"What"s with your tone?" he snapped. Evidently, even people from over several centuries ago still recognized sarcasm when they heard it.

"Well, in the first place, I told you that I"ll return once I do some research and find a way to break the seal," I replied with a shrug. "So why are you acting as if you knew I would return when I literally told you previously that I would?"

The expression on the old man"s face was priceless. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found himself at a loss for words. Eventually, he shut his mouth, took a deep breath, and sought to change the subject.

"So, did you?"

"Unfortunately, no." I quickly thought of an excuse on the spot. "I have too little information, so I returned to study the seal a bit more before going back and resuming my research." I actually hadn"t even begun on the research, to be honest, but the old man certainly didn"t need to know that. "I hope you don"t mind."

"Sure, study the seals." The old man immediately became a lot more polite. "As long as you succeed in getting me out of here, I can give you everything you want."

"Unfortunately, the things I want aren"t things that can be given." This time I was a lot more truthful. The old man grinned.

"Try me."

"I just want to live peacefully and for life to go smoothly. Without any problems." Before the old man could say anything, I quickly added. "And no, I want to accomplish that without killing, intimidating or beating up people just so things can go my way. I have no intention of being a tyrant."

"Well, if you"re strong, naturally people will leave you alone and you can leave peacefully. And you should be able to accomplish things more smoothly than if you don"t have any power." The old man had a point. "I can help you attain such power."

"We can talk about that after I help you. For now, as long as I still haven"t gotten you out of here, discussing all this is a moot point."

"True," the old man agreed. "I guess we"ll wait until you succeed before discussing anything." He gestured toward the chains and Spirit Engraved Pillars with his head – given that his limbs were bound by those metallic restraints, he could hardly do anything else. "Please go ahead."

I nodded and stepped forward, approaching him cautiously. My gla.s.ses had already recorded the images of the Spirit Engraved Pillars and the chains in our previous encounter, but I set them to recording again, just in case.

Just as I suspected, the chains themselves were Spirit Artifacts. There were intricate designs of arcane Spirit Diagrams engraved into their metallic surface, which seemed to glow azure when I neared them. Even if they didn"t give off that luminous light, I could sense the ma.s.sive amount if qi coursing through them – an amount required to suppress the vast amount of qi that the old man was exuding. It was almost like a thick layer of ice trying to contain a vast ocean underneath its frosty surface. A single crack and a tremendous burst of water will gush out.

The problem, of course, was cracking the ice to begin with.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" I asked as I studied the chains, occasionally prodding them with a tool.

"Sure, go ahead," the old man replied without hesitation. He didn"t seem to have anything to hide, and besides, most of his information were several centuries outdated, so there was little point in keeping them a secret. "What do you want to know?"

He appeared to believe that I was asking about the seals and restraints, and was attempting to gather as much information as possible so that I could break his seals.

"I know I"m supposed to address you as Ancestral Master, but what is your name?" I glanced at him. "I"ve read the history of the Heaven and Earth Sect, and I"m not sure which generation or which sect leader you"re supposed to be."

"I"m not the sect leader. I was never the sect leader." The old man smiled bitterly. "I was the right-hand man of Fo Tian, the sect leader of the time when I was still active in the sect, before I was sealed in here."

I nodded thoughtfully, vaguely recalling the name from a book I read regarding the sect.

"So you"re from nine centuries ago?"

This was a surprise. I had thought that Ancestral Master was from a time before then, which led to my confusion when I believed the sect didn"t exist that long. Fo Tian was one of the earliest sect leaders of Heaven and Earth Sect, according to the book I read anyway.

"That long has pa.s.sed?" Ancestral Master raised an eyebrow, and then sighed heavily. "I guess everyone I know has already died long ago."

"Yeah," I confirmed, trying to keep my tone neutral and tactful. No point p.i.s.sing him off, not when he was this powerful.

"But if you"ve heard of Fo Tian, then surely you know who Tian Yu Di is?" Ancestral Master grinned. "I"m that famous Tian Yu Di."

"The strongest Heaven and Earth Sect martial artist in the history of the sect…you"re that Tian Yu Di?!"

My jaw dropped when I heard the revelation. I had indeed read about Tian Yu Di, but nine centuries ago the camera had not been developed, so obviously I wouldn"t have been able to see his physical appearance.

"Weren"t you supposed to have been killed when you single-handedly fought off five orthodox sects at the same time? How did you end up here?"

Tian Yu Di snorted. "You"re right. At that time, the leader of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect sealed me in here, with the help of a few dozen martial artists from the White Tiger Sect, the Green Dragon Sect, the Red Phoenix Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect." He scoffed in laughter. "They couldn"t kill me, so they could only seal me after sacrificing so many of their martial artists."

His expression then darkened. "But I underestimated the Spirit Engravers of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. To think they were capable of inventing a Spirit Formation that was able to seal me for eternity! d.a.m.n them…"

"Technically I"m part of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect now," I told him. "So I hope you"ll forget your enmity with them if possible."

That probably was too much to ask for, but I was surprised when Tian Yu Di smiled.

"Kid, if you succeed in getting me out of here, never mind forgiving the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, if you want me to join it and protect it, I"ll do it if you ask."

"Deal," I said immediately.

With so many orthodox martial arts sects from the Martial Arts Alliance surrounding and besieging us, we were going to need all the firepower we could get. And this guy seemed like he could fight off all ten sects by himself. Obviously that was far too much to hope for, but combined with the battle-automata army that Blood Blades controlled, and the combat strength of Blood Blades, I was sure we would be able to counterattack and drive them away from Tushan City.

But something else occurred to me. I couldn"t possibly be the only one Tian Yu Di approached and tried to strike a deal with. I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with Sect Leader Zi, Sect Lady Zi, Hai Rong and the Great Elders.

"Do you know who Xue Jian is?" I asked.

"Xue Jian?" Tian Yu Di"s face contorted in rage. "What is your relationship with him?"

"Hmm, apparently he was the commander of the Blood Blades…the military arm of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect long before I joined." I tilted my head to the side. "We were fighting against his disciple and adopted son who held a grudge against him, and apparently they both seemed to have learn martial arts from you."

"That"s right." Tian Yu Di nodded, his anger slipping behind a cool mask. "I did indeed teach Xue Jian Heaven and Earth Absorption. He made a deal with me, promising to free me from the seal if I gave him power. But evidently he reneged on his deal. Where is he now? Directing his disciple from the shadows, I presume?"

I shook my head. "Xue Jian died a long time ago. I heard that he fed on human flesh and drank human blood, becoming a monster." I frowned. "I"m pretty sure Heaven and Earth Absorption has nothing to do with consuming human flesh and blood. We just absorb qi straight from our opponents, there is no need to ingest the physical body for the qi."

"Hah!" Tian Yu Di snorted. "You"re indeed correct. It appears that Xue Jian was seeking for a shortcut. While the technique only emphasizes on qi absorption, consuming the flesh of others would increase the amout of qi you absorb, making you stronger in a shorter time. Obviously there are side effects. You"ll lose your humanity and become a monster if you continue indulging in such inhuman practices. Not to mention you"ll also lose your sanity." He nodded with a smirk. "That lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d got what he deserved."

"…"

I fell silent, remembering the time when I had to consume Magical Beasts and Demonic Creatures to survive in Sen Lin Forest. Unfortunately, as I said before, the effect didn"t stack, so even if I continued to consume magical beasts and demonic creatures, I wouldn"t grow stronger than before. On the other hand, I did suffer from the side effect of becoming less human and becoming more monstrous. Upon eating the Lunar Rabbit and Silverback Wolves, my physical const.i.tution had transformed somewhat (obviously there was little point eating more monster meat – it wasn"t as if I would undergo a second transformation).

Was it similar to the side effects that Tian Yu Di was talking about? If that was the case, I was glad I didn"t go on an eating binge in an attempt to increase my strength and qi as much as possible (not that it would have been particularly effective, anyway). I would have lost my sanity and become a true monster like Xue Jian.

Worse, with demonic creatures" flesh being of a completely different const.i.tution from humans, it would take less demonic creature meat to turn me into a monster in less time than it would have for Xue Jian"s indulgement in human flesh.

I shuddered, suddenly grateful for being cautious and not greedy.

"At least you"ve more integrity." Tian Yu Di grinned at me. "To think you didn"t ask for a reward or payment straight and only accept it after you succeed…kids like you are far and few." He sighed. "It would be a waste…"

"What do you mean it would be a waste?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.

Tian Yu Di raised his head to look at me, his eyes unreadable. He smiled in a disarming manner.

"I mean it"ll be a waste if you were to fall to those orthodox martial arts sects attacking your Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. Best to free me as quickly as possible so that I can get rid of them for you."

"Fair enough." I nodded, and then turned my attentions to the Spirit Engraved Pillars. I was suddenly reminded of that time when I decoded the Spirit Engravings on the barrier protecting the Nascent Soul Stage pract.i.tioner"s tomb. It occurred to me that if I could decode the Spirit Engravings, I might be able to reverse them and neutralize them.

If that happened, the chains shackling Tian Yu Di would be unlocked, and once all of them were released, then he would be free.

However, there was something about Tian Yu Di that I couldn"t trust. I needed to take precautions against him, just in case he betrayed me.

But for now, I wanted to inspect the Spirit Engraved Pillars. It was fine and all taking precautions, but with the sect in such great danger right now, I needed to find a way to release Tian Yu Di and unleash him on them. Then I could worry about everything else later.

Stepping forward, I inspected the closest Spirit Engraved Pillar, which happened to be the Heavenly Nine Winding Rivers one. The Spirit Diagram was identical to the one I saw in the material world outside.

No, not just the Spirit Diagram. The whole Spirit Engraved Pillar was identical to the one in the material world. Down to the qi signature that it emanated, which gave off a cool air that suffused the surroundings.

I traced the symbols and pictographs engraved into the Spirit Diagram, decoding it with the a.s.sistance of my gla.s.ses and finding a way to break it down. After a few minutes, I realized that I could disa.s.semble the Spirit Diagram by focusing on a single critical point.

This just happened to be the area where the chain was connected. In other words, if I could break it, the chain would be released. Of course, such a thing wasn"t a simple matter. The chain and its port were exuding a dense, powerful aura of qi.

Good. Then I should be able to free Tian Yu Di. All I needed to do was work and decode each and every one of the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars, and I would break the seal and set him free. I would probably need an hour or two, but it was doable.

Of course I didn"t just do it straight away. I needed to make preparations and take precautions, especially against someone as powerful and dangerous as Tian Yu Di. So I merely nodded as if understanding something, and backed off.

"I"ll return to do some more research," I told Tian Yu Di. "I"m sure I"ll be able to figure it out eventually." I grinned. "Hopefully before the ten sects break into my sect."

"You should hurry," Tian Yu Di urged me, unaware of my deception. I didn"t enlighten him. The more I kept him in the dark, the longer I would stay alive.

Not only that, I had caught a glimpse of malevolence in his eyes. Tian Yu Di might have thought he was concealing it perfectly, but I knew that he was less than honorable. I had read the history of Heaven and Earth Sect, and recalled how he was among the most ruthless and merciless of martial artists in the Heaven and Earth Sect.

If I didn"t take any precautions and simply freed him, he would kill me instantly the moment he was released.

But I didn"t inform him of that. Rather, another question came to mind.

"If all you needed was for someone to free you from the seals, why do you need a host body?" I studied his emaciated form, which was trapped by the chains. "If I free you from these chains, would you still need a host body? Or is the one in front of me right now your spiritual body, and your physical body has been destroyed long ago?"

Tian Yu Di chuckled when he heard that.

"Don"t worry," he a.s.sured me. "You"re right. This is my spiritual body, and I need a host body to enter this Spirit World and free myself. I need the host body to break my chains and undo the seal. After that, I can fully take over the host body and replenish myself with his qi. Even if I break free, as you can see, I"m in a terribly weakened state, without a physical body of my own. I"ll need to take over the body of a martial artist with similar qi and techniques to myself so that I can regain my strength."

To my horror, I suddenly realized why Tian Yu Di was willing to teach Xue Jian Heaven and Earth Absorption. It wasn"t simply because Xue Jian demanded for strength and Tian Yu Di was keeping his end of the bargain. He was planning to take over Xue Jian"s body and qi the moment the latter freed him! Xue Jian must have noticed the scheme, so he refused to return to the plaza and Spirit Engraved Pillars later, and resorted to consuming human flesh and blood to exponentially increase his power.

This old man…there was no way I could let my guard down around him.

"Don"t worry, I won"t absorb your qi," Tian Yu Di a.s.sured me again, but I wasn"t stupid enough to believe him. "You"re a disciple of my sect, so I"ll do my best to nurture you." he studied me for a moment. "Whoever your master is, he has taught you well. You already have a firm grasp of Heaven and Earth Formula, and to think you"ve also already mastered Heaven and Earth Absorption. However, I can tell that your skills are far from complete!"

"I"m sure you can," I muttered. Tian Yu Di ignored my sarcasm for now, and continued.

"You still haven"t mastered Heaven and Earth Strike or Heaven and Earth Reversal yet, have you? I can teach them to you, and all the other secret techniques of Heaven and Earth Formula that your master hasn"t taught you yeet, before his demise. What do you think?"

"I already know the theory behind Heaven and Earth Strike. All I need is more practice and I"ll be able to eventually master it. I don"t mean to sound arrogant, but I can probably learn it even without you teaching me."

Tian Yu Di"s eyes narrowed, and I quickly added.

"But any help is welcomed, of course. I"ll free you even if you didn"t gree to teach me, that"s what I mean. I don"t need anything in return, except for your a.s.sistance in driving away the Martial Arts Alliance and protecting Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. That"s all."

Right now the sect was being besieged by ten orthodox sects from the Martial Arts Alliance. We could hold out indefinitely, but until the royal family sent the Imperial Guard to relieve us, our collapse might seem imminent. Furthermore, if we attempted to evacuate, we would have to deal with the deadly horde of demons dwelling in the underground pa.s.sageways. Our situation was looking dire. Thus I was willing to use any and all method to overturn the situation, and Tian Yu Di might just be able to save Nine-Tailed Fox Sect from destruction.

As long as I could persuade him (through arcane methods) to help Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, we would be able to resolve our current dilemma.

"That"s all you want?" Tian Yu Di scoffed. "Just to save your secondary sect? Don"t forget, boy, that you"re a Heaven and Earth Sect member above being a Nine-Tailed Fox Sect member."

"If I can"t even save my secondary sect, then how am I supposed to rebuild and restore Heaven and Earth Sect?" I countered.

Tian Yu Di fell silent for a moment, and then he nodded. "Fair enough."

"Well, I"ll get going then. I"ll be back once I make my preparations." I pretended to study the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars carefully. "I"ve a pretty good grasp of what"s going on, so the next time I return, I should be able to undo the seal and free you. I hope." I made the sign of the Aquila by folding my thumb into my palm.

"I look forward to it then," Tian Yu Di replied dryly, but I could see the hope sparking in his eyes. After being imprisoned for almost a millennium, he was desperate to get out of here. He could almost taste his freedom.

I didn"t blame him.

After I left the Spirit World, I headed back to the library in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. It wasn"t as big and extensive as the library in Wu Ling Academy, but what it lacked in range and collection, it more than made up for its more specialized repository of Spirit Diagrams. Being a sect that focused on blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving, it was natural that the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect would have a lot more books on engraving Spirit Diagrams and creating Spirit Formations.

I just needed to look for the right one.

Yeah, I know. If I was Qin Lie in Armament Sect, I could just take a book that conveniently happened to be in the spatial ring that the sect master and great reverends gave me and find whatever I needed there. But unfortunately, I wasn"t a protagonist of some xianxia story where everything contrived to provide me with whatever I needed (see my comments regarding Lin Dong in Wu Dong Qian Kun during the tomb exploration arc), so I had to do this the hard way.

And that meant browsing through the books in the library and trying to pinpoint a relevant t.i.tle. And even when I found a few relevant t.i.tles, I had to go through each and every one of them to find anything useful.

Just as it was in reality, many of the books I picked out at first turned out to not be that useful or relevant, offering Spirit Diagrams that were not suitable for my current purposes. They were either too weak, or didn"t suit my intentions. Someone of Tian Yu Di"s strength would be able to destroy most of the Spirit Formations without breaking a sweat, especially if he was released completely. Even in his current weakened state, I could sense how incredibly powerful he was.

Furthermore, I didn"t want to kill him or seal him again. Many of the restraining Spirit Formations just sealed him – and if I wanted to seal him, I might as well just leave him inside the Spirit World under the Spirit Engraved Pillars. Why bother wasting the time and effort to free him, just to seal him again?

Not only that, but I also needed Tian Yu Di"s strength. I wanted to use him to fight against the Martial Arts Alliance, and he obviously couldn"t do that if I sealed him again. I would be better off using the time to devise more things…like forging Terminator Profound Bombs…I mean Sunburst Spirit Bombs instead.

No, I wanted a Spirit Seal that could bind him to my will. To put it in uglier terms, I wanted to enslave him. That sounded pretty evil of me, but given my current predicament, I was willing to resort to any means to save my sect, no matter the cost. I didn"t care if I had to become a villain. If it helped Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, then I would do it.

Besides, in all honesty, n.o.body would be comfortable with a monster like Tian Yu Di running around in the Great Zhou Empire, free of his seals and restraints. The last time he was free, nine centuries ago, he rampaged against the Great Zhou Empire and destroyed hundreds of orthodox martial arts sects. He was responsible for the slaughter of Nan Jing City, and for ma.s.sacring five hundred martial artists at the battle of Blood Cliff.

Such a terrifying monster…to set him loose on the world again just to save my sect would be incredibly irresponsible. And of course, there was the highly likely possibility that he would turn on me and destroy Nine-Tailed Fox Sect for laughs.

No, I needed a way to control him. There was no point letting a rabid wolf out of its cage without putting a leash on it, or it would wipe out the entire city.

It took me six hours (admittedly, I took a few breaks in between), but I finally found what I was looking for. I scrutinized the Spirit Diagram, read up on it a few times to ensure that it did what I wanted it to do, and then snapped a few recorded images with my gla.s.ses for future reference. I wasn"t going to bring the library book into the Spirit World, after all.

"Yup, this is it!"

I reared to my full height, looking pretty pleased. Pushing my gla.s.ses up my nose, I returned all the books to the shelves. As it had gotten pretty late, and night had fallen, I decided to retire for the day. I was mentally exhausted after studying so much.

By that point, I realized I had spent nearly eight hours in the library. Yeah, an additional two hours to pore over the Spirit Formation I came across and making sure it was the right one.

To be honest, I had also found another Spirit Formation that could be useful, but as I didn"t have anything that symbolized my authority or any proof of my leadership, I could hardly use it. I took a few pictures of the text and Spirit Diagram, just in case. The more resources I had on hand, the better, and I would rather have it and not require it than require it and found out that I didn"t have it.

"This should be enough."

Taking a deep breath, I returned to my dorm room and went to sleep after making sure that our defenses held. It appeared that while I was studying, the rest of the Blood Blades and beaten off yet another a.s.sault from the ten sects and held. However, it was becoming more of a close-run thing, especially when I saw several of the Blood Blades martial artists being ferried off to the infirmary.

We might have less time than we thought we had.