Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 343: Apprehended and Brought to Justice, the Floating Seal

"Jin Feihua, Divine Constable of the Six Gates! This Saint Son will remember you!"

From within the hazy light barrier, the Taiyin Saint Son’s furious and exasperated voice rang out. He never imagined he would suffer such a setback the moment he entered Taiyin Heaven.

Thinking back on his bold ambitions before entering Taiyin Heaven, this was a massive slap in the face. It was his decision, after all, to be the first to enter the light barrier.

The Taiyin Saintess had proposed they observe and test the barrier first, but he had rejected her suggestions outright. It was a disastrous decision from the very start.

Naturally, all of this fell on his head. Making such a huge mistake right at the beginning was what made him feel so incredibly uncomfortable.

He was always the one scheming against others; when had he ever been the one who was schemed against?

And Jin Feihua, the mastermind behind the plot against him, naturally became the target of his revenge.

"I’ll be waiting for you," Jin Feihua replied coldly, unfazed. "I hope you can last a while. This Divine Constable would love to apprehend you and bring you to justice!"

"All of you below the External Iron Bone Refining Realm, search for Spiritual Objects outside the light barrier and wait for the Court to arrive. The rest of you, follow me into Taiyin Heaven."

Jin Feihua looked at the people from the Six Gates who had come with her. The two entry conditions meant that not many could enter.

In the major Sects, those at the External Iron Bone Refining Realm were either Direct Disciples or Stewards—certainly not ordinary individuals.

Even in the Holy Lands, they were considered Elite Level, not people who could be easily sacrificed.

There weren’t many people of this level in the Six Gates. Jin Feihua had only brought five who met the condition. Including herself, at the Peak of Internal Refining of the Five Viscera, there were six in total.

All things considered, that wasn’t bad.

Following Jin Feihua’s command, the five External Iron Bone Refining experts stepped through the light barrier with her.

The Supreme Sect and the Celestial Fragrance Sect made similar arrangements.

No Inner Master from the Cyan Yuan Sect had arrived yet. Their only Direct Disciple at the External Iron Bone Refining Realm grit his teeth. He ordered the other disciples to wait for reinforcements from the Cyan Yuan Sect and inform them of the situation with the barrier, then he stepped through the light barrier himself.

The situation for Chi State’s Holy Light Island was a bit better than the Cyan Yuan Sect’s. An Inner Master Elder happened to be nearby and had come with two Direct Disciples. After confirming the entry conditions, they went straight in.

There weren’t many Loose Cultivators who met the requirements, but those who did entered decisively.

There were also some who refused to believe the warnings. After they stepped into the light barrier, they dissolved into a bloody mist, which sobered up the other hot-headed Loose Cultivators considerably.

Even if they couldn’t enter the light barrier, there were still many Spirit Medicines in the area outside of it. For them, these Spirit Medicines were an opportunity in themselves.

Instantly, fighting broke out outside the light barrier.

Especially for the Loose Cultivators who couldn’t enter Taiyin Heaven, this was their only chance, and they certainly weren’t going to let it go.

They had risked their lives to come through the vortex; they had no intention of leaving empty-handed.

The strongest individuals outside the light barrier were only at the External Refining Steel Realm. They lacked the overwhelming deterrent power of an Inner Master. Furthermore, since every faction had people at the External Refining Steel Realm, chaos erupted in an instant.

Close-quarters combat began, blades clashing. The stench of blood filled the air outside the barrier before seeping into the ground and vanishing without a trace.

But through the hazy light barrier, nothing could be seen.

「...」

「Yuanqing Courtyard.」

Princess Lan Yue had already left. Unable to glean any useful information, she didn’t linger and instead returned to her Cultivation. With Yang Chan’s help, she had already comprehended the Emperor’s Extreme Force. Now, she was using various Elixirs for the Tempering of her bones and was not far from reaching Perfection.

Once her bones were fully Tempered to Perfection, she could attempt to break through to the Inner Master Realm and gain some power to protect herself.

The appearance of this strange Secret Realm had left her feeling a little uneasy. Only powerful Cultivation could be a source of peace.

Yang Chan was currently seated cross-legged in Cultivation. He was using his unique breathing technique to begin the Inner Refining of his Lungs and Spleens, absorbing the Medicinal Power of the Elixir he had just taken to accelerate the Tempering process for his Inner Refining of the Fifth Lungs and Spleen.

Suddenly, Yang Chan felt something was wrong. A strange presence had appeared in the room. His gaze shifted, and he saw the Incomplete Seal he had obtained from the No-Life Evil Cult flashing with a faint, dark light. It was even floating in the air.

Seeing this, Yang Chan didn’t approach. Instead, he backed away.

’If some old monster is hiding inside that Incomplete Seal, it’s best to keep my distance for now.’ He simultaneously revealed a fraction of his hidden aura as a deterrent. At the same time, he readied the various protective measures he had placed around the room, preparing for a sneak attack from the Incomplete Seal.

As he put on his Armor, he silently activated several traps. Hidden Weapons appeared in his hands.

He watched for a long time. The Incomplete Seal just floated there, glowing faintly, with no other movement. But Yang Chan did not let his guard down.

’Just as he liked to strike when others were at their most relaxed—that was when the success rate was highest, a single fatal blow.’

’He didn’t care whether the Incomplete Seal held an opportunity or not. For him, the most critical thing was to first rule out any danger.’

After watching for a while longer and seeing no movement, a poison-coated Silver Needle appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the Silver Needle shot directly at the Incomplete Seal.

’If there’s any danger hidden inside, I can take care of it first with poison and Hidden Weapons.’

’If things feel wrong, I can follow up with a Sleeve Arrow. If there’s still danger, I’ll counter with the Long Sword at my waist and my Demon Suppressing Sword Stance. And if it still feels wrong, I’ll escape with my Tier Four Wind-Stepping Technique.’

After discovering the floating Incomplete Seal, Yang Chan had already made all sorts of preparations in his mind.

DING!!!

A crisp sound rang out.

The floating Incomplete Seal was knocked back slightly by the Silver Needle, but it remained suspended in the air, unchanged.

He glanced at a nearby lantern. With a thought, he took out his flint and steel, lit the lantern, and threw it.

Under his precise control, the lantern enveloped the Incomplete Seal and burst into flames, releasing a scorched smell.

The smoke, fire, and scorched smell quickly alerted the Maid outside that something was wrong. She wanted to enter the room to check on the situation.

"Don’t come in. Nothing’s wrong. I’m researching something and plan to enter seclusion for a while."

Yang Chan’s brow furrowed. He had naturally noticed the movement outside. Glancing at the still-burning lantern, he decided against letting the Maid come in.

’Using a living person to test it would be better, of course, but it hasn’t come to that yet.’ That’s why Yang Chan didn’t let the Maid in. Besides, he didn’t want anyone else to know what was happening inside the room.

’If it’s an opportunity, I must hide it. If it’s a danger, I must dispose of it. Involving others would only make things more troublesome.’

Hearing this, the Maid outside stopped in her tracks and turned to leave.

When Yang Chan was in seclusion, he didn’t like to be disturbed. This was a rule in Yuanqing Courtyard, one that the Maid had naturally committed to memory.

If her curiosity got the better of her and she disobeyed Yang Chan, she would surely be kicked out of Yuanqing Courtyard, which would be terrible.

Yang Chan sensed her departure, but his eyes remained fixed on the burning lantern—or more precisely, on the Incomplete Seal inside it. As the lantern burned, the floating Incomplete Seal still showed no change.

No strange black shadows emerged, nor did any peculiar mist appear. It just continued to float there silently.

It remained unchanged even after the lantern had burned to ashes.

Yang Chan thought for a moment, took a few steps closer, and poured water directly onto the floating Incomplete Seal.

’Thermal expansion and contraction. Rapid cooling after high heat might affect it.’

’Even if the heat from the burning lantern wasn’t that high, it was still worth a try.’

TSS!

The water landed on the floating Incomplete Seal with a hiss, and then everything went back to normal.

Yang Chan thought again, then tried prodding it from a distance with a wooden stick and other objects, but he detected no other changes in the floating Incomplete Seal.

Finally, Yang Chan decided to put on a pair of specially prepared gloves and try touching it. He wiped it lightly with his gloved hand, revealing an incomplete character for ’Yin’ on its surface, but nothing else happened.

’Looks like this isn’t an Identity Token from the No-Life Evil Cult, but something else entirely.’

Yang Chan continued to wipe away the black stains, revealing its original appearance. It didn’t look particularly special.

’Completely unremarkable, not at all...’

Just as this thought surfaced in Yang Chan’s mind, a rift in space suddenly tore open above the Incomplete Seal and sucked him right in.

At that moment, a phrase suddenly came to Yang Chan’s mind: ’I was careless, I didn’t...’

Then, Yang Chan vanished from the room. Aside from the ashes and water on the floor that proved he had been there, the Incomplete Seal disappeared along with him.

「...」

"I never expected this to be Taiyin Heaven. How surprising."

"When the previous dynasty was on the brink of collapse, they found an opportunity within Taiyin Heaven, broke through to the National Guardian Martial Saint realm, and extended the dynasty’s life by another five hundred years."

"I should have remembered this secret lore. It’s a bit too late now."

Gu An, Sect Leader Liu Xuan, and the others were heading to the Qingyuan River where the phenomenon had appeared. Along the way, they received a letter that mentioned the matter of Taiyin Heaven.

Upon reading the message, they naturally understood what was going on.

Gu An looked particularly vexed at that moment.

If they had discovered the origin of the Secret Realm earlier, the Cyan Yuan Sect would have surely arranged for more people to enter. Going in now, they were definitely a step behind.

The letter mentioned many different factions: the Divine Constable of the Six Gates was leading a team personally, there were several unknown but powerful Sects, and Sects from several nearby states. In comparison, the people the Cyan Yuan Sect had sent in were relatively weak.

They didn’t have a single Inner Master there. They were far too slow.

"Hall Master Gu, don’t blame yourself. Who could have guessed it would turn out to be Taiyin Heaven? If it were a normal Secret Realm, it would still be accumulating power and wouldn’t have fully emerged for some time."

"Besides, Taiyin Heaven hasn’t closed yet. If we hurry, we can still make it."

"Being a step ahead doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the best rewards."

Sect Leader Liu Xuan offered a few words of comfort. He knew this wasn’t Gu An’s fault. They had previously arranged for an Inner Refining Elder to wait there, but when Taiyin Heaven appeared, that person had just been relieved and their replacement was still on the road.

Who could have predicted such a coincidence? They had missed it by a hair, which led to their current situation of being a step behind.

But what he said was also true. Entering first didn’t guarantee the best opportunities. In the end, it all came down to fate. Only those who walked out of Taiyin Heaven alive would know the final outcome.