Kongtong Seal 1

Just as Zhang Tao was thinking of leaving the Catacombs to take another look at the Kongtong Seal, it began shaking nonstop.

Zhang Tao had no choice but to sit cross-legged right there in the street. This was the Forbidden City Catacombs, and the people coming and going were all martial artists. When Zhang Tao suddenly sat down like that, everyone knew what was happening. Was he about to break through while cultivating?

After all, Zhang Tao had only just broken through to Rank 6.

"Is this what a prodigy looks like? If I remember right, didn't Zhang Tao just break through?" A bearded man said to the person beside him.

"Exactly. Maybe he gained something from that last breakthrough. Who knows?" someone else replied.

Just then, Li Zhen spotted Zhang Tao and hurried over. "Everyone, please make way. Thanks!" he called to the people around them. There were plenty of Cultist Martial Artists around these days, and there would be no shortage of them in the Forbidden City. If some lunatic decided to attack Zhang Tao, they'd be in trouble.

Great Grandmaster Guo Weicheng came out as well. He glanced at Zhang Tao, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the road, and could only shake his head. What was this kid up to now? Of course, he kept watch on their surroundings, making sure no one had a chance to take advantage of the situation.

Seeing Zhang Tao sitting with his eyes closed, apparently cultivating, Li Zhen was astonished. He stood beside him, guarding him while wondering what on earth was going on with this kid. Why was it that ever since he'd been injured, he seemed to have activated some kind of cheat, cultivating at a ridiculously fast pace?

He'd even acquired a Golden Bone. That was a precious thing. Li Zhen had never been willing to go to the trouble of getting one himself, but now that he'd seen Zhang Tao with a Golden Bone, he was honestly planning to swallow his pride and return to Zhenxing City to forge his Golden Body.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tao turned his attention inward and watched the Kongtong Seal shaking inside him. Suddenly, golden mist appeared from who knew where. The Kongtong Seal seemed to draw it in, and as the mist neared the seal, it suddenly transformed into a tiny golden dragon. But before the little dragon could bare its claws and fangs, the Kongtong Seal came down on it like a stamp.

It vanished without a trace.

Zhang Tao frowned as he watched, wondering what the mist had been. Then the Kongtong Seal suddenly shone with golden light, and he felt his body fill with strength. Right—when he'd been injured, the Kongtong Seal had done the same thing.

At that moment, the energy throughout the entire Forbidden City began converging on Zhang Tao.

Everyone looked up in astonishment. Even when a Rank 9 Great Grandmaster cultivated, it didn't cause a commotion like this. Zhang Tao was something else.

Li Zhen, standing beside him, gaped at the tremendous energy surging toward Zhang Tao. He'd already cursed in shock countless times. It was just that astonishing.

He was a second-generation martial artist from Zhenxing City, not some country bumpkin. He knew that even a Grandmaster's cultivation didn't cause anything this outrageous.

Guo Weicheng stared at Zhang Tao in shock. He'd known Zhang Tao was no ordinary person, but this commotion was simply too great.

Just then, Zhang Tao's Three Burner Gates appeared, and the energy began helping him Seal Gate. Zhang Tao also began using the Kongtong Seal's energy, along with the energy drawn from the entire city, to Seal Gate.

In mere moments, Zhang Tao had shut the Gate of Life. And that wasn't all. Closing one gate made someone a mid-Rank 6 martial artist; closing two made them high-Rank 6. With all three gates sealed, they would reach the peak of Rank 6. Then, as soon as their spiritual power manifested, they could become a Rank 7 Grandmaster.

Watching Zhang Tao close the Gate of Life in the blink of an eye, Li Zhen's eyes reddened with envy. He'd been Rank 6 for two years and still hadn't closed his Gate of Life. And now this guy, Zhang Tao, had closed his so easily?

The key was that Zhang Tao wasn't done yet. He was even sealing his Gate of Spirit.

Under the watchful eyes of the martial artists in the Forbidden City, Zhang Tao quickly sealed his Gate of Spirit. He did it even faster than he had the Gate of Life, and everyone erupted in an uproar.

Quite a few Rank 6 martial artists were practically in tears. There was really no comparing one person to another. Comparing people was enough to make you despair; comparing goods was enough to make you throw yours away. The ancients hadn't lied.

Just look at how long they'd been stuck at Rank 6. Then look at him. There was simply no comparison.

Besides, Zhang Tao was the Chosen One—or at least, that was how many people saw him. Back when he'd been Rank 4, he'd already stumbled across a Rank 9 Monster Plant. And the key was, it had contained Life Essence. What was there to say to that?

They figured that even if they stepped in dog shit—or hell, ate it—they'd never have that kind of luck.

Yet after sealing his Gate of Spirit, Zhang Tao began pushing at his Gate of Blood and Qi. Was he going to seal all three gates in a single day? That would be completely unprecedented.

Even Fang Ping, with his cheat, hadn't managed to Seal Gate three times in one day. He'd only done it with help from Wang Jinyang and the others, who'd joined forces to push the gates shut.

But Zhang Tao truly felt no resistance now. It was as if he could seal the gate with the slightest push.

That was also why Zhang Tao had been able to seal two gates in mere moments.

Though Zhang Tao's eyes were closed, his spiritual power covered the area around him. He saw everyone's stunned expressions and smiled. Envious? Impressed? Good. That's how it should be. That way, I can truly walk the Human Emperor Path.

That was right. Zhang Tao had no intention of following the method of creating a world. He planned to walk the Human Emperor Path—the true Human Emperor Path. With the Kongtong Seal, he didn't believe his path would be inferior to anyone else's.

After sealing his Gate of Blood and Qi, Zhang Tao stopped. Instead, he suddenly reached out, pulled Li Zhen down to sit beside him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Seal Gate!"

A tremendous surge of energy poured from Zhang Tao's hand into Li Zhen's body. Energy from the sky poured into him as well. Li Zhen shuddered and stared at Zhang Tao in shock, but he knew this wasn't the time to ask questions. The Three Burner Gates immediately appeared, and he began sealing them.

Seeing this, Guo Weicheng immediately shouted, "Everyone, cultivate right where you are! Hurry!"

That was right. Zhang Tao had gathered all the energy here, so cultivating now would bring twice the results for half the effort. Besides, Guo Weicheng could see that Zhang Tao couldn't use all this energy. Rather than waste it, they might as well let everyone cultivate.

Once the people around them came to their senses, they sat down on the spot and began cultivating without hesitation. That was how things worked in this era. Martial artists had to seize opportunities for themselves.

Watching the energy inside him flow into Li Zhen, Zhang Tao was astonished. It really worked. The energy provided by the Kongtong Seal could be passed on, and judging by Li Zhen's speed at sealing his gates, he wasn't any slower than Zhang Tao had been.

Sure enough, his Kongtong Seal was way more impressive than Fang Ping's system. No wonder it was a Human Sacred Artifact. This only strengthened Zhang Tao's resolve.