Chapter 120: The Sealing of Life Force

“That explains it!” Yun Qiao said gravely. “These people’s life force isn’t gone — it’s been sealed.”

“Sealed?” The others gasped in shock. “How is that possible?! Life force is tied to fate itself — unless one defies heaven, no one can seal another’s vitality! And even if someone could, this isn’t one or two people — it’s an entire city! Not even a ghost general could seal so many at once!”

“If my guess is correct,” Yun Qiao continued, “the object sealing their life force is still here — somewhere in West City.”

She pointed toward the distance, her tone certain. “When these people were brought to the Tianshi Hall, the distance from the seal caused the connection to snap — that’s why those silver threads broke. It’s not as potent as the Shaohua Curse, but as long as they remain within West City, the seal keeps drawing away their vitality bit by bit.”

That explained everything — why the number of comatose victims had risen from a dozen to over thirty.

“No wonder…” one of the Yu family disciples suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening. “No wonder everyone who fell unconscious afterward were all the ones who stayed in the city!”

West City had already emptied after the last catastrophe. Many of the frightened residents had moved away, leaving only the old noble clans who couldn’t easily relocate. And sure enough, those who later collapsed were precisely the ones who had remained.

Xu Qingfeng’s brows drew tighter. The Chixiao had been destroyed, yet it had clearly left a trap behind. He turned to Yun Qiao. “Daoist Yun, can you help us find where the seal is hidden?”

It was obvious now that she alone could see those strange threads — without her, they were blind. If she was willing to lead them back to West City, perhaps the victims could still be saved.

At once, the Yu disciples’ eyes lit up, all of them turning toward her expectantly.

Caught by their combined gaze, Yun Qiao sighed. I already took the case; can’t stop halfway. “All right,” she said finally.

She suspected her ability to see those silver lines was connected to the Xuan Vein Ye Yuan had implanted in her. Ever since that fusion, her spiritual perception — even her Heavenly Eye — seemed sharper than before.

Everyone brightened immediately. Xu wasted no time assembling a small team of elders to accompany her. Even if the ghost was gone, there could still be traps left behind; better to be cautious.

---

To make transporting the wounded easier, a teleportation array had already been built between the Tianshi Hall and West City. In the blink of an eye, Yun Qiao and her companions arrived within the Yu family estate.

“Well, Daoist Yun?” Xu asked anxiously. “Can you locate the object linked to the seal?”

Yun Qiao lifted her head—and froze.

The sky above the city was crisscrossed with silver filaments, so dense they looked like shimmering strands of rain. Every direction was tangled with them, weaving a luminous web that filled the heavens.

“…Yes,” she said at last.

Everyone exhaled in relief, their eyes fixed on her.

“Follow me,” Yun Qiao said with a sigh. “I’ll try to find the source.”

Their group — seven in all, including one Yu disciple familiar with the terrain and five Tianshi elders — followed her out of the estate.

The farther they walked, the more distinct the threads became. Nearly every person in the streets had one trailing from their back, like invisible puppet strings. Yun Qiao observed carefully and noticed that all the lines led in the same direction.

She followed the trail westward. The silver threads converged gradually into thicker bundles as they went, while the surroundings grew more desolate. At last, all the lines twisted together into a single luminous cord that vanished into the distance. Yun Qiao stopped and pointed ahead.

“It’s over there.”

The Yu disciple accompanying them paled. “That… that’s the Old District.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Xu asked.

“N-nothing exactly,” the disciple stammered. “Just… the ground there collapsed more than ten years ago. Since then, hardly anyone goes near.”

“A sinkhole?” Xu frowned, uneasy. Something about that didn’t sit right, but he couldn’t yet tell why. “Let’s go. Stay alert.”

The elders nodded. Together, they moved toward the ruined quarter.

It was just as the disciple had said — the area was a wasteland of crumbling walls and wild grass. Not far ahead yawned a vast pit, ten meters wide, the remains of the collapse. The hole descended into darkness, with faint glimpses of shattered walls deep below.

“The seal must be down there,” Yun Qiao said, eyes narrowing. She could see the bundled threads plunging straight into the depths.

“The light’s too poor to see clearly. Use lightness charms, and be careful!” Xu instructed, then turned to the Yu disciple. “You stay up here.”

The young man nodded. The others drew out their talismans — all except Yun Qiao, who didn’t have one. She was just about to ask Xu for a spare when someone held one out to her.

“Here, Daoist Yun,” said Jiao Hengyi, smiling in his usual sheepish way.

Yun Qiao blinked, then accepted it. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it!” he said cheerfully — then leaned closer, scratching his head. “By the way, Daoist Yun, about that last lecture you gave on formations — I still don’t understand the extended pattern from the Demon-Suppressing Purification Array. Could you maybe—”

“Didn’t learn it?” she interrupted flatly.

He froze. “Uh… no, not yet.”

“No problem.” Yun Qiao pasted the lightness charm onto her robe, her tone utterly serious. “Just do more practice papers. I’ll make a few extra sets for you when we get back.”

“…”

“Good, it’s settled then! Remember to pay the tutoring fee.”

“……”

Wait, that’s not what I meant!

w(Д)w

He looked helplessly at the others for support — only to find they’d all leapt into the pit already.

Move! Move! Better you than me!

And so, one by one, the rest of them followed suit, dropping into the darkness.

---

It took nearly five full minutes of descent before they reached the bottom. Though it was daytime above, the depths were pitch-dark, the air thick and heavy. Yun Qiao was just about to track the threads again when a startled voice called out behind her.

“Eh?! What’s that?”

They all turned — and saw it.

Not far away, the stone wall glimmered faintly with countless dim, blood-red lights. They flickered irregularly, yet carried an eerie sense of pattern and rhythm.

“There!” Yun Qiao pointed sharply. “That’s the seal!”

In her eyes, every single silver thread in the city converged upon that very wall.

(End of Chapter)