Adamantine Sealing

When Lu Yan saw the effeminate Steward Wu leave, his expression turned serious. He clasped his hands toward Daoist Qianhe and said, "Daoist Qianhe, how about letting me handle this Royal Zombie?"

Qianhe pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Daoist Lu contributed greatly this time. I'll leave the Royal Zombie to you."

"Good."

"Thank you, Daoist Qianhe."

Lu Yan beamed and thanked Daoist Qianhe.

Lu Yan hadn't actually decided what to do with the zombie. But after spending so long in the Wizard World, he'd picked up the wizards' habit of wanting to collect anything he didn't understand and study it.

He walked up to the Royal Zombie. As he watched it struggle and roar, he immediately formed a hand seal.

"Adamantine Sealing!"

As Lu Yan formed the final hand seal, dozens of chains appeared behind him. Their surfaces were densely etched with all kinds of seals, and they swiftly wound toward the Royal Zombie.

The Royal Zombie roared. Corpse energy surged around it, clashing fiercely with the energy on the chains. A series of thunderous crashes rang out one after another.

As one of the Uzumaki Clan's signature Sealing Jutsu, Adamantine Sealing was, of course, no ordinary technique. Countless seals on the chains surged forth in unison, quickly covering the Royal Zombie from head to toe.

The Royal Zombie roared in defiance, but the corpse energy around it grew weaker and weaker. Soon, the chains broke through its defenses and bound it tight.

"Kamui."

Lu Yan's expression remained calm, as if he'd expected this all along. The Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into a pinwheel pattern.

A pitch-black hole appeared in the air. Lu Yan tugged on the chains and flung the Royal Zombie straight into it.

"Senior Brother, what is that?"

Seeing the pitch-black hole appear, Qianhe's pupils contracted. He turned to Simu, his expression grave.

Simu shook his head. He glanced at Chen Yulou and the others, then pulled Qianhe aside and whispered, "That kid Lu's eyes possess a rare ocular technique. It seems to connect to another space."

"Could it be a pocket dimension?"

Qianhe's expression grew solemn. He looked around, then whispered into Simu's ear.

"I don't know."

"Don't ask about it, and don't tell anyone else."

Simu shook his head and gave him a stern warning.

"I know what's at stake."

"Daoist Lu saved my life. How could I repay his kindness with betrayal?"

Qianhe nodded, his expression earnest.

"Still..."

Qianhe pulled Simu a few steps farther away and continued.

"Daoist Lu is being so careless about who sees it. That could easily cause trouble."

"I'll bring it up with him later."

Simu nodded in agreement, finding Qianhe's concern reasonable.

"Of those present, even if that old monk Yixiu guesses the truth, he won't say anything."

"That gang of Xieling tomb robbers won't have any idea what they saw."

"There shouldn't be a problem."

Simu and Qianhe whispered together for a while before returning. There, they saw Lu Yan holding Ivory and firing several shots toward the marsh.

In an instant, the marsh became solid ground again, as if nothing had happened.

Though Simu and the other cultivators were also impressed by the power of Lu Yan's magical weapon, they managed to remain composed.

Chen Yulou and the others, however, were dumbstruck, regarding Lu Yan as a godlike figure.

Just then, Daoist Qianhe came over to Lu Yan and thanked him sincerely. "Daoist Lu, words can't express my gratitude. When I return from the capital, I'll be sure to repay you generously."

Then Qianhe stepped forward and clasped his hands toward everyone. "Thank you all for your help. The Royal Zombie has been eliminated. I still need to return to the capital and give the Manchu people an explanation, so I'll take my leave. Until we meet again."

"Take care, Junior Brother."

"Take care, Daoist Qianhe."

"Safe travels, Daoist."

Everyone returned his salute and spoke in unison.

After watching Qianhe and his party leave, Lu Yan and the others began making their way back as well.

Simu deliberately fell behind, then pulled Lu Yan aside and quietly cautioned him. "Daoist Lu, don't reveal that Kamui Dimension of yours in public too often."

"Otherwise, you could be putting your life in danger."

Lu Yan was initially confused, but after thinking it over, he nodded in understanding.

If people in this world learned how powerful the Sharingan was, they'd surely kill him to take his eyes.

Seeing that Lu Yan seemed to understand, Simu nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The world's spiritual energy is far weaker than it used to be. Only a few great Daoist sects have pocket dimensions to draw upon, allowing them to barely keep their sects from declining."

"If word gets out that you possess a pocket dimension, both righteous and evil sects across the land will hunt you down."

"Do you understand?"

Lu Yan's expression stiffened. He wanted to say that he didn't understand—what pocket dimension? He didn't have one! How had things become serious enough for both righteous and evil sects across the land to hunt him down?

"I..."

Lu Yan started to explain, but then he suddenly understood something. His eyes lit up, and he nodded solemnly. "I understand completely. Thank you for the warning, Daoist Simu."

"Mm."

Simu nodded and said no more. He and Lu Yan hurried to catch up with Chen Yulou, Yixiu, and the others.

Chen Yulou and the others had been murmuring among themselves. When they saw Lu Yan, Chen Yulou's eyes lit up. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Brother Lu, I was inconsiderate earlier. Please forgive me."

"When do you plan to set out with us for Bottle Mountain?"

If his earlier plan worked, he could empty the Maoshan Sect in one fell swoop; then he wouldn't need to trade slowly with Simu. Lu Yan replied, "There's one more matter I need to discuss with Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu. Let's set out tomorrow."

"Good."

Chen Yulou nodded, pleased.

By the time everyone returned to Simu's home, the rain had stopped. It had begun and ended quickly, and the whole thing had been quite strange.

Since Lu Yan planned to leave the next day, Chen Yulou and the others had no choice but to stay at Simu's place as well.

Fortunately, Simu had built the house quite large, since there was no one else around, so there were enough guest rooms.

After washing up, Lu Yan changed into dry clothes and went to sit in the living room.

Before long, Simu and Yixiu had changed as well and joined him in the living room.

"Amitabha. Layman Lu, you asked us here. What would you like to discuss?"

Yixiu looked puzzled as he pressed his palms together and asked.

"There's something I'd like to ask you two seniors about."

Lu Yan's expression was serious as he poured the freshly brewed tea for Master Yixiu and Daoist Simu.

Lu Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "If there were an energy that could be used for the Five Elements spells and even affect the mind, life, and space-time, but couldn't enhance a person's fundamental nature and placed a heavy burden on the body, what would you two seniors make of it?"