255: Chapter 254 Granny Qing

Qin Changsheng felt a surge of joy and quickly ran forward.

Just as he arrived before the tower, he felt the magic power within his body as if it were frozen; no matter how he tried to circulate it, it could not function normally. The spirit energy that had originally filled his Meridians instantly became stagnant, making it difficult to mobilize even a shred of it.

At this moment, Qin Changsheng understood that this was the Seal of the Sealing Tower.

Any Cultivator who approached would have their magic power suppressed, becoming an ordinary person who could only rely on the strength of their Physical Body.

Qin Changsheng had thought that this tower, which sealed the Demon Empress, would surely be filled with danger—perhaps guarded by patrolling Yao Beasts or lethal traps and mechanisms—but to his surprise, the interior of the tower was exceptionally quiet.

There were no traps, nor were there any Yao Beasts.

There were only faint, intermittent waves of Pressure.

Qin Changsheng slowed his pace and cautiously walked toward the upper levels of the tower.

The first floor was vast and empty, with only a few scattered, broken skeletons, presumably the Cultivators or Yao Cultivators who had guarded the Seal back then.

The second through fourth floors were equally empty, with no traces of Yao Beasts or any treasures found.

Along the way, Qin Changsheng encountered no obstacles and sensed no danger whatsoever.

Qin Changsheng proceeded without hindrance and soon arrived before the gates of the fifth floor.

The instant Qin Changsheng stepped onto the fifth floor, he sensed an incredibly powerful Pressure.

But in the next second, the power of the Golden Trait within his body automatically burst forth. A pale golden spiritual light circulated rapidly inside him, forming an invisible barrier that firmly blocked that powerful Pressure on the outside.

Qin Changsheng looked at the wooden door not far away but did not push it open.

He planned to let Hu Nan enter the room first to see what the situation was inside for him.

Even if Hu Nan died inside, Qin Changsheng would only lose a single Spirit Stone.

With a wave of his hand, a Spirit Stone appeared in Qin Changsheng's palm.

As Qin Changsheng recited an incantation, Hu Nan's figure appeared nearby.

"Go, take a look inside!" Qin Changsheng ordered.

Hu Nan cupped his hands and gently pressed them against the wooden door.

The wooden door was not particularly heavy; with a slight exertion from Hu Nan, it was slowly pushed open.

The fifth floor was not the bizarre space filled with runes and sealing the Empress that he had imagined, but rather a spacious and massive room.

Inside the room, there were many shelves, and upon those shelves sat numerous books.

In the very center of the room stood a stone table.

The table was carved from a massive black stone with a smooth surface and no decorations. On either side of the stone table sat a stone stool, appearing simple and solemn.

And seated before the stone table was an old woman.

She was dressed in purple clothes, her hair was white, her face was covered in wrinkles, and her eyes were cloudy. Her hands rested on the stone table, and her body was slightly hunched.

This person appeared completely ordinary, like an old woman enjoying her later years in a common household, without the slightest hint of a powerful aura or anything special about her.

Aside from this old woman, there was no one else on the entire fifth floor.

"Could this old woman be the Empress?" Qin Changsheng began to speculate about her identity.

However, Qin Changsheng quickly dismissed this guess.

Because previously, the Heavenly Dao Trait Intelligence had already provided information.

[purple-gold key: A special key capable of undoing the Seal on the Demon Empress!]

[Holder: Granny Qing]

[Location: Sealing Tower, Fifth Floor!]

"This old woman should be Granny Qing!"

But immediately after, a deeper doubt surfaced in his heart.

This was the top floor of the Sealing Tower, the place where the Empress should have been sealed.

But since the Empress was not here, where had she gone?

"Or could it be that the Empress has already been unsealed, and Granny Qing remained here just to deceive others?"

"But if the Empress were already unsealed, with her strength, she should have stirred up a bloodbath long ago. It's impossible for things to be this peaceful, and even more impossible for her to leave Granny Qing here alone."

"Or did something go wrong with the Empress's Seal, and she has undergone Reincarnation to Cultivate anew like Chen Erniu?"

Countless guesses swirled in Qin Changsheng's mind, but none could resolve his doubts.

After a moment, Granny Qing finally moved slowly. Her hunched body turned slightly as she slowly faced him, her gaze gradually lifting to carefully size up Hu Nan's figure from head to toe.

Her movements were slow and sluggish, without any hint of a powerful aura. She still looked like that ordinary old woman, but Qin Changsheng did not dare to be the least bit negligent.

After sizing him up, Granny Qing finally spoke slowly: "Who are you?"

"How did you end up here?"

This question seemed simple, yet it carried an invisible Pressure, faintly exuding scrutiny and wariness.

Qin Changsheng's heart jolted, but his mind instantly became active as a bold idea quickly took shape in his brain.

Granny Qing was the Demon Empress's confidante and had guarded this place for an unknown number of years. She must possess many secrets of the Yao Race and might even have high-level Cultivation Techniques and rare treasures.

If he could disguise himself as a Yao Race Cultivator and feign allegiance, he might be able to trick her into giving him techniques and treasures, or even find out the Empress's whereabouts and the location of the purple-gold key.

Even if the disguise were seen through, he wouldn't suffer any loss.

With a thought, Qin Changsheng issued a command to Hu Nan.

Hu Nan hurriedly cupped his hands toward Granny Qing: "Your subordinate, Shen Nan, greets Granny Qing!"

Qin Changsheng also knew that Shen Bing and Shen Guhong's identities in the Yao Race were surely special.

He changed the surname to Shen to lower Granny Qing's guard.

As soon as those words were spoken, Granny Qing, who had been sitting still with a calm expression, suddenly stiffened, and her hunched body straightened slightly.

Her cloudy eyes instantly widened, and the calmness in them was replaced by intense shock. That shock was completely undisguised, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

She had been hidden within this Sealing Tower for many years; she hadn't expected that the first person she saw would directly state her identity.

How could she not be shocked?

It took a long while before Granny Qing spoke: "How do you know this old woman's identity?"

Hearing Granny Qing's question, Qin Changsheng felt a sense of relief, knowing his first step had been successful.

Hu Nan hurriedly bowed and said, "In response to Granny Qing, it was my uncle who told me."

Granny Qing's brow furrowed slightly, the shock in her eyes gradually fading to be replaced by deeper doubt. She pressed further, "Who is your uncle?"

"In response to Granny Qing, my uncle is Shen Guhong," Hu Nan replied respectfully.

Upon hearing this name, Granny Qing nodded slightly, the wariness on her face dissipating a bit as she spoke slowly, "So it's that tiger."

Qin Changsheng was also very surprised to hear Granny Qing's words.

He hadn't expected that Shen Guhong was actually a member of the Tiger Race.

Granny Qing's tone had softened considerably, but the scrutiny in the depths of her eyes had not entirely vanished.

She looked at the bowing and respectful Hu Nan and remained silent for a moment: "Since you are Shen Guhong's nephew, why is there not even a hint of Yao Race aura on your body?"

Qin Changsheng was already prepared and immediately controlled Hu Nan to say: "In response to Granny Qing, my uncle had me go undercover within the Human Race, so I have never practiced Yao Race Cultivation Techniques. Naturally, there is no Yao Race aura on my body."

Hearing this, Granny Qing's cloudy eyes flickered slightly, and then she slowly nodded, the wariness on her face dissipating even further.

Back then, the strategy of infiltrating the Human Race, acting as moles to divide them and make them kill each other, had been proposed by her.

Therefore, many Yao Race Cultivators, in order to avoid exposing their identities, would mostly not practice Yao Race techniques, nor would they deliberately reveal their Yao aura.

"Do you have any proof on you?" Granny Qing had not completely let down her guard.

Hearing Granny Qing's question, Qin Changsheng instantly thought of the Demon Empress's necklace.

He believed that necklace would definitely make Granny Qing let down her guard.

Then he could investigate the Demon Empress's whereabouts through Granny Qing.

He might even be able to trick Granny Qing into giving him the purple-gold key.

"Reporting to Grandmother, my uncle said that once you see this necklace, you will believe me." As his voice fell, Hu Nan flicked his wrist, and the purple gold necklace floated toward Granny Qing.

Granny Qing raised her hand and gently caught the purple gold necklace. The moment she touched it, her movements paused slightly, and then she slowly brought the necklace before her eyes.

Her originally cloudy eyes gradually became moist, and all scrutiny and wariness vanished from them, replaced by a gaze full of memories, as if she were seeing the distant past. Her expression also became softened.

She murmured something under her breath, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible. The atmosphere around her became increasingly sorrowful, making her seem like a completely different person from the steady, reserved, and wary Granny Qing of a moment ago.