Chapter 188: The Imperial Seal of Tianchao

Flying together in the distance, Gu Lin and Master Shuijing watched as Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou conversed with each other, their faces filled with envy and resentment. However, when they saw Princess Qianyou give a slight bow to Zhongshan, their eyes widened in disbelief. How could this be? What was Zhongshan's identity? Even if Zhongshan had a distinguished status, could it compare to Princess Qianyou's? Why would Princess Qianyou bow to him?

Of course, it wasn't just Gu Lin who was surprised. Everyone was astonished, but no one dared to speak up, nor did they have the right to.

As Gu Lin looked at Zhongshan, the resentment in his eyes suddenly turned icy. However, Gu Lin made no attempt to hide it, causing Master Shuijing beside him to shake his head in silence.

Inside the Jade Harmony Hall, everyone had regained their composure, but this time, there was less anxiety than before. With the wolves gone, everyone felt calm.

"Alright, Suifeng, what's the matter that made you send guards to the Seven Star Hall?" Princess Qianyou asked.

Looking at Princess Qianyou, Suifeng said, "Elder, do you remember the damp area to the west of the Jade Harmony Sect?"

Hearing Suifeng's words, Princess Qianyou raised her eyebrows and asked, "The damp area? Do you mean that continuous mountain range shrouded in miasma, extremely cold and infested with evil creatures?"

"Yes, that's the mountain range, the Great Yin Mountains. For thousands of years, it has been shrouded in darkness, producing numerous sinister and cruel creatures. However, they were all weak, so no one paid much attention to it," Suifeng explained.

"Ah," Princess Qianyou nodded, waiting for Suifeng to continue.

"Actually, the reason for inviting Elder back this time is because of that place," Suifeng continued.

"Oh?" Princess Qianyou looked puzzled, and everyone turned to look at Suifeng.

"Eight months ago, on the fifteenth day of every month when the moon was full, the Great Yin Mountains suddenly erupted with dark energy. Within the mountain range, there were sounds of ghosts and wolves, eerie and terrifying. Even when I and several disciples entered, we suddenly saw illusions of countless ghosts and demons, forcing us out. Moreover, in the dark energy above, there were nine pitch-black phantom dragons roaming and flying, their roars shaking the heavens," Suifeng recounted.

"Oh?" Princess Qianyou exclaimed in surprise.

The others were also astonished as they looked at Suifeng.

"Oh, right, Elder, please take a look." Suifeng reached into his hand and took out a memory crystal.

Princess Qianyou took it and activated it with her true energy. In the memory crystal, an image appeared.

The full moon hung high in the sky over a quiet mountain range, shrouded in a misty haze, looking somewhat unreal.

"Woo~~~"

Suddenly, a howl broke the silence of the dark surroundings, piercing through the sky with a terrifying and eerie sound. In an instant, the entire mountain range, the entire mountain range, was enveloped in countless black mists.

The black mist seemed to spew out from the earth and shoot straight into the sky.

The sinister black mist completely enveloped the entire mountain range, stopping only when it reached a height of thousands of feet.

Within the black mist world, there were also countless chilling sounds. There were cries of ghosts, howls of wolves, exhalations of zombies, and resentful cries of evil spirits.

For a moment, the entire environment of the black mist was filled with a chilling atmosphere, making it extremely terrifying to behold.

"Woo~~~"

"Woo~~~"

... The nine dragon roars directly pierced through the eerie illusion, resonating throughout the heavens and earth. The roaring of the dragons shook the surroundings, causing the endless black mist of the mountain range to tremble. The nine pitch-black dragons soared straight to the top of the misty environment.

As they churned and danced in the mist, the nine dragons swiftly swam around. But at the moment they faced the memory crystal, they revealed their massive heads. Their heads were also ink-black, with only their eyes glowing a deep red, devoid of any pupils or whites, shining with a sinister crimson akin to rubies.

The memory crystal suddenly flashed, and the image disappeared.

The crowd was immersed in shock, taking a long time to recover.

Looking at the memory crystal, Princess Qianyou narrowed her eyes. Then she looked at Zhongshan and Master Shuijing, asking, "Did you see anything?"

Zhongshan shook his head. After all, he had limited exposure to the cultivation world and couldn't discern much.

Seeing Zhongshan's reaction, Princess Qianyou didn't press further. After all, no one knew everything.

Master Shuijing shook his feather fan, furrowing his brows slightly. "Nine dragons, a profound environment. Princess, did you notice that the nine blind ink dragons and the square black mountain environment resemble something?"

"The Imperial Seal of Tianchao, the jade seal cast by the Nine Dragon Square Heaven Jade?" Princess Qianyou suddenly exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, that's correct. It's indeed the Imperial Seal of Tianchao, strikingly similar," Master Shuijing nodded.

"In that case, could this place be..." Princess Qianyou suddenly paused, her expression incredulous yet joyful.

"It shouldn't be wrong," Master Shuijing immediately nodded with a smile.

"What are you talking about? What place is that?" Gu Lin immediately asked.

"We speculate that the place is a royal tomb, no, a celestial tomb," Master Shuijing said solemnly.

"A celestial tomb?" Gu Lin looked puzzled.

"Yes, it's the tomb of a former emperor of Tianchao. However, over the years, for who knows how many thousands of years, it has been buried deep within the Great Yin Mountains. It's just that, for some reason, the tomb's energy leaks out, causing anomalies every full moon night," Master Shuijing explained cautiously.

"The tomb of the emperor of Tianchao? How can you be sure?" Gu Lin frowned.

"The Imperial Seal of Tianchao must be cast from the Nine Dragon Square Heaven Jade to awe the world. However, not all Nine Dragon Square Heaven Jades can be upgraded to the Imperial Seal of Tianchao. But the environment of the mountain range we just saw resembles the Imperial Seal of Tianchao. Moreover, despite being buried for tens of thousands of years, it can still produce such anomalies. Just now, Lord Suifeng mentioned that even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage were forced out, so Princess and I dare to conclude that it is a celestial tomb, and inside, there is an Imperial Seal of Tianchao," Master Shuijing said after some thought.

"That's correct, but there's something very strange," Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Oh?" Master Shuijing looked at Princess Qianyou.

"The Imperial Seal of Tianchao can be buried alongside the emperor of Tianchao, indicating that this emperor was very foresighted, knowing he couldn't resist the heavenly authority and chose to tomb early. Moreover, the person in charge of burying the tomb did not swallow his Imperial Seal of Tianchao, indicating great respect for him. But even so, the tomb couldn't possibly be located in such a gloomy place. Generally speaking, celestial tombs are auspicious Feng Shui sites, with true dragons, true sands, true caves, true water, and true orientation. Even if the tomb's energy leaks, it should still be golden and sacred. However, what we saw just now was extremely gloomy, and the nine dragons were pitch-black. It's strange, very strange," Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Does the princess understand the art of Feng Shui?" Master Shuijing looked slightly surprised at the princess.

On the other hand, Zhongshan's pupils contracted. Feng Shui, this was the second time he had heard of it, the first time being on Tianlang Island. And now he heard it again.

"I once bothered 'Tian Lao' for a while, asking him to teach me every day. Tian Lao couldn't resist me, so he imparted me with a little knowledge, but it wasn't much, and my understanding was superficial," Princess Qianyou shook her head.

"Tian Lao? No wonder," Master Shuijing nodded, a hint of respect flashing in his eyes.

"Tian Lao?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows. From the sound of it, there was also a Feng Shui master within the Daluo Heavenly Dynasty called 'Tian Lao'.

"What's the point of speculating here? We'll know when we go and see," Gu Lin said from the side.

"Indeed, since it's a celestial tomb, I must go and see it. The Imperial Seal of Tianchao is a precious item," Princess Qianyou said determinedly.

"Elder," Suifeng called out again.

"Hmm?" Princess Qianyou turned to look at Suifeng.

"In fact, the worries of the Yuheng Sect do not stem solely from the Great Yin Mountains," Suifeng said.

"Oh? Is there something else?" Princess Qianyou asked in confusion.

"Do you remember, in the northwest of the Yuheng Sect, there is an empire," Suifeng said.

"Empire? The Da Ye Empire?" Princess Qianyou asked, puzzled.

"That's right, the Da Ye Empire. After the anomalies in the Great Yin Mountains appeared, the Da Ye Empire dispatched troops to attack nearby sects. The western, southern, and northern parts of the Great Yin Mountains have all been nearly wiped out. I think it won't be long before they come to our Yuheng Sect. So, I'm worried about the safety of the Yuheng Sect, which is why I sent someone to invite the Elder to sit in," Suifeng explained.

"Empire? Just a small empire, what's there to fear?" Gu Lin shook his head and laughed.

"You may not be afraid, but the Yuheng Sect may not be able to handle it," Suifeng shook his head with a sigh.

"The Da Ye Empire? Haha, what can they do after wiping out sects? Just trying to snatch the Imperial Seal of Tianchao? The Da Ye Empire has been around for thousands of years. It's also in a hurry. Without the Imperial Seal of Tianchao, how can they ascend to an emperor dynasty? Now that the Imperial Seal of Tianchao has appeared, the Da Ye Empire has a chance to ascend, so naturally, they spare no effort to seize the Imperial Seal of Tianchao," Princess Qianyou said in a deep voice.

"Princess, does the ascension of the dynasty require the Imperial Seal of Tianchao?" Zhongshan looked at Princess Qianyou in confusion.

Princess Qianyou unexpectedly looked at Zhongshan, smiling slightly. She didn't expect Zhongshan to ask her a question.

"Yes, why are there only three major dynasties in the world? Becoming a dynasty is not just about having strong national power. Only the rulers of the three major dynasties know how to ascend to a dynasty. Other dynasties don't know and won't ascend. An empire can be born from national power, but an emperor dynasty cannot. Most dynasties that become emperor dynasties acquire the Imperial Seal of Tianchao from an empire and then use other means to have a chance to ascend to an emperor dynasty. But how many Imperial Seals of Tianchao are there in the world? That's why there are many empires, but emperor dynasties are rare, and there are even fewer heavenly dynasties, only three," Princess Qianyou explained.

"Mmm," Zhongshan nodded, showing an understanding expression. However, waves of excitement surged in his heart. The method to ascend to a heavenly dynasty? Only the rulers of the three major dynasties knew? No, there's also me, and there's my 'Forging the Heavenly Court'. In the world, there are four people who know.