Chapter 2318: Arrival of a True Immortal — Ancient Seal The vulture-faced elder solemnly spread the five fingers of his palm, and in an instant a translucent crimson feather appeared in his hand — crystalline and clear, as though meticulously carved from crystal.
The Old Man Copper Crow's expression shifted through several shades of light and dark as he gazed at the feather for a long moment. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the object back and drew a deep breath toward Bao.
"Bao, I never imagined you'd have such extraordinary fortune as to meet that person face to face. Very well — for the sake of that person's esteem, I'm willing to trust you this once. Go on, then, and tell us this so-called plan that satisfies everyone. I'll hear you out."
"Thank you for your understanding, Fellow Daoist. Then this lady will speak first, if no one else has any objections." Bao offered a faint smile and swept her gaze around the hall.
"There's no need for such courtesy, Fellow Daoist Bao. We're all eager to hear what you have in mind."
"Indeed. With Fellow Daoist Bao's reputation, I for one am naturally willing to trust her."
……
When the other Mahayana Ancestors saw the Old Man Copper Crow relent, a collective wave of relief rippled through them as they offered their own words of assent, then waited quietly for Bao to continue.
"Since you all think so highly of me, then I won't stand on ceremony. In fact, half a year ago, I infiltrated the Origin Seal Ground once again." The smile on Bao's face vanished as she delivered a statement that sent a jolt through the other Mahayana Ancestors.
"What? Fellow Daoist Bao infiltrated the Origin Seal Ground again?"
"How is that even possible? How did she manage it?"
……
Several foreign-realm Mahayana cultivators immediately erupted into astonished murmuring, while even the native Demon Realm Saint Ancestors wore looks of shock — not a single one of them had apparently been aware of this beforehand.
"There's no need for such surprise, fellow daoists. I was able to accomplish this partly because I cultivate several rather profound concealment techniques, and partly because of this newly refined Small Phantom Sky Mirror. With this treasure's masking power, I was able to avoid alerting the Insects and barely manage to infiltrate the Origin Seal Ground, where I discovered some new developments. That is also why I told Fellow Daoist Copper Crow that there exists a solution satisfying everyone." Bao paid little heed to the others' astonishment and offered a brief explanation.
"What kind of changes did you discover in the Origin Seal Ground, Fellow Daoist? What could have made you change your original plan?" one of the Mahayana Ancestors couldn't help but ask.
The other Mahayana cultivators all wore equally solemn expressions.
"Because of the sealing power within the Origin Seal Ground, I was unable to penetrate its depths — just as before, I could only observe from a distance along the periphery. However, from what I was able to discern, the ancient seal appears to have undergone further changes." Bao's beautiful eyes swept across the assembly as she spoke at a measured pace.
"The seal has changed? What sort of changes exactly are you referring to, Fellow Daoist?" asked the emperor-attired Mahayana Ancestor with a grave expression.
"Fellow Daoist Yujian, there is no need to worry. From a certain perspective, this change is actually good news. I have discovered that the ancient seal, which had previously disintegrated for the most part, appears to be undergoing self-repair. Although the process is extremely slow, the ancient seal has indeed grown somewhat stronger compared to the last time I observed it — as if it possesses a certain degree of sentience of its own." Bao replied with a smile.
"Self-repairing, possessing sentience!"
The Mahayana Ancestors in the great hall exchanged glances, unable to hide their astonishment.
"If this is something Fellow Daoist Bao witnessed with her own eyes, it should be true. However, there are still some things I do not understand. Last time, did you not say that the power of the seal had already been brought under the control of the Moth Mother? If the seal's power is increasing, that fearsome creature should only become more difficult to deal with — how could that possibly be a good thing?" This time, it was Jin Cha, the Mahayana Ancestor of the White Light Realm, who could not help but ask.
"It seems there is a misunderstanding. When I spoke of the seal's power growing stronger, I was not referring to the portion that the Moth Mother has seized control of, but rather the portion still governed by the ancient seal itself. Although the increase in this power is negligible compared to the ancient seal as a whole, it nonetheless demonstrates that the seal's intrinsic power should not be underestimated, and that we may still be able to draw upon it to some extent." Bao's eyes glimmered as she spoke.
"This old man still hasn't heard where your so-called perfect solution lies in all of this. Bao, if you have a plan, just say it outright — stop being so coy," the hawk-faced elder huffed, growing somewhat impatient.
"I am not being coy. I simply wished to clarify certain matters first before explaining the subsequent plan to the other fellow daoists." Bao shook her head.
"Fine, then this old man shall continue listening with open ears." The hawk-faced elder rolled his eyes, his expression noncommittal.
Bao smiled and continued her account without pause: "During my last exploration, I discovered that the Moth Mother's lair and the place where Yuan Yan and the other fellow daoists are trapped are not in the same location within the Origin Seal Ground. Regardless of which side's restrictions are triggered first, it would immediately alert the Moth Mother. My original plan was therefore to gather everyone's combined strength to first suppress the Moth Mother, and then rescue Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan and the others. Of course, the consequence of doing so might be to immediately enrage that fearsome creature, prompting it to instantly harness the seal's power against the imprisoned fellow daoists. In that case, Yuan Yan and the others would be in mortal danger. However, now that I have discovered the ancient seal possesses sentience of its own, I have conceived the idea of first helping the ancient seal reclaim the portion of power it has lost. If we succeed, not only will Yuan Yan and the others be freed ahead of schedule, but the Moth Mother's power will inevitably be suppressed once more when the ancient seal's strength is restored. Perhaps we would not even need to exert much effort — the ancient seal itself could be used to easily subdue the Moth Mother."
] Bao finally finished laying out her plan in one breath.
The Nascent Soul ancestors in the hall reacted with varied expressions upon hearing it. Some looked pleased, some sank into contemplative silence, while others wore looks of clear hesitation.