The Seal and the Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil
The gods all nodded in agreement; the Divine Seal of Creation was of paramount importance.
Primordial Lord Bi Shui hesitated and said, "But Wangshu is from the Luozhen Sect. She must know about the Divine Seal of Creation. Li Yunjing will definitely go to Fallen God Mountain. He has the Five Aggregates Cauldron and the Ten Ancestral Vein. Plus, Wangshu and her group will be difficult to deal with."
"A head-on confrontation would indeed be troublesome," Haoyang sneered.
"Therefore, we won't confront him directly."
He walked to the stone table in the center of the temple and tapped the map with his fingertip.
"West of Luozhen Province lies a Ten Thousand Souls Cave."
The Ten Thousand Souls Cave? The gods looked at each other in bewilderment.
This name sounds familiar.
The Immortal of Hundred Herbs Old Immortal' expression changed slightly. "Brother, are you referring to the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, which sealed away evil spirits in High Antiquity times?"
Haoyang nodded. "That's right. In the High Antiquity war between the gods, countless people died and were injured. The vengeful spirits and evil spirits gathered together and formed the Ten Thousand Souls Cave. Later, the Divine Lord ordered that the evil demons in the cave be sealed here and suppressed by the earth's veins."
The Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil inside was once a notorious High Antiquity demon, possessing extremely strong spiritual power and being most adept at bewitching minds and devouring living beings.
Everyone's expression changed.
The infamous Ten Thousand Souls Cave was known to all in High Antiquity times.
The evil spirits and demons inside are particularly troublesome, as they are specifically designed to attack the soul.
"Why is Brother bringing this up?" War God Xuanjie asked, puzzled.
"We can't just release the demon, can we? That thing can't distinguish friend from foe; releasing it would only cause trouble."
"We're going to release them." Haoyang's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"We must break the seal on the Ten Thousand Souls Cave and release the ferocious spirits. Their rampage will inevitably endanger the entire border region of Luozhen Province, causing widespread suffering and death."
"Li Yunjing values his reputation above all else and is extremely protective of the people under his jurisdiction. With the Ten Thousand Souls Cave in chaos, he will undoubtedly lead his men to suppress it personally."
"With his departure, the Luozhen Sect is now empty."
"At that time, I will lead the main force straight to Luozhen Mountain. Without Li Yunjing and the Five Aggregates Cauldron, can that rabble of the Luozhen Sect stop us?"
By luring the tiger away from the mountain and avoiding the strong to strike the weak, the gods' eyes lit up.
"Great plan! Brother, you're brilliant!"
"Yes! Lure Li Yunjing to the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, and we'll wipe out his lair!"
"Once we take Luozhen Sect, seize the Immortal Vein, and seize the Five Aggregates Cauldron, we'll deal with Li Yunjing!"
"..."
Haoyang smiled coldly; he was determined to win.
He has been studying Li Yunjing for a long time.
This person appears gentle, but in reality, he places great importance on morality and responsibility.
He would never stand idly by when the people under his rule were in trouble.
Once the evil spirits in the Ten Thousand Souls Cave are released, Li Yunjing will definitely have to personally go and suppress them.
At that time, the Luozhen Sect will be his for the taking.
Primordial Lord Bi Shui still hesitated, saying, "However, the Ten Thousand Souls Cave is extremely dangerous, and the seal is not so easy to break. Moreover, the ferocious demons inside dare to devour even gods. If we go to break the seal, won't we be inviting trouble?"
Haoyang said calmly, "It's alright. I possess High Antiquity secret Secret Method for breaking the seal, which can temporarily open a gap in the seal. As for the Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil... I have my own way of making a deal with him."
"A trade?" The gods were puzzled.
"The Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil has been sealed for tens of thousands of years, and what he craves most is freedom and sacrifices," Haoyang said.
"We'll send him a batch of gifts and promise to help him completely break the seal. He'll naturally be willing to cooperate with us, make a big fuss, and stall Li Yunjing."
"A gift?" The gods were taken aback.
Haoyang's gaze swept down and landed on several unfamiliar Lower God. They were several Rogue Cultivator gods who had recently joined the Heavenly Hao Alliance; their strength was average, and they had no special background.
"They're it." Haoyang said calmly, as if he were referring to a few items, "They'll be given to the Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil as a welcoming gift."
The faces of those Lower God instantly turned deathly pale.
"Great... Great God, we..."
"What? You don't want to?" Haoyang's eyes turned cold. "Sacrificing for the Heavenly Hao Alliance is your honor."
A terrifying pressure descended, causing the Lower God to tremble, lacking even the courage to resist.
The gods felt a chill, but few dared to speak.
They had known about Haoyang's ruthlessness for a long time.
Sacrificing a few Lower God for the greater good is nothing.
Haoyang made the final decision. "It's settled then. We'll set off tomorrow for the Ten Thousand Souls Cave. Xuanjie and Bi Shui, you two will come with me to break the seal. Hundred Herbs, you stay in the valley, contact all sides, and wait for our news."
"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded in unison.
Early the next morning, Haoyang, along with the War God Xuanjie, the Primordial Lord Bi Shui, Ling Taixuan, a dozen elders of the Primordial Beginning Dao Sect, and the seven chosen Lower God, quietly left Primordial Beginning Valley.
The group hid during the day and traveled at night, avoiding the patrol lines of the Luozhen Sect, taking a large detour towards the Ten Thousand Souls Cave.
As they traveled westward, the closer they got to the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, the harsher the environment became.
The original green hills and clear waters have gradually disappeared, replaced by blackened rocks and withered vegetation. Even at noon, there is little warmth to be felt.
Ling Taixuan shivered and tightened his Daoist robe. "Great God, this place is too eerie."
"High Antiquity and perilous place, naturally so," Haoyang said calmly.
"Everyone, be alert! The Yin energy of the Ten Thousand Souls Cave can erode your soul. Circulate your inner energy to protect your mind."
Everyone nodded quickly, activating their spiritual power to protect their souls.
After walking for another half day, a dark valley appeared ahead.
The entrance to the valley was like the mouth of a giant beast, pitch black, with a chilling wind howling out from within, accompanied by mournful wails.
The mountain walls on both sides of the entrance are covered with ancient sealing runes, but most of the runes are dim and damaged, obviously because they are too old and the sealing power has weakened.
"This is it." Haoyang stopped and looked at the entrance to the valley, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.
Even with his strength, he dared not be careless when facing the Ten Thousand Souls Cave.
"Let's go inside."
The group stepped into the valley.
As soon as I went inside, the temperature dropped by more than ten degrees.
It was pitch black all around, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, except for a small area illuminated by the spiritual light emanating from the group.
A chilling wind howled, and ghostly wails filled the air. Countless blurry ghostly figures appeared and disappeared in the darkness, emitting piercing screams that constantly assaulted everyone's spiritual defenses.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out.
An elder of the Primordial Beginning Dao Sect lost his composure and was caught off guard by Yin Sha. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his face showed a look of madness. He raised his Law Artifact and slashed at the people around him.
"Damn it!" The War God Xuanjie frowned and threw a punch with his backhand.
With a bang, the elder's head was smashed open, and his body fell to the ground, where it was quickly devoured by the surging vengeful spirits.
"Useless thing." The War God Xuanjie sneered.
Everyone watched in horror and immediately became even more careful to protect their souls.
After walking about three miles, the road became narrower and narrower, and the yin energy grew stronger.
After walking for a while, two Lower God at the end of the group suddenly screamed in agony.
Countless black soul threads entangled their divine bodies, frantically devouring their divine power.
The two struggled desperately, but sank deeper and deeper. In just a few breaths, they were dragged into the darkness by the soul threads, their very souls unable to escape.
"Two useless pieces of trash." Haoyang said expressionlessly, as if he hadn't seen them, and continued walking forward.
Everyone fell silent, their pace quickening.
Along the way, two more elders of the Primordial Beginning Dao Sect were corrupted by Yin Sha and perished on the journey.
Upon reaching the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, the Primordial Beginning Dao Sect lost five elders and two Lower God.
Ling Taixuan's face turned pale, and his legs felt weak.
This place is too dangerous.
So many people have already perished before even meeting the Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil.
The bottom of the cave is a huge underground karst cave.
In the center of the cave stood a black altar, covered with blood-red runes.
A massive black pillar of light suddenly shot into the sky. Within the pillar, countless ferocious spirits roared and struggled, but were firmly trapped by the runes.
Deep within the pillar of light, a gigantic black shadow could be vaguely seen, sitting cross-legged, its aura terrifying enough to send chills down one's spine.
That was the Ten Thousand Souls Old Devil.