Chapter 561: Golden Palace Celestial Lock Seal

Elder Yao and the others were all shocked. ’Duan Tianlang is actually talking?’ They looked at Duan Tianlang and saw his pupils were unfocused, his entire being lost in a kind of daze.

Elder Dong exclaimed, "Mind control!"

Mind control was a common method used by Soul Refiners to cloud the minds of Martial Artists. Elder Dong had tried it before, but Duan Tianlang’s resolute will had always broken through it. He never expected that Ye Xuan would actually succeed.

They didn’t know that when Ye Xuan had made Duan Tianlang consume the Seven Evil Demon Pill, he had already known it wouldn’t be enough to pry open his mouth. His true purpose was to wear down Duan Tianlang’s willpower, causing him to sink into a dazed state from the boundless agony.

By then applying mind control, his target would lose all ability to resist.

In the room, Elder Yao and the others couldn’t afford to get lost in thought. They all held their breath and listened intently.

Ye Xuan’s voice was filled with a tempting allure as he asked, "What ultimate treasure?"

Duan Tianlang replied blankly, "I don’t know."

Ye Xuan’s voice deepened. "Then what do you know?"

"I only know that the ultimate treasure was supposedly left behind in the academy by the founder of Gale Light Academy."

Ye Xuan frowned and asked, "Could it be the Trial Tower?"

The only ultimate treasure he could think of that the founder had left behind was the Trial Tower.

Duan Tianlang shook his head. "It’s not the Trial Tower."

Ye Xuan knew that pressing this line of questioning wouldn’t work, so he changed his approach. "How did your Profound Mystery Sect find out Gale Light Academy had an ultimate treasure? And what do you want it for?"

"Our Profound Mystery Sect didn’t know about this treasure before. A great personage instructed our sect to act. This personage comes from..."

As Duan Tianlang spoke, his brow suddenly furrowed, and a flicker of pain crossed his face. At the same time, a strange fluctuation emanated from his mind. His eyes revealed a struggle, as if he were about to break free from Ye Xuan’s control.

Ye Xuan frowned, his voice laced with temptation. "Speak. Where does this personage come from?"

"He comes from..."

"AH!"

A faint light suddenly escaped from between Duan Tianlang’s eyebrows. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and instantly fell unconscious.

"Hm? This is..."

Ye Xuan’s expression changed. His Sixth Grade Soul Sense instantly plunged into Duan Tianlang’s mind.

The unconscious Duan Tianlang was completely defenseless. Ye Xuan’s Soul Sense peeled back layer after layer of mist, instantly entering Duan Tianlang’s Soul Sea.

Suddenly, his Soul Sense jolted. In the deepest reaches of Duan Tianlang’s Soul Sea, he saw streaks of golden Soul Seals. These Soul Seals were intertwined, forming a massive golden lock that had sealed his Soul Sea shut.

’What? This is the Golden Palace Celestial Lock Seal!’

Ye Xuan’s mind reeled. In his intense shock, his Soul Sense shot out of Duan Tianlang’s Soul Sea. A look of horror filled his eyes.

’The Golden Palace Celestial Lock Seal is a secret art of Infinite Mountain from the Profound Domain, one not taught to outsiders. Furthermore, anyone capable of casting the Golden Palace Celestial Lock Seal is invariably a core figure within Infinite Mountain. Could the personage Duan Tianlang mentioned actually be from Infinite Mountain?’

A shadow fell over his heart. ’If that’s the case, then this matter is extremely serious. Infinite Mountain is one of the continent’s Seven Great Sects, with its headquarters in the Profound Domain.’

These Seven Great Sects were more than just a cut above the likes of the Profound Mystery Sect and Gale Light Academy; they were true continental powerhouses, Overlord Level existences.

If Infinite Mountain was truly pulling the strings, even his past self would have had to tread with extreme caution.

’But Infinite Mountain is in the Profound Domain and rarely meddles in worldly affairs. Why would it take an interest in a sect in a minor place like the Dream Realm Plain? What ultimate treasure could possibly be here to attract it?’

Ye Xuan fell into thought for a moment, the situation feeling more and more troublesome.

"Young Master Ye, what just happened?"

The anxious Elder Dong and the others all gathered around him.

When Ye Xuan explained his suspicions, Jiuchen and the others were utterly shocked.

Although Gale Light Academy had no dealings with the top powers of the Profound Domain, they had naturally heard of a behemoth like Infinite Mountain. If such a massive power was truly involved in the Profound Mystery Sect’s affairs, then Gale Light Academy’s resistance would be like an egg striking a stone, or a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot—utterly futile.

Ye Xuan said in a low voice, "Perhaps I’m overthinking things. The Golden Palace Celestial Lock Seal in Duan Tianlang’s mind might just be a coincidence. And even if it is Infinite Mountain, so what? Given its venerable status, it can’t openly move against weaker factions. If it did, the laws of the Profound Domain alone would cause it immense trouble. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered acting through the Profound Mystery Sect."

Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold. He and the Profound Mystery Sect were already at a point of no return. He wouldn’t back down, not for Infinite Mountain, not for any power, no matter how terrifying.

Ye Xuan looked toward Ge Puzi and the others. "Still, we’d best first figure out exactly what ultimate treasure the Profound Mystery Sect is after."

Ge Puzi gave a wry smile. "Back then, the founder of our Gale Light Academy established the academy, but he didn’t leave much behind. The only things that could be considered ultimate treasures are the Trial Tower and the Illusion Realm Chamber. Beyond that, there’s only the legendary forbidden ground. If there truly is an ultimate treasure, it could only be in there."

Ge Puzi continued, "However, only the headmaster knows about this forbidden ground. The rest of us don’t even know its location."

Ye Xuan frowned. "That’s a problem. How can we possibly respond if we don’t even know what the enemy is after? Since this matter is related to our Gale Light Academy’s founder, and the forbidden ground is so renowned, there must be some mention of it in the academy’s historical records. Perhaps we can investigate there."

At this, Ye Xuan seemed to think of something. "By the way, what was our academy founder’s name?"

The longer he spent at the academy, the more Ye Xuan sensed how extraordinary the founder of Gale Light Academy must have been.

Just discovering the Trial Tower and developing a secret realm into the site of the Inner Academy was not something an ordinary person could accomplish. A figure like that would surely have left a mark on history.

’He might be able to find some clues about this so-called ultimate treasure within the records about the founder.’

’It’s like with my past life as the Carefree Soul Emperor. When people think of my treasures, they would undoubtedly think of my Peak of Ninth Grade Sky Cloud Star-Shattering Shuttle.’

’Perhaps I can get some hints from that.’

The wry look on Ge Puzi’s face deepened. "Xuan Ye, we... we don’t know the name of our Gale Light Academy’s founder."

"What?"

Ye Xuan was dumbfounded. ’A prestigious academy with a thousand-year history doesn’t even know its own founder’s name? Isn’t that a bit much?’

Elder Yao and the others nodded wryly. "Young Master Ye, information about our academy’s founder is extremely scarce. We only know that he established the academy and left behind the Trial Tower, the Illusion Realm Chamber, and the Inner Academy. Everything else has been lost to the river of time."

Ye Xuan was speechless. ’What kind of founder is this? He’s a little too eccentric.’

Just then, Jiuchen, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "The forbidden ground... I know where it is."

Everyone started in surprise and turned to look at him.

His expression was grave as he said, "I do, in fact, know where the forbidden ground is. Back when I was the vice headmaster of the academy, the position of headmaster was supposed to be passed down to me. But then Headmaster Huangfu Xiuming appeared out of nowhere. Knowing I couldn’t compare, I voluntarily retired to guard the Trial Tower. Because of all that, I happen to know a little about the academy’s secrets."

"In truth, the forbidden ground is in a place that everyone has been to: the academy’s back mountain."

At this critical juncture, Jiuchen held nothing back.

The back mountain?

None of them had expected that such a mysterious forbidden ground would actually be located on the back mountain.

Ye Xuan was also a bit stunned. He had been to the back mountain before; it was the location of the Memorial Stele from the entrance examinations. It wasn’t a forbidden area at all—any student could wander around there freely.

"Follow me." Since Jiuchen had revealed the location, he clearly didn’t intend to keep it a secret any longer. The group immediately set out, wasting no time in heading to the academy’s back mountain.

The true location of the forbidden ground was in a valley behind the Memorial Stele.

It was a rather desolate valley located behind the Memorial Stele, a place seldom visited and utterly deserted.

Led by Jiuchen, the group followed a narrow path into the valley.

"We’re here."

A moment later, Jiuchen stopped before a stone cliff face and spoke.

Everyone looked up. What appeared before them was an exceedingly ordinary rock wall. On either side were two lines of large, flamboyant calligraphy. Weathered by time, the characters had become mottled and bleak.

One side read: **************.

The other side read: "Once it meets wind and cloud, it transforms into a dragon."

The two lines of text looked quite ordinary. Upon closer inspection, they held not the slightest hint of any Profound Mysteries, looking more like the random scribbles of a common person.

And between the two lines of characters was a very ordinary section of the cliff face, mottled and pitted.

"The legendary forbidden ground is within this cliff face."

The others were a bit stunned. Their Profound Sense swept over the cliff face, but it was just ordinary rock covered in green moss. There was nothing else, not the slightest trace of anything unusual.

Ge Puzi murmured, "Is this really the location of the forbidden ground?"

Jiuchen gave a wry smile. "I thought it was strange at first, too. I assumed it was just an ordinary cliff face. But you’ll find it’s not so simple if you just try to break it."

Ge Puzi took a deep breath and thrust a palm forward.

An unremarkable sound echoed out, like an ordinary person pushing against a rock wall. Nothing happened.

Ge Puzi let out a surprised grunt and thrust his palm forward again. This time, he used his full strength, but the entire cliff face remained completely motionless.

Ge Puzi was astonished. With his cultivation and power, he should have been able to move a small hill, let alone a simple cliff face. But not only did this rock not budge, he hadn’t even left a single scratch on its surface.

Elder Yao and Elder Dong both tried as well, with the same silent, fruitless result.

Jiuchen smiled wryly. "Don’t bother. Headmaster Huangfu Xiuming tried for a long time back then, all to no effect. He later concluded that the secret to this cliff face must lie within those words."

Everyone turned to look, only to see that Ye Xuan was already standing before the large characters, a deep frown on his face.