Ye Qiu’s expression changed drastically.
After opening the wooden box, his gaze fell upon a square jade seal.
The jade seal measured four inches on each side, carved from white jade, with five golden dragons intertwined on top, vivid and lifelike.
Though the jade seal was small, it exuded a grand and majestic aura.
“Little rascal, what do you see? Is there a pile of gold, silver, and jewels inside?” Master Longbrow asked.
Ye Qiu shook his head, “There’s no gold, silver, or jewels here.”
“Impossible! Master Dongxuan said there’s a great treasure here,” Master Longbrow asked, “Little rascal, what did you find?”
Ye Qiu said, “There’s only a jade seal here.”
A jade seal?
Master Longbrow’s expression soured, “Could it be that the great treasure Master Dongxuan spoke of is just a jade seal?”
“But how could a mere jade seal help our Dragon Tiger Mountain regain its former glory?”
“Little rascal, check the base of the jade seal, which emperor’s reign mark is it?”
Ye Qiu reached out, taking the jade seal from the wooden box.
Instantly, his palm felt heavy.
At the same time, Ye Qiu had a peculiar sensation, as if holding this jade seal made him an emperor ruling over the world.
Ye Qiu examined it and found the five golden dragons carved with exquisite detail, remarkably lifelike.
As for the white jade beneath the dragons, it was crystal clear, without a single impurity, emitting a soft white glow.
Though Ye Qiu didn’t yet know which emperor had used this jade seal, he could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary object, undoubtedly a supreme treasure among jade seals.
Compared to the jade seal in the coffin of the Long family’s ancestral tomb, the one in his hand was worlds apart, the other being mere rubbish.
“Little rascal, did you see it? Which emperor’s jade seal is it?” Master Longbrow asked again.
“I haven’t looked yet,” Ye Qiu said, turning the jade seal over.
The base faced upward.
A few seal characters appeared before his eyes.
Ye Qiu studied them for a moment, his pupils suddenly widening, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
Hiss!
Ye Qiu drew a sharp breath.
How could this be?
Seeing Ye Qiu’s prolonged silence, Master Longbrow grew impatient, asking, “What exactly did you see? Which emperor’s jade seal is it?”
Ye Qiu steadied himself and said, “It’s the jade seal of Qin Shihuang.”
“Just a jade seal, what use could it be to our Dragon Tiger Mountain? Master Dongxuan wasn’t deceiving us…” Master Longbrow suddenly reacted, exclaiming, “What did you say? Whose jade seal?”
Ye Qiu replied, “It’s the jade seal of Qin Shihuang.”
Could it be…
Master Longbrow thought of a possibility, his breathing quickening as he urgently asked, “What characters are engraved on the jade seal?”
Ye Qiu said, “‘Ordained by Heaven, Eternal Prosperity!’”
Boom!
Master Longbrow froze, then his face lit up with wild joy, “I never imagined, it’s actually the long-lost Imperial Seal of the Realm.”
“The Imperial Seal of the Realm was crafted from the He’s Jade, passed down from the First Emperor through many emperors, imbued with immense cosmic fortune.”
“As long as I bring the Imperial Seal of the Realm back to Dragon Tiger Mountain, our sect’s fortune will soar, and it won’t be long before Dragon Tiger Mountain can reclaim its thousand-year glory.”
“I knew Master Dongxuan wouldn’t deceive me, it truly is a great treasure, no, a world-defining treasure!”
“Little rascal, quick, let me touch the Imperial Seal of the Realm.”
Ye Qiu handed the Imperial Seal of the Realm to Master Longbrow.
The moment Master Longbrow’s fingers touched the Imperial Seal, a “sizzle” sounded as smoke rose, and several blisters appeared on his fingers.
“Little rascal, you bloody tricked me!” Master Longbrow quickly withdrew his hand, cursing, “What did you give me to touch?”
“It’s like a burning coal!”
Ye Qiu was somewhat astonished.
Master Longbrow’s fingers had been burned the moment they touched the jade seal, what was going on?
“Old thing, what you touched was the Imperial Seal of the Realm,” Ye Qiu said.
“Nonsense!” Master Longbrow cursed, “How could the Imperial Seal of the Realm feel like burning coal?”
Ye Qiu said, “I don’t know, but I feel nothing holding it in my hand.”
Master Longbrow said, “I’m warning you, little rascal, don’t take advantage of my blindness to fool me. Hurry up, let me touch the Imperial Seal of the Realm.”
Ye Qiu once again handed the Imperial Seal of the Realm to Master Longbrow.
The situation was the same as before.
The moment Master Longbrow’s fingers touched the Imperial Seal, smoke rose again, blisters densely forming on two fingers, causing him to howl in pain.
Ye Qiu quickly drew a talisman to ease Master Longbrow’s pain.
“Little rascal, are you sure what you gave me to touch is the Imperial Seal of the Realm?”
“It really is.”
“Again!” Master Longbrow said, forcibly circulating his true qi.
In an instant, six streams of true qi appeared in Master Longbrow’s right palm, and he pressed it onto the Imperial Seal of the Realm.
“This poor Taoist touched it, it really is a jade seal…”
Before Master Longbrow could finish, a brilliant golden light erupted from the Imperial Seal of the Realm, an aura of supreme dominance rushing forth.
“Boom!”
Master Longbrow was blasted back, spitting blood.
The Imperial Seal of the Realm fell toward the ground.
Ye Qiu, quick of eye and hand, caught the Imperial Seal of the Realm, then swiftly moved to support Master Longbrow.
“Old thing, are you alright?” Ye Qiu asked with concern.
Master Longbrow, ignoring his own injuries, asked, “The Imperial Seal of the Realm, is it undamaged?”
Ye Qiu said, “The Imperial Seal of the Realm is in my hand, it’s not damaged.”
“Good,” Master Longbrow said, reaching out to touch the Imperial Seal again, but then pulled back, sighing, “Now I understand why Master Dongxuan didn’t take the Imperial Seal of the Realm back to Dragon Tiger Mountain.”
“Why?” Ye Qiu was also curious.
Why didn’t Master Dongxuan take this world-defining treasure?
“Because only someone with immense cosmic fortune can take the Imperial Seal of the Realm,” Master Longbrow said, “After Qin Shihuang swept through the six states and unified the realm, he ordered Chancellor Li Si to carve the Imperial Seal of the Realm from the He’s Jade, and from then on, it became the token of legitimate emperors through the ages.”
“Later, during times of war, the Imperial Seal of the Realm disappeared, its whereabouts unknown, sought by countless emperors.”
“Who would’ve thought it was here…”
“No wonder they say, ‘He who obtains the Golden City obtains the world,’ it’s because the Golden City holds the Imperial Seal of the Realm.”
“Damn it, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”
“All that effort, and my eyes are blind, only for you, little rascal, to benefit, so infuriating!”
Ye Qiu’s heart stirred, “Old thing, are you saying I can take the Imperial Seal of the Realm?”
“Nonsense! You’re the chosen one…”
Master Longbrow suddenly stopped, pausing before continuing, “If you can’t take the Imperial Seal of the Realm, then no one in the world can.”
Oh?
Ye Qiu held the Imperial Seal of the Realm, examining it closely.
After a while, suddenly, the three streams of innate true qi in Ye Qiu’s body grew restless, surging out from the top of his head, emitting a resounding dragon’s roar.
At that moment, something unexpected happened.
