Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 101 They Want to Unlock the Seal
There are many peaks on both sides of the canyon, as if they were cut by a knife, with rugged stone walls and sparse vegetation. The bottom of the valley is mostly bare rocks, obviously caused by rain erosion.

Bixia frowned and stared at the deep canyon, whispering: "The seal is in this canyon!"

Wuzhan asked, "How did Yuanjun know that this canyon was sealed?"

Bixia said: "When Emperor Yu was regulating the Yellow River, he looked for the whereabouts of his father, Gun. After discovering the seal here, he speculated that Gun was sealed in it. He tried various methods but could not break it. When Emperor Yu climbed Mount Tai to pray for the people, he privately told the matter to the ancestor of our sect, hoping that he could comprehend the mystery, unlock the seal, find the fertile soil, and regulate the flood of the Yellow River. Since receiving the commission from Emperor Yu, all the leaders of Mount Tai have entered this canyon to ponder. This has become a secret of our sect that only the leader can know. However, after nearly two thousand years, none of the leaders of our sect has been able to break this seal. I have been here several times, but I still can't figure it out."

Wuzhan asked again: "If it is as Yuanjun said, then Yuanjun is the only one who knows there is a seal here?"

"Emperor Yu was afraid that evil people would know about it, so he only told this secret to our ancestor. Apart from the previous heads of our sect who have been here, no outsiders should know about it."

Wuzhan thought, "I'm afraid this matter is very serious. Someone is trying to use the villagers to break the seal."

Bixia had more and more doubts in her heart, so she had no choice but to take Wuzhan with her to explore. The bamboo raft quickly stopped, and the two of them went ashore and walked into the canyon. Walking in the valley, they saw a strip of sky above their heads, which made their breathing heavy, as if the stone walls on both sides would suddenly close together, leaving them inside the stone walls.

After turning more than ten turns, there was no sign of the villagers. The air was cold and eerie. Bixia walked faster and faster, and Wuzhan followed closely behind, panting. Until a half-length and half-wide cave appeared in front of them, Bixia stopped and whispered to Wuzhan: "The seal is in this cave, and the villagers have also entered this cave. The space inside this cave is huge, with caves within caves, crisscrossing each other. There is only one way to reach the seal. The rest of the cave entrances are dead ends. You follow me closely." She turned around and looked at Wuzhan again, and saw Wuzhan nodded, leaned over and went into the cave, and Wuzhan followed him in.

As soon as they entered the cave, they were immediately immersed in darkness. They walked for hundreds of feet before reaching a wide area. With the help of the faintly glowing crystals on the stone wall, they could vaguely see the outline of the cave. A fork in the road appeared in front of them, and Bixia walked lightly towards the cave entrance on the right.

The cave was formed naturally, sloping downward, and was intricate and densely branched. Without Bixia's guidance, one would have certainly gone astray. However, after walking for a long time, there was still no sign of the villagers. Bixia thought to herself, "Could it be true, as Wuzhan said, that someone is trying to unlock the seal?" But who are they, how did they know there was a seal here, and what did they bring so many villagers here for? She had no answer.

……

There was a faint sound of bells. Bixia stopped to listen carefully. She was sure that the rhythm of the bells was strange and confusing. If a person without any cultivation heard it, he would be confused and controlled by it, thinking: "Where did this person with such a strong telekinetic power come from? This person's cultivation is unfathomable."

He turned his head and looked at Wuzhe who was staggering behind him in the dim light of the crystal, and whispered, "You're right. Cover your ears quickly and don't listen to the ringing sound."

Wuzhan shook his head, indicating that it was not necessary, confident that the ringing sound would not disturb his mind.

With Bixia's cultivation level, she was naturally not afraid of the bell sound. Seeing Wuzhan shaking his head, she thought to herself, "This kid still has such ability. It seems that he is not just weak." She turned around and moved closer to the bell sound.

The ringing sound became clearer and clearer. Bixia slowed down her pace and walked cautiously. Finally, she looked out and saw the disappeared villagers.

The cave is more than two meters wide. With the help of the firelight, one can clearly see the villagers moving slowly behind the team. They are walking straight like zombies. There is no doubt that they are controlled by the shrill bells in front of the team. Two people are following behind the team, holding torches, wearing black clothes, and their footsteps land silently. It is obvious at a glance that their cultivation is not weak.

Bixia retreated behind the stone wall and whispered to Wuzhan, "There is a fork in the road not far away. Although we can't reach the seal, we can see the seal from a high place. When they pass by, we will hide there and observe what they want to do."

After the ringing sound faded away, Bixia led Wuzhan and walked lightly towards a very narrow fork in the road. After walking another hundred feet, they found that the cave was tilted upward and could only accommodate one person. Bixia's arms had not yet recovered, so she did not dare to use force. She could only rely on her true Qi to protect her arms, support her body, and rely on her feet to climb up. Wuzhan followed behind, and it was not easy either.

After much difficulty, the two finally climbed to a flat area. After resting for a while, they walked through a rugged road again. When they saw the light coming through the cracks in the stone wall, Bixia whispered, "This is it."

The crack is only two fingers wide and more than a foot long. It is located in a stone wall with a radius of more than one hundred feet. The center of the space and the seal can be seen through the crack.

Bixia walked gently to the front of the crack, looked down against the light, and her eyes widened immediately. She saw those expressionless men, women, young and old, nearly three hundred people, standing in front of the seal, motionless and silent, with an indescribable chill. Facing the villagers stood more than a dozen men in black, all wearing white masks, like ghosts.

The three men in the lead all wore masks that covered their mouths and noses, leaving only their eyes and eyebrows exposed. The man in the middle had snow-white hair and wore a white Taoist robe. He looked like an immortal and had a long sword on his back. The man on the left had fiery red hair and wore a red Taoist robe. He was shaking the golden bell that made a piercing sound in his hand. The man on the right wore a blue Taoist robe. His hair was already gray, but he was full of energy. Except for the red-haired man, whose cultivation was unpredictable, the other two old men were all at the level of scattered immortals. The seal was a round copper plate with a diameter of ten feet, embedded in the underground rock. The thickness was unknown. Although it had been there for thousands of years, its surface was still smooth, reflecting the scene of the entire space.

Wuzhan had looked down through the crack at some point and whispered, "They are the Taoist priests from the imperial court." Because he saw Qingyang wearing a mask, Qianshan Old Tuo with a prosthetic left arm, He Biliu with half-tied and half-loose hair, and Jiang Yuan wearing a blue Taoist robe.

Although Bixia had never seen the people Wuzhan recognized, she recognized Daoxuan in the white Taoist robe, because Daoxuan had climbed Mount Tai with the First Emperor and they had met once. When Wuzhan heard about it, she immediately guessed that it was him.

Bixia turned her head to look at Wuzhan who was nearby. She saw him looking out through the crack, his eyes radiating a fierce light she had never seen before. She asked, "You are with them. Do you know what they are going to do?"

Wuzhan did not answer and continued to stare outside. Bixia used the light to stare at Wuzhan for a long time without realizing it. She could not tell what kind of person Wuzhan was or what he was thinking. All of a sudden, she felt that she was as innocent as a child in front of him. Her heart trembled and she thought to herself, "What's wrong with me? Why do I have such distracting thoughts at this time?" She turned her head quickly and observed attentively.

Jiang Yuan said in a deep voice: "Master Huo, let's begin!"

The red-haired Taoist nodded slightly and sat on the copper plate. Wuzhan whispered at this time: "He is going to unlock the seal."

Bixia has been practicing for sixty years, and her thoughts have never been so confused as today. Why did these people from the court find this place? What do they want to do by confusing innocent villagers? Who is this red-haired Taoist? Why does he want to unseal the seal? She pondered and said, "Do they want to obtain the Xiran and control the flood?"

Wuzhan said: "If they have a trace of kindness from Yuanjun, then it is inevitable. Let's continue to watch."

At this time, the red-haired man made seals with his hands, his clothes fluttered, and the true energy in his body surged out. His whole body seemed to be ignited, with flames coming out of it. He was silently chanting some spell, and his body slowly rose out of thin air, illuminating the entire space like daylight.

The man was in mid-air, and his palms began to dance like fire wheels. With a "puff" sound, he slapped out a ball of white flame with one palm, which hit the Qian position of the copper plate. After landing, it immediately burned on the copper plate. Then, a ball of black flame flew out and landed on the Kun position, which also immediately burned. The red-haired man formed seals with his hands again, and the two flames under his body burned more and more vigorously. The flames jumped and penetrated more than ten feet high, and were extremely hot.

Bixia asked in a low voice: "Can he break the seal?"

"Yes!" Wuzhan looked at the flame and replied.

The red-haired man's body began to spin, causing the two flames beneath him to spin as well. The flames, one black and one white, were like two tadpoles, dragging their long tails as they swam in a circle in the huge copper plate. Their speed gradually increased, and the copper plate began to melt in the hot flames. The surface became bright, like a golden pool of water, with ripples appearing from time to time.

Bixia thought to herself: "Even if I meditate for another thousand years, I still won't be able to figure out how to unlock the seal, let alone control two flames like this. Who is this person? Why have I never heard of such a master in this world?"

The golden liquid in the copper plate also began to rotate with the flame, gradually covering the flame. A vortex appeared in the center of the disc. The vortex was like a funnel, spinning deeper and deeper, and its speed kept increasing. It had sunk more than three feet deep. The temperature around it was unbearable. Jiang Yuan and others avoided it from afar.

Bixia was extremely anxious at the moment. Although she didn't know who this person was, he had deceived so many people to come here, and he didn't dare to show his face in the cave. He must be doing something immoral and would not use the Xirang to control the flood. But even if she was not seriously injured, she could not stop them from doing evil. "What should I do? Should I hide here and watch these innocent villagers being killed?" She bit her thin lips tightly, her brows did not relax, and her clear mind froze.

Wuzhan turned to look at Bixia and whispered, "Don't be anxious, Yuanjun. Isn't it good for them to unlock the seal for us?"

When Bixia heard Wuzhan's words, she almost chuckled out loud and whispered, "You are not only cold-blooded and bold, but also speaks nonsense!" This was a rare smile for Bixia. Although the light was dim and it was fleeting, she still smiled.

……

The huge, hot, spinning golden funnel sank more than ten feet deep. When a black gap began to appear at the bottom, an angry shout like a loud bell was heard, "Huo Biao, die!" The sound resounded throughout the space.

(End of this chapter)