Chapter 233: Sealed for Three Thousand Years
“Yo, kid, we meet again.”
The elder up ahead lifted his head and grinned.
The elder had a long beard that reached his chest, dirty and untidy, with hair that hung down like he was a vagrant. You couldn’t even see his face clearly.
All you could see were the eyes peeking through the gaps in his hair.
His eyes were sharp like a hawk’s, piercing like a blade.
It seemed as though with just one glance, he could completely pierce your soul!
You didn’t dare to look him in the eye.
This elder was bound to the rock wall, with black Black Iron chains engraved with dragon patterns and mystical runes, glowing faintly with black light from the spells cast upon them.
Several spirit nails pierced through the elder’s collarbone, thigh, and near the chest.
Even beneath the elder’s feet lay an intricate and incomprehensible Magic Array.
In comparison, the other “prisoners” in this place weren’t treated this way.
They were either locked in cages or simply chained—just one of these methods.
It was as if they were afraid that adding another layer of restraint would waste materials.
But honestly, whoever sealed this elder here must have been incredibly afraid that he would escape. How strong was this elder?! If he was so powerful and there was concern that he might break free one day, why not kill him outright? Instead, keeping him alive only prolonged the worry. Upon hearing the elder greet Xu Ming, Xuenuo turned her head to look at Xu Ming.
Xu Ming stepped forward, respectfully bowing deeply. “Young disciple greets the honored predecessor.”
The elder scrutinized Xu Ming carefully. “Not bad, not bad. I couldn’t see clearly before, but now I can say without hesitation—you are indeed a fine talent. Even practicing both body and method, bold and spirited, yet it won’t last long, and you’re rather foolish.”
Looking at the flow of Spiritual Energy and Martial True Qi within Xu Ming, the elder made a swift judgment.
This kind of issue was hard to fix unless encountering someone with the Luo Water constitution, and even then, curing the young man’s problem came with many strict conditions. It wasn’t as simple as having just anyone with the Luo Water constitution being able to adjust the balance between the young man’s Martial True Qi and Spiritual Energy.
However, from the elder’s perspective, it wasn’t a big deal.
Not that fixing the issue was no big deal, but the elder felt it didn’t matter if it couldn’t be fixed.
Worst case scenario, abandoning the path of the Martial Artist and focusing solely on the path of the Sword Cultivator would suffice.
The only pity was that after expending so much effort, all he gained was the robust physique of a Martial Artist.
Although he wasn’t entirely without gain—he had reached the Heroic Soul Realm of Martial Arts, making his body far tougher than ordinary Sword Cultivators, let alone common Qi Practitioners.
Still, gaining merely the physique of a Martial Artist while investing so much effort wasn’t worth it at all.
Had he chosen not to walk the path of the Martial Artist from the start and instead focused on sword cultivation, his Achievements might have been significant.
Thus, this was what the elder meant by “foolish.”
Cultivation was something where falling behind once meant falling behind forever. Wasting so much effort for such meager gains—wasn’t that foolish? Xu Ming naturally understood what the elder meant by “foolish.”
Xu Ming didn’t argue because he could understand the elder’s point of view.
If he didn’t have any external assistance, practicing both body and method indeed would have been foolish.
But he did have external help.
Walking the path of the Martial Artist allowed him to obtain numerous resources through said help.
Focusing solely on the path of the Sword Cultivator would only grant him resources related to that path.
Moreover, many rewards from his external assistance were tied to Martial Artists. Not taking this path would be wasteful. Not to mention, if he hadn’t practiced both methods, he would have died long ago and wouldn’t even be standing here now.
“Which Sect do you hail from?” the elder asked.
“Revered Predecessor, I come from the Wu Kingdom,” Xu Ming replied.
“Wu Kingdom?” The elder thought for a moment, raising his head to ask everyone, “Where is this Wu Kingdom located?”
“Don’t know~” the flirtatious woman replied.
“Perhaps it’s a newly established dynasty?” a burly man answered.
“Anyway, it wasn’t founded in the last thousand years,” a skinny man who looked like a monkey yawned. “When I entered here, I hadn’t heard of any Wu Kingdom.”
“By the way, how long have we been sealed here?”
“I’ve been locked up for five hundred years!” the flirtatious woman exclaimed.
“Do you remember? Anyway, I’ve lost count.”
“Hehehe, lady, shouldn’t you call me ‘Predecessor’? Come on, Predecessor wants to see your bosom; show it to me quickly.”
“Ugh!” The flirtatious woman spat. “I want to touch your butt. Cut it off and throw it over here, and I’ll show you my bear chest.”
“Shut up if you don’t know.”
As everyone bickered back and forth, the elder slowly spoke.
Instantly, the mountain cave that had turned into a bustling market became silent.
“I’ve been sealed here for nearly three thousand years. I don’t know what this ‘Wu Kingdom’ is,” the elder shook his head. “But to produce someone like you, your Wu Kingdom must have decent fortune.”
Xu Ming bowed in gratitude. “Predecessor flatters me.”
“And you, little one?” The elder looked at Xuenuo. “Innate Sword Bone, and at such a young age, you’ve already transformed it into your Life-Bonded Flying Sword, even comprehending the Sword Realm. In my era, you’d be considered a top-notch prodigy.”
Xu Ming also looked at Xuenuo.
He was curious about which Sect she hailed from.
“Thank you for your praise, Predecessor. I come from the Green Mist Sword Sect. I estimate you haven’t heard of it,” Xuenuo held her sword and bowed politely.
“I truly haven’t heard of it. All I know is the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.” The elder shook his head, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. “I wonder if that old geezer is still alive.”
“Why are all of you predecessors sealed here?” Xu Ming asked.
Xu Ming was filled with doubts about this place.
“Hahaha, lost, so naturally got captured.”
The elder laughed loudly, his voice cheerful.
“Three thousand years ago, the leaders of the Four Great Holy Lands and Five Major Sects surrounded me. In the end, I lost and got brought here.
“They used these Immortal-binding iron chains to bind my hands and feet.
“They set up this Yin-Yang Array to seal my Spiritual Energy.
“They used these Spirit-fixing nails to trap my Divine Soul.”
Xu Ming: “…”
The elder chuckled again. “Kid, I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering—what sort of utterly wicked person could provoke the combined forces of the Four Great Holy Lands and Five Major Sects, right?”
