Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Gu Dongting and Shen Wang exchanged a glance, with Gu Dongting speaking gravely, "The signal here is blocked; something's not right."

While Shen Wang was touring around with the little ghosts from the Yin House, the contestants in the ancient battlefield suddenly lost their signals and couldn't check anything.

Gu Dongting was the first to notice the anomaly. Ignoring the objections of other judges, he immediately led a group to this location.

The judges, who were brought along forcefully, seemed oblivious to Gu Dongting's expression, circling the talisman formation and marveling, "What kind of formation is this? It can trap malevolent Yin energy... and it’s even formed with talismans..."

"Aren’t most formations lost? Nowadays, there are hardly any formation masters in the metaphysical world."

Such a powerful formation master could greatly enhance our sect's strength. The judges' eyes flickered, each harboring their own thoughts.

Shen Wang glanced at them, ensuring no one tampered with his talisman formation, then recounted what had happened.

He wasn’t sure exactly what had occurred, as the malevolent Yin energy had already spread by the time he arrived. He only relayed his observations: "It seems this place was sealed, and now the seal is broken."

"A broken seal?" Someone scoffed, staring directly at Shen Wang with a mocking look, "Young man, do you even know what you’re talking about?"

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, "What’s the problem?"

The arrogant middle-aged judge glanced at Shen Wang and then at Gu Dongting, his tone loaded with implication, "Do you know who sealed this ancient battlefield? You dare make such bold claims."

"That senior figure is highly respected and powerful, a renowned personage in the metaphysical world. He sealed not just this ancient battlefield but many others. All other places are fine, so why is there a problem here?"

Shen Wang also smiled, "Just because his seal hasn't had issues in the past doesn't mean it won't in the future... No matter how powerful a person is, they can't predict what will happen."

As his confident words fell, a momentary silence enveloped the surroundings, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Shen Wang paused, sensing something amiss.

Gu Dongting, unchanging in expression, calmly stated, "This is a seal from decades ago. Over time, problems arising is within reason. Rather, it's our negligence in not performing regular checks that's the issue."

The middle-aged judge chuckled sarcastically, "Gu Daoist friend is upright, but I wonder if your grandfather knows about your actions of blaming others."

Grandfather? What grandfather? Shen Wang was momentarily confused, instinctively glancing towards Gu Dongting.

He heard Gu Dongting calmly respond, "My grandfather wasn’t skilled in sealing formations. Tasked with sealing numerous dangerous sites during a crisis, if a problem arose, he wouldn't shirk responsibility but rather seek a solution."

As Shen Wang listened, he felt something was off, becoming utterly dumbfounded by the end of Gu Dongting's statement.

The chubby boy and others behind him couldn't bear to watch, covering their faces: What could be more awkward than badmouthing someone, only to find out it's about a friend's grandfather.

The middle-aged judge sneered, “Gu Daoist friend understands the greater good. Now that the Gu family's seal is problematic, I hope you can resolve it quickly.”

Shen Wang frowned, not even bothering with the embarrassment, and retorted, “A broken seal and leaking malevolence isn’t just one person or family’s issue. It's a significant matter for the entire metaphysical world. Blaming it all on one family... are the Gu family the only capable ones in the metaphysical world, and all other major sects useless?”

The middle-aged judge's face twisted with anger, “Shen Wang! How dare you, a brash young man, speak such nonsense!”

The other judges, who had been watching the drama unfold, also showed awkward expressions.

Gu Dongting merely glanced at them, not waiting for their response, and walked to the edge of the massive pit, looking down, “I need to go down and check.”

Everyone was startled, “It’s too risky to go down now with the situation unclear!”

Gu Dongting simply stated, “It's my duty and obligation.”

The crowd fell silent as Shen Wang approached Gu Dongting, "I'll go down with you."

Gu Dongting's first instinct was to refuse, but the words swirled in his mouth before being swallowed, "Okay."

The two exchanged a glance, a faint smile appearing in each other's eyes, lightening the heavy mood.

Before the others could react, they had already made their decision and started discussing strategies for descending.

The judges who were at odds with Gu Dongting were thoroughly ignored. They wanted to protest again but feared that the straightforward Gu Dongting might drag them along, so they grudgingly held back their words.

Meanwhile, some, especially those like the chubby boy who had known Shen Wang for a while, looked on with peculiar expressions.

Watching Shen Wang and Gu Dongting converse amiably, the chubby boy and others couldn’t help but wonder: Neither of them had changed their usual demeanor, but their interaction radiated an intimacy that seemed exclusive, leaving no room for others.

"Does Brother Shen have such a... tender side?" The chubby boy mused dreamily, remembering how ruthlessly Shen Wang had dealt with him. It was as if Shen Wang transformed when interacting with Gu Dongting.

Bai Fuchun sighed heavily, consoling the chubby boy, "Accept it, people are different with different people."

Recalling how Gu Dongting was close to Shen Wang at the banquet and how they embraced each other when Shen Wang was drunk, Bai Fuchun pursed his lips. It was just a couple's play.

Soon, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting had strategized and quickly briefed the others on the surface. Then, exchanging a glance, they both leaped into the ominous, deep pit.

Those left on the surface had mixed expressions: some were gloating, some were worried, and others were confidently dismissive.

"Please, that's Brother Shen and Brother Gu. What could possibly go wrong with those two together?"

Unaware of the blind faith the chubby boy and others had in him, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting found the pit surprisingly deep, taking several minutes to reach the bottom.

The light from above gradually dimmed and finally vanished, leaving them in utter darkness. The malevolent Yin energy around them seemed to sense the presence of the living, swirling violently like dark, ink-heavy clouds.

These clouds felt like steel needles against the skin, trying to pierce through pores and drain the vitality of the living.

In the darkness, a faint red flame flickered to life with a soft click.

At the same time, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting finally landed on the ground.

Shen Wang, holding a burning talisman in his hand to ward off the evil spirits, also provided a glimmer of light. He looked around and found everything engulfed in darkness, unable to see anything.

Gu Dongting had summoned his life-bound sword at some point, its pitch-black blade completely hidden in the darkness. He asked softly, "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." While speaking, the talisman in Shen Wang's hand burned out. He flipped his palm, and a new cluster of talisman fire lit up, "But why is the yin energy here so dense?"

Gu Dongting's face also showed solemnity. He stepped forward, shielding Shen Wang behind him, and ventured ahead first, "This place isn't known for being malevolent; logically, the evil energy shouldn't be this strong."

With thousands of years of history in China, which place hasn't seen battlefields, where haven't people died... In these millennia, vast China has always had some bizarre or malevolent places.

Places that could be purified have already been cleansed, and those that couldn't be, have been sealed.

Although this place is called an ancient battlefield, in the vast territory and long history of China, it's really inconspicuous. Not just ordinary cultivators, even Gu Dongting's grandfather didn't take this place seriously.

"My grandfather sealed more than one malevolent site, the most evil one being in Nanjing..." Under the flickering talisman fire, Gu Dongting cautiously moved forward, saying, "He expended a great deal of effort to suppress the soaring resentment and evil energy. Those souls, unable to reincarnate due to hatred, even he couldn't purify, and had to seal them along."

As for this ancient battlefield, due to its long history, the souls here are either utterly lost and fragile, or have completely vanished... Only the residual obsessions and battlefield evil energies remain, not worth concern.

Listening to Gu Dongting's calm and slow narration, Shen Wang's gaze shifted slightly, "What kind of person was your grandfather?"

Gu Dongting thought for a moment, "He was a very upright person."

Shen Wang: "..." What's the difference between saying that and saying nothing?

Realizing he had said something pointless, Gu Dongting added, "Do you know why the Metaphysical Association was established?"

"For what purpose?"

"Back when wars were frequent and the people suffered, the major sects were too preoccupied with their own troubles, and cultivators struggled to survive. To avoid the chaos and preserve the lineage of metaphysics, the first president of the Metaphysical Association, Ji Wuheng, established the association, retreating behind closed doors, hidden in the mountains."

Shen Wang frowned slightly, "During the turmoil of the nation, they just hid away?"

Put nicely, it’s called seclusion for cultivation; bluntly, it's like being a turtle shrinking its head.

Gu Dongting continued, "My grandfather, however, refused to do so. He left the Gu family, descended the mountain, and enlisted in the military... It was in the army where he met my grandmother."

"After the war, the Metaphysical Association emerged again. By the time the country noticed, the association had already become the sole major force in the metaphysical world. Without strong constraints, chaos was rampant in the metaphysical realm."

"Cultivators were frantically amassing wealth by any means, even resorting to becoming charlatans, deceiving and swindling... In such turmoil, my grandfather took the initiative to establish a special department to counterbalance the Metaphysical Association."

"Backed by the state, it took him over a decade to steer the metaphysical world back onto the right path."

Shen Wang listened, fascinated. He only knew that the Metaphysical Association and the special department were at odds, unaware of so much happening behind the scenes.

At some point, Gu Dongting stopped, using the light from Shen Wang’s talisman fire to spot a jade stone embedded in the soil. The stone, unobscured by mud and still sleek, was covered in cracks that formed a dense network.

Following Gu Dongting’s gaze, Shen Wang abruptly frowned, "Is this a sealing jade stone? Why is it shattered like this?"

If it were eroded by evil spirits, it wouldn't break like this. The condition of this jade stone looked more like… it was deliberately destroyed.

While they were observing, a sinister ghostly qi swept over from behind, accompanied by a foul stench and a sharp, sinister laugh: "Living people! Delicious living people!"

"I'm going to devour you!"