244: formation

"It seems this is the residence of that Tower Master."

Zhao Jingchen said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the orderly books and furnishings in the room.

Ye Hao leaned over and glanced at the corner of the table, reaching out with his fingertips to pick up the translucent white Jade Slip. As soon as his Divine Sense touched the Jade Slip, a vast stream of information flooded into his mind.

This is... what's recorded here is actually an Ancient Secret Technique—the Slave Seal!

However, there was no method for applying the Slave Seal; instead, it seemed like some research and precautions!

After a brief moment of distraction, Ye Hao gained a better understanding of this Ancient Secret Technique, while also feeling a deeper sense of impact.

First, to plant a Slave Seal, one must act while the Cultivator's Divine Soul is completely defenseless; even a hint of alertness makes success difficult.

Second, the practitioner's Divine Soul strength must far exceed that of the target; otherwise, not only will the Slave Seal fail to take root, but the practitioner will suffer a backlash from the target's Divine Soul."

After all, the strong are never enslaved.

However, once a Slave Seal is planted, it merges deep into the Divine Soul and remains unbreakable for life, unless the master who planted it dies and their Dao dissipates; only then can a way be found to completely strip the mark from the Divine Soul.

But the process of stripping it is not easy, comparable to scraping bone and grinding marrow; the agony involved is unimaginable to those who haven't experienced it.

Zhao Jingchen casually picked up a book to flip through, only to see that at the header of every page, a person's name was written prominently in bright red cinnabar; below, dozens of names were listed densely in small black ink characters, with each name annotated in tiny script with their cultivation Realm, ranging from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, arranged neatly like a clearly tiered registry.

"These are..."

"It's the Slave Seals!"

Ye Hao said solemnly, "The ones written in cinnabar above are the practitioners, and the names in black ink below are the enslaved ones he has planted the Slave Seal upon."

Zhao Jingchen's expression shook; he never expected the Demon Suppressing Tower to be using such a universally loathed Ancient Secret Technique.

Was it the work of that Tower Master who defected to the Yao Race, or... Just then, Lin Xiuqin, who was beside him, accidentally bumped into an inconspicuous protrusion on the side of the bookshelf. As soon as her fingertips touched the wood piece carved with hidden patterns, a faint but clear ripple of Spiritual Qi suddenly spread out.

Ye Hao and Li Pingan sensed it instantly, their auras tensing as they asked warily, "What happened?"

It seemed as though they hadn't sensed anything out of the ordinary.

Zhao Xu and the other two, however, were completely oblivious, their faces blank as they didn't seem to perceive any abnormality.

Li Pingan looked around the room, closing his eyes to focus his perception, but the ripple had already vanished without a trace. Was it an illusion?

"Senior Brother, there don't seem to be any clues here. Let's continue checking further up!" Lin Xiuqin put down the book in her hand and made a suggestion.

Even if they discovered that the Tower Master used a universally loathed secret technique like the Slave Seal, it didn't necessarily prove anything.

"What do you think, Young Master Ye?"

Ye Hao was silent for a moment, then casually put the Jade Slip recording the Slave Seal into his storage ring and nodded. "Let's go up and see."

Just as the five of them stepped out of the study door, a figure slowly walked toward them.

Zhao Xu's pupils suddenly constricted, his face turning icy cold in an instant, his voice trembling, "Lo... Lord Lou!"

He had once caught a glimpse of this Tower Master of the Demon Suppressing Tower within the Sect, but he never expected their second meeting to happen in this manner.

At these words, the other four all turned their gazes to look at the man before them. Lin Xiuqin was so shocked her mouth hung slightly open, enough to fit an egg.

The newcomer had a dignified and square face, with graying hair and beard, wearing a purple brocade robe, the corners of his mouth drooping slightly. Even without speaking, he gave off an air of natural authority.

The Tower Master of the Demon Suppressing Tower—that was a great Cultivator of at least the Void Refining Realm!

But hadn't he already defected to the Yao Race? There were even rumors that he had already fled to the Demon Race Continent.

Ye Hao and Li Pingan narrowed their eyes slightly, their Cultivation Techniques circulating rapidly within their bodies, ready for anything.

But this Tower Master seemed completely oblivious to them, walking straight into the study to sit at the desk and casually flipping through the books on it.

Before the five could react, another Elder of the Demon Suppressing Tower rushed in, actually passing straight through Lin Xiuqin's body to approach the Tower Master and bow.

His lips opened and closed continuously, seemingly reporting something.

Unfortunately, no sound came out!

A light flashed in Ye Hao's eyes as he realized, "It's an illusion! These must be images left behind from before the Demon Suppressing Tower was attacked." He turned to look at Lin Xiuqin.

"The Spiritual Qi ripple just now must have been caused by you touching the mechanism that triggered this hidden Formation."

Lin Xiuqin had a look of utter confusion!

When did she trigger a mechanism?

After the Elder finished his report, the Tower Master waved his hand, waiting for the person to leave.

A figure then appeared out of thin air!

It was a woman dressed in a purple gauze dress, with a graceful figure and exquisite curves. Her jet-black hair was loosely tied up, revealing a slender, fair neck. As she walked, the slit purple gauze dress swayed with her steps, and her jade-white legs were partially visible between the folds of the skirt, exuding a seductive charm.

Beside them, Zhao Jingchen couldn't help but swallow hard. Seeing this, Lin Xiuqin secretly nudged him with her elbow, and Zhao Jingchen quickly composed himself.

This woman and the Tower Master conversed in low voices in the study, but Ye Hao and the others didn't know exactly what they were discussing.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, a soul-stirring smile appeared on the woman's face, and she turned to walk out of the attic, seemingly intending to leave.

When she reached the window of the floor, she suddenly turned back, looked toward the doorway, and lightly blinked her beautiful eyes before gracefully departing.

In that instant, Ye Hao inexplicably felt like his eyes met hers, and his heart skipped a beat.

But that should be impossible; this was merely a lingering illusion from a Formation. How could there be such a vivid sensation? Unless the other party had long foreseen this scene today.

Li Pingan said in a low voice, "Let's go downstairs and take a look."

If these truly were images left before the Demon Suppressing Tower was attacked, then the empty prison cells below would surely contain the truth they were investigating.

The five of them skipped the eighth floor where the ten thousand demon blood quenching pool was located and quickly returned to the seventh floor.

Looking up, the prison cells on both sides were no longer empty; each one held a Yao... or more precisely, a person who was half-human and half-Yao.

Not a single one was a pure Yao Race!

There was a woman with a human head and a snake's body curled in a corner, blood on her green scales; a half-human, half-wolf man was snarling against the cell door, his sharp claws scratching the iron bars and sending sparks flying; and a boy with bat wings on his back was hugging his knees and weeping silently.

Zhao Xu was so shocked he trembled all over, stumbling back half a step, his face filled with unbelievable astonishment.

"No... impossible! The Demon Suppressing Tower is supposed to imprison vicious Yao Race, so how can it be these..."

"It seems it really was the work of the Chusheng Sect!" Zhao Jingchen looked at the scene with a solemn expression. Even Lin Xiuqin, beside him, had uncontrollable anger in her eyes.

Ye Hao walked along, observing the scenes in the prison cells on both sides, then stopped in front of a barred door.

His gaze fell upon the half-human, half-bird demoness inside!

Her arms had turned into a pair of light green feathered wings, and her body was covered only by a rag. She was turned sideways to the cell door, her left wing gently stroking the back of a little boy with a spider's body beside her, her lips moving slightly as if she were comforting him.

Because of her sideways posture and the fact that she only had a tattered coarse cloth garment covering her, Ye Hao clearly saw a strange dark purple mark on her fair back.

Even though only half of it was visible, Ye Hao immediately knew what it was.

The lines were twisted like chains; it was exactly what was recorded in the Jade Slip just now—the Slave Seal!