Kongyue headed back toward the Golden Sun Temple along the mountain path he had taken earlier, his steps considerably quicker now.
Light and shadow flickered across his face beneath the trees, alternating between brightness and darkness as he replayed what had just happened.
What exactly lay beneath the Demon-Sealing Cavern?
Even I'm not allowed to know anything about it.
The Demon-Sealing Cavern.
Kongyue had first learned that name when he was twelve. An ignorant little novice had run off to play on the rear mountain, only to be dragged back by the scruff of his neck by the Steward Monk and punished with three days and nights of kneeling.
From then on, everyone in the Golden Sun Temple knew that the Demon-Sealing Cavern on the rear mountain was forbidden ground.
No questions.
No looking.
No approaching.
According to some of the older monks, ordinary disciples had still been allowed near the Demon-Sealing Cavern several decades ago. They had even been assigned guard duty there, and quite a few had gone inside.
But starting a little over a decade ago, no one had been allowed to approach it except elders in the True Astral Realm. Only the abbot and those with his permission could descend into the cavern.
As Kongyue grew older, he gradually formed a few guesses. The Golden Sun Temple claimed to "seal demons," so it naturally had something to do with suppressing evil entities. That boulder was covered in golden magical inscriptions and bound with three golden cords. No matter how he looked at it, it appeared to be a seal.
What was imprisoned inside?
There was no way to know.
He had asked his master, who said, "You'll know when the time comes." He had asked his senior brother Kongwu, who patted his shoulder and said, "Don't