Chapter 90
The wind swirled, driving the fog that was thick on the mountainside. With the gust of wind, a roar began to echo.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of the rough wind screamed a grating sound and then began to subside.
The Hermit's Valley.
This place, which was called one of the forbidden zones of the world, was full of a poisonous fog that could be called a natural barrier.
Not only that, but since it was teeming with fierce and strange beasts, an ordinary person could not even approach it, and even a martial artist who had learned martial arts would sometimes lose his way and lose his life when his true qi ran out.
The Hermit's Valley, which had shown an unchanging appearance as a forbidden zone for hundreds of years, was swaying with a strange change today.
In the sky, clouds of five colors were swaying and emitting light, and the violent beasts were bowing their heads and trembling in fear, not knowing what to do.
The fog created small whirlpools and rose in various places, disturbing the sky and the earth.
This strange change in the Hermit's Valley was also making the hearts of the reclusive masters who were staying there uneasy.
"It's as if the heavens and the earth are being created anew."
The middle-aged Taoist was looking at the hideous tower that was soaring high into the sky from a distance with an expressionless face.
Yun Zhongzi, who was living in the Jade Gourd Cave of the Mountain Peak Sect, had come out of his chamber one step ahead due to the huge vortex of power that was shaking the Hermit's Valley.
"It seems that the Old Ancestor Hongjun has finally moved the God-Sealing Platform in earnest."
And by his side, a white tiger and Shen Gongbao, who was crossing his arms and pouting his lips with a dissatisfied expression, were standing.
Whether he liked it or not, in the end, the heavenly qi was something that could not be defied. The God-Sealing Plan, which had been prepared for decades, was about to begin.
Crash!
The sound of lightning striking from a clear sky was heard, and a strange energy began to spread from the top of the tower.
Now, in the Hermit's Valley, numerous masters like Shen Gongbao and Yun Zhongzi would be holding their breath and watching that sight.
"Since a heavenly net that catches the souls of the world has been spread... you should be more careful in the future."
The ominous energy that was spreading from the God-Sealing Platform would now cross the Hermit's Valley and would soon spread to the world.
In the future, when the ultimate masters died, their souls would be drawn here and would be sealed in the God-Sealing Platform.
And when enough souls were gathered in the God-Sealing Platform, the Hermit's Valley would be sealed with their power, and the hundred-year-old great cause of the Mountain Peak Sect would be completed.
"I also know how precious my life is. No matter how much it's like dog shit, this life is better than the afterlife."
The God-Sealing List, which listed the people to be sealed in the God-Sealing Platform, was mainly composed of the group of Sheng Wang who had left the Hermit's Valley.
But although a person could sort out the list, the God-Sealing Platform could not distinguish it.
There were many masters in the world, and their deaths would also happen frequently. The God-Sealing Platform would greedily draw in strong souls, but there was no guarantee that it would be the Non-Duality Gate.
"Since it has been activated, the masters of the world can no longer be free from death, so this is the most evil of all the evil deeds that are being committed against the world."
"Watch your words. How can you say such a thing when you know that it is for a great cause?"
"Didn't you also not like it, senior?"
"It's a matter that the three great elders of the Mountain Peak and even the Sea Isle Sect have agreed to. Shouldn't we protect our world?"
"Senior."
"Hmm?"
"If the people of the Non-Duality Gate are really not beings of our world... isn't it a strange thing that they are being drawn into the God-Sealing Platform and are becoming the gods of this world?"
"If you enter someone's house without permission, you have to pay the price."
"It's too harsh a punishment for those who have invaded unintentionally."
If his master, one of the three, Laozi, had not been involved, he would have used his Thunder God Whip on that hideous tower long ago.
How dare a person distort the laws of nature using the souls of people? This was something that he, as a Taoist who pursued the natural way, could never tolerate.
"There are things in the world that can't be helped. A dress that has been unraveled once will soon be worn out. Don't you also know that the power that surrounds the Hermit's Valley is getting stronger day by day and that the gap is getting bigger?"
Even with the current gap, foreign masters called the Non-Duality Gate had gathered, and if that gap were to get bigger, it could bring a disaster that could no longer be handled.
Hadn't the people who could be called a risk factor already left the Hermit's Valley once?
"Since the God-Sealing Platform has been activated, the Old Ancestor Hongjun will not be able to guard the Mountain Sea Tavern as before... will the remaining people of the Sea Isle Sect and the Non-Duality Gate just stay still?"
"Didn't all the people who were going to run away leave the Hermit's Valley on that day?"
Since the Mountain Peak Sect were people who had originally decided to protect this place, unless it was a special case like the Sword Immortal, they would not leave the Hermit's Valley, and the remaining people of the Sea Isle Sect also had their own wishes, so there was a high probability that they would remain in the Hermit's Valley.
The groups of the Non-Duality Gate led by Circe and Sorin also, if the Sheng Wang group were to be sorted out, would only think of returning to their hometown, so they would not be a particular danger either.
And what was more important than anything was the price that had to be paid to enter the Hermit's Valley and the price that had to be paid to leave.
"But isn't now, when the Old Ancestor Hongjun is away, the best opportunity?"
For seclusion, for a new state, to find the one and only medicinal herb in the world, etc.
The potential that the Hermit's Valley had exuded a sweet smell like honey and had led numerous martial artists who had reached the extreme.
But whether they had achieved what they wanted or not, it was extremely rare for them to leave the Hermit's Valley again.
This was because the Old Ancestor Hongjun was guarding the Mountain Sea Tavern, which could be called the throat of the Hermit's Valley.
"What does that matter? According to the laws of the Hermit's Valley, since the ones who have run away have left without paying the price, they will surely pay the price."
"Since the Old Ancestor Hongjun is not here, who will pay the price?"
"Hahaha! Do you think that the Old Ancestor Hongjun took the lead and demanded various prices?"
"Then am I not?"
"Some people left their unique martial arts as a price to leave the Hermit's Valley, and some left their most cherished treasures. But that is only important to them, and to the Old Ancestor Hongjun, it is of the same value as a stone, isn't it?"
Although he had not actually witnessed the Old Ancestor Hongjun's martial arts, his martial arts were said to surpass the Twelve Honored Ones of the World, and even the highest elder of the Mountain Peak Sect, Laozi, could not be compared to him in superiority.
What would such a person do with a new martial art, and what would he do by coveting wealth?
What the Old Ancestor Hongjun wanted from those who left the Hermit's Valley was only one thing.
Something that the person cherished the most, regardless of the value that others saw.
"Then... are you saying that it has nothing to do with him?"
"It must have something to do with it. But he is only a passage and a window. A person who is drawn to the Hermit's Valley and conforms to its laws has followed the heavenly qi, and a person who refuses it has defied the heavenly qi, so he is just speaking on behalf of the responsibility."
"So you're saying... in the end, even if the Old Ancestor Hongjun doesn't say it, if you leave the Hermit's Valley, you are defying the heavenly qi."
"Since I also heard this story from Laozi, I don't know the exact details. No one in the Hermit's Valley can deny that the Old Ancestor Hongjun is a divine man who has surpassed a simple human. It's not so strange even if he has been receiving the price on behalf of the heavens."
"Even if you say so, it's an unpleasant story."
"Since the group of Sheng Wang who have left the Hermit's Valley and the masters of the Sea Isle Sect have also defied the heavenly qi, they will pay the price according to the natural order."
"Are you saying that their souls will be sucked into that place?"
"I don't know about that. I'm not Laozi, so how would I know such a thing?"
The God-Sealing Platform, which had been showing off its power and emitting an ominous noise, began to gradually quiet down.
Shen Gongbao, at the thickening smell of sulfur, sniffed his nose and frowned.
The fact that it had stabilized was no different from saying that everything was over.
The Old Ancestor Hongjun, who had to move the God-Sealing Platform until the God-Sealing Plan was completed, would not be able to show his face for a while.
The only ones left in the Mountain Sea Tavern were the cook and the scholar.
Shen Gongbao calmly stroked the two cheeks of the Black Spot Tiger and organized his thoughts.
"Stop it."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't I know you? That expression, isn't it the expression you make when you're thinking of something absurd?"
Although Shen Gongbao didn't know how Yun Zhongzi knew the expression he had made without realizing it, he scratched his head awkwardly.
"I think I'll have to leave the Hermit's Valley too."
"Impossible! Are you saying such a thing even after hearing my words?"
"In any case, it was a plan to have the Non-Duality Gate leave the Hermit's Valley, and isn't it my role to catch them afterwards?"
"Didn't a child named Agong already go down the mountain? You really didn't listen to my words, did you?"
If Shen Gongbao were to leave the Hermit's Valley, he would also have to pay a price, although he didn't know when it would be.
And that price would surely be the most painful thing for Shen Gongbao.
"In any case, I knew that I would not spend the rest of my time in the Hermit's Valley."
"Don't bring up your absurd foresight. If you really want to go out, it's enough even after the God-Sealing Plan is over. At that time, we will all be able to find freedom."
"Isn't that even sadder? To think that the ultimate masters of the world have gathered and are voluntarily serving a prison sentence."
"A prison sentence!"
"Moreover, while you are worried about the price I will have to pay, why don't you think about the price of Scholar Jiang? That child would have also gone down the mountain without knowing anything."
"Scholar Jiang? Ah, you mean the boy from the Mountain Sea Tavern. Why do you think about such a thing? That child is a child that the Old Ancestor Hongjun brought."
"Since he received the teachings of my master, the Taoist Lingbao, he is also my junior."
"Foolish words! If you leave this place as it is, don't you know how much Laozi will be heartbroken?"
The essence of the orthodox martial arts that had been passed down to all three of the great masters of the Mountain Peak.
If Shen Gongbao were to grow up as he was and to go out to the martial world, not only would the justice of the world be firmly established, but no evil demon would dare to invade the martial world.
But that was an arrangement after the God-Sealing Plan was all over, and if Shen Gongbao were to be stubborn and to leave the Hermit's Valley, it would be no different from him going against the flow of the heavenly qi.
"This is wrong. How can the will of the heavens be adjusted by the power of a human? The Old Ancestor Hongjun is not a divine man, but a demonic man. How can a person who plays with the souls of people be a divine man?"
Yun Zhongzi, who knew well that Shen Gongbao had not liked the God-Sealing Plan from the beginning, tried to persuade Shen Gongbao once again.
Since he was the one who cherished Shen Gongbao the most in the Hermit's Valley, along with Laozi, he could not watch Shen Gongbao jump into a fire pit like this.
"You're right. But how can a great task be accomplished cleanly and purely? Since we are the ones who are carrying the flaws, you should think more about the future and to cultivate your mind and body."
"After living in the Hermit's Valley and pretending to be an immortal, you have become full of the smell of the secular world."
Shen Gongbao jumped onto the back of the Black Spot Tiger in one go.
At that, the Black Spot Tiger, who had been bowing its head and dozing, was startled and got up, and Yun Zhongzi, with a flustered expression, stretched out his hand and tried to stop him.
"Please give my regards to my masters. This unworthy disciple will be going down the mountain."
As the White Spot Tiger flew up into the sky in one go with Shen Gongbao on its back, even Yun Zhongzi could not catch Shen Gongbao.
"Shen Gongbao!"
Yun Zhongzi's pitiful cry just echoed emptily into the encroaching fog.
(End of Chapter)