Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 175 - 172 Demon Suppression Seal

Chapter 175: Chapter 172 Demon Suppression Seal

Apart from that dead-end, the remaining passages were long and complex, not infinitely diverging but intersecting multiple times, forming a large network that extended beneath the mountain range.

Ye Xuan couldn’t be sure which path was the wrong one, but he could determine which paths would save them a lot of detours and troubles.

"Then we’ll go first. Elder Ouyang, if you can’t make up your mind, you can follow us. I don’t mind."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as Ye Xuan returned to the Heavenly Martial Hall camp, his gaze landing on Ling Qianxue. "We should go."

"Are you confident?"

Ling Qianxue also looked at Ye Xuan incredulously; trusting him completely in a short time was quite difficult, especially considering the unpredictable consequences if anything went wrong.

"What do you think?"

Ye Xuan’s expression remained unchanged, calmly looking at Ling Qianxue, waiting for her to make a decision.

Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Ling Qianxue’s eyes flickered, and she nodded, asking softly, "Which path do we take?"

"This underground is like a huge maze; we can’t just take one path. We must split into at least two groups. The group with more people will take the second branch, and the smaller group will take the fifth."

Ye Xuan briefly pondered and then had a detailed plan of action, which he conveyed to Ling Qianxue via Divine Sense, "This underground network is very vast, and the fifth branch is unfathomable and perhaps the most dangerous. You make the decision. In any case, I am taking the fifth branch."

With Ye Xuan’s current cultivation realm, he could only vaguely sense a bit of the truth. After all, even Elder Ouyang Lie had completely failed to explore it, so reaching this level was quite an achievement for him.

"Brother Leng, you and the two Elders, Han, bring all the disciples along the second branch," Ling Qianxue paused briefly, then began assigning tasks.

"And you? What about Junior Brother Ye?" Leng Ruofeng asked, somewhat surprised.

"This underground network connects everywhere; we must act separately. Go ahead," Ling Qianxue waved her hand, evidently having a plan in mind.

"Okay."

No further questions asked, Leng Ruofeng led a group from the Heavenly Martial Hall into the second branch.

"Let’s go."

Once Leng Ruofeng and his group had vanished at the branch’s entrance, Ye Xuan also turned to Ling Qianxue, then headed toward the fifth branch.

Seeing Ye Xuan and Ling Qianxue enter the fifth branch, Han Li from the Wildfire Sect stepped forward, looking respectfully at Elder Ouyang Lie, "Elder Ouyang, which path do we take?"

"We’ll split up too."

Elder Ouyang Lie pondered for a while, then divided his people into two groups. He initially wanted to choose the fifth branch, but after recalling Ye Xuan’s last remark, he dismissed the idea and chose the third and fourth branches instead. After all, if he chose the same path as Ye Xuan, wouldn’t it be like slapping his own face?

In no time, the remaining forces, like Xingyun Pavilion and Earth Evil Sect, had also begun entering different branches. Many followed the paths Elder Ouyang Lie chose, trusting his spiritual power might lead them in the right direction, while disregarding Ye Xuan, assuming he just blindly guessed.

As more people from outside entered the cavern, following all the major Sects’ practitioners, other lesser forces and families eagerly rushed into the pathways.

Meanwhile, in the fifth branch, Ye Xuan and Ling Qianxue moved quickly forward, even ignoring some chambers appearing on the sides, heading straight toward the deeper parts of the branch.

"Have you carefully thought about this path you chose, or do you really possess a method for spiritual power detection?" After walking in the dim passage for quite some time, Ling Qianxue couldn’t help but ask.

"I just guessed randomly," Ye Xuan casually replied.

"What?"

Ling Qianxue was stunned, then stopped in her tracks, her pretty face turning sour.

"Now you have two choices: either continue to follow me forward or go back the way we came since we haven’t gone too far."

Ye Xuan didn’t take notice of Ling Qianxue’s expression and just continued forward, displaying a highly irresponsible attitude.

"How dare you deceive me?"

Ling Qianxue’s face grew cold, as if she was about to explode, sending a chill wind striking Ye Xuan’s back.

"I didn’t deceive you. These underground branches are like a maze. Elder Ouyang Lie couldn’t see through them either; he guessed, and you think he could do any better? Following me, you at least avoid a lot of detours."

It appeared he was afraid of Ling Qianxue now, as Ye Xuan hurriedly explained, lest she get really angry and start a fight right there.

"If you’re lying, I won’t easily forgive you," Ling Qianxue stated coldly.

"Yes, yes, you’re the queen, you’re the boss."

Ye Xuan knew Ling Qianxue’s temper; here at least, she responded better to gentle words than to force, so he softened his tone.

After Ye Xuan relented, Ling Qianxue also seemed satisfied. The two stopped arguing and dashed with all their might towards the inner part of the passage, their speed increasing.

Not much later, two forked paths appeared before them.

"Which way?"

Ling Qianxue looked to Ye Xuan. At this point, she was resigned to her fate, deciding to trust Ye Xuan completely.

"Right."

Ye Xuan halted to use his Divine Sense to probe around, then he sprinted into the right passage, with Ling Qianxue quickly following behind him.

After passing several forked paths and about an hour later, Ye Xuan and Ling Qianxue had ventured deep into the underground network. They finally reached the end of the passage, where a simple stone chamber appeared before them.

The stone chamber was sealed all around, with only one sealed stone door as an entrance. This door, seemingly cast from some special material blended into the stones, was covered with ancient patterns, clearly sealing the door.

"This door is sealed shut."

Ye Xuan stopped outside the stone door, observing the somewhat visible runes on it and said,

"Let’s see if we can break through forcibly."

Ling Qianxue drew her sword from her waist and fiercely cleaved at the stone door. Sharp sword light fell, but the moment it contacted the door, the dim runes on it suddenly brightened and repelled the sword light.

The rebounding force caused Ling Qianxue to stagger backward, her face flushed with exertion from the backlash.

"Such strong power."

Ling Qianxue sheathed her sword. The sealing power was too overwhelming; her stroke had almost employed eighty percent of her strength, yet it didn’t impact the seal at all.

"Brute force is useless here, now we need to use our brains."

Ye Xuan shook his head. After Ling Qianxue sheathed her weapon, he approached the stone door to study the runes and the structure of the door and its surroundings meticulously.

Click!

Suddenly, after some searching, Ye Xuan seemed to press something that resembled a mechanism. After he rotated the mechanism button, the runes on the stone door abruptly cracked, turning into dust and scattering down from the door.

Boom!

As the runes fractured, the tightly closed stone door slowly opened.

Ling Qianxue, who had been waiting to see Ye Xuan make a fool of himself, furrowed her brows, surprised that he had actually managed to figure out how to open the stone door.

As the stone door opened, a torrent of dust spread, and from within the chamber, a surge of considerable energy pulsated out.

The two covered their mouths and noses with their hands as they stepped into the chamber. Inside, the chamber was very spacious. Although there were some furnishings, they were all decayed, with only the stone coffin in the very center catching the eye.

Ye Xuan and Ling Qianxue walked forward a few steps and, after noticing that there was nothing else around, they focused their gaze on the stone coffin. On its surface seemed to be a faint Light Shield, sealing the coffin.

Their eyes moved over the surface of the coffin, quickly settling on the center of the coffin, where a glowing golden seal was embedded, the faint Light Shield emanating from it.

"Is this... the Demon Suppression Seal?"

Their eyes lit up almost simultaneously. The Demon Suppression Seal, quite renowned among Heavenly Grade artifacts, according to the records of Heavenly Martial Hall, was a powerful object capable of restraining evil demons. They had not expected to see an artifact only mentioned in ancient texts here.

Whoosh!

At the same time, both sprang forward, their hands fiercely reaching for the Demon Suppression Seal.

Both hands gripped the Demon Suppression Seal simultaneously, yet neither would yield, clinging tightly to it.

"I’ve led you this far; just let me have the Demon Suppression Seal."

Ye Xuan exerted force, pulling the seal towards him.

"I won’t yield!"

Ling Qianxue was not about to give up easily, pulling the Demon Suppression Seal back with great force.

"So you want to fight then? Don’t accuse me of bullying a woman later," Ye Xuan’s eyes darkened, it wasn’t the time for niceties. The Demon Suppression Seal was a Heavenly Grade artifact; obtaining it would significantly enhance whoever held it. There could be no consideration for the weaker party, even if Ling Qianxue was a woman.

"Bring it on, who’s afraid of whom?"

Ling Qianxue was unyielding, gripping the Demon Suppression Seal firmly. She shared Ye Xuan’s mindset; now was not the time for camaraderie among sect members. It was all illusory, and discussing camaraderie could wait until after the dispute over the Demon Suppression Seal was settled.