Chapter 1076: Just Seal You Up

Chapter 1076: Just Seal You Up

The Ice Dragon, upon hearing Qin Zhu’s words, decided to tolerate Qin Shili’s descent into darkness for the time being.

However, witnessing Qin Shili’s affection for Lin Nuo stirred a mix of emotions within it.

Qin Shili was an extraordinary young lady, naturally drawn to power, which one could understand. The only problem was this power was demonic, and it instinctively recoiled from that.

Though they had only met twice, there was a warmth between them. If it were to choose a master to follow in the future, Qin Shili would undoubtedly be its first pick.

Furthermore, a spirit beast matches very well with a suitable master, allowing each other’s talents to flourish—it’s like equipping armor on the wings, enhancing abilities significantly.

But now that Qin Shili was tainted by darkness, a significant barrier lay between them.

Besides, it couldn’t leave this place. Should it attempt to, severe consequences could follow—one thought, and a thousand miles could be frozen.

“Master Qin is right; my perspective is indeed narrow,” the Ice Dragon politely acknowledged. Although it spoke this way, it still felt resistance toward the concept of darkness in its heart.

Qin Zhu noticed that its words were just superficial, indicating it still didn’t fully accept his reasoning, and continued, “You’ve never met Lin Nuo. It’s normal that you’re unaware of his abilities. He is Shili’s Junior Martial Brother and has achieved much during his time at the Xuanyun Sect, surpassing even Shili. If you were to spar with him, you’d recognize his strength. You can trust that he has the ability to quell this prolonged unrest.”

Lin Nuo: “…”

Come on, stop digging up the past! I’ve already turned to darkness, and yet you keep bringing up my ‘illustrious achievements’ back at the Xuanyun Sect.

As long as I’m around, this unrest will not end; I am the greatest unrest.

Of course, first, I’ll fool this Ice Dragon into thinking I’m a good guy, then gradually brainwash it to accept the path of darkness, ultimately sailing on the same ship of mischief.

Um, I mean the glorious road; the future of the path of darkness is bright.

This dragon is exceptionally gifted, nearing god-level strength; its future holds promise. If it falls into darkness, it will bolster its power and give Qin Shili a solid foundation to stand on.

However, it seems pretty stubborn, and changing its mindset isn’t a task to be accomplished overnight.

The Ice Dragon believes that a person who has succumbed to darkness, no matter their past merits, has ultimately tainted themselves—their previous achievements become meaningless.

“Mm, Master Qin’s words ring true; I’ve been rather ignorant. I hope, as you say, he can end the turmoil.”

The respectful acknowledgment lacked any genuine emotion, and Lin Nuo could hear it; if you’re going to pretend, at least do a decent job.

To earn its allegiance, he needed to establish dominance.

And not through violence—he’d just beaten it, yet it seemed unsatisfied; brute force couldn’t solve everything.

So he had to address its pain point.

It was trapped here, like a cage, isolated from the outside world, sitting in limbo.

Truth is, it wanted to follow Qin Shili’s family, who wants to wait for death?

If he could assist it in leaving this place, he could gain its favor.

For spirit beasts that cannot control their powers, sealing their spiritual energy is the solution.

Leave professional tasks to professionals; he could defeat it, so naturally, he could seal it too. As for the spiritual energy required for sealing, Qin Shili could provide it.

There was no need for him to exhaust energy sealing a dragon; that would be quite a burden, right?

Of course, this approach carries risks—they might go berserk together, potentially encasing multiple cities in ice. The scene could become quite spectacular.

But if they froze, they froze; he didn’t care; it wasn’t his family that would be frozen.

Uh, better not jinx it with such thoughts; if it really happens, things could go south fast.

However, teaching Qin Shili how to seal and unseal the Ice Dragon meant it would ultimately belong to her.

That settled it.

Lin Nuo turned to the Ice Dragon, saying, “Do you wish to leave with Master Qin and the others? You’re here only because they are. Once they leave, you’ll be left all alone. I have a way that can help you leave this place.”

“You have a way? What way?” the Ice Dragon replied, skeptical.

“Your spiritual energy is too strong, it spills out; sealing it will work. But there’s a downside: you’ll lose your combat abilities once sealed, and unsealing takes time. If ambushed suddenly, you’ll be helpless.”

“Doesn’t that make me a mere pawn at the mercy of others? No way!”

The Ice Dragon directly shot down the proposal. If sealed, Lin Nuo would control its life; it would hardly have any autonomy.

Lin Nuo shrugged, “Staying here just makes you someone else’s pawn anyway. Do you think you can withstand several hits from Qin Dao? You can freeze a thousand miles, but they’ll eventually find a way to counter you. I see your concerns; you’re worried about being sealed and having your life dictated by me. I’ll just be completing the initial sealing ritual, and afterward, Qin Shili will control your seal and unseal procedures.”

“I’ll control it? I don’t have your skills, Lin Nuo. Even after multiple Dao Sharing sessions, I still don’t understand how to do it.”

The term “Dao Sharing” slipped out of Qin Shili’s mouth without hesitation, disregarding the listeners.

Such talk from a lady was quite unrefined.

Qin Zhu remained calm; he had anticipated their relationship advancing to this stage, just not this soon.

“Shili, you’ve never mentioned this. How long has it been?” Qin Zhu asked.

“Father, keeping this from you was my fault. As for how long, our first encounter was half a year ago, and we’ve seen each other no less than ten times since. In any case, I hope to join the Lin family in the future. Father, would you agree?”

“I have no objections. I respect your wishes. Lin Nuo is worth your trust.”

Qin Zhu was surprisingly open-minded; he didn’t explode like some overprotective fathers upon hearing about their daughter’s relationship.

Of course, he only knew Lin Nuo was with his daughter; he had no idea Lin Nuo was involved with other girls too.

“Alright, let’s not mention Dao Sharing anymore.”

Lin Nuo interrupted their conversation, “I can teach you how to maintain the seal and unseal him. With your aptitude, it should be easy to grasp. Of course, it all depends on whether this dragon brother agrees.”

Lin Nuo shifted his gaze to the Ice Dragon, which hesitated for a moment.

If Qin Shili were to control it, then it would gladly accept that, as its life was saved by Qin Zhu.

Yet it remained hesitant, wondering if Qin Shili would manage the seal without Lin Nuo interfering.

“I’ll count to three; if you agree, I will perform the ritual. If not, enjoy your retirement here. One, two…”

Lin Nuo’s sudden countdown and pressure disrupted the Ice Dragon’s thoughts, and anxiety washed over it.

“Three…”

“I agree! You can seal me!”

In a moment of desperation, the Ice Dragon compromised.

“Good, follow my instructions with Qin Shili. I’m getting ready to perform the ritual,” Lin Nuo said.

Chapter 1077

After the Ice Dragon’s agreement, it complied with Lin Nuo’s wishes, positioning itself away from Qin Shili and patiently waiting for Lin Nuo to conduct the ritual.

Performing a ritual with both a human and a dragon was no small feat.

First, he popped two pills to stabilize his energy, preventing any untoward incidents from arising mid-ritual, lest failure leave him without recourse.

“You two, calm down; don’t channel any energy.”

Lin Nuo instructed the pair before beginning. They nodded in understanding.

Taking a deep breath, he let his Demon Soul Power surge through his hands, slowly ascending into the air, gazing down at them.

Let’s begin.

He waved his hands, and multiple purple rings appeared around him, their sizes tailored to fit Qin Shili and the Ice Dragon.

The two types of rings began to overlap, gradually rising and curving until they merged into a single pathway.

So far, so good; no hiccups in sight.

This temporary bridge would allow Qin Shili to channel some of her spiritual energy to seal the Ice Dragon. After all, he could drain himself too much in doing it alone.

When the bridge was established, the main sealing process commenced.

Seal!

Lin Nuo cast the spell while Qin Shili’s spiritual energy flowed toward the Ice Dragon.

Sealing was instinctively resisted by anyone, and the Ice Dragon was no exception; it instinctively fought against Lin Nuo’s sealing technique. Its energy spilled out, resisting Lin Nuo’s efforts unwittingly.

“Such stubbornness; suppress!”

Lin Nuo pressed down forcefully, reigning in the Ice Dragon’s surging energy. The rings around it gleamed with purple light, radiating brilliantly.

As the Ice Dragon’s energy overflowed, a freezing storm erupted at the scene. Qin Zhu, who had retreated to observe, found himself enshrouded in ice; his hands and feet were frozen, and his body began to succumb to freezing temperatures.

“This is stronger than expected.”

Lin Nuo murmured. There was no turning back now; if he stopped, the Ice Dragon’s energy could fully erupt. One could only imagine what chaos would ensue.

Keep pressing; suppress it further!

Lin Nuo exerted more force on the Ice Dragon, merely a single dragon—could he not seal it?

Suppress!

At this moment, thick clusters of Demon Qi swelled from Lin Nuo’s body, eyes glowing red as he exerted intense pressure on the Ice Dragon.

The Ice Dragon subconsciously continued to resist, refusing to yield.

Qin Shili’s spiritual root had first awakened thanks to the Ice Dragon; she now sensed it, initially aiding Lin Nuo in sealing it but instead found herself resisting Lin Nuo as well.

Naturally, she had no intention of that but felt powerless to control it.

“Goodness, this is quite a hassle. Intriguing, very intriguing.”

Lin Nuo had initially reserved some strength, believing it sufficient, but unexpected developments occurred.

Come on, you two little ones, it’s time for you to shine.

The Spirit Sword he had placed aside began to tremble, soaring into the air. Originally a celestial spirit sword, it now glowed a dark purple, emanating powerful Demon Qi.

The Dragon and Phoenix Souls surged forth from within, having now evolved into their demonic forms.

When Lin Nuo took this seriously, they would slip into darkness. However, their time in that state would not be prolonged—they would revert once energy was depleted.

That would suffice.

You two, go apply pressure.

At this moment, the Dragon and Phoenix Dual Souls surged toward Qin Shili and the Ice Dragon, harmonizing with Lin Nuo’s Demon Qi to press them down.

Now, go!

With the assistance of these two sword souls, Lin Nuo could suppress them, allowing him to focus on the ritual.

While these two would usually get a bit rowdy, they proved slightly useful in critical moments.

“Ah!”

Lin Nuo exhaled deeply, completing the final part of the ritual.

All the dark purple rings merged together, converging toward the Ice Dragon, progressively encircling it while gradually shrinking.

“Roar!”

Under the pressure of the rings, the Ice Dragon’s surging energy was completely subdued, its form diminishing rapidly—eventually turning into a small dragon, no larger than an ordinary cat.

“Good, success; you may return.”

Lin Nuo waved his hand, and the two sword souls promptly returned to the sword.

Better for them to remain in their magical form than exhaust themselves while hovering outside.

“Did it… succeed?”

Qin Shili, having burnt through quite a bit of her spiritual energy, was now panting and looked quite worn out.

“Indeed, it succeeded. It’s now sealed. You may unseal it at your discretion, but please ensure you have sufficient spiritual energy beforehand.”

Lin Nuo floated down beside Qin Shili, supporting her.

“I can unseal it? I don’t know how.”

“After you rest, I’ll instruct you on what to do. For now, it can accompany you. Hm? Wait a moment.”

Lin Nuo noticed that as the Ice Dragon was sealed, those encased in ice began to thaw.

“Forget it.”

Lin Nuo had little energy left to purge the dark poison from that crowd; some would rapidly perish after thawing.

“Lin Nuo, you can expel the dark poison from them now,” the thawed Qin Zhu quickly approached, saying.

“I can only save five; you choose, Master Qin.”

“What do you mean, so much less than before?”

“There’s no choice; the sealing consumed too much. I can only save a few. Quickly make your selections, or they’ll all be gone.”

Lin Nuo spoke nonchalantly, showing little regard for their lives.

“Fine, just those five; please act quickly.”

Qin Zhu decided on five of his most trusted confidants, with others left to fate. His other family was either dead or had fled, absent from the scene.

As for his wife, she had gone back to her family, but even their situation grew increasingly dire.

“Alright.”

Lin Nuo enjoyed working with Qin Zhu; they got to the point without wasting much time.

Qin Shili had inherited his decisive and non-wavering approach.

Lin Nuo rescued Qin Zhu’s five confidants, while the rest perished.

“Sigh, I’ll find a way to comfort their families.”

Qin Zhu sighed, then turned to check on the five confidants’ conditions.

“Master Qin…”

“How are you all?” Qin Zhu inquired with concern.

“We are fine, but they’ve all died…”

“Life and death are fated; there’s nothing to be done. Let’s leave this place. Lin Nuo, let’s head for the exit now; otherwise…”

Just as Qin Zhu finished speaking, the entire underground space began to tremor violently, teetering on the brink of collapse.

“What…?” Everyone was taken aback and confused.

“They’re coming to attack! They dared not cross before due to my spiritual power shielding us. But now… Miss, you must unseal me! Otherwise, we…”

The young Ice Dragon exclaimed anxiously. Its body had shrunk, and its voice was now much more youthful.

“Unseal you? Not a chance!”

Lin Nuo scoffed.

“Not now, first off, Qin Shili hasn’t learned how to unseal you yet. Secondly, unsealing takes time, and we don’t have any to waste. Plus, you’ve exhausted your energy; even if unsealed, you would be far from your prime. You’d be of no use.”

“Then what to do?” the Ice Dragon pleaded.

“Simple: just break out! It’s really that easy!” Lin Nuo confidently proclaimed.