The days flew by. Several more passed in the blink of an eye, and the Heavenly Pass aperture grew looser and looser.
At the very least, as Tang Changsheng turned his awareness inward over those days, he gradually discovered that many invisible forces inside this body bound the Heavenly Pass Secret Aperture like chains. That was the chief reason it was so difficult to open.
Tang Changsheng then realized that these invisible restraints might be the Bloodline Shackles the Witches and Barbarians spoke of. Opening the Heavenly Pass Secret Aperture seemed to be the same as awakening the bloodline!
Yet perhaps the power of this body's bloodline was simply too great. Though the Heavenly Pass Secret Aperture had loosened long ago, it still would not open completely.
In the Wizard's room at Hongdong Tribal Stockade, the Wizard had made no move for days. The Green Snake's strange disappearance had put him on alert.
He had remained still, but he had watched coldly all the while. Nothing that happened inside or outside the Tribal Stockade escaped his eyes and ears.
"Beauty Flower and Flowerfoot Snake?"
"Yes. Tang An has been hunting for those things like a madman these past few days. He won't listen, no matter how we try to talk him out of it. The Flowerfoot Snake is Flowerfoot Stockade's totem. If its people find out, there could be serious trouble..."
"Heh, heh, heh... Don't worry. The people of Flowerfoot Stockade won't cause Tang An any trouble..." the Hongdong Wizard said darkly.
"What do you mean? When the people of Mashi Stockade caught Flowerfoot Snakes in great numbers, Flowerfoot Stockade was furious. The two sides even fought a battle!"
The powerful warrior had rushed to the Wizard to denounce Tang An, certain he had found something to use against him.