7. The Seal of the Sky Cage

A grown man, dressed in simple black clothing, carefully selected a small crown with a dragon design that tied half of his hair. He stood behind Jian Hong. Shen Wei, the man with a stern face, gazed at the young man before him with great concern.

However, the look Jian Hong gave him caused Shen Wei to furrow his brows. Especially when he saw the red tint in Jian Hong's eyes. "Jian Hong, it's me, your teacher."

For a moment, Jian Hong continued to observe the man. Then, he scoffed. "Teacher? I've been living alone from the beginning, never relying on weak humans."

After saying that, Jian Hong jumped from one tree to another, even though most of them were already half destroyed. Shen Wei, who saw this, could feel his heart race faster. "Damn! The dark power has taken over Jian Hong's mind. If he is completely consumed by the dark force, Jian Hong will truly become a threat to the three realms."

Shen Wei didn't wait long before pursuing Jian Hong. The man mounted his flying sword and flew through the air to chase after his disciple, whose speed was almost unmatchable. "In this state of darkness, even a Golden Immortal cultivator might not be able to stop him. To restore his consciousness, I must enter his sea of consciousness."

Shen Wei increased the speed of his flying sword. His sharp gaze never wavered from Jian Hong, whose speed left an illusion of smoke behind him. When Jian Hong stopped at the foot of Heng Feng Mountain, Shen Wei slowly descended.

Just as Jian Hong was about to move forward, his head suddenly throbbed, and his chest felt like it was struck by something hard. Within his soul, it felt like forces were clashing against each other. "Oh no! Jian Hong, you need to regain your senses. You have to take control of your body again, this can't continue. The sect members are safe now, there's nothing more to fear. You must return."

The voices inside Jian Hong's mind kept fighting each other. This body... Jian Hong felt like it was being returned. The effort to resist was so intense that he had to kneel with both hands gripping his head. "No, don't listen to your body! You must control yourself, control it!"

"Jian Hong," said Shen Wei, gently tapping his disciple's shoulder.

Recognizing the voice, Jian Hong finally opened his eyes. There was a brief sense of relief as he turned and looked at the face of the man who had been his teacher for nine years. "Teacher!" Without hesitation, Jian Hong prostrated at his teacher's feet. "Teacher, please help me. Free me from this power! I can't hold myself back any longer!"

"Don't worry. I will try to enter your sea of consciousness. During that time, I will bind your body with the Soul Binding Chain." Shen Wei immediately raised one hand to his forehead, and a white light emanated from his brow, which he directed toward Jian Hong's body.

Soon, Jian Hong's body was bound by a bluish-white light that formed a chain. "Jian Hong, this chain will restrict your movements and calm your soul. Wait here, I will try to balance your power."

Without waiting for a response, Shen Wei sat facing Jian Hong. He closed his eyes, and the symbol on his forehead glowed blue. Then, Shen Wei's soul truly entered Jian Hong's sea of consciousness.

When Shen Wei decided to stand on a large rock in the middle of the sea, he had to reconsider because the waves even reached that rock. "There has been a drastic change in Jian Hong's energy. His power has never been this chaotic. What happened to the seal I placed?"

Unable to stand on the rock, Shen Wei flew back toward an island. The sea of consciousness was very much like a regular ocean, with vast waters and islands on its edges. However, Jian Hong's sea of consciousness had two bodies of water with one island in the middle, separating them.

When Shen Wei arrived at the edge of the dark waters, his eyes widened in surprise. "The seal I placed, why is it gone? What did Jian Hong do that caused the seal to disappear? The Sky Cage Seal is made of star silk threads and heavenly soul stones. No matter how powerful the dark waves are, it shouldn't have been so easily destroyed. Moreover, only Jian Hong could remove the seal after I placed it in his sea of consciousness."

Just as Shen Wei stopped speaking, a black wave rose high into the air like a tsunami, pulling Shen Wei toward the edge. Fortunately, he quickly used his power to hold the wave in place. "This power surged because the seal was broken. Moreover, it seems Jian Hong can't control his emotions, which triggered the dark power. If this power merges with his consciousness, Jian Hong will completely become a demon!"

Shen Wei's feet moved backward as the wave continued to press against him. He didn't give up, using his hand to form a formation. Behind him, a circular formation of blue light appeared, filled with thousands of stars.

When Shen Wei pressed his forehead, the stars formed a complex pattern, and the edges, with their abstract reliefs, spun from slow to fast. "Astral Key Formation! Seal!"

Immediately after Shen Wei uttered those words, the pattern formed light on each of the stars, which aimed at the dark wave and locked its movement, even pushing it back and away. The light from the stars created a massive, transparent blue barrier that temporarily held the wave at bay.

Afterward, Shen Wei planted his feet firmly on the ground. "This formation can hold back the dark power temporarily. Until I can find the location of the Sky Cage Seal."

At that moment, Shen Wei soared back into the sky and returned to his body. When he opened his eyes, he immediately spat out a mouthful of thick blood. Seeing this, Jian Hong quickly grabbed Shen Wei's shoulders. "Teacher, are you alright? It seems like you're badly injured."

But Shen Wei simply shook his head and gestured with one hand, signaling that he was fine. "No need to worry about me. How do you feel? Are you better?"

Jian Hong nodded slowly and even lowered his head. "What I did today was a crime. I destroyed the forest, dried up the Rain God's Daughter's Tears River, and almost destroyed Heng Feng Mountain. Teacher, I should be punished." The young man prostrated before his teacher.

Seeing this, Shen Wei could only sigh deeply. "Jian Hong, what exactly happened?"

Jian Hong's body slowly rose as he heard the question. His face grew grim. He touched his waistband, and a small coffin floated in his palm. "The members of the Tian Ba sect... they lost their souls."

"What do you mean by losing their souls?"

"To save the sect, they turned their souls into protectors for Tian Ba. They left their bodies lifeless."

"They were killed?" Shen Wei was shocked. No wonder Jian Hong had been so emotional. This was the cause. He then took the coffin and examined it, extending one hand to allow white light to enter the coffin. "Luckily, you placed them in a soul coffin quickly. Jian Hong, their consciousness cores still remain, though weak. But if we find the right object, they can still be saved."

"Really? They can still live, right?"

Shen Wei nodded. "Technically, someone who has died can't come back to life. But since their consciousness cores still remain, it shouldn't be impossible, though it certainly won't be easy."

"Teacher, even if I have to grasp fire, walk on a thousand needles, or pass through the collapsing heavens, I will bring them back to life." Jian Hong's sorrowful gaze then returned to the coffin in his teacher's hands. "To me, they are not just sect members, friends, or elders. They are my family, my home, the place that always ensures my safety."

Again, Shen Wei nodded. "But before that, you must answer one question."

This made Jian Hong immediately look at Shen Wei's face. "What question?"

"Where is the Sky Cage Seal I gave you?"

For a moment, Jian Hong still didn't understand Shen Wei's question. Then, his eyes widened in realization. "Oh no! Teacher, Senior Han Feng fell into a ravine. But before he hit the ground, I managed to give him the Sky Cage Seal. You said that, besides being a seal, it also serves to protect the user. When the user is in danger, the seal activates and forms a protective structure within the body."

"Senior Han Feng? Is he the crown prince of the Sheng Shi kingdom?"

A single nod answered Shen Wei's question. "Then we must hurry and help the prince. This seal depends on the inner strength of its user. The prince fell from a ravine, meaning his inner strength has weakened. If the energy in his body isn't strong enough, the seal won't work. And if that happens, the danger to the prince will be even greater than before."

"Then let's go to Ji Quan Spring!"