"How could I be so stupid?
I should have realized long ago that Li Zuoquan wouldn't be ignorant of gossip. Even if he wasn't proficient, he'd still be better than me, a half-baked Yin-Gua master. After all, he'd lived longer and eaten more salt. How could his eyelashes, which were practically bare, be worse than mine, a mere novice?
'Damn it...'
I cursed inwardly, then took a deep breath and began to move quickly along the path I had scouted earlier.
'Left one, forward three... right five, back one...'
I had simulated the route in my mind countless times, even calculating where to place my feet and which foot to step with. I was afraid of making a single wrong move, as there would be no turning back.
Therefore, my progress was exceptionally smooth. I didn't have to worry about missteps. Every step I took landed precisely on the raised golden lines, making me more than twice as fast as Li Zuoquan.
Seeing me swiftly shifting left and right, drawing closer to the bronze door, Li Zuoquan understood my intentions. He couldn't help but quicken his pace, but instead of following my path, he moved in the opposite direction, preparing to return to the door the way he came.
The thought was good, but reality was cruel. Before he had taken a few steps, he saw the surrounding torchlight dim, and a thumb-thick bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere above his head.
Lightning was the bane of so-called evil spirits; no Yin entity feared lightning. The moment the lightning formed, Li Zuoquan raised his hands, condensing a large mass of Yin energy above them, and forcefully withstood the bolt.
He stood there, disheveled, his hands trembling as they hung down. His already sallow face was blackened by the lightning, making for a rather comical sight.
'Serves you right! Why didn't it strike you dead, you old geezer!'
Li Zuoquan was so angered by my words that smoke seemed to rise from his head. He snarled, 'Song Qingyun, don't forget you swore an oath to your ancestor, promising to help me retrieve the Hu Kui Seal. Are you not afraid of your ancestor's wrath and your cultivation being ruined if you leave like this?'
Hearing this, my body stiffened. I turned stiffly, my face displaying a look of 'terror.' 'Oh my, how could I have forgotten this? What should we do?'
Although my face showed panic, my heart was already bursting with laughter. The true ancestor of the Yin-Gua lineage was lost to history. If one had to name someone, it would be Fuxi, the great sage, as he was the one who first established the先天八卦 (Xiantian Bagua).
Later, King Wen of Zhou established the后天八卦 (Houtian Bagua). As for who actually created Yin-Gua, my master never mentioned it, so I didn't know who the ancestor was.
The ancestor I invoked during my oath, the Three Pure Ones, was a lie. Even I, a descendant of Yin-Gua, didn't know who the ancestor was, let alone an outsider like Li Zuoquan. So, when I mentioned the Three Pure Ones and used the Tian Su Seal to imbue myself with a 'halo of fulfilled oath,' he believed me. (Su Dan Novel Network)
Seeing me standing still and not continuing to move out, Li Zuoquan clearly breathed a sigh of relief. He said kindly, 'What else can we do? Come back and get the seal! I just wanted to get closer to you to research how to retrieve the seal, but I didn't expect you to be so scared that you ran away. Don't you remember I also took an oath? How dare I break it?'
I chuckled, 'If your feet weren't making subtle movements, I might have actually believed your ghost stories. However, for now, you should honestly stay inside and retrieve the seal yourself.'
As soon as I finished speaking, I quickly took the last few steps, reappearing behind the bronze door.
After exiting, I didn't rush to escape the True Dragon Tomb. I knew that even if I ran for an hour, it would be futile; I couldn't outrun Li Zuoquan, whose power had already reached the Ghost General level.
Therefore, the only thing I could do was trap him within the True Dragon Tomb. The best method would naturally be the Bagua formation, but that was clearly beyond my capabilities.
This made me inevitably fix my gaze on the bronze door. Was it possible to seal him inside directly? The bronze door appeared to be made of bronze, but I couldn't sense its true material. When I entered, I touched it; it was cold to the touch and had the effect of isolating Xuan Yang Qi. It could completely trap Li Zuoquan inside.
As a cunning old fox who had lived for many years, Li Zuoquan, seeing me emerge from the main hall without escaping and instead staring at the bronze door, instantly guessed my intentions.
'You little brat, if I escape this place, I'll skin you alive!' he yelled at me, while quickly searching for a way out.
I tried pushing the bronze door, but it didn't budge. It felt as if I wasn't pushing a door, but a mountain. It seemed impossible to close it by human strength.
This made me anxious. If I couldn't close the bronze door, the only outcome awaiting me would be death; there would be no other choice. But how was the bronze door to be closed?
Roughly estimating, this massive bronze door weighed at least several dozen tons. Even with pulleys supporting it from below, it would still weigh over ten tons. To move it completely would require at least hundreds of people.
However, when the door opened, I didn't hear any rumbling or the sound of chains turning. This indicated that the door didn't require human effort to close or open; there should be another method.
The hexagonal key?
Yes, it must be the hexagonal key. Since it could open the door, it should also be able to close it. Thinking of this, I ran frantically towards the left door.
'Not here?'
I quickly ran towards the right door. In the time it took me to go back and forth, Li Zuoquan had already returned to his previous position. I don't know if he discovered the secret of the golden lines on the ground, or if he truly had the ability to break Yuan Tiangang's Bagua formation, but he had already reached the Kan position where I had been.
This turned my face green with fear. I hoped he hadn't seen my rapid movement, otherwise, he would jump out from inside in the next moment.
Fortunately, the hexagonal key was stuck in the right door. To close it, the Bagua lock was still needed. Thinking of the method used to open it, wouldn't reversing it lock it?
'Kan one enters Qian three...'
When the hexagonal key pointed to the final position, the expected closing of the bronze door did not occur. This left me completely dumbfounded.
If this door couldn't be closed, how could I trap Li Zuoquan in the True Dragon Tomb? Was I really going to die here this time?
Just as I was at a loss, Li Zuoquan had already walked to the Qian position, frowning and pondering something. Judging by his current movements, he seemed to be recalling the route I had taken. With his current pace, he would be out in half an hour at most.
This made me sweat profusely. However, Li Zuoquan had performed extensive deductions, consuming a tremendous amount of mental energy. His sallow face had turned pale. If he had a bit more makeup, he would be mistaken for Bai Wuchang.
Seeing me running back and forth in front of the bronze door with a worried expression, Li Zuoquan couldn't help but chuckle.
Angered, I glared at him. 'Old man, what's so funny?'
Li Zuoquan wasn't annoyed. He said softly, 'Don't waste your energy. If this door were that easy to close, would I have let you run out so easily? Let's have a good chat about our previous topic. You help me get the seal, and I'll let you go. The conditions remain the same, will you reconsider?' He looked genuinely sincere. If it were someone else, they might have been moved by his 'sincerity,' but I knew his style of dealing with people; he was definitely a cunning fox with a smiling face.
'I don't believe you. If your words could be trusted, pigs could climb trees.' After saying that, I ignored him. I knew he was trying to undermine my confidence and stall for time. Whether I could escape his clutches now depended on whether I could close the bronze door. Time was my lifeline.
The bronze door was opened with a hexagonal key, so closing it should also require the hexagonal key, otherwise, what would be the point of the design? I just hadn't found the correct password. As long as I found the password, I would surely be able to close the door.
But what should this password be?
Someone told me how to open the door, and someone reminded me how to dodge the formation. But when it came to closing the door to escape, there was no guidance. This was a bit too much of a rip-off, wasn't it?
Seeing that I refused to give up, Li Zuoquan didn't say anything further. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly recovering his Yin energy.
I looked at the hexagonal key on the door, carefully recalling the words the old man had spoken to me in the illusion before opening the door, scrutinizing every word, not letting go of any clue.
After recalling it several times, I found no leads. Just as I was about to give up and accept my fate, a 'clack' sound reached my ears. The sound was not loud, like someone dropping a small pebble nearby.
I glanced at Li Zuoquan; he was still meditating with his eyes closed, so it couldn't have been him. The ground around me was covered in dust, with no small pebbles. Where did this sound come from?
As my gaze inadvertently swept over the hexagonal key, I couldn't help but exclaim, 'Huh?' How did the notch on the key return to the Kan position?"