Chapter 100

After the Sun and Moon Altar took shape, it had many wondrous uses. However, Guchen Sha had only discovered a small part of its abilities so far. As his cultivation and realm improved, he would understand more of the altar's many uses.

Seeing the thick black gas deep in the ground at the center of the mansion, he was almost certain that the Crown Prince was practicing dark arts. It was possible that Long Yuyun's family was imprisoned underground, personally guarded by the Crown Prince.

He immediately went to the center of the mansion and saw a tall building, neither a tower nor a monument, standing there. There were no guards around, and the door was open, but the building was pitch black inside, with black gas rolling continuously, making it impossible to see any movement.

In the evening, he couldn't see clearly, but in the daytime, he could see distinctly that even sunlight couldn't penetrate the darkness.

"This is terrifying. How can I enter and investigate?" Guchen Sha flashed to the entrance, carefully observing but not entering. After a long time, he couldn't discern any clues; it was completely unclear inside.

At this moment, some servants came to sweep the courtyard. They silently cleaned, but when they reached the entrance, they didn't dare to take a single step inside, their eyes filled with fear at the black gas.

After the cleaning was done, the servants left one by one. Guchen Sha followed behind them, listening to their conversation.

"Xiao Chu, you're new here, so you need to be careful. You must never enter that door, or you'll be drained dry and become a mummy. Last time, Old Xiong saw a leaf blown by the wind into the door and tried to pick it up. As soon as he entered, he was drained dry," an old servant warned a young one.

"Uncle, I understand," the young servant shivered, as they were relatives.

Guchen Sha listened carefully and secretly rejoiced at his own caution. Fortunately, he hadn't entered; it was uncertain whether the Great Dragon Armor could resist that black mist.

He waited here with great patience, a trait he had developed from waiting for days in the Ape Demon Temple. Even if he had to stay in the mansion for a month, exploring everywhere, he would eventually find clues and come up with a plan.

He slowly wandered and eventually reached the eastern side of the mansion. This was where the women and family members lived, with luxurious and precious decorations, and abundant spiritual energy. It was a vast palace and garden.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Roars came from a training ground, where children of various ages had already risen early to practice martial arts. Some of these children were the Crown Prince Guheng Sha's sons and daughters, some were members of the Gu family, and others were the children of Guheng Sha's trusted retainers.

The Crown Prince Guheng Sha had married early and had many children.

Guchen Sha listened secretly for a while but didn't hear any useful information. These men and women were diligently practicing, their cultivation extremely powerful. Most of them were Martial Arts Grandmasters, especially Guheng Sha's sons, who created whirlwinds and attacked from all sides, their movements incredibly agile.

Ding ding ding...

After about half an hour, the morning practice ended, and a group of palace eunuchs came with trays: "Gentlemen, it's time for breakfast."

The trays were placed on the tables in the hall of the training ground. A few men and women sat down, while the others stood, revealing the hierarchy.

Those who could sit were Guheng Sha's sons and daughters, while the others standing were either branches of the Gu family or the children of retainers, similar to the education in the imperial palace.

Seeing this scene, Guchen Sha recalled his time studying in the imperial palace.

But when he saw the food on the tables, he was secretly shocked.

In front of each of the men and women was a plate of fruit, including a Fire Date and a slice of Purple-Blue Immortal Peach.

"Fire Dates and Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches? The Crown Prince's children eat this for breakfast? How wealthy are they?" These two items were something Guchen Sha had only tasted at the grand banquet in Xianzhou, hosted by the Third Prince, which was extremely rare. The officials there could only eat Fire Dates, and the Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches were out of reach.

Eating Fire Dates and Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches regularly would purify the body, making the blood and flesh pure, and the qi would flow out of the pores, making one's movements ethereal.

The Crown Prince's children ate these, while the others standing only got a plate of meat and a cup of tea.

The meat was crystal clear, fine-grained, and rich in texture, made from the meat of a Mighty Ox. It increased strength and built muscles, making it a staple for the wealthy, but it was far inferior to Fire Dates and Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches.

However, it made sense. Even if the Crown Prince Guheng Sha was wealthy, he couldn't afford to feed Fire Dates to the collateral descendants, let alone Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches.

The Purple-Blue Immortal Peaches were cut into slices, with each person getting one slice.

While eating, the men and women talked: "I heard that the eldest son recently reached the Dao Realm and requested to lead troops into the wilderness. Father sent a memorial to the court and has received the Emperor's approval."

The "Emperor" they referred to was the Heavenly Symbol Emperor. By seniority, some of these men and women, though the same age as Guchen Sha, were his nephews and nieces.

"The eldest son isn't just because he got the Giant Spirit Ring, which he wears all the time, receiving divine power. Even a pig could become an expert with it."

Guchen Sha's ears perked up.

The "eldest son" was Guheng Sha's heir, who would inherit his title and become a Duke. Currently, Guheng Sha was a Prince, and his eldest son, once designated as heir, would inherit a lower title, becoming a Duke.

The Giant Spirit Ring was left by Guchen Sha's mother and ended up in the hands of the Crown Prince Guheng Sha, who gave it to his son.

If Guchen Sha had worn this ring from a young age, his strength would likely have already reached the third or even fourth transformation of the Dao Realm. This ring was the most powerful of the three treasures his mother brought as dowry, far surpassing the Law-Breaking Sword, as it was made from the finger bone of a Giant Spirit, a divine bone.

Wearing it, divine power would constantly cleanse the body, transforming the meridians and acupoints, making even an infant free from illness and as strong as an ox. Moreover, one could live without food.

This ring was originally intended for him.

His mother's three dowry treasures, the Demon-Repelling Robe and the Law-Breaking Sword, were for her own protection. The Giant Spirit Ring was for her son, to make him stand out among the princes, but things didn't go as planned.

"My things, I will take them back eventually. But first, I need to rescue Long Yuyun's family." Guchen Sha, though angry, followed his plan step by step, not letting his emotions affect his actions.

He continued to listen.

"Everyone, step back. Let us brothers talk for a while." At this moment, the men and women waved their hands, and everyone in the dining hall immediately left, closing the door.

"What are you all doing? What dark arts is Father practicing?" a boy asked in a low voice. These were all the Crown Prince Guheng Sha's children, unafraid of leaks.

"I heard that Father obtained a piece of flesh from an ancient evil god that fell, which is still alive and trying to be reborn. But Father suppressed it and is trying to refine it into his body, suppressing its will. If successful, Father will have suppressed the evil god's residual will, achieving both his dark arts and his mystic arts, merging the righteous and the evil. At that time, Uncle Seven will be no match for Father, and he can defeat him with a single finger," another boy said mysteriously.

"What? How do you know that?" the men and women gathered around.

"I overheard my mother talking to the clan leader. You mustn't tell anyone else," the boy's voice lowered again.

Guchen Sha understood and was secretly shocked. The Crown Prince Guheng Sha was truly ambitious, having obtained the flesh of a fallen evil god.

Among the thirty-six transformations, one is called "Rebirth from a Drop of Blood," where even if a person is shattered, a single drop of blood can slowly absorb spiritual energy and, after hundreds or thousands of years, reanimate and be reborn.

The ancient evil god, though fallen, still had this ability.

Guheng Sha intended to refine this flesh into his body, using his will to suppress and defeat the evil god's will. This idea was almost heaven-defying.

Even a fallen evil god, reduced to a small piece of flesh, a fraction of its former power, was far beyond the capabilities of anyone below the ninth transformation of the Dao Realm.

"If my guess is correct, that black gas is emitted from the evil god's flesh," Guchen Sha thought. "If so, it will be even harder for me to infiltrate. If my cultivation advances a few more steps and I achieve the third transformation of the Dao Realm, Copper Skin and Iron Bones, then using the Heavenly Son's Divine Sealing Technique might prevent my flesh from being drained. But now, it's impossible."

Achieving the third transformation of the Dao Realm with the Heavenly Son's Divine Sealing Technique would make one's flesh and blood far more resilient than a normal expert, making it almost impossible to be drained by dark arts.

Guchen Sha listened again but didn't hear any secrets. The men and women were chatting about various matters in the mansion, such as their business ventures, earnings, the purchase of beautiful maids, or plans for tomorrow's outings and sea expeditions.

He didn't bother listening to those things and continued to observe the tall building filled with black gas at the center of the mansion.

It was noon, and the sun hung high in the sky, the time of the day when yang energy was strongest.

Suddenly, the black mist weakened and began to retreat.

Seizing the opportunity, Guchen Sha darted into the hall, following the stairs down. Soon, he entered the underground chamber, which was similar to the one in the Ape Demon Temple.

However, wealthy families and noble houses often built their treasure chambers and secret rooms underground, a practice rooted in feng shui. Building them above ground made them easy to discover and expose, while underground they were safer, hidden by the earth and connected to the earth's qi.

Guchen Sha's newly granted fief also had layers of secret rooms underground, though they were not yet in use. As the population grew, these underground chambers would become more useful.

"I wonder if the eldest son is in the underground chamber?" Guchen Sha continued downward, the deeper he went, the more it seemed like a bottomless pit, far deeper than the one in the Ape Demon Temple.

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