"Sect Master…"
Ningguang bit her lip, forcing herself to calm down, trying to suppress the anxiety rising within her.
"This Demon-Sealing Tower isn't something we can… right now…"
She left the rest unsaid.
Truthfully, Jiang Yan had reached the peak of Return to Void before even turning thirty.
He bore Mount Shu's destiny, possessed an Innate Dao Body, and cultivated the Jade Scripture of the Yellow Court.
In the future, even Golden Immortal would merely be a fleeting milestone on his path.
None of them doubted this.
If Klee and Lumine were peerless prodigies, then Jiang Yan was something that simply should not exist—an impossible being.
Zhongli, for his part, had once read in a Mount Shu record that the Taiyi Patriarch of the Upper Realm had transmitted a message to the Seven Saints Elders of that generation.
He said…
Jiang Yan was a "Near-Dao One."
Perhaps, in the days ahead, Jiang Yan might have the chance to touch the lofty, unreachable seat of the Great Luo. Perhaps he could raise Mount Shu to become the supreme overlord revered across all realms.
That record was seen by Zhongli alone. He had never spoken of it, not even to Jiang Yan.
But for Jiang Yan's future, he had absolute confidence.
Yet that was the future—not the present.
The Jiang Yan of the future would certainly be a figure worshipped by myriad worlds. But his cultivation time was still too short.
Give him a few more years, and he could reach Union of Void and Dao. Within fifty years, preparing to transcend tribulation and ascend would not be impossible.
But the rest of them could not keep up with his pace.
Once Jiang Yan reached the peak of Union with the Dao, even if the Demon-Sealing Tower cracked, it would not matter.
At that point, Mount Shu would flourish at an unprecedented rate.
But by then, Jiang Yan would already be preparing to ascend.
Would he even remain in Teyvat then?
And when that day came, who would shoulder the duty of guarding Mount Shu's tower in the mortal realm?
Klee?
No matter her extraordinary talent, by then she would likely only be at Spirit Transformation.
How could she possibly bear the responsibility of suppressing the Demon-Sealing Tower?
This tower truly was a headache.
And that wasn't even speaking of the future—just the present.
This wasn't about having faith in Jiang Yan or not. The reality was…
Even for him, six Demon Emperors were impossible to stop.
It was one thing to transcend a minor realm. But to leap across an entire major realm? Unthinkable.
To put it simply: a Union-with-the-Dao cultivator tossed into the Quantum Sea could shake even the Imaginary Tree with earth-shattering force.
"Are you all worried that the Demon-Sealing Tower might cause trouble?"
Jiang Yan saw through their thoughts instantly, asking with a trace of amusement.
Ningguang and the others nodded in unison. They wanted to urge him to think twice, but…
This was the ancestors' gift. It wasn't a matter of Jiang Yan choosing or not choosing.
"There is no need to worry."
Jiang Yan shook his head, offering reassurance.
"Do you know who forged the Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower?"
Everyone blinked, glancing at him in confusion.
He said slowly:
"The tower was created by Mount Shu's third-generation elder of the Upper Realm—Elder Cangu."
"At the time he forged the Demon-Sealing Tower, Elder Cangu had already reached late-stage Golden Immortal."
Gasps filled the air. Faces turned toward Jiang Yan in shock.
"The Demon-Sealing Tower… is the handiwork of a Golden Immortal elder?"
Jiang Yan nodded with a smile.
"Elder Cangu was once the First Seat of Windreturn Peak, later rising to the rank of Holy Elder.
After ascending to the Upper Realm, his progress was meteoric, soon reaching late-stage Golden Immortal.
He loathed evil with unmatched fervor. His life was spent slaying demons and exorcising fiends—truly the Zhong Kui of the mortal realm. Even after ascending, he remained obsessed with upholding the righteous path.
He mined bronze from First Mountain of the Immortal Realm, gathered innate pure yang essence, and tempered it for 129,800 years. Only then was the Demon-Sealing Tower complete.
Thus, the Demon-Sealing Tower is, in truth, a Golden Immortal–level immortal artifact.
Its inner structure is as hard as the spatial walls of a Great Thousand World.
Forget Union-with-the-Dao cultivators—even Celestial Immortals would struggle immensely to break free.
The demons inside have absolutely no chance of escape."
At this, the others finally felt their hearts ease.
If it were anything less, they would truly be worried. But if it was a Golden Immortal's immortal artifact… there was nothing to fear.
A Golden Immortal was a mighty existence even in the Immortal Realm. No unascended being could defy the power of a Golden Immortal.
Seeing them calm somewhat, Jiang Yan continued:
"Not only that, but demons who enter the tower can never again cultivate or break through. The moment they are sealed, the law itself locks them in place.
All they can do is wait for death."
"That is why the Demon-Sealing Tower is a nightmare to all demons.
In the cultivation world of old, many Union-with-the-Dao fiends, upon merely hearing the tower's name, would flee in terror.
At its height, the mere name of a Mount Shu disciple was enough to make demons retreat three steps.
Since the tower was placed in Mount Shu countless eons ago, not once has a demon escaped.
All within have perished—lifespan exhausted, origin dissolved."
The crowd grew wistful, sighing that they could not witness the peak glory of Mount Shu in those days.
Ningguang's eyes suddenly lit up with a thought. She looked expectantly at Jiang Yan.
"Sect Master, if the Demon-Sealing Tower was forged by a Golden Immortal ancestor, surely its powers extend beyond this, yes?"
After all, the former First Seat of Windreturn Peak excelled at forging artifacts. Having reached Golden Immortal and crafting such a weapon—how could it be so simple?
Jiang Yan chuckled, nodding.
"You are perceptive. Indeed, in the eyes of demons, the tower is a death sentence.
But for Mount Shu, it is the ultimate immortal weapon.
Where it stands, it can suppress an entire Great Thousand World.
But to truly wield it requires nothing less than a Golden Immortal's strength.
Thus, it has always been used only as a prison.
Elder Cangu was kind and gentle to disciples, but in the eyes of demons, he was ruthless and cruel beyond compare.
Even the Sect Master of that time criticized him, saying his methods were too extreme, against the natural order.
The Demon-Sealing Tower he forged naturally inherited those methods."
Jiang Yan's tone grew solemn.
"Demons sealed inside not only suffer the torment of stagnation.
As time passes, their origin and life force are continuously drawn away—feeding into Mount Shu itself.
This is why Mount Shu's spiritual qi and life force surge where the tower stands.
Because… the tower strips everything from the demons within.
While alive, they endure unending agony as the tower grinds them down.
And when they die, their lifetime of cultivation—
What the tower does not consume to sustain itself, is returned to Mount Shu's heaven and earth, nourishing its disciples."
A chill swept the assembly.
Was this not robbing others of their lives to fuel their own cultivation?
"But for Mount Shu disciples, the Demon-Sealing Tower is one of the greatest training grounds."
Jiang Yan's words shifted, leaving them momentarily confused again.
"The tower touches upon one of the most mysterious laws of all—time."
Venti blinked in surprise, then quickly smoothed his expression.
Of course, Jiang Yan noticed. He smiled lightly.
"When I speak of time, I mean the River of Time that flows above all Daos of the myriad worlds—
Not the temporal power of Teyvat."
Venti scratched his cheek awkwardly, withdrawing his thoughts.
"One day outside equals one year inside.
The demons cannot cultivate within. But Mount Shu disciples can grow stronger by absorbing the life force and power that leaks from them.
Thus, the Demon-Sealing Tower is both the most feared and the most coveted training ground.
Feared—because every demon within is guilty of monstrous crimes, scourges upon the world.
Coveted—because the cultivation environment inside is a hundredfold greater than outside.
The tower is a place where Mount Shu disciples can rapidly grow in strength."
Eyes around him lit with eagerness.
Furina's heart began to race. With her talent, reaching Spirit Transformation should not be difficult.
If she could train inside the tower, she might, within mere years, reach the level needed to resolve Fontaine's crisis.
It was like a timely gift from heaven.
And yet… the thought of the countless demons within made her hesitate. Was this not far more dangerous than steady cultivation?
"Opportunity is always paired with risk."
Jiang Yan saw their mingled excitement and doubt, and shook his head with a faint smile.
"The Law of Time is supremely profound. Elder Cangu, no matter how gifted, was still only Golden Immortal.
Time belongs solely to the Great Luo.
That he could imprint even a trace of time's law into the tower was already remarkable. To manipulate time itself was beyond him.
So training within the tower has both advantages and drawbacks.
The advantage needs no further explanation. But the drawback is plain as well.
One year inside for one day outside swiftly wears away the demons' lifespans.
But it will also consume the lifespans of Mount Shu disciples.
Demons have long lives—especially the six Demon Emperors, whose longevity nears that of the heavens.
Even ordinary demons live vast spans. Thus, after all these ages, the tower remains filled with them.
But for disciples, it is undeniably a supreme training ground.
Not only can they temper themselves against endless powerful demons, they can also harness superior cultivation conditions and time's law itself."
At this, Tartaglia's eyes gleamed.
To him, such a place was dangerous, yes—but absolutely priceless.
If it were up to him, he'd live inside for years.
Unending battles. Better cultivation conditions. Wasn't that heaven?
Jiang Yan ignored the yearning on his face, continuing calmly:
"The Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower is indeed a training ground, but Mount Shu never permits disciples to remain inside for too long.
There is no elder's protection within. Elder Cangu never meant it as a trial ground for disciples.
In those days, countless millions of disciples entered. The death toll was horrific.
Even many geniuses with divine physiques perished inside.
Remember this well: every being imprisoned there is a genius among demons of their realm, all steeped in evil and atrocity.
They have slaughtered cities, annihilated nations.
They hate Mount Shu with undying fury for sealing them away.
And with their cultivation stripped, many have gone utterly mad—devouring and butchering one another for sport.
What then, when they see Mount Shu disciples?"
To read 220+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554