her hair gleamed golden hairpins and kingfisher feather tassels, while rings of fresh light adorned her neck and wrists. She wore garments woven from cloud-mists, draped with a scarf of flowing, luminous true silk. A seductive allure seemed etched into her very bones, combining the regal bearing of nobility with the ethereal demeanor of an immortal.

Among the women Cheng Xinzhan had encountered, Eleventh Lady Xiao was already a peerless beauty, yet compared to this woman, she still appeared slightly tender and unpolished.

The woman smiled and nodded toward the crowd, possessing the gentle beauty of a bashful maiden combined with the luminous clarity of the autumn moon.

Fortunately, the individuals who had arrived today were all elite talents of their respective sects. Upon beholding such peerless loveliness, though they lost their focus for a fraction of a second, they all quickly lowered their heads, avoiding any unseemly loss of composure.

As for the Junior Celestial Master who had led the way, he had not once raised his head to look directly at this woman from start to finish.

The woman walked toward the "Receiving the Seal" hall on the left, and the Junior Celestial Master led the group to follow.

Aunty Bao—as the Junior Celestial Master had called her—rapidly formed several hand incantations before the hall doors. The hall erupted with blinding spiritual light soaring into the sky, and subsequently, the doors swung open.

"One person enters at a time, with two quarters of an hour per person. How much you manage to comprehend depends entirely on your personal fortune,"

said the Junior Celestial Master.

Everyone nodded, a wave of excitement stirring within their hearts. This was, after all, a numinous treasure boasting ten thousand years of history! When speaking of magical seals under the heavens, this single artifact was a divine wonder that could never be bypassed!

Following a brief consultation, the group decided to enter in the sequence and ranking of yesterday's performances.

The first to enter was the Taoist priest from Mount Longhu. The reverence on his face and the forced calm masking his excitement were obvious to any discerning eye.

He stepped inside.

The Hall of Receiving the Seal seemed capable of isolating all sound and spiritual light. From the moment that Taoist priest stepped inside, the group no longer heard the slightest stir.

When two quarters of an hour had elapsed, however, that person did not emerge.

Without a trace of surprise, the Junior Celestial Master produced a small handbell and gave it a gentle shake, producing a crisp, clear chime.

"He has become immersed in the numinous essence of the treasure and forgotten the passage of time. This is entirely normal."

Though the bell's chime was not loud, it carried steadily into the interior of the hall.

Shortly thereafter, they saw him walk out.

The group's immediate sensation was that the figure walking toward them was not a man, but a towering mountain.

His body remained intertwined with dense layers of spiritual light and numinous rhyme, which had yet to dissipate.

The crowd was deeply astonished. In a mere two quarters of an hour, it appeared he had comprehended a vast amount of profound knowledge.

A smile hung upon his face, suggesting he had attained a state of utmost fulfillment.

He stood quietly to one side, and the next to enter was Fang Weimin. Two quarters of an hour later, the Junior Celestial Master rang the bell once more, calling Fang Weimin out as well.

In contrast, Fang Weimin radiated a crimson crimson firelight, resembling a deity born of flame.

It appeared that the insights garnered by each individual varied entirely.

Cheng Xinzhan was the fourth to enter.

Stepping across the threshold of the hall, he first walked down a long corridor adorned with murals on both sides. Painted on the first mural to the left was a secluded mountain valley. Within the valley sat a Daoist priest with an ancient and extraordinary visage upon a stone, holding a seal in his hand and stamping it onto a talisman. Before him stood a long, winding queue of common folk, every single person holding a bowl in their hands.

Cheng Xinzhan gazed closely at the scene; this must depict the past event where the Ancestor Celestial Master dispensed talismanic water to bestow blessings upon the common people and relieve them of disasters and ailments.

On the mural opposite, the scene depicted a towering peak where the same Daoist priest sat cross-legged, forming magical hand seals. Beneath the mountain lay a massive seal resembling a miniature peak, under which numerous malevolent ghosts struggled in a desperate bid to escape.

This painting evidently portrayed the story of the Ancestor Celestial Master suppressing the host of demons.

He continued walking forward. The corridor was extensive, featuring numerous murals, yet every single painting incorporated a seal. Whether large or small, utterly plain or blazing with numinous light, they all shared a uniform style.

This was none other than the "Seal of Governing Metahumanity at Yangping."

At the end of the corridor stood a pair of double-leaf doors. Suspended on the left and right doors were wooden carved statues of door gods—two armored warriors wielding divine weapons, their eyes glaring like fiery bells as they stared down intruders.

With the doors currently standing open, Cheng Xinzhan stepped inside.

This was an extremely vast and spacious chamber devoid of windows. The sole exit was the deep corridor outside, and no natural sunlight penetrated the space, yet the room was radiantly illuminated.

For in the exact center of the rear wall of this chamber, an object was emitting infinite, brilliant light.

Two ritual tables were arranged within: a taller ritual table sat flush against the back wall, preceded by a slightly lower ritual table positioned in front of it.

An incense burner rested upon the lower table, curling wisps of blue smoke rising steadily into the air.

Upon the taller table rested a single object: precisely a seal, and it was this seal emitting the boundless brilliance.

Behind the table supporting the divine seal, a portrait hung upon the hall wall, depicting a Daoist priest cradling a seal in his palm. The Daoist's clerical robes were embroidered with crouching dragons and resting tigers—the very image of the Ancestor Celestial Master. The seal depicted in the portrait was identical in every respect to the seals in the corridor murals and the one resting upon the ritual table.

The true form of the magical seal upon the table possessed a square body, a thickness of seven-tenths of an inch, and sides measuring three and a half inches each, white as packed ice and snow. The seal knob was sculpted in the shape of a crouching yinglong dragon.

Cheng Xinzhan finally understood why the Hall of Receiving the Seal was so remarkably empty: once your gaze locked onto this seal, it became utterly impossible to tear your eyes away. Placing any other objects here would be entirely futile.

His gaze was firmly hooked by the magical seal.

He took his first step forward.

He took a single step, only to watch in astonishment as the magical seal suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a towering mountain that crashed down toward him.

He activated his elixir pupils, yet remained utterly incapable of discerning whether this was reality or an illusion.

He felt as though he had been tightly locked in place by a mysterious force; he wanted to dodge, but could not evade; he wanted to hide, but had nowhere to flee.

Yet he knew he had not stumbled in by accident, and Mount Longhu would hardly murder a disciple of the Sanqing Sect within its own sanctum.

Therefore, casting life and death aside, he concentrated his entire focus on comprehending this crushing blow of a seal—a seal from which there was nowhere to escape, a seal carrying the weight of Mount Tai itself.

As the great seal descended, his vision plunged into absolute darkness, like tumbling into a bottomless dark lake where his physical body, his thoughts, and everything else dissolved into utter nothingness.

The final thought passing through his mind before his consciousness vanished was:

Was Mount Longhu genuinely going to kill him?

How much time passed—perhaps merely a single breath—his consciousness returned.

Like a drowning man breaking the surface of the water, he gasped for air in great, ragged breaths.

At that moment, only the act of breathing convinced him he was still alive.

Extreme agony was something he had already experienced when breaking through his acupuncture points with true stellar auras, but the sensation of being resurrected from the dead was an entirely novel experience for him.

In the preceding moment, he had genuinely believed he was dying.

Yet he quickly collected himself, steadying his breathing as he began to recall the impact of that seal.

Instantly, he gained a far deeper understanding of the character spell for [Suppression].

Previously, he had been utilizing the [Suppression] spell interchangeably with the [Fixation] spell—an approach that was fundamentally incorrect. [Suppression] was precisely [Suppression]; it could plunge individuals into eternal darkness, shatter bodies to dust, and condemn souls to irrecoverable damnation.

It was far more than merely making someone feel as though they had been physically slammed.

Advancing further, the character spell for [Extinction]—which he had been pondering in his mind all along—also yielded sudden enlightenment. Back in the southwest borderlands, he had taken the [Incineration] spell as his entry point to create the [Incineration-Extinction] spell, but simplifying [Incineration-Extinction] further down into the pure [Extinction] spell had perplexed him for a long time.

Now, he had gained tangible insights, for he had personally experienced what [Extinction] truly meant.

[Extinction] was voidness itself—reducing all things, whether formed or formless, back into absolute nothingness. That was [Extinction].

He took another step forward.

From the magical seal burst forth infinite flames that rolled over him in a sweeping wave. His consciousness was scorched into nothingness by the fire, only to awaken once more.

Following that, a roaring giant dragon tore him to powder...

Followed by torrential lightning that obliterated both his body and soul...

He lost count of how many times he hovered between life and death. Yet every single time his consciousness recovered, he dared not delay, immediately taking another step forward. Time was limited, and he wished only to comprehend as much as possible.

This time, the magical seal descended upon him once more, transforming into ten thousand strands of golden light that seemed intent on piercing through every inch of his flesh and grinding his Three Souls and Seven魄 (animal souls) down into annihilation.

He plunged once more into silent darkness.

Within the darkness, he possessed no perception whatsoever, having no idea whether ten thousand years or a single instant had passed. Yet, despite having his consciousness obliterated and revived so many times, the Junior Celestial Master had not yet rung the bell to issue a reminder, implying that each interval remained extremely brief.

For reasons unknown, despite being utterly incapable of perceiving the flow of time, he felt that this particular instance was exceptionally prolonged.

"Woof!"

Somewhere in the metaphysical depths, he seemed to hear the bark of a dog.

Strange—when even consciousness had been reduced to nothingness, how could he still hear sound?

And a dog's bark at that. Could it be Dengge?

Was Dengge not left behind within Mount Sanqing?

Strange, did Mount Longhu keep dogs as well?

No, why did this barking sound so intensely familiar to him?

"Awoo!"

Hh, why was there the roar of a tiger as well?

Though it didn't quite sound like a tiger's roar, it was likewise exceedingly familiar.

Within that state of voidness, Cheng Xinzhan's thoughts seemed frozen, revolving with agonizing slowness as he labored to puzzle over these two sounds.

"Waah!"

Unaware of how much time had elapsed thereafter, he heard a third sound.

This sound was remarkably bizarre, rarely heard under ordinary circumstances.

Yet it remained deeply familiar, as though he had only heard it quite recently.

"It is the *Fushi* soul!"

The barking of the dog and the roaring of the tiger had failed to jog his memory.

Yet this final sound, resembling the weeping of an infant, instantly made everything click.

Hearing such a sound instantly stirred deep palpitations in the chest, akin to the cries for help issued by the most helpless newborn infant.

He remembered now: this was the voice of the *Fushi* soul among the Seven Animal Souls.

He simultaneously carried two supreme lineages for cultivating the soul—the *Profound Secret Edict of the Longevity Fetal Origin Manifesting Spirit* and the *Principles of the Golden Flower of Supreme Oneness*—representing the dual polarities of Yin and Yang. He had tempered his Seven Animal Souls with pure Yang spiritual power while nourishing their numinous sensitivity with primal Yin.

Not long ago, he had successfully forged the true form of the *Fushi* soul—the Nine-Headed Infant.

When the *Fushi* soul wailed, it signaled the arrival of a life-or-death crisis.

Thus, the preceding dog barks and tiger roars suddenly made complete sense; they were the warnings issued by the *Shi Gou* and *Tun Zei* souls.

Why?

Had something breached the Purple Palace?

Why had the Seven Animal Souls not issued warnings during the previous trials, but only now?

The dog barks, the tiger roars, and the infant's cries filled him with agitation. Once that agitation stirred within his consciousness, he perceived his awareness returning bit by bit, alongside the emergence of a tiny speck of light within the void darkness.

Cheng Xinzhan knew this was the pure Yang light emitted by his *Tai Guang* soul after practicing the pure Yang arts.

Wherever the light rested, there lay the Purple Palace.

His will to survive surged violently, struggling fiercely amidst the darkness as he swam toward the illumination.

Yet his forward momentum was agonizingly slow—so slow that the cries of the Seven Animal Souls seemed to grow fainter, while the radiance of the Three Souls gradually dimmed.

His survival instinct thrashed in a frenzy of struggle. He knew that once the Seven Animal Souls fell silent and the Three Souls lost their light, he would be forever incapable of escaping this void darkness.

Yet within this void, the harder he struggled, the faster his consciousness seemed to dissipate.

At that moment, the thought flashed through his mind: according to the *Principles of the Golden Flower of Supreme Oneness*, intent corresponds to Earth, and spirit corresponds to Fire.

In the space between life and death, he instantly comprehended the crucial pivot.

When intent remains stable, the spirit stirs.

Accordingly, he steadied his increasingly fragile and struggling consciousness, meditating upon the stillness of the Great Earth.

Simultaneously, he summoned the spirit through intent.

The spirit represented the soul; though currently helpless to save itself, the spirit inherently resonated with the heart.

His will to survive steadied, diffusing outward into every single corner of this physical vessel.

Intent communicated with the spirit, and the spirit communicated with the heart.

Thus, deep within the heart's mansion, inside the Palace of Bright Illumination,

The *Mao* constellation abruptly opened its eyes, and the river of blood within the heart's mansion instantly transformed into a surging sea of fire. Boundless *Bing* fire, *Ding* fire, and the Threefold Earthly Fire surged forth from the heart's mansion, blazing into every corner of the inner landscape world and illuminating the entire realm.

And when that sea of fire burned its way into the Purple Palace, merging with the Three Souls, it transformed into pure Yang divine fire!

Within the void darkness, the earthen anchor of intent held firm, resisting the erosion of the boundless void.

Yet at that exact instant, an equally boundless and limitless sea of pure Yang divine fire surged into the realm of voidness!

Sweeping away the darkness!

Just as the verse went:

When divine fire and intent earth meet in prime,
My destiny is mine to rule, untouched by time.

Every single one of Cheng Xinzhan's thoughts was awakened in an instant, clear, lucid, and thoroughly unobstructed, entirely free of chaos or sluggishness. Riding upon the divine fire, his willpower crossed the darkness in a flash and descended straight back into the Purple Palace.

And all of this—from the ringing of the first dog bark to the return of intent into the Purple Palace—transpired in a mere fraction of an instant.

With intent restored to the Purple Palace, he understood instantly why the Three Souls had grown restless and why the Seven Animal Souls had issued warnings.

Because deep within the Purple Palace at this very moment, an illusory magical seal was descending in slow motion, and the exact spot where it was about to land was none other than the trembling *You Jing* soul.

Right now, the *Tun Zei* soul among the Seven Animal Souls had transformed into the shape of a *Lu Wu* beast, biting down hard upon the seal knob to prevent the great seal from falling further.

The *Fushi* and *Shi Gou* souls cried out in anxious panic, yet proved utterly powerless to assist.

The destiny-soul *Tai Guang* was currently erupting with brilliant pure Yang radiance, attempting to heave the magical seal over and overturn it.

Yet all of this appeared utterly futile.

For that magical seal was no ordinary artifact; square and upright, white as packed ice and snow, with a crouching yinglong for its knob.

It was none other than the supreme treasure of the Celestial Master, the foremost seal under heaven: the "Seal of Governing Metahumanity at Yangping"!

However, as Cheng Xinzhan looked closely at the inscription upon the underside of the seal at this moment, he discovered to his astonishment that the characters were not the six words "Seal of Governing Metahumanity at Yangping." Beneath that illusory magical seal, inscribed clearly upon its base, were instead these six words:

The Seal of Dao-Heart Enforcing Celestial Edicts!

(End of this chapter)