Chapter 5: Trapped (Part 1)

The Eagle Demon was puzzled. “Buying time? That doesn’t solve anything. They’re outside, and no matter when we try to leave, we can’t escape. Do you have another plan?” He knew the little guy was always full of tricks—maybe there was another way.
Guo Shieru had no plan. This was a dead end; they couldn’t fight their way out or escape. The only hope was the coordinates Li Ran had left. Although they couldn’t open the talisman gate, it at least brought some change. Whether this change was good or bad didn’t matter to him. What mattered was that if there was a change, it meant there might be a chance. But he didn’t know when that chance would come, which was why he wanted to buy time.
“Let’s wait! Ugh, uncle, I’m starving!”
The Eagle Demon suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach, accompanied by rumbling sounds like thunder. He said, “It seems we haven’t eaten in a long time… Shieru, cook something delicious! Oh, grilled meat would be best… But grilling is too troublesome. Just boil the meat in plain water—it satisfies the craving and staves off hunger!”
Guo Shieru replied, “Who knows how long we can survive? I’ll cook some talisman food to eat!”
The Eagle Demon laughed loudly. “Great! Haha, I love the talisman food you make the most!”
Zhu Jiamao wondered, “What are they talking about? What talisman food…?” The Eagle Demon raised his voice slightly, and Zhu Jiamao immediately heard him. The Demon Lady said, “I wonder what those two kids are up to.”
Guo Shieru took out a bunch of things from his talisman bag, including pots, pans, and a table, leaving Zhu Jiamao and the others stunned. The Demon Lady couldn’t help but say, “Are they going to die? They’re cooking on the Soul Altar? Oh… It’s unbearable! How can people be like this?”
Zhu Jiamao said, “Such a sacred place… Sigh, those ignorant kids!”
The Demon Lady stared wide-eyed. After a while, she laughed in anger, not knowing what to say. She was also bold, but she never imagined the two kids could be even more reckless—starting a fire and cooking on an ancient Soul Altar was utterly disrespectful.
Guo Shieru cooked a pot of rice and a large pot of braised pork—a simple meal of one dish.
The Eagle Demon was so hungry he felt dizzy. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until it was mentioned. The rich aroma of the braised pork and the scent of the rice overwhelmed him. He kept asking, “Can we eat now? Shieru, is it ready?”
Guo Shieru was also starving, but fortunately, he had similar experience before and could stay calm while cooking.

The aroma of the food slowly spread, passing through the protective ancient soul altar’s talisman array and reaching outside. Zhu Jiamao twitched his nose from time to time, looking quite strange, and asked, “What kind of talisman food is this kid cooking? Why is it so fragrant?” Guo Shier took out two copper basins—one large for each of them—and poured braised pork over the rice, saying, “Eat something first.” The two began to eat heartily. More and more Great Saints flew into the air to watch them eat. One of them asked, “Why aren’t they coming out?” “They can’t come out. I don’t know what changes this ancient soul altar might undergo. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a complete soul altar.” Another Great Saint said, “I wonder what the Chief Inspector plans. Continuing like this isn’t a solution.” “We can only wait. Who knows when the ancient soul altar will stop functioning… No one dares to act rashly. If it’s destroyed, it would be catastrophic—even the Chief Inspector wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Zhang Yaojin and the others also watched the ancient altar, gathering together. They weren’t imprisoned or restricted in their movements; they were simply prevented from leaving. As for how to deal with the situation, it might take until Guo Shier and Eagle Demon came out before there would be a resolution. For now, they seemed safe. As trial disciples, having discovered this place was already a huge achievement. Zhang Yaojin and the others discussed it and seemed to see hope of avoiding punishment. Guo Shier and Eagle Demon finished half-full bowls of food. With his experience, Guo Shier knew he couldn’t eat any more. He said, “Strange, why hasn’t the soul altar changed yet?” Eagle Demon replied, “Wait. Let’s use this time to organize the inheritance we’ve obtained… I’ve already reached the rank of Junior Saint. Heh, I never dreamed I’d reach such a height in this life.” Guo Shier said, “I’ve also reached Junior Saint, but I still need to digest and absorb the inheritance and study for some time. Right now, our strength is still a long way from that of a Saint.” Eagle Demon fell silent, sinking his mind into his soul. Guo Shier glanced at the people outside and sighed inwardly, unsure of how to overcome this challenge. With the soul altar’s talisman array protecting them, once that protection vanished, the two would be trapped. Sitting on the animal skin mat, Guo Shier also immersed his mind in his soul.

Through the inheritance of the Ancient Soul Altar, he not only acquired vast knowledge but also underwent the best physical training. His Life Sigil Ball was transformed as well, granting him his first Life Sigil Sword. The Insect Sigil and the Two Beast Sigils also benefited from this. He now knew that through specific methods, the Insect Sigil and the Beast Sigils could be transformed into Life Sigil Insects and Life Sigil Beasts.

By this time, a large number of experts had entered Qikoujiao through the Ancient Sigil Gate. Qikoujiao was no longer chaotic, and the light column rising from the Ancient Soul Altar gradually disappeared, restoring calm to the sky. Only the brilliant light emitted by the Ancient Soul Altar remained unchanged. More and more people gathered outside, reaching over a thousand in number—most were Holy Masters, a few were Great Holy Masters, and there were also some Mad Masters. Above the Great Holy Masters, there were only two: Zhu Jiamao and the Demon Maiden.

Seeing so many experts gathered, Zhang Yaojin and the others were terrified. Even in their own sect, they had never seen such a large number of professional experts. It was terrifying—just the fluctuations of souls made it hard for them to breathe.

When the number of professionals exceeded a thousand, the Ancient Soul Altar began to change. Zhu Jiamao and the Demon Maiden, along with a group of Great Holy Masters, were discussing when the ground suddenly shook violently. He stood up in surprise and rushed outside the tent. He saw the Soul Altar emitting bursts of light, with countless ancient runes spewing out from its top and flying in all directions.

Everyone else also came outside. Zhu Jiamao shouted, “Everyone, back up!” The Demon Maiden also cried out, “Retreat at least a thousand meters away!” Everyone retreated outward. No one knew what changes the Ancient Soul Altar would undergo, but everyone understood its immense power.

The ground around the altar trembled violently, with rumbling sounds coming from beneath it. Zhu Jiamao frowned and said, “What’s going on?”

Bang! Bang! Bang…

A series of explosions echoed.

Guo Shier and Eagle Demon were also startled. They stared in awe at the area around the altar. Guo Shier said, “What… what is this?” After waiting for over ten days and nearly losing hope, he never expected the altar to finally change.

Countless giant pillars as thick as trees emerged from the ground, one every hundred meters. Everyone watched in shock. As the vibrations intensified, the pillars rose higher and higher, stopping only when they reached a height of a hundred meters.

From atop the Soul Altar, Guo Shier and Eagle Demon saw a forest formed by these giant pillars all around. They exchanged glances, both wondering: What is this?

Suddenly, countless crystals of stored wood rose from the ashes of the wood that had been burned by lightning, as if picked up by an invisible hand and plunging into the giant pillars.
Zhu Jiamao exclaimed in horror, “Stored wood! Don’t move!”
Professionals like them were highly sensitive. A few Great Saints tried to grab the crystals flying near them, but as soon as they touched them, they were engulfed by the ancient runes sprayed from the pillars, turning to ashes instantly, with their souls wailing as they were dragged into the pillars.
The demoness shrieked, “No one is allowed to move!”
Three Great Saints were killed by the ancient runes emitted by the pillars, leaving Zhu Jiamao and the demoness furious. Great Saints were extremely rare experts, and such a death was utterly unacceptable.
Soon after, countless Blood Soul Stones fell from the sky and also disappeared into the pillars.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon stood motionless. Eagle Demon asked, “Is this our chance?”
“I don’t know either. Let’s search the ancestral memories to see if there’s any explanation.”
Guo Shier began searching through the ancestral memories. But these memories were incredibly vast and complex. He hadn’t even sorted through those he had obtained from the Chenxiao Sect, let alone those from the Ancient Soul Altar. It was impossible to find what he needed in such a short time.
Eagle Demon said, “Stop searching. I’ve already tried… There’s nothing to be found.”
The ancestral memories were like a huge library for the two of them—a strange library at that. Unless they first sorted the books and read them slowly, they wouldn’t know what the books were or what their contents were. But now, it was like they were entering the library for the first time and trying to find a specific book—a task that was absolutely impossible to accomplish.
Guo Shier sighed and said, “We can’t find it…”
Eagle Demon replied, “Yeah. Ancestral memories are valuable, but they also require time to understand. Let’s just wait and see. Anyway, we’re at the altar and have received the inheritance. These pillars shouldn’t pose a threat to us.”
Guo Shier said, “Maybe this really is a chance!”
Everyone waited, unsure of what would happen. Zhu Jiamao looked serious, and the demoness stopped laughing. Both of them stared grimly ahead. This development was beyond their expectations, and they began to worry. After all, many experts from major sects were gathered here. If something went wrong, they too wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The rising pillars were as tall as a hundred meters, with some being forty or fifty meters high, all with a diameter of over two meters. They came in various colors, but what was common among them was that they were covered in ancient runes.

The entire pillar was quite peculiar, illusory and unstable, as if it were an image, yet it stood firmly on the ground. After absorbing the lattice wood and blood soul stones, the giant pillar began to emit a dazzling light. The dark clouds in the sky suddenly began to churn violently, and gradually, howling sounds could be heard.