The gaunt man in the crowd, upon catching Zong Qing's gaze, felt his expression shift slightly, turning unsightly.
However, he was a practical sort. Seeing that his presence had been exposed, he dispensed with any attempt at concealment and cupped his fists instead. "Vice Hall Master Zong, please forgive my earlier misspeak. Since both Hall Masters have given their assurances, I naturally believe them."
The situation had reached a point where the arm simply could not wrestle the leg. Zong Qing had already laid down the law, and no one could very well force him to swear a binding oath. If they wanted to enter that cave dwelling, there was only one option — to trust Zong Qing's word.
And so the gaunt man read the situation and quickly chose to swallow his pride.
Hearing this, Zong Qing smiled with satisfaction and surveyed the surroundings. "If anyone else still has reservations, by all means raise them now. I, Zong, will address each one individually."
The entire crowd fell silent.
Zong Qing nodded, well pleased. "Good. It seems everyone has come prepared. In that case, let us not delay. We shall begin preparing to make our move. However, let me say this upfront — when we attempt to break the seal later, if anyone dares slack off or try to fish in troubled waters, don't blame me, Zong, for showing no mercy."
The crowd hurriedly declared that none would dare.
At that moment, Lian Yuming, who had been standing beside Zong Qing all along, spoke up. "Allow me to explain the properties of this seal to you. When the time comes, you need only coordinate your efforts. Listen carefully, every one of you — this cave dwelling was left behind by a powerhouse of the Emperor Sovereign Realm, without question. The seal protecting the entrance consists of three layers. The first and second layers are not difficult to break through — the disciples of my Blazing Fire Hall have long since mastered them. The only troublesome one is the third layer. To break it, one must have sufficient power. If the force falls short, it cannot be broken, and if the third layer remains intact, the first and second layers that were previously broken will rapidly restore themselves. That is precisely where my Blazing Fire Hall has been stuck. Later, the disciples of my Blazing Fire Hall will work to break through the restored first and second layers once more, while you, our friends, will join forces with Brother Zong and myself to jointly break the third layer. Does anyone have any objections?"
"None whatsoever, of course. But Vice Hall Master Lian, are there any particular requirements for this method of breaking the seal? Do we simply need to attack the seal with our full power?" someone below asked — a question on everyone's mind.
Lian Yuming nodded at this. "Power is power, yes, but one cannot simply use brute force. You must channel it through an Artifact. I happen to have an Artifact in my possession that is perfectly suited for use here."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his wrist, and a dagger roughly two finger-lengths long appeared in his palm. The dagger was pitch-black in color, with an otherworldly light flowing along its blade edge — clearly a fine piece of work.
"A Dao Source Grade Artifact?" someone exclaimed in astonishment, a look of envy crossing their face.
Nearly every martial artist present was at the Return Void Stage or Void King Realm, and none of them possessed Dao Source Grade Artifacts. Seeing this dagger now, their surprise and admiration were only natural.
"That's right. This dagger of mine is no ordinary Dao Source Grade Artifact — it is a mid-grade Dao Source Grade Artifact. It has a special property as well: the more power channeled into it, the greater the destructive force it can unleash. Even at my full strength, I cannot draw out its full potential. Later, after Brother Zong and I make our move, you need only pour your own power into this dagger. Leave the rest to me." Lian Yuming's expression was one of unmistakable pride, as though he was quite satisfied with his dagger.
"So the Vice Hall Master possesses such a remarkable Artifact. Then breaking the seal this time should be no problem at all!" one of the martial artists below said, his spirits lifting.
"Whether it's a problem depends on whether you all put in enough effort." Lian Yuming flipped his wrist and stowed the dagger away once more. His voice boomed as he called out, "If there are no further questions, everyone rest for a quarter of an hour. Once the quarter-hour is up, we begin!"
Having said that, he was the first to close his eyes and settle into meditation.
Seeing this, the others naturally hurried to sit cross-legged and regulate their breathing, striving to bring their conditions to peak readiness.
Zong Qing, for his part, was far from idle. He walked over to the numerous disciples of the Blazing Fire Hall and began speaking to them in detail. Their conversation was not deliberately muffled, so everyone could still hear it quite clearly.
Upon realizing that Zong Qing was merely instructing the Blazing Fire Hall disciples on the proper timing for breaking the seal, the crowd settled down.
"Brother Yang, be careful out there. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right — the people from the Blazing Fire Hall shouldn't be this accommodating," came Kang Siran's voice, transmitted quietly into Yang Kai's ear.
Yang Kai gave an imperceptible nod.
None of the martial artists present were fools, and many harbored similar concerns and doubts. But with such great profit at stake, no one was willing to risk offending the Blazing Fire Hall by raising the issue openly. All they could do was remain vigilant on their own and play it by ear.
A quarter of an hour later, Lian Yuming and Zong Qing converged once more. The former suddenly called out in a booming voice, "Time's up. Follow me."
With that, he shot upward without hesitation.
The others naturally followed close behind.
Before long, everyone had arrived at the mid-slope of Yuan Ding Mountain. There, at the mountainside, stood a protruding stone platform — sizable in area, large enough to accommodate several dozen people. Before the platform rose a sheer, bare stone wall.
Once they had gathered, Lian Yuming and Zong Qing had the crowd hold back while they flew toward the stone wall to inspect it closely.
"Is that the entrance?" Yang Kai asked Kang Siran in a quiet voice.
Kang Siran gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod but said nothing.