Adamantine Sealing

Lu Yan watched the effeminate Steward Wu depart, then straightened his expression and bowed to Daoist Priest Qianhe. "Daoist Priest Qianhe, why not leave this Royal Zombie to me to handle?"

Qianhe pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Fellow Daoist Lu has contributed much this time; the Royal Zombie shall be left to you."

"Good."

"Many thanks, Daoist Priest Qianhe."

Lu Yan's face lit up as he thanked the priest.

In truth, Lu Yan hadn't decided what to do with the zombie, but having stayed in the Wizard World for so long, he had picked up the habits of wizards: whenever he didn't understand something, he wanted to collect it for study.

Walking up to the Royal Zombie, Lu Yan watched the creature still struggling and roaring, and immediately began forming hand seals.

"Adamantine Sealing!"

As Lu Yan finished the final seal, dozens of chains emerged from behind him, densely inscribed with various incantations, and rapidly coiled around the Royal Zombie.

The Royal Zombie let out a furious roar, its corpse energy surging to collide violently with the energy of the chains, triggering a continuous series of booming sounds.

As one of the signature sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, the Adamantine Sealing was naturally not so simple; the dense incantations on the chains surged forth, quickly covering the entire body of the Royal Zombie.

The Royal Zombie roared in defiance, but the corpse energy on its body grew weaker and weaker. Soon, the chains pierced through the resistance of the energy, binding the Royal Zombie tight.

"Kamui!"

Lu Yan's expression remained calm, clearly having anticipated this. The Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into a windmill pattern.

A pitch-black hole appeared in the air, and with a tug on the chains, Lu Yan flung the Royal Zombie directly inside.

"Senior Brother, what is that?"

Nearby, Qianhe saw the black hole appear, his pupils constricting. With a grave expression, he asked Simu.

Simu shook his head, glanced at Chen Yulou and the others, then pulled Qianhe aside and whispered, "This young Lu's eyes possess a rare ocular technique; it seems to be connected to a pocket dimension."

"Could it be a grotto-heaven?"

Qianhe's expression was solemn; he checked his surroundings before whispering into Simu's ear.

"I don't know."

"Do not ask about this, and do not spread it," Simu replied, his tone heavy with warning.

"I know the gravity of the situation."

"Fellow Daoist Lu saved my life; how could I be so ungrateful?"

Qianhe nodded, his expression earnest.

"It's just..."

Qianhe pulled Simu a few steps further away and continued.

"For Fellow Daoist Lu to be so unconcerned about prying eyes, I fear it may easily lead to trouble."

"I will mention it to him later," Simu agreed, finding the point well-taken.

"As for those present, even if that old monk Yixiu guessed it, he wouldn't say anything."

"That bunch of Xieling grave robbers wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of it."

"It should be fine."

After consulting with Qianhe for a while longer, Simu walked back, only to see Lu Yan holding his Ivory and firing several shots into the swamp.

In an instant, the swamp turned into solid ground, as if nothing had ever happened.

Though the practitioners like Simu were surprised by the power of Lu Yan's magical artifact, they could still remain composed.

Chen Yulou and his men, however, were left wide-eyed and slack-jawed, regarding Lu Yan as a god among men.

At this moment, Daoist Priest Qianhe came to Lu Yan's side and thanked him sincerely. "Fellow Daoist Lu, words cannot express my gratitude. Once I return from the capital, I will surely reward you handsomely."

With that, Qianhe stepped forward and bowed to the group. "Many thanks to you all for your assistance. The Royal Zombie has been eliminated, and I must return to the capital to provide an account to the Manchu clan. I shall take my leave first; let us meet again another day."

"Junior Brother, take care."

"Take care, Fellow Daoist Qianhe."

"Safe travels, Daoist Priest."

The group returned the bow and replied in unison.

Watching Qianhe's party disappear into the distance, Lu Yan and the others began their journey back.

Simu intentionally lagged behind, pulled Lu Yan aside, and whispered a warning: "Fellow Daoist Lu, do not easily reveal that Kamui dimension of yours in front of others."

"Otherwise, I fear it may invite a fatal disaster."

Lu Yan was initially confused, but after a moment of reflection, he nodded in realization.

If the people of this world discovered the power of the Sharingan, they would certainly kill to take the eyes for themselves.

Seeing that Lu Yan understood, Simu nodded with relief and continued, "In this day and age, the concentration of heaven and earth energy is far less than it once was. Only a few major mystical sects possess the foundation of a grotto-heaven, allowing them to barely keep their sects from declining."

"If word gets out that you possess a grotto-heaven, you will inevitably be hunted down by every righteous and evil sect under the heavens."

"Do you understand?"

Lu Yan's face stiffened. He wanted to say he didn't understand—what grotto-heaven? He didn't have one. How could it be serious enough to warrant being hunted by every righteous and evil sect in the world?

"I—"

Lu Yan intended to explain, but a sudden thought struck him. His eyes lit up, and he nodded solemnly, saying, "I understand everything. Thank you for the warning, Daoist Simu."

"Mm."

Simu nodded, saying nothing more, and he and Lu Yan caught up with Chen Yulou, Yixiu, and the others.

Chen Yulou and his group, who had been whispering amongst themselves, brightened at the sight of Lu Yan. Chen Yulou stepped forward, bowed to Lu Yan, and said, "Brother Lu, please forgive my previous neglect."

"I wonder when you intend to set off with us for Bottle Mountain?"

Thinking that if his previous idea came to fruition, he could hollow out the Maoshan Sect in one fell swoop and wouldn't need to trade slowly with Simu, Lu Yan replied, "There is one more matter I must discuss with Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu. Let us depart tomorrow."

"Very well."

Chen Yulou nodded, his face beaming with joy.

By the time everyone returned to Simu's residence, the rain had already stopped. It had come and gone quickly, which was truly bizarre.

Since Lu Yan wanted to leave tomorrow, Chen Yulou and the others had no choice but to stay at Simu's place for the night.

Fortunately, because the area was deserted, Simu had built his house to be quite large, and there were enough guest rooms.

After washing up and changing into dry clothes, Lu Yan went to the living room and sat down.

Before long, Simu and Yixiu also changed their clothes and came to the living room to sit.

"Amitabha. Benefactor Lu, may I ask why you have summoned us here?"

Yixiu asked with a puzzled look, pressing his palms together.

"I have something I wish to ask you two seniors."

Lu Yan's expression was grave as he poured tea for Master Yixiu and Daoist Simu.

Lu Yan pondered for a moment before slowly asking, "If there were a type of energy that could fuel the five-element arts, and even touch upon spirit, life, and space-time, yet it could not enhance one's fundamental essence and even placed a heavy burden on the body, what do you two seniors think that would be?"