Echoes of the Seal
It was the very key fragment that had been stolen from the auction house some time ago. Myeong-ha handed the fragment he had received from Gwak Yeon straight to Jekyeong, who accepted it naturally.
‘It’s the same.’ Though its physical shape differed, the feeling it exuded was identical to the one Myeong-ha possessed. An extremely subtle and bizarre aura emanated from the otherwise unremarkable piece of iron.
“Well, now that we’ve finished the bulk of our discussion, let’s get moving. We can easily talk about the rest on the way, can we not?”
“As you wish.”
Myeong-ha summoned a carriage, while Gwak Yeon produced a flying boat. Both Dharma Treasures were easily large enough to carry five or six people. Jekyeong naturally boarded Myeong-ha’s carriage, while Jo Baek boarded Gwak Yeon’s flying boat. Soon, the two flying vessels soared high into the sky.
The flying carriage and the boat moved side by side, matching each other's speed. Thanks to this, their conversation could proceed without difficulty even high up in the heavens.
“Fellow Daoist Gwak. I do not know the current state of the Gwak family, but you must keep a close eye on other factions.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It seems the actions you took in the past to search for traces of the Gwak family have caught the attention of certain individuals.”
“Will there be trouble?”
Gwak Yeon did not ask if it was true. She, too, seemed to have her own concerns. Indeed, having killed dozens of skilled Talisman Masters in such a short period, it would have been stranger if it hadn't caused a stir.
“The trouble has already begun. It seems someone performed a divination.”
“...”
Gwak Yeon’s voice cut off abruptly. It was easy to picture her sitting inside the flying boat, utterly bewildered.
‘Divination.’ Jekyeong, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, fell into thought. The cultivation world was full of all kinds of bizarre and mystical arts. Divination, often referred to as reading the heavenly secrets, was the prime example.
The art of divination, which was said to allow one to peer into the past, present, and future from where they sat, was one of the most difficult arts for laymen to comprehend. Unless one personally stepped into that unknown domain, it could neither be understood nor glimpsed. Furthermore, entering this path was something one could not even dream of without innate talent. Thus, although it was called the Dao of Divination, it was a field difficult to classify as a standard immortal art.
“How much has been revealed?” After a brief silence, Gwak Yeon asked in a low, subdued voice.
“I do not know that either. However, do not worry too much. Deriving a divination is no simple matter. Even a grandmaster of divination whose cultivation has reached the absolute peak cannot produce a reading without some sort of connection. The famous diviners of Yang-seo-ho are likely not of a very high level, so the only reason he could obtain a reading was surely because of the connection to the Gwak family bloodline. Since he used the person in question as a medium to divine her affairs, he was barely able to produce a result.”
Jekyeong was slightly surprised as he watched Myeong-ha rattle off this fluent explanation. He could intuitively sense that what Myeong-ha was saying was not nonsense. ‘Could this guy actually be well-versed in the Dao of Divination as well?’
“What they sought to discover through the divination was likely the cause of the Talisman Masters' misfortunes, and perhaps, at most, the identity of the perpetrator.”
“Does that mean details about the seal have been exposed?”
“No. That is impossible. Though a long time has passed, the karma of two Core Formation cultivators is deeply intertwined with that seal. Even a grandmaster of divination of equal rank would suffer a severe backlash if they attempted to divine it without preparation. How could a mediocre diviner from Yang-seo-ho hope to peer into such a thing?”
Gwak Yeon’s sigh of relief was almost audible.
“I suspect what the diviner discovered was merely the reason the Talisman Masters met their sudden disasters. He wouldn't have been able to learn anything about the seal, so at most, he would have realized it was related to the Gwak family bloodline.”
“Even if that is all they discovered, it is dangerous enough. Those who know the secret history of the Gwak family will easily be able to deduce the true reason.”
“Indeed. That is why we must hurry. We may not have much time left.”
Jekyeong quietly watched Myeong-ha frighten Gwak Yeon and make her anxious with just a few words. He naturally seized the initiative without fabricating a single lie, and even an experienced late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was helplessly reeled in. Gwak Yeon’s mind was likely so cluttered right now that she didn't even realize she was being manipulated.
“I didn’t make anything up. Everything I said is the truth,” Myeong-ha whispered via sound transmission.
“I merely did a bit of groundwork to prepare for what lies ahead.”
“I know. More importantly... you seem to know quite a bit about the Dao of Divination.”
Myeong-ha gave a bitter smile at Jekyeong's question.
“It is nothing major. I simply know a bit more than those who are completely ignorant of it.”
Since Myeong-ha clearly didn't want to elaborate, Jekyeong did not pry further.
Afterward, the group conversed from time to time. Most of it was discussion about their future plans, but on rare occasions, they engaged in personal chats. Naturally, those conversations took place mostly between Myeong-ha and Jo Baek.
Myeong-ha showed quite an interest in this young and talented Dao Companion of Gwak Yeon, and Jo Baek did not seem uncomfortable with the senior's blatant attention, responding amiably to keep the conversation flowing. Watching this, Jekyeong thought that whatever else Jo Baek might lack, his sociability was certainly among the best of all the cultivators he had ever met.
“If nothing unexpected happens, we will arrive within two days,” Gwak Yeon’s low voice roused the group.
Jekyeong, who had been meditating throughout the entire journey, opened his eyes, which had been closed for six full days, upon hearing her words.
The sealed entrance to the Secret Realm was located in the middle of a dense forest. Even as Jekyeong followed Gwak Yeon toward the sealed site, he felt absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. If the key fragment in his breast pocket had not begun to thrum with an increasingly powerful vibration, he might have suspected that something was wrong.
“It is incredibly well-hidden. I see why the Gwak family left the sealed site so seemingly unguarded.”
“They hid the extraordinary behind the ordinary. Unless someone had a specific reason to look, who would pay any attention to such a mundane hill?” Gwak Yeon replied calmly to Myeong-ha’s admiration.
“You speak the truth, Fellow Daoist. The Gwak family is truly wise.” Myeong-ha, too, was feeling the thrumming grow increasingly intense.
“We are almost there. Let us go.”
Gwak Yeon no longer led the way. The thrumming of the key fragments was already indicating exactly where the sealed site lay. Of course, Jekyeong and Myeong-ha also understood Gwak Yeon’s minor apprehension about showing her back to them. Without a word, they walked side by side with Gwak Yeon and Jo Baek.
“Indeed,” Myeong-ha muttered, frowning as he sensed something when they stepped deeper into the forest.
Jekyeong and Jo Baek felt it as well. However, while Jo Baek’s face turned slightly pale and he only regained his composure after receiving help from Gwak Yeon, Jekyeong merely reacted calmly, much like Myeong-ha.
‘Is this the contamination?’ For a brief moment, Jekyeong felt a stir of emotion. For a cultivator of his realm to experience an emotional disturbance without cause was naturally impossible, so this was undoubtedly related to the seal they were approaching.
“It seems so. It stimulates various negative emotions. At this intensity, an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator would probably go mad instantly.” Myeong-ha’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“It is incredibly powerful. To think that the residual thoughts of a cultivator who died thousands of years ago could still be this potent. And this is even while suppressed by the seal. I cannot help but wonder how powerful it will be once the seal is undone.”
“Fellow Daoist, please let curiosity remain just curiosity,” Gwak Yeon warned in a stiff, rigid tone, but Myeong-ha laughed it off as if it were nothing.
“Do not worry. I know how to weigh the gravity of things.”
A moment later, their footsteps halted. Before them stood a massive boulder. It was so large that one had to tilt their head back to see the top, but it did not look particularly special.
However, possessing the key fragments, they could sense mysterious patterns carved into the boulder that were invisible to the naked eye. It resembled both a talisman script and a formation array. As Jekyeong was a layman in both fields, he could only barely recognize that it was a form of power. This mysterious force was undoubtedly the seal itself.
“Whew. It is truly extraordinary. We have only gotten slightly closer, yet the power of the malicious thoughts has easily doubled.”
“If it is already like this out here, I cannot imagine what it will be like inside the Secret Realm.” Jo Baek looked somewhat worried.
No one could mock him for being cowardly. Though they were fine for now, the malicious thoughts leaking outside the seal were already this potent; as he said, there was no telling what lay inside the Secret Realm. Even Myeong-ha, who had spoken so lightly, now wore a visibly heavier expression.
“What do we do now?”
“We simply need to bring the key fragments to the seal. Once the fragments resonate with the seal, a gap will open.”
“Simple enough. And when we come out?”
“It should be the same.”
This time, it was a guess rather than an assertion, but no one pointed it out. Who could possibly know the situation inside the seal? Even if Gwak Yeon did, she was under no obligation to tell them.
Their prior agreement was merely not to make a move against each other inside, not to look after one another's lives. Once they stepped inside, it would naturally be every man for himself.
“Then, let us go.”
The group each drew out their key fragments and stood before the boulder.
Thrum— As the four key fragments were brought together, the vibration grew loud enough to be heard by the naked ear. At the same time, the boulder, which had stood as firm as a thousand-year-old monolith, began to ripple like the surface of water struck by pouring rain.
“Now.”
Gwak Yeon reached out. Her hand penetrated straight through the rippling boulder, and soon her entire body was sucked in and vanished. Jo Baek hastily followed right behind her.
“It seems there are no issues,” Myeong-ha said, glancing back at Jekyeong after watching them disappear.
“Indeed.”
Without needing to decide who would go first, Jekyeong and Myeong-ha reached toward the boulder at the same time. Soon, they too vanished without a trace.
A moment later, several figures emerged in the once-again silent sealed site. An old man with striking snow-white hair and eyebrows, two middle-aged men with faces as rigid as stone, and several youths whose expressions were filled with clear defiance.
“Patriarch, why did you...” One of the youths trailed off, looking at the old man. The old man looked back at him and asked in return:
“If I had tried to stop them, do you truly believe I could have?”
“Patriarch... surely you don't mean...” The youth widened his eyes in disbelief, as if he had never imagined the Patriarch would say such a thing.
“The woman is of the Gwak family bloodline. Her cultivation is not inferior to mine, and without borrowing the power of the Blood-Viewing Mirror, I could not be certain of suppressing her. The young cultivator following her is in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, but he is not to be underestimated either. As for the other two... even I could not see through them. With what confidence, then, could I have stopped them?”
The youth’s mouth fell open. Watching this, the Patriarch smiled bitterly to himself.
This was the biggest problem. The youths of the family, regardless of their talent, had terrible judgment. However, they could not be blamed for this. Having spent almost their entire lives within the family or under its sphere of influence, their perspective was no different from a frog in a well.
In their eyes, their Patriarch was an peerless powerhouse who feared nothing under heaven. In their minds, there was no problem he could not resolve.
Of course, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was enough to command respect anywhere in Yang-seo-ho, but it was by no means a level where one could do whatever they pleased, as the youths believed. Furthermore, he had already begun to grow old and frail, so his direct combat power had to be considered at least half a step below cultivators of the same rank. And that was even taking into account that he was a Talisman Master.
“Hwan-ah.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Return, take the clansmen, and take refuge in the safe house at Pyeongto Castle.”