Calamity Vessel

The old man had been a sorcerer of the Great Xia Astronomical Bureau under the previous dynasty...

Most terrifying of all, Great Xia had been destroyed for over two hundred years... Clearly, this old man had been imprisoned here even before Great Liang was founded.

No wonder he had laughed so madly upon hearing that the founding emperor had died. So there had long been a blood feud between them.

Xiao Fan did not know much about the affairs of the previous dynasty, nor had he ever heard the name Xun Huan. Still, he vaguely felt that this man was far from as simple as he claimed.

A sorcerer from the Bureau of Celestial Observation—what kind of grudge had it taken for the founding emperor to reduce him to this state...

Before Xiao Fan could ask, Xun Huan's hollow eye sockets seemed to have grown eyes as they turned toward him. That single glance made him jump.

Xun Huan's voice then entered his mind. "Ah... the past is like clouds drifting before the eyes; no need to speak of it. Back to the matter at hand: I brought you here because I would like to ask you for a favor."

"If you help this old man undo the seal, I can take you out of this Soul-Capturing Mist. What do you say?"

The moment those words were spoken, Xiao Fan became wary again.

He narrowed his eyes at the terrifying porcelain jar containing a human head... I'm only a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. I can't even read the most basic array diagram, and he wants me to break a seal? Is this a joke?

It was like a eunuch entering a brothel—his heart was willing, but his strength fell short.

"I am merely a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. How could I possibly undo your seal, Senior?"

Xun Huan seemed to have expected this question. His voice carried a patient, coaxing quality.

"Perhaps this is the will of Heaven... Do you know the name of this seal, young friend? It is called the 'Coiling Dragon Soul-Locking Array.'"

"This array uses the Dragon Vein of the earth as its foundation, with the power of earth suppressing the calamity of water. At its core lies a scroll, the pivot of the array, indestructible."

"Ordinary arts cannot harm it in the slightest. Only one kind of power, containing Heaven's majestic might and the origin breath of utmost yang and purity, can ignite the flame that burns the array and destroy it."

He paused, as though sensing something. "And you... when you entered this place, you were like a candle flame in the dead of night."

"What flows through your body is precisely the bloodline of Radiance's descendants. Though its breath is hidden, how could it escape the perception of this old man, who has battled this 'Water Calamity' for two hundred years? This is the will of Heaven!"

What?!

Xiao Fan was even more shocked. He carried the aura of Radiance? That could not be right!

Radiance was the deity said in folk legends to govern daylight. The sun was Radiance's incarnation, and Sacred Flame was Radiance's blessing. How could a mere Ninth-Rank Martial Artist like him possibly have any connection to such an existence...

"Senior, watch your words! The gods in Heaven must not be discussed lightly!"

Xiao Fan denied it sharply. It was not because he held any great reverence for Radiance... He was simply afraid of angering a god and drawing down rolling thunderbolts upon himself...

Yet the old man remained remarkably calm, with a hint of reassurance in his voice. "Do not be alarmed, young friend. This old man speaks the truth."

"Radiance is everywhere, not merely in the sun hanging in the sky. Every living being's bloodline has its source. Some individuals possessing pure-yang traits are born with Radiance's aura. This is Radiance's lingering grace, not blasphemy."

He emphasized again, "The fire that breaks the array must invoke Radiance's origin. What it fears most is mixed and tainted contamination; only one who is pure and flawless can achieve miraculous results."

"Those with pure-yang constitutions are rare, but they have not vanished entirely. To encounter you here today means Heaven has not cut off this old man's path, nor the path of you and your father!"

Xiao Fan was half-convinced and half-doubtful of the old man's words...

He believed that his bloodline truly was unusual. How could an ordinary person's blood ignite Blood-Burning Flame and neutralize poison besides?

What he doubted was how this man, a complete stranger, knew that his bloodline possessed so many peculiar traits.

What made him even more vigilant was the other party's repeated emphasis on "pure and flawless."

With that thought, Xiao Fan simply asked directly, "I have never met you before, Senior. How did you know I carried Radiance's aura?"

"Do not forget, young friend, that this old man is a sorcerer. I can sense Heaven, earth, and nature, and I am especially sensitive to the Water Calamity power within this porcelain jar."

"You possess pure yang. When you entered this place, it was like ice and charcoal sharing one furnace. Naturally, your radiant aura was thrown into especially sharp relief by this 'Water Calamity.'"

Xiao Fan did not entirely believe the old man's explanation. There were plenty of powerful Bureau of Celestial Observation sorcerers in the capital—why had he never heard that a calamity vessel could reveal one's aura of Radiance?

"Whether it is true or not, you will know once you try." Xun Huan seemed to have seen through Xiao Fan's thoughts and said no more.

Naturally, Xiao Fan had no desire to be this guinea pig. It's not your blood being used... If something goes wrong, I'm the one who'll suffer, you old bastard!

"This may be a possible method, but since there is no certainty, I think caution would be wiser."

Xiao Fan put his emotional intelligence to work. Even if he intended to refuse, he had to make his words smooth enough.

Unexpectedly, Xun Huan laughed heartily. "A cautious child. But this old man must remind you: even if you have the patience to take things slowly, the person on your back may not be able to wait."

Those words struck straight at Xiao Fan's weak spot!

That was right. He could slowly study a way out here, but his father could not wait!

Xun Huan continued, "This old man has been imprisoned here for who knows how many years... I would not mind waiting another ten or even a hundred years. But if you keep delaying... those corpse ghouls outside will be your fate."

"You mean the corpse ghouls outside were once living people who lost their way and came here?" Xiao Fan asked in horror.

Xun Huan sighed, his voice entering Xiao Fan's mind. "No one is born a corpse ghoul. So-called corpse ghouls are formed when evil entities enter human corpses after death. They were once living, breathing people!"

What should he do... Should he trust this strange and eerie old man of unknown origin? Xiao Fan sank into thought.

Clearly, he did not dare trust Xun Huan lightly. From beginning to end—from head to the bottom of the jar—this fellow had not been normal. Who would dare believe his words?

Moreover, from their earlier conversation, Xiao Fan could tell that this man came from the previous dynasty and seemed to harbor some intense grudge against Great Liang's founding emperor.

Who knew what earth-shattering disaster might happen if such a remnant of the former dynasty were released!

Yet there was a problem: if he did not believe him, how could Xiao Fan leave this deadly white fog with his father? There was simply no other way!

Now, a single straight road had become a dead end at both ends...

He had to leave himself a backup plan! Xiao Fan's thoughts raced, and a plan formed in his heart.

He put on a helpless expression. "Fine... But before that, allow me to settle my father properly."

He carefully carried his father to a patch of wild grass in the rear courtyard, relatively far from the porcelain jar, and laid him down.

As he bent to settle him, his fingers covertly brushed over the knife wound on his father's arm. He swiftly picked up an almost imperceptible trace of blood and secretly hid it beneath the pad of his thumb.

The entire motion was as swift as lightning. Shielded by his body and concealed by the tense atmosphere, it was nearly impossible for the head inside the porcelain jar to notice.

"Senior, tell me the details of the seal." Xiao Fan returned to the front courtyard, his tone carrying a trace of resolve.

Xun Huan paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts. "Young friend, you have seen the porcelain jar around this old man, yes? This jar is called Soul-Capturing Porcelain. It is a Third-Rank calamity vessel."

Holy shit?!

Xiao Fan was utterly stunned!

What did a Third-Rank calamity vessel mean? In this world, magical artifacts, like extraordinary practitioners of various paths, could be contaminated by the Calamity Poison within Heaven, earth, and nature.

The difference was that practitioners could gradually dissolve the Calamity Poison in their bodies through their own will and various cultivation methods. Magical artifacts could not; once contaminated, they would undergo irreversible mutation.

Ordinary magical artifacts could not surpass Fourth Rank, because that was the limit of what an object could endure from the Calamity Poison...

Conversely, once an artifact surpassed Fourth Rank, it would almost certainly be mutated by Calamity Poison, becoming a calamity vessel with bizarre abilities and extreme danger!

No matter what, Xiao Fan had never imagined that he was now sharing a room with a Third-Rank calamity vessel... It was simply too dangerous. He might not even know how he died later!