Chapter 101
Wu Guang's declaration was no different from a death sentence to Jiang Ziya.
If Wu Guang were to push into the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan like this, he would surely find Nezha.
It was as clear as day how Wu Guang would treat Nezha, and if that happened, the position of the Tang Clan was also as clear as day.
Catastrophe.
A great catastrophe would surely occur.
Although he was a heartless father, there was no way that Tang Yizheng would hand over Nezha to Wu Guang, and if that happened, there was a high probability that it would turn into a power struggle between the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Martial Arts Alliance.
The Martial Arts Alliance also had enough justification to step in. Not only did the poisonous man they had been so wary of exist in the Tang Clan, but he had even killed a great disciple of the Wudang Sect. Of course, it was a great incident that would move the Martial Arts Alliance beyond Wu Guang.
If the relationship between the Martial Arts Alliance and the Sichuan Tang Clan were to become extremely strained, the Sichuan Alliance would eventually abandon the Tang Clan.
Then, in the worst case, the Sichuan Tang Clan might take the side of the Black Contemplation Fortress to preserve the family.
One fortunate thing was that Wu Guang, who was hell-bent on finding the culprit, had not rushed into the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan right away.
"Hmm... at this urgent time, where on earth is the head of the Tang Clan..."
There were two reasons why Wu Guang had not immediately pushed into the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan.
The first was that since it was a place designated as a forbidden zone, it was surely a sensitive place for the Tang Clan, and if he were to enter such a place without permission, he might be held responsible for the crime and get entangled in a troublesome matter.
The second was that since it was a place whose danger was unknown, he could not rush in rashly without full preparation.
Wu Guang had already gone out to find Tang Yizheng as soon as he had discovered the traces that led here. But after a fruitless trip, he had returned here with Jiang Ziya and Xi Xichang.
The martial artists of the Tang Clan also did not seem to have any intention of daring to set foot in the forbidden zone unless Tang Yizheng's order was given.
Moreover, this area was too large. Even if they were to spread a heavenly net, it was almost impossible to find him quickly without Tang Yizheng's help.
Moreover, if the opponent was the Divine Thief, he had the strength to have escaped, making a fool of the heavenly net of the Martial Arts Alliance in the past.
But no matter how elusive his divine footwork was, he could not be free in the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan.
The best way was to search the forbidden zone with all their might before he noticed and to arrest the culprit.
Wu Guang, who had already sent a message to Tang Yizheng, was pacing outside the forbidden zone, looking anxious.
After a long time, someone came to find him.
"Impossible?!"
After talking with a person who seemed to be a person of the Tang Clan, Wu Guang's angry voice burst out.
He was so angry that his beard was trembling.
Moreover, it seemed that he was even more angry that Tang Yizheng had not appeared in person and had conveyed the story through a subordinate.
"This forbidden zone is a place where the Tang Clan conducts top-secret experiments, so the entry of outsiders cannot be allowed. For now, we will select the people to conduct the investigation and with them..."
"Tang Yizheng... unless he is crazy! Is the head of the Tang Clan in the main hall now?"
Wu Guang, who had uttered harsh words without hesitation, pushed aside the person of the Tang Clan who had conveyed the words and hurriedly moved his feet as if he were going to find Tang Yizheng himself.
Meanwhile, the martial artists of the Tang Clan who had been searching with Wu Guang seemed to be receiving new instructions from the person who had conveyed Tang Yizheng's words to Wu Guang. Soon, even those who were guarding the forbidden zone began to scatter to other places.
It was clear that Tang Yizheng was intentionally diverting the personnel assigned to the forbidden zone.
But this could not be a fundamental solution in the end.
Since the number of people who knew of Nezha's existence was extremely small, and since it was a matter that was handled with great care even in the Tang Clan, there was no one who could directly inform Nezha of the danger at present.
Although he had bought some time with Tang Yizheng's refusal, for Jiang Ziya, the time was very tight to tell Nezha, who would be hiding in the forbidden zone, about Wu Guang.
The situation was proceeding in a way that was impossible to predict.
It would be fortunate if Tang Yizheng were to protect the forbidden zone where Nezha was hiding and to hold out until the end. But there was also a possibility that he might back down, or that Wu Guang might not be able to bear it and to proceed with the investigation without permission.
For now, the biggest problem for Jiang Ziya was to enter the forbidden zone, avoiding Xi Xichang's eyes.
"This is a big problem."
Xi Xichang spoke with a worried voice and looked at the back of Wu Guang, who was running away in excitement.
The disciple of Wu Guang was a disciple of the Wudang Sect, and since Wu Guang was investigating with the authority of not only the Wudang Sect but also the Martial Arts Alliance.
For Xi Xichang, who was trying to bring the Tang Clan into the Sichuan Alliance, a dispute between the same righteous sects was not a welcome situation.
"Is it alright if we don't go?"
"It seems... we have to check the situation."
In any case, since Xi Xichang was here representing the Sichuan Alliance, she could not just watch from a distance as the Tang Clan and the Martial Arts Alliance, or the Wudang Sect, fought.
Xi Xichang frowned as if she had a headache. And then she looked once at the back of Wu Guang, who was already disappearing in the distance, and then turned back and looked once at the forbidden zone.
"You go ahead. I'll guard this place."
"Are you going to stay here?"
"What will change if I go? Since I came out to investigate in the first place, I'll look around here a little more."
"By any chance... if you're thinking of going in there alone, you should stop."
Although she thought that even the audacious Jiang Ziya would not think of going into the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan alone, since she was still uneasy, Xi Xichang warned Jiang Ziya.
In the first place, the danger of the forbidden zone itself was a danger, but if he were to be caught having entered the forbidden zone of the Tang Clan without permission, he might have to give up his life.
"Are you worried about me?"
"Of course not."
Xi Xichang glared at him and then hurriedly ran after Wu Guang, who was now almost out of sight.
As the surroundings were cleared up more easily than he had thought, Jiang Ziya carefully examined the martial artists who were scattering around the forbidden zone and loitered around.
Before long, the martial artists of the Tang Clan also gradually scattered from the vicinity of the forbidden zone.
Although some of them seemed to be watching Jiang Ziya, since he did not show any particular movement, they seemed to think that they did not need to pay attention and turned their feet to another place.
"Hmm."
Jiang Ziya, who had confirmed that the presence of people in the surroundings had completely disappeared, displayed the eight trigrams magic to make his appearance not easily revealed to people's eyes.
Although its effect was greatly reduced since it was broad daylight, it was a magic that could considerably hide one's presence if one did not look at it consciously.
In Jiang Ziya's eyes, the traces of the footwork that he had displayed came into view.
It was to the extent that he was amazed at Wu Guang's ability and obsession to have found such a faint trace.
In order to move his feet to the forbidden zone, he had to raise his divine art to protect his eight extraordinary meridians and to block his body from the poisonous qi.
Since he had visited this place once in a while, Jiang Ziya confirmed that there was no one around and moved his body naturally.
"Wait! Where are you trying to go?"
'Huh?'
When he had taken his first step, a voice was suddenly heard from behind Jiang Ziya. Thanks to that, he felt his spine tingle.
Although he had confirmed that there was no one around, and had even used a magic just in case, someone had called out to Jiang Ziya.
"How dare you invade the forbidden zone of the Sichuan Tang Clan! Disarm yourself obediently and come out here!"
In an instant, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Jiang Ziya's mind.
Putting aside how he had missed the presence, he had to decide whether to subdue that person in an instant, or to make up an excuse and to talk his way out of it.
As Jiang Ziya turned his head, a man with a wide-brimmed hat covering his face was standing there, looking at Jiang Ziya with his arms crossed.
Since he did not look like a person of the Tang Clan from his attire or his attitude, Jiang Ziya showed a bewildered expression.
"Hahahaha! Your expression is quite a sight."
A strangely grating yet familiar laughter.
Jiang Ziya, hearing the voice of the man in front of him, searched his memory for a moment.
"By any chance..."
"It's been a while, Junior Brother Jiang."
The face that had taken off the hat was a face that Jiang Ziya also knew well.
What had surprised Jiang Ziya so much was how he had appeared in front of his eyes now.
"Shen Gongbao..."
"Tsk, tsk... you've already forgotten the word 'senior brother'."
Shen Gongbao smiled leisurely and tucked his hat under his armpit and scratched his chin.
Although Jiang Ziya's surprised expression was amusing, that fun did not last very long.
Jiang Ziya, who had found Shen Gongbao, whom he had seen in the Hermit's Valley, felt both happy and bewildered at the same time.
"How did you get here?"
"Why? Am I not allowed to be here?"
"That's not what I mean..."
"You came out, and the Sheng Wang group also came out, so where is the reason why I can't come out?"
Judging by his words, it did not seem that he had come out with a separate instruction from Old Ancestor Hongjun.
As a matter of fact, since Shen Gongbao, who disliked Old Ancestor Hongjun so much, was related to him, he did not think that he had come out.
"Did you just come out by any chance?"
"You keep asking the same thing. I came out on my own, with my own will."
"Is it alright?"
"Why, are you afraid that I will tell you to catch me too?"
At Shen Gongbao's words, Jiang Ziya could not deny that there was a possibility.
Unlike Shen Gongbao's light words and actions, his skill was just below that of the three great elders of the Mountain Peak.
Especially if he were to set his mind to it, it was said that unless they were absolute masters like Old Ancestor Hongjun, the old ancestors of the Mountain Peak, or the Tongtian Cult Master, they would not be able to stop him.
"Don't worry too much. Old Ancestor Hongjun wouldn't order such a thing, and I have no intention of rashly stepping forward and to be sealed."
"Sealed... you mean?"
"Since the magic of the old monster Hongjun has been displayed in the world, if one were to lose one's life now, one's soul would surely be drawn in."
Since Jiang Ziya had heard most of the details of the God-Sealing Plan through Shen Gongbao, he knew well what would happen as a result.
But in Jiang Ziya's opinion, it was a matter that would proceed only after he had caught the group of Sheng Wang who had run away. But Shen Gongbao's words now were completely different from that.
"Are you saying that the God-Sealing Platform has already been activated?"
"How insensitive and insensitive you are... junior brother, you'll have to train a little more in the future. Can't you see this bewitching curtain that is spread out in the sky?"
Although Jiang Ziya looked up, the clear sky was clear without a single cloud.
As Shen Gongbao clicked his tongue briefly and made a gesture of rubbing his eyes, Jiang Ziya soon concentrated his internal energy on his eyes and rubbed his two eyes using a magic.
"This...!"
Jiang Ziya, who had seen the sky again, swallowed a short groan, seeing the huge and transparent curtain that was spread out before his eyes.
In the clear and blue sky, a five-colored energy was waving transparently.
"Those who have entered the realm of a supreme master would have been feeling a strange sensation for some time now. If they have a connection with the Hermit's Valley, there would be those who would notice it immediately."
As Jiang Ziya released the magic that he had cast on his two eyes, the light in his pupils returned to normal.
If the power of the God-Sealing Platform had already been spread throughout the world, this was not a problem that was only related to the Non-Duality Gate.
The God-Sealing Platform was a huge tower that sucked in powerful souls.
At this time when the situation of the world was so chaotic, if that power were to reach the entire world...
If a great war were to break out, those who had not been expected at all might be sucked into the God-Sealing Platform.
(End of Chapter)