"There are far more vicious things in the world, let alone the Xuanmen sect which abandons humanity. There is nothing to be surprised about."
At this moment, Ying Chen finally spoke.
The purpose of this Soul Locking Gu was roughly what Ying Chen had guessed.
What slightly surprised Ying Chen was how the person who planted the Gu managed to determine, from Nannan's birth, that she possessed terrifying cultivation talent?
After all, a newborn fetus, with its prenatal qi still present and its five senses not yet fully developed, would likely have its innate talent obscured by its prenatal qi, making it difficult to discern.
Even Ying Chen could only make a rough assessment, not a precise judgment.
It would take a year for the fetus to grow and shed its prenatal qi before the most accurate judgment could be made.
Yet, the person who planted the Gu did not hesitate to implant the Soul Locking Gu into Nannan's body. Did they possess some profound method to determine a person's talent during the fetal stage?
"Elder Guo, did your friend say how to remove this Gu?" Min Ziqiong asked anxiously.
What Soul Locking, Soul Transfer, or talent shifting, she cared nothing for now. Her only concern was how to remove the Gu.
As long as the Gu was removed, it would be equivalent to solving the hidden danger from its source, and there would be nothing else to worry about!
"Alas!" Elder Guo sighed deeply at her words.
"I also asked my friend the same question, and his answer was: perhaps, but he doesn't know. It's even possible that no one in this world knows."
Flash!
Min Ziqiong's face changed drastically.
"What do you mean? Why would your friend say that?"
Since someone could plant the Gu, someone must be able to remove it.
There was no reason why it could be planted but not removed!
Let alone no one in the entire world could remove it.
This logic simply didn't make sense!
Facing Min Ziqiong's doubt, Elder Guo patiently explained: "Because this Soul Locking Gu has actually disappeared from this world for a long time. The earliest traceable record is from a thousand years ago. Apart from that, there are no other records to be found."
"From its effects alone, one can tell that this Gu is extremely rare and precious, not something an ordinary sorcerer could possess. Most importantly, the number of such Gu in existence is extremely scarce, and it has historically been passed down through a specific witchcraft organization."
"This organization was once at its peak, and it almost used the Soul Locking Gu to achieve something earth-shattering, but unfortunately, it ended in failure."
"History calls it - the Witchcraft Calamity!"
"What?" Upon hearing the words "Witchcraft Calamity," everyone present showed shock.
The Witchcraft Calamity was a famous incident during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
It was also considered by many to be the symbolic event marking the decline of the Western Han Dynasty from its peak.
The incident began when the son of the then Prime Minister was accused of using witchcraft to curse Emperor Wu of Han.
Furthermore, a wooden doll used for cursing was dug up from a path that Emperor Wu of Han was to pass.
Emperor Wu of Han became furious and ordered a thorough investigation, leading to the execution of tens of thousands of people.
The person entrusted by Emperor Wu of Han to investigate the matter at the time was named Jiang Chong.
Jiang Chong was originally a street sorcerer who entered officialdom by chance. Now that he had gained Emperor Wu of Han's favor, he immediately began to use this opportunity to eliminate his rivals and suppress political opponents.
Under the guise of investigating the case, he framed numerous dissidents and eventually turned his attention to the Crown Prince.
Jiang Chong had always been at odds with the Crown Prince, so he decided to use this opportunity to eliminate the Crown Prince.
He ordered someone to secretly bury a cursed wooden doll in front of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, and then dug it up in front of Emperor Wu of Han.
As a result, the elderly and confused Emperor Wu of Han easily believed Jiang Chong's false accusation.
Upon learning of this, the Crown Prince was terrified and immediately led his troops to the imperial palace to kill Jiang Chong.
However, it unexpectedly played into Jiang Chong's scheme. Jiang Chong immediately informed Emperor Wu of Han that the Crown Prince had rebelled.
Emperor Wu of Han was furious and sent troops to attack the Crown Prince. The two sides fought for five days, and in the end, the Crown Prince was defeated and fled.
Later, it was discovered that the Crown Prince had hanged himself outside Chang'an, and Empress Wei Zifu also committed suicide at the same time.
The great Han Dynasty, which was originally in its prime, was severely weakened by such an absurd event, marking its decline from prosperity.
Although Emperor Wu of Han later realized his mistake and discovered Jiang Chong's conspiracy, executing Jiang Chong and his three generations of relatives, it could not conceal the decline of the Han Dynasty.
It must be said that this Witchcraft Calamity had a profound impact, leading subsequent dynasties to be extremely vigilant about witchcraft.
Once discovered, it was immediately punishable by death.
The witchcraft sects also declined from that time on. Many witchcraft sects had to flee to Miao territory and hide in the mountains.
However, what puzzled everyone was how the Witchcraft Calamity could be related to the Soul Locking Gu?
Elder Guo seemed to see their confusion and explained: "After extensive and detailed investigation and argumentation, my old friend believes that the Witchcraft Calamity was fundamentally caused by the Soul Locking Gu! Someone wanted to use the Soul Locking Gu to complete an earth-shattering 'Substitute Prince' scheme!"
"It is highly likely that the Crown Prince was subjected to the Soul Locking Gu. However, for some reason, the Crown Prince discovered it before his soul was locked and transferred. The two sides fell out, and Jiang Chong immediately instigated a Witchcraft Calamity, using witchcraft to frame the Crown Prince, forcing the Crown Prince to commit suicide!"
"Subsequently, Jiang Chong might have had other schemes, perhaps even thinking of replacing the Crown Prince's fate, but he never expected Emperor Wu of Han to realize his mistake so quickly, have him executed, and even implicate his three generations of relatives."
"Although the official statement was three generations, it was actually a witchcraft organization to which Jiang Chong belonged! That witchcraft organization was almost wiped out, with only a few survivors escaping and never daring to show themselves again."
"And the name of that witchcraft organization was – the Chi You Banner!"
"The Soul Locking Gu was created by them and passed down from generation to generation!"
After hearing Elder Guo's words, everyone present looked at each other, feeling their worldviews severely shaken.
So this was the truth behind the Witchcraft Calamity?
Someone had tried to replace the Crown Prince's fate and seize the Han empire?
"Of course, this is just the opinion of my old friend. Even he cannot guarantee whether it is true or false. He arrived at this conclusion after deeply investigating out of his interest in the Soul Locking Gu."
"As for the Soul Locking Gu, according to him, it should have been lost along with the destruction of the Chi You Banner. When he compiled the information about the Soul Locking Gu, he had to search through many ancient Miao texts and consult many Miao shamans to piece it together."
"When he learned that Nannan had been planted with the Soul Locking Gu, he was extremely shocked. He even expressed a desire to come and see the Soul Locking Gu for himself."
"This guy is a medical fanatic. If I really let him come, I don't know what would happen, so I refused outright."
"So, the current problem is..."
Elder Guo's gaze turned to Ying Chen.
"Despite knowing the origin and characteristics of the Soul Locking Gu, we still do not know how to break it. It is even possible that the Soul Locking Gu cannot be broken!"
"Otherwise, the Crown Prince of the Western Han Dynasty would not have been driven to the point of suicide!"