Chapter 4862 The Square Heaven Seal’s Bedevilment  

“This wine really comes from the Wine God Palace?” asked Xing Wujiang, looking even more shocked than Long Chen.

When Long Chen told him about the origins of this wine, Xing Wujiang shook his head. “So that’s the case. The Wine God Palace you’re talking about is the inheritance of the Wine God, while the Wine God Palace I’m speaking of is the true Wine God Palace.”

Xing Wujiang then told Long Chen and Mo Nian a story about the Wine God Palace—an ancient power dating back to the primal chaos era, originating in the Sovereign Emperor Heaven.

In that final primal chaos battle, the Wine God Palace, which had always remained aloof from worldly affairs, was unable to avoid it and disappeared within the river of history. It was rumored that the Wine God also fell in that battle, leaving no Wine God in the world thereafter.

In the aftermath of that cataclysmic battle, the nine heavens collapsed, severing the Sovereign Emperor Heaven from the other realms. This world became like a cage. Every day, the people inside had to face the attacks of various devil creatures, struggling to survive amidst relentless assaults.

Although the Wine God had fallen and the true Wine God Palace had vanished, during their glorious era, they had made countless divine wines and distributed them around the world.

Even to this day, some wines from the primal chaos era still existed. Despite being stored in special containers shielded by preserving formations, they were susceptible to the erosion of time. As a result, their flavor had weakened over time.

Moreover, due to how rare the wine was, most people were unwilling to drink it directly. They would first dilute it before tasting it. Yet, each drop was still incredibly precious, and not just anyone could savor it.

Xing Wujiang had been fortunate enough to obtain a tiny cup of wine from the primal chaos era. Despite its small quantity, it was enough to plunge him into an alcoholic stupor for three days. When he woke up, the lingering aftertaste was ringing strong, etched deeply into his memory. When Xing Wujiang drank Long Chen’s wine, he experienced a familiar sensation, leading him to speculate that Long Chen had found the Wine God’s legacy in the Sovereign Emperor Heaven.

“What? A single cup was enough to intoxicate you for three days? Just how strong was that wine?” asked Mo Nian.

“Back then, I had just reached the Heaven Saint realm, and my foundation wasn’t solid yet. However, when I woke up after my drunken stupor, my cultivation realm became solid, and I vaguely touched the threshold of the Emperor Gate,” said Xing Wujiang.

“Emperor Gate?” What is that?” inquired Long Chen and Mo Nian together.

Xing Wujiang answered, “This Emperor Gate is the next blockade past the Heaven Saint realm. It is due to touching it that I reign supreme in Devil Fall City. Without it, I would not be able to suppress the four noble families and maintain my position as a city lord.”

“Above the Heaven Saint realm?”

Long Chen and Mo Nian sucked in a cold gasp of air. No wonder the four noble families were so afraid of Xing Wujiang. Although they might be fellow Heaven Saints, Xing Wujiang had touched upon the threshold to the next realm.

Long Chen and Mo Nian were all curious, but they didn’t ask what exactly the Emperor gate was. After all, they were still far away from that realm.

The Eternal realm alone could be subdivided into six smaller realms: Eternal, Saint, Sage King, Mortal Saint, Earth Saint, and Heaven Saint. Among these, the three last realms were notoriously challenging to advance through.

In the world of cultivation, it was considered taboo for practitioners to seek knowledge that exceeded their current level of attainment, as it could lead to a dangerous pursuit of power beyond their abilities.

“Big Brother Wujiang, I’m curious, the four noble families are eyeing you like wolves. Can you not...?” asked Mo Nian as he made a horizontal cutting gesture.

Xing Wujiang shook his head. “The four noble families betrayed this city back then. If it were up to me, I’d have long since eradicated them from this world. If they were disloyal once, they could never be trusted again. However, even though I am the city lord, I cannot touch them. At the very least, I cannot do anything to them in Devil Fall City.”

“Why is that?” asked Long Chen.

“Do you know why I have to bring you to such a hidden place for a meal?” asked Xing Wujiang.

Long Chen and Mo Nian were taken aback, their jaws dropping simultaneously upon realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Here, drink. It’s been a long time since I've had the pleasure of drinking with people who have brains,” Xing Wujiang remarked, offering them a drink. He was pleasantly surprised to see both Long Chen and Mo Nian quickly understand the meaning of his small pointer. They once more filled their cups and downed them in one go. After that, Xing Wujiang put down his cup and sighed. “The Square Heaven Seal has changed and forgotten its mission, its oath. I don’t know if the four noble families tempted it, or if it used the four noble families, but it started to secretly absorb devil qi to strengthen itself. While it still appears to be following its oath and listening to the commands of the city lord, in reality, it has escaped the control of the violet-gold master seal. Even I don't know what it is planning.”

Long Chen and Mo Nian were shaken to their cores. After all, the Square Heaven Seal was suppressing a terrifying devil creature. If it were to break free, it would spell a major calamity.

“Has it become bedeviled?” asked Long Chen.

“That would be the worst outcome, but we cannot eliminate that possibility,” sighed Xing Wujiang.

“Damn. If it did, all of Devil Fall City would become its sacrifice!” Mo Nian shivered.

If a divine weapon became deviled, its first goal would be to devour its master, and then it would be free of all restrictions.

At this moment, Long Chen’s expression changed. “When I first arrived at Devil Fall City, I felt a powerful divine sense scan me. Initially, I thought it was because I had killed so many devils, and it caused a fluctuation with the devil corpse. But now, I suspect that the divine sense came from the Square Heaven Seal. That really is troublesome.”

“You’ve felt its divine sense? Did it have the aura of devil qi?” asked Xing Wujiang anxiously.

Having spent all his time in Devil Fall City, Xing Wujiang found it challenging to detect subtle changes in the Square Heaven Seal.

“I did sense it.” Long Chen nodded. As Long Chen was extremely sensitive to the devil race’s aura, he couldn’t be wrong about it.

“Then it proves that the Square Heaven Seal is using the Devil Dao’s power to recover. Now, there are two possibilities. One is that it devours the devil head’s power, and as for the other...” When Xing Wujiang spoke up to this point, his expression grew severe.

Long Chen continued from where Xing Wujiang left off, “The other possibility is that it has merged with the devil creature’s soul. If the Square Heaven Seal could devour the devil head, it would have done so long ago. But the current situation suggests otherwise.”

“That is the worst possibility.” Xing Wujiang suddenly sighed. “Back then, my family’s ancestor wielded the Square Heaven Seal and slaughtered countless evil creatures. But in my hands, the Square Heaven Seal has become bedeviled. As the Xing family’s descendant, I’m powerless. I’ve let down my ancestors and the Grand Xia Emperor.”

“Hold it. The Grand Xia Emperor? You know about the Grand Xia Emperor, the heir to the Grand Xia Dragon Sparrow?!” Long Chen exclaimed, instantly intrigued.