The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

Chapter 805 - The Coiling Dragon Forest

Han Wu and Qin Shuang spent three days combing the archive for information about the Sealed Civilization, but found nothing related to the Magic Sealing Wave. So, Han Wu went to the city lord and told him he needed to move on to a larger city to continue his search.

The city lord was sad to see him go, but knew he had no way to keep Han Wu. A young and powerful fighter like him was never going to settle in Panyang City. So, rather than trying to hold him, the city lord generously prepared some travel provisions for the road.

Han Wu accepted without argument. He took the money and asked for a horse as well. Their next destination was the Coiling Dragon Forest, a long way from Panyang City. According to the records, a powerful sect called the Sealing Gate Sect operated inside that forest. The sect held an extensive library of texts and taught various Seal Arts to students.

Unfortunately, gaining entry to the Sealing Gate Sect was not a simple matter. The only way in was to pass through the exceedingly dangerous Coiling Dragon Forest. That place teemed with innumerable magical beasts and marked certain death for the ordinary traveler.

For Han Wu, however, it was a treasure trove. The more beasts, the better. The Feral Beast in his consciousness space looked forward to some new company.

With provisions in hand, Han Wu and Qin Shuang mounted up and rode out. Three days of travel brought them to the edge of the Coiling Dragon Forest.

Even from the edge of the forest, Han Wu could feel the pressure emanating from within. The pressure was strangely unified rather than coming from scattered sources, which gave him the initial impression that the forest itself was alive.

“This should be interesting,” Han Wu murmured to himself.

On the road, he had taught Qin Shuang the seals he had mastered. The Feral Spine Seal and the Evil Seal were bound to the Feral Beast and could not be taught, but she picked up both the Reaper Seal and the Four Guardians Seal successfully.

The only downside was that Qin Shuang did not have a Soul Microcosm of her own, which meant using the Reaper Seal would draw her soul into Han Wu’s Soul Microcosm. While this would not cause lasting harm to her, the resulting temporary false death was not useful in combat. Her remaining practical option thus became the Four Guardians Seal, which was already a stroke of exceptional luck for her.

The Four Guardians Seal’s unique capabilities meant Qin Shuang could also use it to seal powerful magical beasts and absorb their abilities. One powerful Seal Art was worth more than a hundred ordinary ones.

Of course, she still preferred beasts with the lightning attribute. After all, her purpose for this trip was twofold: finding information on the Magic Sealing Wave and grasping the incomplete form of the Lightning Jurisdiction. Accumulating more lightning-attribute Seal Arts would directly support the latter.

The horse refused to set one hoof inside the Coiling Dragon Forest, so Han Wu released it, and the two of them went in on foot. They had barely crossed the treeline when magical beasts attacked.

Having studied the archive records, they easily identified the creatures before them as Sparkfoxes, three-Ring magical beasts. Though individually weak, they were difficult to handle because they roamed in packs and were exceptionally fast.

Han Wu did not need to waste a powerful Seal Art on something this weak, so he casually launched a volley of Feral Spines. A thick, heavy coat of rigid spines grew over the Sparkfoxes’ bodies with every hit, restricting their movement and slowly wrapping the creatures into immobile balls, sealing them.

Qin Shuang didn’t stand idle either. Her Thunder Sparrow Seal effortlessly handled the three-Ring Sparkfoxes. All it took was one seal per fox, and the foxes went down without a sound, each neatly wrapped in lightning threads.

Fire-red beads rolled across the ground, each holding a sealed Sparkfox that could be used as a fire-attribute energy source. Han Wu collected them into his bag.

As they ventured further in, more magical beasts appeared. The strongest among them was a seven-Ring Giant Horned Rhino, which Han Wu dragged into his consciousness with the Four Guardians Seal.

The Giant Horned Rhino maintained its arrogant disposition until it caught sight of the nine-Ring Feral Beast in the neighbouring cage, at which point it immediately deflated.

Han Wu didn’t even need to threaten it. The Giant Horned Rhino voluntarily surrendered its power, granting Han Wu a seven-Ring skill called Rhino Horn Unseal.

This was not a Seal Art but a seal-breaking technique, effective against physical seals like the Feral Spine Seal. It was a modest addition for someone with twelve Rings like Han Wu, but it was still better than nothing.

The trees of the Coiling Dragon Forest grew increasingly dense and tall as the pair continued inward. As they traveled, Han Wu noticed something remarkable on the trunks of ancient trees. Clear dragon-shaped patterns coiled along the bark like living creatures.

“Han Wu, do you know what those are?” Qin Shuang asked with wide eyes.

Han Wu thought for a moment. “If I were to guess, a powerful dragon corpse is probably buried nearby. These trees absorbed the dragon energy leaking from the body, and the patterns formed as a result.”

Qin Shuang’s eyes lit up. The dragon in question was undoubtedly impressive for its corpse to release enough energy to mark the trees across an entire forest. A dragon’s body was invaluable. Even Qin Shuang, with one foot in the realm of Major Gods, wanted it.

“The Sealing Gate Sect is also located in this same area,” Han Wu added. “The corpse and the sect are likely connected.”

“Let’s find the Sealing Gate Sect first and figure it out from there,” Qin Shuang agreed.

Han Wu nodded, and the two ventured deeper into the forest. The trees grew broader and more imposing as they went. Trees with trunks over ten meters in diameter became a common sight, and the dragon-shaped patterns on the bark grew more lifelike. They were getting closer to the heart of the forest.

After sealing two eight-Ring Thunder Apes, they spotted a tall structure not far ahead. It was built atop a massive tree stump that was nearly a thousand meters in diameter. The plaque hanging from the structure was readable even from a distance.

They had found the Sealing Gate Sect.