Seal of the Great Dao

Seal of the Great Dao

"Dead? How could that be? It was fine just now. It must be playing dead!"

The middle-aged man seemed unwilling to believe that conclusion. He shoved Shi Dongliang aside and strode forward, poking at the cub's head before forcefully slapping it back and forth several times. The little thing gave no response whatsoever.

Shi Dongliang also went over to inspect it for a while, then said gravely, "It's not playing dead."

This was undoubtedly the worst possible news. The hope that had just risen in everyone's hearts was dashed once more.

A lady among the female passengers fainted on the spot, immediately setting off a flurry of panicked cries. But at this moment, no one had the attention to spare for them.

Zhang Yu walked over to the sailor, reached out, and took the cub from his arms. Holding it by the tail, he examined it. There were no injuries on the little creature's body, and its exact cause of death couldn't be determined.

"You must still have a way, don't you?"

His hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot, the middle-aged man rushed to Zhang Yu's side. "If there's a way, say it quickly! What do you want? As long as I can produce it, I'll give it to you! I'll give you everything! I can't die. I don't want to die!"

Zhang Yu considered for a moment, then raised his head to meet the crowd's hopeful yet terrified gazes. "I'll do my best."

Cradling the cub, he came to the railing and faced the direction of the enormous monster. From his mouth came a long, piercing call, yet it carried a hint of cheerful mischief.

Before long, a sound came from the sea in reply. Compared to his call, it was deep and muffled, as if it had risen from the lightless depths of the ocean.

Everyone's eyes widened. It looked as though he was conversing with the monster.

After he made that sound, the massive shadow circling the ship suddenly sank. When it surfaced again, it had swum farther away, lurking in and out of view as it prowled there.

Shi Dongliang was startled but delighted. "Young Master Zhang, you can communicate with this monster?"

Zhang Yu shook his head. "I merely imitated the cry of a Yao Salamander cub, making the mother salamander think its cub is still safe aboard the ship. That way, it won't attack the Great Fortune for the time being."

He looked at Shi Dongliang. "Captain Shi, we shouldn't be far from the capital now. I'll do everything I can to soothe this monster. If I can delay it until the Great Fortune enters Dawn Harbor, we'll be safe."

Shi Dongliang lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Young Master Zhang, are you completely certain?"

Zhang Yu said, "I can only do my utmost."

Shi Dongliang fell silent. After a moment, he raised his head to look at Zhang Yu and said gravely, "Young Master Zhang, if you can keep that giant Yao Salamander's attention on you, perhaps we can use another method..."

An apologetic expression appeared on his face. "I can give you a boat, or settle you on a nearby island. That way, the Great Fortune can safely proceed to the capital. Once we arrive, we'll find someone to come back and rescue you."

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up. "Good, good, that's a fine idea. How about... we do that?"

The captain of the guard opened his mouth, looked at Zhang Yu, then at Shi Dongliang, but couldn't say a word.

Shi Dongliang solemnly bowed to Zhang Yu. "I'm sorry. I know this is somewhat cold-blooded, but as captain of the Great Fortune, I must take responsibility for every passenger aboard. If I could do this myself, I would step forward without hesitation. But now... I can only ask this of you, Young Master Zhang. Rest assured, once we reach the capital, I will never abandon you."

He pointed at the captain of the guard. "I'll have my son stay behind with you."

Zhang Yu could see that Shi Dongliang had made this choice to guard against the possibility that he might fail, or meet with an accident before holding out until the ship entered the harbor.

As captain, there was nothing wrong with that consideration. But in doing so, the crisis had been shifted onto him alone.

Of course, Shi Dongliang having his own son remain with him meant he was willing to share the danger with him, even if the worst came to pass.

In that brief span of time, he considered many things.

When his gaze swept over the Yao Salamander again, he made a bold decision.

He said, "There's no need. If I am alone, the Yao Salamander will regard me as prey or a toy captured by its cub. If there is another person, that would already exceed the cub's hunting ability and increase the risk of exposure. But Captain Shi, I hope you'll return my belongings to me." He paused. "Including that Forbidden Item."

"No problem."

Shi Dongliang agreed without hesitation. At his command, sailors immediately went below to fetch the items.

Perhaps to make up for the guilt in his heart, he solemnly promised again, "Young Master Zhang, I guarantee that your trading of a Forbidden Item will not be recorded on your Road Pass."

Zhang Yu looked at him. "Then thank you."

Before long, the sailors brought over the luggage and belongings Zhang Yu had carried aboard earlier.

Zhang Yu checked them. Everything was there, with nothing missing or damaged. He first drew a Xia Sword in its sheath from his pack, pulled it out to inspect it, then sheathed it again and held it in his hand.

Then he looked at a palm-sized wooden idol.

The idol wore a crown of bird feathers. Its thick lips and large nose occupied half the entire carving, making it look exceedingly ugly and grotesque.

This was the Forbidden Item.

He had bought this thing from a passenger after boarding.

But unexpectedly, that man was actually a believer in an indigenous god, and the idol was precisely the image of that deity. Before he had even received the item, the ship's guards burst in, and he too was taken into custody.

Standing here now, he could feel a faint current of warmth flowing from it.

Perhaps because he wasn't currently practicing breathing and meditation, the sensation was instead not as strong as it had been in the holding cell.

While he inspected his belongings, the Great Fortune, with Shi Dongliang personally at the helm, sailed slightly southward.

Less than half a summer hour later, a field of pitch-black reefs appeared in everyone's sight.

The captain of the guard came over. "Young Master Zhang, the waters ahead are filled with hidden reefs. The Great Fortune can't get any closer. You'll have to disembark here."

Zhang Yu observed the surroundings. "All right." He put on his hood, concealing his face. "I can hold out until tomorrow morning. That's the most optimistic estimate. I hope you can arrive in time."

The captain of the guard clasped his fist solemnly. "We'll do everything in our power."

He hesitated slightly. "Young Master Zhang, I know this may be somewhat heartless, but if... if there's anything you wish me to pass on to someone?"

Zhang Yu glanced at the distant reefs, considered for a moment, then said, "I'll leave some things among these reefs. I hope they won't be needed."

The captain of the guard said earnestly, "I'll remember that."

Under arrangements made by the Great Fortune's first mate, Zhang Yu boarded a skiff lowered from the Great Fortune. Bringing the Yao Salamander cub and all his belongings, he rowed toward the reef cluster beneath everyone's watchful eyes.

The reefs weren't far away. Before long, he successfully came ashore.

After steadying himself atop a reef, he held up the Yao Salamander cub and once again made a call similar to the one before toward the sea. The Yao Salamander was immediately drawn over and began circling the reef island.

Seeing that the Yao Salamander had indeed been diverted, everyone aboard the Great Fortune was overjoyed. They didn't dare linger, immediately set full sail, and left those waters, continuing eastward.

Zhang Yu watched as the Great Fortune gradually vanished beyond the horizon. He wasn't actually worried that no rescue would come, because trade in the Soaring Sea was extremely important. The Protectorate Office would never permit such a great threat to remain at sea. Once they received the report, they would certainly come to exterminate the monster.

The only concern was that he could delay it only until tomorrow morning at most.

From the time the Protectorate Office learned the news to when it dispatched men, it was difficult to say how much might be delayed in between. Thus, he couldn't place all his hopes there.

He stared at the massive back rising from the sea and gripped his sword hilt tightly. "If rescue doesn't come in time, I'll settle this my own way."

He had personally seen his teacher kill a Yao Salamander with a single sword thrust. In the process, his teacher hadn't used any power belonging to a cultivator, only pushed the abilities inherent in the human body to their utmost limit.

So perhaps he could recreate that feat.

But his teacher was a cultivator. Even if that method failed, his teacher had other ways to kill the monster.

Yet even after cultivating for several years, Zhang Yu was, in essence, still only an ordinary man. He had no chance to start over after failure.

Therefore, he needed the help of one more thing to increase his odds of success.

He called out in his heart. Within three feet of him, a ring of light appeared, visible only to himself. Within it were several designs resembling carved seal glyphs.

These seal glyphs were not neat, square forms. Most were irregular seals, appearing as white characters carved into darkness, their strokes edged with small tooth-like chips and imperfections.

Every seal glyph here corresponded to a skill or ability he had mastered during cultivation.

And that which bore all of this was called the "Seal of the Great Dao."

Cultivators of the New Method, namely Mystic Cultivators, relied on reading this object to cultivate themselves, thereby differing from cultivators of old.

As he turned his awareness inward, he found a mass of light within his body.

This was Divine Essence. It could be regarded as the aggregation of a person's vital energy, spirit, and essence, accumulated through certain methods.

If Divine Essence was water in a pool, then the human body was a great reservoir.

Now, as long as he filled one of the seal glyphs with Divine Essence, he could enhance the skill or ability corresponding to it.

He first looked at the seal glyph bearing the words "Sword Control."

To kill a powerful opponent, martial strength seemed like the first choice.

But after considering it, the New Method he had been taught was incomplete. Sword techniques required both strength and speed, as well as skill and experience. They demanded overall improvement in both physical capability and mental state.

Even if he infused it with Divine Essence now, it could at most increase his affinity for and command of the sword. The overall improvement would be extremely limited.

Given the immense gap between himself and the Yao Salamander, it was practically negligible.

Thus, his gaze quickly passed over it and settled on another seal glyph.