A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Zhu Cheng smiled slightly: "It seems that Mr. Ji already has the answer in his heart."

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy:

"This thing has only appeared in recent years. Our Zhu family elders realized its special nature when the bizarre realm first appeared—it can cover reality, form its own world, and exist stably for a long time. This is simply an opportunity given to us by the heavens."

"After paying a certain price, we combined the power of the divine treasure with the strange realm to create an artificial secret realm."

"A man-made secret realm?" Ji Zuodao frowned. "Aren't secret realms supposed to be naturally formed? How can they be man-made?"

In his understanding, secret realms are like rare and precious materials, formed by the convergence of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the creation of nature.

Some are in deep mountains and forests, some are in the deep sea abyss, and some are at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

In short, these are all masterpieces of nature, beyond human intervention.

This is common knowledge in the spiritual practice community.

But Zhu Cheng's expression didn't seem like he was lying.

Ji Zuodao narrowed his eyes, about to ask a few more questions, when he suddenly saw Zhu Cheng flip his wrist.

An imperial seal appeared in his palm.

The jade seal was pure white, with a warm and smooth texture, and shimmered with a soft luster in the sunlight.

The seal knob is carved with five coiled dragons, their heads held high, their bodies coiled, their scales and claws clearly defined, lifelike, as if they were about to break through the sky and fly away at any moment.

On the seal face are engraved eight seal characters: “By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.”

Ji Zuodao's eyes widened in surprise.

"Holy crap! The Imperial Seal of the State?!"

His gaze was fixed on the jade seal, his eyes filled with shock, greed, and a sense of disbelief, as if he were dreaming.

The Imperial Seal of the State!

That's the Imperial Seal of the State!

By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous!

These eight characters represent a certification coveted by countless emperors and a treasure fought over relentlessly by numerous powerful figures.

From the time of Qin Shi Huang onwards, emperors of all dynasties regarded possessing the Imperial Seal of the State as a symbol of legitimacy; whoever obtained it was the one destined by Heaven.

Throughout history, countless battles have been fought and countless people have died over this thing.

Which man hasn't fantasized about one day holding the Imperial Seal of the State?

Ji Zuodao remembered that his third master, Zhou Langchen, had one.

I don't know which tomb it was taken from, or which unlucky guy it was stolen from.

Anyway, Master San treasured it like the back of his hand. He usually kept it locked in a box, which was hidden under the bed, and the bed was covered with three layers of protective barriers.

When I occasionally take it out to play with it, my expression is just like holding my own newborn son, full of love, and I keep saying "Good baby, good baby".

Once, when his third master was away, Ji Zuodao secretly slipped into his room, intending to take out the jade seal and play with it.

As soon as he opened the box a crack, Master San appeared out of nowhere, carrying a stick as thick as a bowl. He chased him and beat him for half a hill, so badly that he didn't dare sit down to eat for three days.

From then on, Ji Zuodao developed a special obsession with the Imperial Seal of the State.

Now, Zhu Cheng casually pulled out the Imperial Seal of the State, as if it were a handkerchief, with nonchalance and ease.

Ji Zuodao felt his heart beating faster.

His gaze swept back and forth between the imperial seal and Zhu Cheng, his mind already calculating the feasibility of murder and robbery.

He is currently about three steps away from Zhu Cheng. If he were to unleash his full speed, he could close the distance in 0.3 seconds, kill him in 0.5 seconds, and seize the imperial seal in one second.

A perfect plan.

The only problem is that Zhu Cheng is protected by dragon energy. Every time Zhu Cheng approaches with malicious intent, the dragon energy gives him a warning, allowing him to avoid the danger. Without solving this problem, his plan cannot be implemented.

Ji Zuodao was pondering how to crack the dragon aura warning mechanism when Zhu Cheng suddenly spoke up.

"This is a counterfeit."

Zhu Cheng's voice was calm as still water, as if stating a trivial fact: "The genuine article is probably gathering dust in some noble family's treasury. This jade seal is merely a key to the secret realm of the Ming Dynasty."

Ji Zuodao was stunned for a moment.

Counterfeit?

His gaze lingered on the jade seal for a few seconds before slowly withdrawing it. The greed in his heart, like a balloon with a hole punched in it, deflated almost entirely in an instant.

Although it's a replica, it's so realistic. The texture, the carving, the luster—it's exactly the same as the real thing.

If Zhu Cheng hadn't personally stated that it was a replica, he would have absolutely believed that this was the original Imperial Seal of the State.

However, since it's a counterfeit, it's not worth the risk of robbing it.

Ji Zuodao silently dismissed the idea of ​​killing and robbing, but his face still wore the expression that said, "If you dare to lie to me, I'll kill you."

Zhu Cheng felt the frantic dragon energy around him finally subside, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I secretly made up my mind:

The young prince absolutely cannot follow that scoundrel Ji Zuodao any longer. As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black," who knows if he'll be raised to be corrupted?

What else is in this bastard's mind besides murder, arson, extortion, and murder for money?

He took a deep breath and stopped delaying.

With a flick of his wrist, the jade seal slowly floated into the air, hovering about a foot above his palm.

The jade seal emitted a soft white light, which grew brighter and brighter, like a small sun illuminating the entire courtyard as if it were daytime.

Then, a powerful, ancient spiritual energy, imbued with the weight of time, erupted from the jade seal.

Zhu Cheng's voice became solemn and dignified at this moment, as if he were reading a sacred edict:

"[Mythical Reenactment]"

He paused, then pronounced the eight words slowly and deliberately:

"May the sun and moon shine brightly, and may our mountains and rivers remain forever secure."

His voice echoed in the air, carrying a peculiar rhythm, like the sound of an ancient bell or a distant war drum.

The sound pierced through the barriers of time and space, reawakening a long-forgotten piece of history.

"Remembering the bloody suffering of that century of chaos—"

Zhu Cheng's voice grew increasingly louder, carrying a poignant and heroic tone: "Remember the iron-fisted oath we made in humble beginnings to rise up and launch a northern expedition to recover lost territories!"

His gaze was piercing, as if traversing six hundred years of time to see that turbulent era: "Our Great Ming Dynasty—no marriage alliances! No tributes! The emperor guards the nation's gates! The monarch dies for the state!"

He spoke each word deliberately, each syllable like the clash of metal, resounding and powerful: "Wherever the dragon banner flies, the Han dynasty's rivers and mountains will endure forever!"

Boom! ...

A deafening roar exploded in the sky above Chengguzhai.

The sound was not thunder, nor an earthquake, but a deeper, more magnificent roar, as if it came from the beginning of time.

The entire courtyard was shaking violently. The tea set on the stone table jingled, the tiles on the eaves trembled, and even the air was buzzing, as if some enormous creature was awakening from its slumber.

Qi Qi was startled, and almost dropped the lotus-shaped pastry in her hand. She subconsciously moved closer to Ji Zuodao, one hand tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, and the other hand still tightly clutching the lotus-shaped pastry, unwilling to put it down.

Ji Zuodao narrowed his eyes and subconsciously pulled Qiqi behind him to protect her.

Then, he saw it.

About three steps in front of the jade seal, the air began to distort.

At first, it was just a small whirlpool, like a drop of water falling on a calm surface, creating ripples.

But the ripples grew larger and deeper, like an invisible door slowly opening.

Then, the door opened.