Chapter 252: The Patriarch’s Secret

The entirely golden seal had a square base, about ten centimeters on each side. Above the base, a golden dragon coiled around it, giving it a formidable appearance.
Ye Feng had been staring at this seal for ten days now, and ten days had also passed since his deal with the Witch Clan.
Those who received the Barrier-Piercing Pill were naturally very grateful to him. Although the old patriarch seemed to know many things, he didn’t seem to blame Ye Feng at all; instead, he wore a kind smile, his sincere eyes making Ye Feng feel somewhat ashamed. One billion second-tier domain points in exchange for a top-tier fourth-tier item—this was something Ye Feng had never considered before.
Even without deducting the 10% conversion fee for upgrading from a lower-tier to a higher-tier domain, one billion second-tier domain points could only be exchanged for 1,000 fourth-tier domain points. For Ye Feng, who had already unlocked his second domain, he knew well that 1,000 domain points couldn’t buy anything valuable.
That object, with its surface glowing red to purple, was clearly an elite item among fourth-tier items. Even an elite spiritual weapon required 10 million domain points in the second domain. Presumably, in the fourth domain, such an item would cost at least another 10 million domain points to acquire. His deal was a huge profit.
However, Ye Feng never thought of using this seal to exchange for domain points. His own domain points were already more than sufficient. Moreover, having obtained a fourth-tier item so effortlessly, converting it into second-tier domain points seemed like a short-sighted move.
Besides, Ye Feng’s intuition kept telling him that it would be of great use in the future.
He studied it for ten days, memorizing every detail of the seal. Yet whenever he touched the character “Dao” carved at the base, he would forget what it looked like.
Over those ten days, he stamped the seal hundreds of times, but the character “Dao” never lasted longer than a second.
On the first day, he placed the seal on a piece of white paper. Before he even lifted it, the paper turned to ashes instantly. After a gust of wind, not even dust remained.
He tried several times, with the same result each time.
Undeterred, he tried stamping the seal on other things—his room’s small table, door, bed, even the walls. Without exception, everything stamped by the seal turned to ashes instantly.
But Ye Feng didn’t think this was the seal’s true function, though he wasn’t sure why he was so convinced of this.

In ten days, he had almost stamped every possible place, yet he still hadn’t seen what the character “Dao” looked like when upright. That day, he stared intently at the seal for most of the day, a determined look crossing his face. “If I don’t take a chance, how can I uncover the true mystery of this seal?” With that, he picked up the seal with his right hand and pressed it firmly onto the palm of his left hand. The moment the seal made contact, countless images flashed through Ye Feng’s mind, and intense burning pain surged through his palm. Though the pain lasted only a moment before being transferred to his death substitute, the agony that penetrated his bones and touched his soul was enough to be unforgettable for life. Suddenly, Ye Feng heard a sound of something shattering, and those images in his mind ceased instantly. He immediately regained consciousness. He knew the thing that shattered was one of his substitutes he had used to bind himself. He was drenched in cold sweat—just pressing the seal onto his palm was enough to kill him once. When he examined the shattered death substitute, he found it had turned into a pile of charred powder. Ye Feng was shocked—had he not had a death substitute, he would likely have turned into ashes by now. Judging from the soul-shattering pain he had just experienced, he probably wouldn’t even have a chance for reincarnation. The pain transmitted from his soul truly terrified him. He tried hard to recall the images that had appeared in his mind, but found no trace of them. For someone with an extraordinary memory, this was almost impossible. It was as if those images had been forcibly erased from his mind, leaving no trace. Ye Feng only remembered a flood of information flooding his mind, but when he tried to search again, nothing remained. “Those images were so clear just now, and so much information was transmitted. Why did they just disappear?” Ye Feng was frustrated, but he dared not try pressing the seal on himself again. After ten days, there was still no sign of Di Er arriving. His small hut was only a hundred meters away from the center of the Witch Tribe’s stronghold, so he could easily detect any movement. Moreover, aside from him, it seemed no outsiders had come to this planet these days.

These days, Ye Feng has also been devoted to studying that seal. With Dir not coming, he wasn’t anxious at all. After all, this planet was indeed in a remote location, and it would have been difficult to find here so quickly unless Lilith had friends among the celestial witch clan. As for Dir, even though he was extremely powerful, it would likely take him some effort to locate this place. The witch clan had also fallen into silence these days. After taking the Barrier-Piercing Pill, it would take 81 days to break through the cultivation barrier and face the heavenly calamity. Although the clan leader was weak, he should still be able to last for several dozen days. Among the witch clan members, the newly elected clan leader was none other than the eldest among the six elders who had come to welcome them—the seemingly honest-looking older man. When he saw most people choosing him, the man’s ears turned red, and he stammered, not knowing what to do. Ye Feng saw clearly the simple customs of the witch clan. He was also grateful for the seal given to him by the old clan leader. He didn’t want the people and things here to be polluted or disturbed by outsiders, so his determination to kill Dir, who was about to come to steal the secret scriptures, grew even stronger. Bernard and Xiao Yu were also very popular among the witch clan. The two little ones had appetites far beyond their tiny sizes. Yet the clan members were happy to share the various fruits they picked with them. The two little ones wouldn’t leave until their bellies were full. Ye Feng also noticed that the old clan leader had paused for a moment when he first saw Xiao Yu. Knowing his own past, he probably also knew Xiao Yu’s origin, but Ye Feng didn’t dwell on it. That day, Ye Feng finally stopped exploring the secrets of the seal and left his room. The open grassland where everyone usually gathered was now piled high with fruits, forming small mountains. Bernard sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a large pile of fruits and stuffing them into his mouth one by one, while Xiao Yu stood atop the pile, carefully selecting the fruits he wanted to eat. A group of witch clan members sat nearby, watching. Ye Feng knew well the temperaments of the two little ones: Bernard liked the hustle and bustle and being watched, while Xiao Yu didn’t care at all about the crowd. After pulling the two little ones away from the crowd, Ye Feng took them to the house where the old clan leader lived.

After knocking on the door, it was still the same young woman who opened it.
“Is the clan leader here?” Ye Feng knew asking this question was unnecessary—since this woman was in charge of the clan leader’s daily needs, if she was inside, the clan leader must be there as well.
“Yes! Come in and sit!” The young woman nodded slightly and smiled at Ye Feng. In Ye Feng’s memory, this seemed like the first time she had smiled at him; usually, she was cold and indifferent. Her attitude toward him had improved probably after he exchanged pills for the seal.
The woman brought Ye Feng a cup of tea, then led him to the old clan leader’s bed.
Just ten days apart, Ye Feng could tell that the old clan leader seemed even weaker. Though he didn’t seem on the verge of death, he looked much older than when Ye Feng last saw him.
Seeing his condition, Ye Feng frowned. “Why does the old clan leader seem even more frail?”
“Grandpa’s body has actually been decaying for a long time. Aside from me and him, no one knows about this…” The young woman shook her head helplessly.
“Grandpa?” Ye Feng asked in surprise.
“I’m Wu Tong, the clan leader’s granddaughter…” The girl’s expression darkened. “In fact, Grandpa should have died twenty years ago. But he used some secret technique to bind his soul to his damaged body, delaying his death. That’s why he has difficulty moving and can’t use the secret texts or the great prophecy art.”
“In other words, right now, his soul is just tied to his body, allowing him to control his dead body only in a basic way?” Ye Feng immediately understood.
“That’s right. The effect of that secret technique lasts only twenty years, and this year is the last one. Once the time is up, his soul will be expelled from his body and never able to return.”
“That’s probably why he refused my pills to extend his life!” Ye Feng asked.
Wu Tong nodded helplessly. “He insisted on these twenty years so he could see you arrive, so you could bring us the breakthrough pills, for a new clan leader to emerge, and to pass on the secret texts. Once all these things are done, all his wishes will be fulfilled…”