"What's that sound?" The four Hunter-class experts in the room immediately asked in unison.
"... It's fine. I'm going to the washroom." Qin Ye immediately got up, walked into the washroom and pulled out the soul sphere, "What's this?"
It was rare that Arthis didn't respond immediately. Instead, she deliberated for several seconds, "The Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda … It's hard to say. It's actually … a type of array formation."
"Those skeletons are not simple. Every one of them is from an Ancient Fey …"
"Hang on." Qin Ye interjected, "Demons?
Where did this come from? "
"What's so strange about that?"
Since they were in a cubicle, the soul sphere floated out. "Human, ghost, and demon. This is the so-called three realms.
Demons also had souls. When they died, they would also enter the underworld.
It's just that … now that humans are flourishing, I'm afraid there isn't even one demon left in ten thousand. This Palace has only seen two or three, and none of them are of any consequence. "
"On the other hand, there used to be some demonic souls in Hell. Come to think of it … they're quite pitiful. Apart from cultivating, they're completely disconnected from society. It's much harder for a demonic soul to conceal itself than it is for a Netherworld Operative.
Once they die, they have no skills in the netherworld, so most of them live in Fengdu Central Zoo … "
"......" Qin Ye grew taciturn. He couldn't shake the feeling that the Fengdu Necropolis that he was going to build was a particularly strange thing … Was it an illusion?
Arthis's voice became serious. She continued, "Let's get back to the main point. If this really is the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda, then these skeletons are at least a thousand years old. This is still the Dance of the Three Realms.
As for the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda, what it suppresses is definitely an ancient evil spirit!
The fact that he was combing his hair in broad daylight was merely due to the fact that some of his Yin energy had already leaked out, resulting in a mirage of sorts.
It's not lethal … Moreover, I thought about it carefully just now. The government's actions are not without warning. "
Qin Ye deliberated for several seconds before continuing, "What you're saying is … why did the government insist on establishing the First Academy of Cultivators in the City of Salvation?"
"That's right!
There were plenty of other places with better topography than the City of Salvation, such as Mount Zhongnan, Mount Qingcheng, Mount Longhu … Which of these wouldn't do?
The famous mountains of Daoism and Buddhism weren't all green, but they were at most yellow. They would definitely welcome the establishment of the Academy of Cultivators there.
Why did it have to be the City of Salvation? "
Qin Ye's eyes flickered brightly, "Unless … there's an unexplainable reason why we have no choice but to build the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda in a mature prefecture-level city … That's right. Building the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda in a mature prefecture-level city would be far too conspicuous, and the citizens wouldn't agree to it either.
It's even more difficult to relocate millions of people. This time, Cao Youdao's sudden attack gave the government a great opportunity … In this way, everything makes sense. "
Without waiting for Arthis to respond, he continued, "At the same time, our previous inference is also valid.
The City of Salvation must be hiding some sort of unspeakable secret. Perhaps there really is a thousand-year-old ghost king residing in the City of Salvation.
That said, it was indeed sealed away, or perhaps it was in deep slumber. Otherwise … the presence of tens of millions of Yin energy would be enough to put half of Cathay at risk, much less the City of Salvation!
They wouldn't dare to build a Soul Pagoda here! "
"That's right. The Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda has another name, Reverse Mandala. As long as it's built and we recruit thousands of students with abundant zhenqi, the other party really won't have any chance of breaking through.
It's no exaggeration to say that she's one of the biggest names in the world of sealing … It's rare to see such a blueprint being passed down in the mortal realm. "
With that in mind, Qin Ye returned to the private room once more.
Su Feng nodded and took his seat. Then, he spread out the blueprint and explained, "Everyone, although I don't know why my boss has rejected this proposal, I'm absolutely certain that this is a seal."
"Look here, the Harken, the Warding Off Evil … Every single beam has these statues. And if you look down from above … what do you think this is?"
Su Feng pulled out a red pen and marked out the statues on the blueprint.
Li Runxue glanced at it and exclaimed in astonishment, "Taiji?"
That's right … all of the statues were densely packed together … and they actually formed a Taiji symbol on the blueprint!
"What's even more interesting …" Su Feng tapped his pen heavily on the blueprint and marked out a point, "The eye of the Taiji symbol is the last surviving hunting zone in the entire City of Salvation!
The fourth hunting zone!
My inference … is that this is a massive seal!
The probability of this being the case is as high as 80%! "
Qin Ye responded impassively, "Since you know that this is a seal, what are you guys trying to do?"
"It's us." Su Feng smiled faintly at Qin Ye, "Don't you think … we should take a look at the truth?"
"The truth about the entire City of Salvation? The truth about the thirty million Yin energy source?
You don't want to be sitting on a ticking time bomb in the future, do you?
You can only be a thief for a thousand days. How can you guard against a thief for a thousand days? "
Without missing a beat, Su Feng continued, "Besides … the source of the Yin energy didn't seek out anyone else. Instead, it found you right in front of the Infernal Judges.
Do you want to experience the same thing again? "
"Old Su, you didn't share this information with us."
Lin Han stared at Qin Ye with a look that said, "Tell us about your tragic experiences and make us happy, won't you?"
Of course I'm going to tell you … but why do I feel the urge to slap you to death with that look on your face?
Qin Ye rolled his eyes at him, and then proceeded to recount his experiences.
Everyone grew taciturn. Several seconds later, Li Runxue finally spoke up, "Then all the more reason to go."
"Courting death?" Qin Ye sneered.
"No."
Unexpectedly, Su Feng also rejected the idea, "Mr Qin, you've only just joined the Special Investigations Department … and there are many things that you're still unaware of.
You have no idea how difficult it is to earn merit points from the Special Investigations Department. "
"We usually earn anywhere from 50 merit points to 100 merit points for completing our missions.
These merit points can be redeemed at the Special Investigations Department for things that you can't even imagine. Weapons, resources, spirit stones.
We have everything you could ever want!
I've heard a rumor that the treasury of the Special Investigations Department is passed down to the next dynasty at the end of its reign.
If that's true, how much treasure do you think there would be after thousands of years of accumulation? "
"Only with merit points can I get better equipment, and only with better equipment can I earn more merit points. This is a virtuous cycle … Even if we don't talk about weapons, just spirit stones are the currency of the entire human society, including those in foreign countries.
Mr Qin … do you know how envious we are of the 20,000 merit points that you hold in your hands?
How many spirit stones would that be worth?
How many years would we have to work hard for? "
Qin Ye blinked vacantly, "How many?"
Li Runxue snorted, "Even if it's us, we'll have to accumulate 20,000 merit points and work tirelessly day and night to complete missions!
We'll still have to work for at least five years! "
"And if we convert them into spirit stones, we'll have to spend ten merit points for each. You do the math yourself."
Two thousand spirit stones!
Suddenly, the soul sphere in Qin Ye's pocket bumped into him. Qin Ye coughed dryly, "Sorry, I'm going to the bathroom."
The tense atmosphere was instantly disrupted, and everyone curled their lips in disgust. As soon as Qin Ye stepped out of the bathroom, Lin Han blinked his eyes and probed, "Does he have a kidney problem?"
"Do you want to give it a try?" Li Runxue sneered.
"Sister Xue, I can sense that you're getting more and more adept at driving. When did you get your driver's license?"
Back in the bathroom cubicle, Qin Ye pulled out the soul sphere. Arthis had already floated up on her own, "Two thousand spirit stones!
I think you should consider it! "
Qin Ye rolled his eyes, "Is my life only worth two thousand spirit stones?"
"What are you thinking?
Your life is worthless … cough … I'm sorry, but it's easy for old people to speak their mind … Put down your saber and let's talk properly … "
Arthis coughed dryly and continued with a solemn expression, "I know you definitely don't want to go. You're someone who values your life above all else. You don't know what it means to do and what it means to not do. No … perhaps you know too much … In any case, you don't need it for your cultivation. You can rely on your merits as an Emissary of Hell to rise through the ranks.
That said … you'll need it for the reconstruction of Hell! "
"I've done the math. The mortal realm's method of extracting the essence of the sun and moon is brilliant.
If you have two thousand spirit stones, you'll be able to produce the first prototype of the soul induction platform. "
Qin Ye's temples throbbed, "The first?
It's still a prototype! "
"Of course … there are six or seven hundred cities and thousands of counties in Cathay. Every single one of them needs a soul induction platform. However, I'm talking about the main platform!
In other words, it's the first place that Yin spirits will see Hell when they descend! "
"With the soul induction platform, Yin spirits will continue to pour in endlessly. This is part of their innate nature and instinct!
It's only with these manpower that you can truly begin the reconstruction of Hell! "
Qin Ye was baffled, "May I ask if this has anything to do with the soul suppressing pagoda that we were discussing earlier?"
"Of course it does!"
Arthis' voice grew agitated, "Think about it … this evil ghost is either in a dormant state or in a sealed state. It must never awaken!
You won't even be able to play with it once it's awake!
Why don't you add an additional layer of seal beneath the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Pagoda? "
Qin Ye's eyes widened as he stared at Arthis as though he had just seen a ghost, "Are you saying that I've built the entrance to Hell right beneath the soul suppressing pagoda?
Are you out of your mind?
Haven't you learned enough from the lesson of Ksitigarbha's ascension?
That's right … didn't you guys think that Ksitigarbha's grand ambitions would never be fulfilled?
But look at the results?
It instantly exploded and spiraled into the sky!
Do you want me to do it again? "
"That's only a possibility!
Do you understand what a possibility is? "
Arthis responded with some measure of dismay, "Furthermore, the soul induction platform requires a place of extreme Yin energy to be constructed. Such a terrifying evil ghost has been suppressed by an unknown powerhouse, and the space that it's been suppressed in has long since become its natural hunting ground!
Have you ever thought about how dense the Yin energy is?
Can you think of any other place apart from this?
Where can the Yin energy be even denser than here? "
"Secondly, the presence of such a monster right beneath the pagoda is also a form of assurance that nobody would dare to come down and spy on you. Your entrance would be incomparably safe."
"Hell can automatically absorb the surrounding Yin energy.
This is the best place to establish the foundation of the new Hell.
With all due respect, I can't think of a better place apart from here.
Furthermore, the double seal should be able to ensure that the evil ghost will never awaken or break free from its shackles. In this way … it would become a perpetual source of Yin energy for the new Hell! "
Qin Ye shut his eyes and fell into deep thought.
He understood what Arthis was getting at. The location beneath the soul suppressing pagoda must be where the evil ghost was located.
Then, he would establish Hell right beneath the soul suppressing pagoda, placing it right between the evil ghost and the soul suppressing pagoda.
The evil ghost's Yin energy would be absorbed by Hell and suppressed by the double seal. As long as the evil ghost remained dormant, it would become nothing more than a lab rat.
"Then … what if it wakes up?" Qin Ye asked cautiously.
"That's why you should go take a look."
Arthis responded, "As long as you can ascertain that the evil ghost's seal is still intact, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you!"
"It's also the starting point for you to ascend to the realm of King Yanluo!"