Chapter 171: Unsealing

On the other side, as Lin Xiao was nearing the completion of his task of excavating the house, Liao Pantou suddenly sent a frantic voice transmission from the Soul-Nourishing Pendant, shouting, "Lin Xiao, hurry! Forget about those remaining scraps—come quickly, over here!"

Startled by Liao Pantou's urgency, Lin Xiao immediately dropped what he was doing and dashed in the direction indicated by the translucent hand extending from his chest.

As he rushed along, he questioned, "Weren't you just telling me not to hurry? Why the sudden urgency, as if you're on fire?"

Liao Pantou responded, "Earlier, I told you not to rush because there's a seal on my soul fragment. If you had broken the seal too early and my old enemy sensed it, he might have waited for us at the secret realm's exit!"

"Then why are we rushing now?" Lin Xiao pressed.

"Just now, a young girl discovered the location of my soul fragment. It's hidden in an ice coffin, and she couldn't open it because I sealed it tightly. But she ran off to find help!" Liao Pantou explained anxiously.

"Even if they discover it, they won't harm you for no reason, right?" Lin Xiao said, puzzled.

Liao Pantou's voice rose in exasperation. "For no reason? Think! If these cultivators are stuck in this ice cave and can't find a way out after fifteen days, they'll see me as their only hope of escape. They won't believe that I don't know the way out! They'll likely think I'm the key to leaving and target me. With so many of them here—dozens at the least—my soul fragment, which is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment level, can't fight them all off!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lin Xiao quickened his pace, racing toward the location of Liao Pantou's soul fragment.

When he finally arrived at the underground chamber's entrance, Yuan Zhiyun, who had gone to find help, was still nowhere in sight.

Without wasting any time, Lin Xiao descended into the chamber, where he found it lit by torches. At the center, the lid of the ice coffin was wide open, and inside sat Liao Pantou's soul fragment, identical to the one in the pendant but more concentrated. The soul fragment sat with its eyes closed, awaiting their arrival.

Glancing around the chamber, Lin Xiao couldn't see any visible signs of the seal and asked, "Senior, where is the seal? Should I unseal it first, or should you merge with your other soul fragment?"

The Liao Pantou from the Soul-Nourishing Pendant floated out and pointed at the center of his other soul fragment's forehead. "The seal is within my soul. It locks me to this place, limiting my movement to a few meters. You remember that unsealing talisman you made the other day? Take it out now. When I start merging, a powerful soul force will erupt momentarily. Use the talisman during that burst to break the seal. Remember, the soul force eruption only lasts a moment, so you must act fast! If you miss it, even a high-grade talisman might not break the seal!"

They had discussed Lin Xiao's unsealing talisman days ago in the inn at Yuanling City. Lin Xiao had wondered if he could upgrade a regular talisman using the system's item synthesizer and spirit stones. When Liao Pantou handed him a simple unsealing talisman, Lin Xiao combined it with fifty spirit stones using the synthesizer, resulting in a talisman that gleamed with golden light.

Liao Pantou was initially skeptical, not believing that Lin Xiao could upgrade a basic talisman into a high-grade one so easily—and for only fifty spirit stones. High-grade talismans with special functions were incredibly rare and expensive. This further convinced Liao Pantou that his decision to join Lingxian Sect was the right one.

Now, back in the present, Lin Xiao quickly retrieved the upgraded talisman from his private stash. Liao Pantou pointed to the center of his soul fragment's forehead in the ice coffin, indicating where Lin Xiao should place the talisman. After that, Liao Pantou left the pendant and floated toward the other soul fragment in the coffin.

As the two soul fragments touched and began to merge, Lin Xiao, talisman in hand, quickly infused it with spiritual power and slapped it onto Liao Pantou's forehead.

In the next moment, an invisible but powerful wave of soul force rippled through the chamber. Lin Xiao's mind went blank for a brief second, his soul feeling as if it had been cleansed. He also sensed a brief moment of darkness, during which he saw something break free from Liao Pantou's soul fragment, shattering into countless pieces before dissipating into the void.

The darkness quickly lifted, and everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Liao Pantou sat in the ice coffin, looking at Lin Xiao with a satisfied smile.