The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

It is called a monster because it is really hard to describe - three heads, showing the forms of old, middle-aged and young respectively, and six eyes flashing scarlet light, like an evil ghost from the abyss of hell.

Its body was bloated and twisted, covered in a sticky black fluid and emitting a sickening stench.

It has six arms, some with sharp bone spurs, and some covered with suction cups like an octopus. They waved around wildly, bringing up gusts of fishy wind.

This... this is a monster with three souls combined into one? !
Cai Wenshuang felt his stomach churning and he almost vomited.

She had never seen such a horrific scene. Her heart was beating like a drum and her hands and feet were cold.

“Wenshuang!”

Xi Yu shouted loudly, bringing Cai Wenshuang back to reality from his panic.

He pushed her to the edge of the altar with such force that Cai Wenshuang staggered a few steps and almost fell.

"Use the pendant! Activate the 'Eternal Night Formation' of the Dark Guard Camp!" Xi Yu's voice was hoarse and rapid, and every word seemed to be squeezed out of his throat.

Cai Wenshuang then remembered that she was still holding the split pendant in her hand. She looked down and saw the four bloody words "Xi Cai Yongqi" on the inside of the pendant. At this moment, it was emitting a faint red light, as if it was beating with life.

Without time to think, Cai Wenshuang tightly grasped the pendant, and the formula her father had taught her emerged in her mind. She closed her eyes, concentrated all her strength on the pendant, and recited it aloud.

At the same time, Xiyu fell into an unprecedented crisis.

The monster seemed to be particularly sensitive to Xi Yu's aura. As soon as it appeared, it concentrated all its attacks on him.

Six arms attacked like a violent storm, blocking all of Xiyu's escape routes.

"Sir! Be careful!" The leader of the dark guards roared and wanted to go forward to help, but was blown away by the black air emanating from the monster. He hit the stone wall heavily and spurted out a mouthful of blood.

Xi Yu was well aware of his current condition. He was still seriously injured and had no way of confronting this monster head-on.

He could only rely on his exquisite body movements to barely dodge in between the monsters' attacks and look for opportunities to counterattack.

The long sword in his hand had long been broken, leaving only a broken blade.

Although the broken blade is short, it is still sharp.

Xi Yu poured his internal energy into the broken blade, and the sword body began to emit a faint green light.

He seized a gap, dodged the monster's sharp claws, and stabbed the monster's chest with the broken blade!

"Pfft!"

The broken blade pierced into the monster's bloated body, but it was like piercing a ball of cotton, without causing any substantial damage.

Instead, the black liquid on the monster's body spread along the broken blade, trying to corrode Xi Yu's arm.

Xi Yu frowned, made a prompt decision, threw away the broken blade, and stepped back.

"Roar!" The monster seemed to be enraged. Its three heads let out deafening roars at the same time, and its six arms waved wildly as it pounced towards Xi Yu.

Just as Xi Yu was about to be torn to pieces by the monster's claws, the leader of the secret guards suddenly got up from the ground and stood in front of Xi Yu.

"Sir! Go!" He roared, and used all his strength to hug one of the monster's arms.

The monster felt pain and swung its body violently, throwing the leader of the secret guards away.

The body of the dark guard leader drew an arc in the air and hit the stone pillar in the center of the altar heavily, making a dull sound.

Xi Yu took this opportunity, flashed and came to the side of the secret guard leader.

He stretched out his hand to help the leader of the secret guards up, but found that his chest had been pierced by the monster's claws and blood was gushing out.

"Sir..." The leader of the secret guards had a dazed look in his eyes, but a smile of relief appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Xi Yu felt a pain in his heart

At this moment, Xi Yu's gaze inadvertently swept across the chest of the dark guard leader.

Under the fragments of the heart-protecting mirror, he saw something - half a jade pendant!
This half piece of jade beads fits perfectly with the fragment that Father Cai gave him!

Xi Yu was shocked, but before he had time to think about it, the leader of the secret guards suddenly moved.

He suddenly raised his hand and stabbed the broken sword in his hand into his throat!

Blood gushed out and splashed all over Xiyu's face.

Xi Yu widened his eyes, unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.

"Sir..." The leader of the secret guards used up his last bit of strength to stuff the half of the jade pendant in his hand into Xi Yu's hand, and said one word incoherently: "Quick..."

The monster let out a shrill roar, and its huge body trembled violently, as if it was hit by an invisible force.

It waved its sharp claws wildly, making the chains wrapped around its body rattle.

The leader of the secret guards was thrown away by this huge force, like a kite with a broken string, and hit hard against the stone pillar in the center of the altar.

A dull crash echoed on the altar, gravel flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Xi Yu's heart tightened. He didn't care about the monster's counterattack and rushed to the leader of the secret guards.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which made him feel suffocated.

There was a shocking bloody hole on the chest of the Dark Guard Leader, from which blood was gushing out, staining the Dark Guard Leader's clothes red, as well as the bluestone slabs on the altar.

"Sir..." The leader of the secret guards opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice as weak as a mosquito's hum.

He raised his hand hard, wanting to grab Xi Yu's sleeve, but it fell down weakly.

His eyes were dazed and his consciousness was beginning to blur, but there was a smile of relief on the corners of his mouth, as if he had accomplished a mission and unloaded a heavy burden.

Xi Yu felt a pang of pain in his heart. He reached out to help the leader of the secret guards up, but his fingertips touched his cold skin and a chill instantly spread throughout his body.

At this moment, his eyes inadvertently swept across the breastplate on the dark guard leader's chest.

The heart-protecting mirror had been shattered, and beneath the fragments, a warm luster was revealed - half a jade pendant!
This half piece of jade is crystal white all over, exuding a faint spiritual aura, and it fits perfectly with the fragment that Cai's father gave him that year!

Xi Yu's pupils suddenly shrank, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

Could it be... could it be that there is some unknown connection between the Cai family and the secret guards?

Before he could think about it, something strange happened!
The leader of the secret guards suddenly raised his hand, and the broken sword in his hand, with a resolute force, stabbed into his own throat!

Blood gushed out like an enchanting red flower blooming on the gray altar.

The warm blood splashed all over Xiyu's face. The fishy and salty taste stimulated his taste buds and made his stomach churn.

"Sir..." The leader of the secret guards used up his last bit of strength and stuffed the half jade bead in his hand into Xi Yu's hand.

He uttered an unclear word: "Hurry..." Then, his head tilted and he was completely dead.

At this moment, a low humming sound came from under the altar, as if a sleeping beast was waking up.

The buzzing sound became louder and louder, gradually evolving into waves of melodious bell sounds.

Xi Yu was not unfamiliar with this bell sound, it was the long-lost "Requiem"!
The crack in the center of the altar began to tremble violently, and a cold breath gushed out from it, bringing with it a creepy chill.

The crack grew bigger and bigger, and finally, a figure slowly emerged from it.

She was a woman in a purple robe. She had a beautiful face but a sinister aura.

Her eyes were like those of a poisonous snake, cold and sharp, as if they could see through people's hearts.

Xi Yu's heart trembled

Suddenly, a sharp voice sounded in Xi Yu's ears: "What mother wants is not bloodline, but the position of prime minister! She has already implanted the core of the Tianji Lock..." This voice was hoarse and crazy, and it was the residual soul of Xi Wujiang!

He seemed to want to reveal some shocking secret, however, before he could finish his words, the woman in purple suddenly waved her sleeves, and a powerful force instantly shattered Xi Wujiang's remaining soul!
At the same time, Cai Wenshuang placed another twin jade bead on the altar.

A huge star map suddenly appeared on the ground of the altar, shining with stars and mysterious.

Cai Wenshuang's eyes were as cold as ice as he stared at Xi Yu: "Back then, you held your father hostage in exchange for the Cai family's bloodline as a sealing medium?"

Xiyu opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know where to start...

This sudden change was like a blow to Xiyu's head, making him dizzy.

He could never have imagined that Cai Wenshuang would ask such a question!

Hostage?

seal?

Where is this going?

He was about to open his mouth to explain, but the woman in purple spoke first.

“Hahaha…” The purple-clothed woman laughed loudly towards the sky, her laughter was so sharp and piercing that it seemed to break people’s eardrums. “What an infatuated prime minister! Do you think that everything you did was for her? Little do you know that you are just a chess piece in my hand!” She waved her hand violently, and the bronze arm that was originally quietly floating in the air seemed to suddenly come alive, turning into thousands of poisonous snakes, pouncing towards Xi Yu with bared fangs and claws!
Each of these arms gleams with a cold metallic luster and is covered with strange runes, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"How dare you use your brother's soul as bait!" The voice of the purple-clothed woman sounded like it came from the depths of hell, cold and full of resentment.

Every word was like a sharp knife, piercing Xi Yu's heart.

Xi Yu only felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the blood in his body seemed to solidify.

He wanted to dodge, but found that his body seemed to be restrained by an invisible force and he could not move.

Seeing those bronze arms about to devour him, Xi Yu felt despair.

He could never have imagined that everything he had carefully planned would fall into such a trap!
Am I really going to die here?

At this critical moment, something strange happened!

"Boom!"

There was a loud bang, like thunder hitting the ground, shaking the entire altar violently.

Immediately afterwards, a golden light shot up from the ground into the sky, shaking away all the bronze arms that pounced towards Xi Yu!

The golden light dissipated, and a set of golden armor appeared before everyone's eyes.

This armor is golden all over, carved with intricate patterns, and exudes a sacred and majestic aura.

This is exactly the one that Xi Wujiang wore when he was alive!

The armor seemed to have life. It automatically flew in front of the woman in purple and shook violently!
A powerful force suddenly erupted, pinning the woman in purple to the center of the star map!

The woman in purple let out a shrill scream. Her body, enveloped by golden light, kept twisting and deforming, as if it was about to be torn into pieces by this force!
"No... Impossible!" The purple-clothed woman's eyes were filled with fear and disbelief, "This... This is..."

Before she could finish, Xi Yu and Cai Wenshuang had already jumped onto the bronze tripod at the same time.

The twin jade beads on their wrists simultaneously emitted dazzling light at this moment.

The two rays of light met in the air and turned into a huge pillar of light, shooting straight into the sky!
"Rumble..."

The color of the sky and the earth changes, and the wind and clouds surge.

The star map above the altar seemed to be activated and began to rotate slowly.

The stars are shining brightly, as if they are about to fall from the sky.

The wind howled and lightning flashed.

The entire altar seemed to have turned into a huge whirlpool, madly swallowing up everything around it.

The screams of the woman in purple were drowned out by the thunder and wind.

Under the shining golden light, her body began to gradually dissipate, turning into starlight and merging into the star map.

However, just as this strange phenomenon reached its peak, the scream of the purple-clothed woman suddenly distorted and transformed into the familiar and anxious voice of Cai's father: "Stop! This is the final test of the Cai family bloodline!"

This voice, like a wake-up call, startled Xi Yu and Cai Wenshuang, who were originally immersed in the ceremony. They looked at each other and saw the same shock and confusion in each other's eyes, as well as the confusion that should not belong to the moment.

Deep underground, there seemed to be some hard object knocking on the ground of the altar again and again. The sound was dull, slow, yet firm.

The ground was shaking more and more violently. The ground in the center of the altar was cracking and gravel was flying everywhere.

Blood-red lines spread out like a spider web, looking particularly hideous in the golden light.

Xi Yu and Cai Wenshuang subconsciously took a step back, holding each other's hands tightly, staring intently at the depths of the crack. An inexplicable sense of fear rushed from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

"Boom——"

With a loud bang, the ground exploded, dust flew, and gravel scattered everywhere.

A figure slowly rose from the crack in the ground.

That was Father Cai. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was covered in blood, and his hair was disheveled. He looked like a demon crawling out of hell.

What was even more bizarre was that the tattoo on his neck was emitting an eerie red light at this moment, and it was wriggling like a living thing, extending and deforming, and finally turning into two blood-red chains, which were respectively wrapped around Xi Yu and the woman in purple.

"You stole the engagement back then in order to stop me from signing the thousand-year contract with the royal family!" Father Cai's voice was hoarse and low, with a chilling chill.

He stared at the purple-dressed woman intently.
The body of the woman in purple trembled even more violently under the double restraints of the golden light and the blood-red chains.

She wanted to struggle, but found that she couldn't move at all.

Her face was filled with pain, despair, and deep...fear?
Xi Yu only felt a huge force binding him tightly and making him unable to move.

He looked down at the blood-red chains wrapped around his body. They were cold to the touch, yet carried a burning pain.

This feeling is so familiar, yet so strange.

It was like some forgotten memory was being forcibly awakened.

"Thousand-year contract? What contract?" Xi Yu asked sternly, enduring the severe pain in his body.

Father Cai laughed loudly towards the sky; his laughter was shrill and crazy, like the cry of a trapped beast.

"Thousands of years ago, the ancestors of the Cai family made a contract with the royal family, using the twin bloodlines as a guide to protect the fortune of the dynasty! And you," he turned his head suddenly and stared at Xi Yu, "you, the Xi family bloodline, are the container of this contract!"

At this time, a figure slowly walked out from the shadow of the altar.

It was Su Heng. In her hand, she was holding an antique bronze medicine box. The bottom of the box was engraved with the same pattern as Xi Yu's jade pendant.

"The Xi family bloodline is the symbiotic container of the Tianji Pavilion and the royal family!" Su Heng's voice was calm and indifferent, but it exploded in Xi Yu's mind like thunder.

Symbiotic container?

What do you mean?
Xi Yu's mind was in a mess. He felt like he was involved in a huge conspiracy, but he knew nothing about it.

Cai Wenshuang's gaze fell on the depths of the altar.

There, there is a secret compartment hidden, with dozens of jade pendants placed inside, each of which is engraved with the same runes as the Tianji Lock.

"No wonder Master Xi can always turn danger into safety..." Cai Wenshuang murmured to herself. A complex light flashed in her eyes, with shock, confusion, and... a trace of unspeakable sadness.

Xi Yu's gaze also fell on those jade pendants.

He suddenly remembered that he had seen a similar jade pendant in his family's secret collection.

At that time, he was still young and only thought that the jade pendants were extremely exquisite, but he did not understand their meaning.

Now, he understands.

Those jade pendants represent the masters of the opera houses throughout the generations, and also represent... their fate as "containers".

Cai's father's madness, Su Heng's indifference, Cai Wenshuang's sadness, and those jade pendants engraved with the same runes...all of these were like a huge net that surrounded him tightly, making it impossible for him to breathe and escape.

"No..." Xi Yu spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse and weak, "This is impossible..."

Mr. Cai's smile became even more ferocious.

"Impossible? Xi Yu, do you really think you are a member of the Xi family? You are just a container, a container used to carry the thousand-year contract!"

Su Heng slowly opened the bronze medicine box, and a strange fragrance wafted out of the box and filled the entire altar.

"Xi Yu, it's time to fulfill your destiny..."

"Stop!" Cai Wenshuang suddenly shouted, and she rushed forward to stop Su Heng.

However, it was too late...

The medicine box in Su Heng's hand emitted a dazzling light, enveloping Xi Yu...

"what----"

Xi Yu let out a heart-wrenching scream...

The shining light from Su Heng's medicine box surged towards Xi Yu like a wave.

The severe pain instantly penetrated his body and he let out a rough and miserable scream.

He felt as if his existence was being torn apart, reshaped, into something...something else.

Then, a cold laugh echoed in the cave, and the sound seemed to crawl out from the deepest part of Xi Yu's soul.

"Do you think you won?" The voice was ethereal and sharp, it was the remnant of the purple-robed woman's soul that remained in his body.

"The true core of the Heavenly Secret Lock lies in..."

She stopped talking abruptly. (End of this chapter)