Volume 1, Chapter 22: The Gate of Blood, The Shadow of the Prisoner

At the end of the spiraling stone stairs lay a cliff that suddenly opened up.

Below the cliff was not a bottomless abyss, but an incredibly vast underground space that seemed almost boundless. The dome of this space hung high, embedded with countless enormous, self-illuminating dark red crystal clusters, casting a hazy blood-colored glow that illuminated the entire "world."

This was not a natural cavern, but a massive hall—or rather... a cage—that seemed to have been hollowed out and shaped from the underground by some unimaginable power.

At the edge of the cliff, a thick stone bridge, wide enough for only two people to walk side-by-side, resembled a giant's arm bone. It spanned across the Void Realm, connecting the cliff to an isolated, dark red stone platform in the center of the space, spanning no more than a hundred zhang. Beneath the stone bridge lay a bottomless "ocean" rolling with thick, dark red Evil Qi. The heart-palpitating heartbeat and majestic pressure originated from the deepest part of this Evil Qi ocean, rumbling continuously like background noise.

On that island-like platform, the scene was even more shocking.

In the center of the platform stood a giant obelisk, ten zhang high, cast entirely from some dark, dull metal. The surface of the stele was covered with ancient runes, even more complex and profound than those on the giant bronze gate, currently flowing with a dim, blood-colored luster. Eight dark golden chains, as thick as an adult's waist and also carved with runes, extended from the top of the obelisk. The other ends disappeared into eight positions at the edge of the platform, as if deeply rooted in the earth and the Evil Qi ocean, firmly anchoring the obelisk.

What truly caused everyone to stop breathing was the figure bound by those eight chains, curled up beside the base of the obelisk.

That figure... could barely be identified as humanoid, but its size far exceeded that of an ordinary person; even curled up, it was as massive as a small hill. It was not a physical entity, but composed of extremely condensed, nearly crystallized dark red Evil Qi and some unyielding ancient will! One could vaguely discern the contours of knotted muscles and blurred facial features, but most of its body appeared translucent, with blood-colored energy slowly flowing inside like magma.

The eight dark golden chains did not simply bind it; they were like living things, their tips deeply "piercing" eight critical points on the Evil Qi figure—the limbs, shoulders, heart, and the space between the eyebrows! The runes on the chains flickered, each flash extracting Evil Qi and power from the figure's body, flowing back along the chains to the obelisk, and then dissipating into the surrounding Evil Qi ocean and the earth through some method.

The heavy, dragging, grating sound of chains was caused by the chains rubbing against the platform floor every time the figure struggled or breathed slightly! The painful gasps originated from the agony of its eternal imprisonment and extraction!

It was the source of those two blood-colored "lantern" gazes from before! It was the root of the heartbeat and the pressure! It was the true "prisoner"—or perhaps, the Guardian Spirit—of this Forbidden Ground in the inner section of the Ancient God Martial Training Grounds!

"This... this is..." Sun Miao's voice trembled, barely able to form a complete sentence. The scene before him exceeded the scope of his cognition. Was it the remnant soul of an ancient Body Cultivator expert? An Evil Qi spirit bred by the Martial Training Grounds? Or a terrifying existence suppressed here?

Han Feiyu's pupils contracted, his knuckles turning white from gripping his sword hilt too tightly. He stared fixedly at the Evil Qi figure pierced by chains and the clearly extraordinary obelisk. The joy brought by the jade box and the ancient scroll had long been replaced by the shock and unknown fear before him. He could feel that both the prisoner-like figure and the obelisk contained unimaginable energy and... danger.

Su Qingyue covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with horror. Coming from the Yunni Sect, she had seen some sights, but when had she ever witnessed such a bizarre and magnificent scene of imprisonment? The pain and unyielding will radiating from the figure pierced by chains caused a tremor in her heart.

Lin Xuan stood at the edge of the cliff, his gaze sweeping across the entire space like a hawk, finally locking firmly onto the Evil Qi figure and the obelisk. The metal fragments and the disk in his arms reached an unprecedented resonance, nearly scorching hot! The incomplete three-dimensional pattern in his mind spun and completed itself frantically—it was the core structural diagram of the suppression/nurturing system composed of this obelisk and the eight chains! And the missing key part pointed to the top of the obelisk, as well as... the heart of the Evil Qi figure!

Furthermore, the blood energy he Cultivated in the Ancient God Body Refining Technique actually produced a faint, homologous echo with the Evil Qi figure! It was as if he heard a roar from a peer, one that was even more ancient and painful. The "miasma source formation core" in his hand also grew slightly hot, seemingly connected to the runes on the obelisk or the chains.

"Latecomers..."

Just as everyone was shaken to their core and at a loss, that deep, hoarse voice, as if grinding against ancient rocks, resounded directly in everyone's minds once again. This time, the source of the voice was crystal clear—it was the Evil Qi figure pierced by chains! It seemed to slightly lift its blurred "head," and those two points of deeper, more solid blood-colored light representing eyes slowly swept over the people on the cliff, finally, as before, lingering on Lin Xuan, staying for a longer time.

"Able to reach this place... break the army formation, grasp the formation core, inherit the 'Mountain-Opening Intent'... You have acquired the qualifications to accept the final Legacy of the Ancient God Martial Training Grounds... or end the eternal suffering of this place."

Its voice was intermittent, every word seeming to carry the weight and torment of endless years.

"Legacy? Suffering?" Han Feiyu forced down his fear, grasped the key point, and asked aloud, "Senior, who are you? Why are you trapped here? What are this obelisk and the chains? Where is the Legacy?" He fired off a series of questions, partly as a probe, and partly to obtain more information.

The Evil Qi figure's gaze shifted from Lin Xuan, casting a glance at Han Feiyu, that gaze seemingly carrying a hint of faint mockery and exhaustion.

"I... am the last 'Gate-Guarding Battle Spirit' of this Martial Training Grounds, and also... a prisoner eternally bound by my own oath and this 'evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele'."

"In the late ancient era... the Great Catastrophe descended... the path of martial arts was severed... We were unwilling to let the Legacy be cut off... so we gathered our remaining strength, cast this stele, extracted the earth's Evil Qi, maintained my remnant thoughts, and guarded the last spark of the Legacy... waiting for those fated to come..."

"However, time eroded, and the oath turned into shackles... The power of absorbing evil gradually became a torment... My existence has also merged with this purgatory of suffering... The Legacy... is within the stele... but to obtain it... you must first face me... and also bear... the possible Karma..."

Its explanation unraveled part of the mystery, but also brought more confusion and heaviness.

So, this was actually a "Gate-Guarding Battle Spirit" formed by the remnant thoughts and power of an ancient Body Cultivator expert. To protect the Legacy, it had voluntarily (or was forced to) bind itself to this "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele," enduring the eternal torment of having its power constantly drained and merging with the painful Evil Qi. The Legacy was in the stele, but to obtain it, one not only had to pass this final trial but might also be tainted by the Karma associated with it, this stele, and even the decline of ancient martial arts!

"Karma? What Karma?" Sun Miao hurriedly asked.

The Battle Spirit (let's call it that for now) was silent for a moment, a flicker of reminiscence and deeper pain flashing in its blood-colored eyes.

"The gaze of the enemy that severed the martial path... the continuation of ancient grudges... and... after breaking free from the shackles of this stele, my remnant thoughts will dissipate completely, the earth's Evil Qi may lose control, triggering... tremors that shake the earth."

The last sentence made everyone's faces change drastically! Tremors that shake the earth? Didn't this mean that once the Legacy was taken or the Battle Spirit dissipated, this "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele" system, which had been maintained for countless years, would collapse, potentially triggering terrifying geological disasters? It might even affect Black Wind Ridge, and even Qingshi Town!

This was a heavy choice! Was it to risk triggering a disaster to obtain the ancient Legacy, or to give up the Opportunity, and perhaps even need to find a way to "pacify" or "maintain" the stability of this place?

Han Feiyu's eyes flickered violently, clearly weighing the options rapidly. The temptation of the ancient Legacy was irresistible, but the potential consequences also terrified him. He couldn't help but look at Lin Xuan again, especially at the dimmed formation core in Lin Xuan's hand and the metal fragments in his arms. This kid seemed to have an inexplicable connection to everything here...

Lin Xuan was lost in deeper thought. The Battle Spirit's words corroborated his previous guesses and the information from the metal fragments. The Legacy was in the stele, but obtaining it might mean releasing (or ending) this Battle Spirit that had painfully guarded it for countless years, and might trigger a disaster. At the same time, the "gaze of the enemy that severed the martial path" and the "ancient grudges" made him more convinced that the decline of ancient martial arts was by no means natural; there must be a shocking mastermind behind it.

He slowly stepped forward a few steps, reaching the starting point of the stone bridge, his gaze fixed on the Battle Spirit's blood-colored eyes, and spoke in a deep voice, his words sounding exceptionally clear in the empty underground space:

"Senior, to obtain the Legacy, how must I 'face' you? Defeat you? Or... endure your suffering?"

The Battle Spirit's gaze focused on him again. This time, the emotion in that gaze was more complex—there was scrutiny, approval, and also a hint of... desire for relief?

"It is not to defeat... My power has long been one with the Evil Qi ocean and the stele inscriptions, nearly infinite here... Nor is it simply to endure the suffering..."

"You must break technique with force, shake the heart with intent, and before the obelisk, endure the 'Evil Qi empowerment' and the 'shock of Battle Intent'. Under my gaze, hold on for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn... At the same time, use the special token (it glanced at Lin Xuan's arms), and attempt to trigger the resonance of the Legacy within the stele..."

"If successful, the Legacy will choose its master, I will be released, the energy of the stele might dissipate steadily, and the disaster might be mitigated... If you fail, both your body and soul will be destroyed, becoming nutrients for the Evil Qi ocean, or you will trigger the Restrictions of the stele, leading to unpredictable consequences."

"Evil Qi empowerment," "shock of Battle Intent," and also triggering the resonance of the Legacy! This test sounded ten times more dangerous than the "Trial of Strength"! And the consequences of failure were extremely severe.

Everyone looked at Lin Xuan. That "special token" clearly referred to the metal fragments and the disk in his arms.

Han Feiyu's lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something, such as asking Lin Xuan to hand over the token so he or someone else could try. But upon thinking of the "Evil Qi empowerment" and the "shock of Battle Intent," and Lin Xuan's previously displayed terrifying resistance to Evil Qi and tenacious will, he knew that among those present, only Lin Xuan might have a slim chance of success. He himself was heavily injured; attempting it by force would mean certain death.

Lin Xuan did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, feeling the heat of the fragments in his arms, experiencing the faint resonance of the Ancient God Body Refining Technique with the Battle Spirit and this world, weighing the risks and rewards, and... deep in his heart, the desire to explore the truth behind the decline of ancient martial arts, and the thirst for higher power.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, which were filled with calm and determination.

He looked at Han Feiyu, Sun Miao, and the others: "I need the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to adjust my state. At the same time, just in case, please, Senior Brother Han, Elder Sun, lead the others back to the stone stairs. Find a stable place to deal with potential tremors. If I fail, or trigger a disaster, you... take care of yourselves."

He also looked at Wang Mang and Li Dali: "You all retreat up there too."

Wang Mang said anxiously: "Brother Lin! I want to stay with you!"

Lin Xuan shook his head: "This is not something brute force can help with. Retreat!"

Li Dali pulled Wang Mang, saying in a low, grave voice: "Listen to Brother Lin, don't cause trouble."

After making the arrangements, Lin Xuan no longer looked at anyone, his gaze returning to the island platform and the Battle Spirit pierced by chains.

He lifted his foot and stepped onto the stone bridge that spanned across the Evil Qi ocean, leading to the final trial.

His figure stretched long under the blood-colored light, lonely, yet carrying an indomitable determination.

Behind him, Han Feiyu's expression was complex. Finally, he waved his hand and gritted his teeth, saying: "Listen to Junior Brother Lin, retreat!"

Su Qingyue took one last deep look at Lin Xuan's back as he stepped onto the stone bridge, her lips pressed until they turned white. Eventually, she followed the group and slowly retreated toward the spiraling stone stairs.

On the edge of the cliff, only Lin Xuan remained, walking toward the center of the chains and the blood light.

The Battle Spirit's blood-colored eyes watched him quietly. The chains made a slight rubbing sound, as if expecting... an end, or perhaps... a new beginning.

(Volume 1, Chapter 22 End)

[Next Chapter Preview]: Crossing the bridge alone, the final trial! Lin Xuan steps onto the stone bridge, walking toward the obelisk and the Battle Spirit, welcoming the ultimate test of "Evil Qi empowerment" and "shock of Battle Intent"! Can the metal fragments and the Ancient God Body Refining Technique help him trigger the resonance of the Legacy? Are Han Feiyu and the others retreating to the stairs out of genuine caution, or do they have other motives? When the Legacy appears, is it a blessing or a curse? Will the secret of the decline of ancient martial arts be revealed? Next Chapter: Empowerment and Soul Shock, The Legacy Appears! Lin Xuan: "This path, I have chosen, so I will walk it to the end."