Volume 1, Chapter 23: Empowerment and Soul Shock, The Legacy Emerges

The stone bridge was coarse and felt ice-cold. It was unknown what material it was made of, yet it had existed since time immemorial above the churning sea of Evil Qi below. Lin Xuan's footsteps landed upon it, emitting a steady yet lonely echo; each step felt as if he were treading upon the beat of a giant heartbeat.

The bridge was not long, barely a hundred zhang, yet at this moment, it felt like a chasm. Ahead, the scene on the isolated island platform became increasingly clear—the massive figure of Evil Qi, pierced by eight dark gold chains and curled up in agony; the "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele" with flowing runes, emanating a dual aura of suppression and extraction; and the suffocating sorrow and ancient pressure pervading the air.

Behind him, at the edge of the cliff, Han Feiyu and the others had retreated to the upper level of the spiral stone stairs, their figures appearing blurred and tiny within the blood-colored light. But Lin Xuan could feel several gazes like needles on his back, closely following him. There was worry (Wang Mang, Li Dali), complexity (Su Qingyue), and even undisguised burning greed and calculation (Han Feiyu).

He shielded all distracting thoughts, his mind as clear as a mirror, and slowly circulated his Ancient God Body Refining Technique, adjusting his state, with eight hundred strands of Source Martial Spiritual Energy ready to be deployed. In his bosom, the broken metal disk and fragments were resonating so intensely they felt as if they were about to leap out, burning hot.

The moment he finally stepped onto the isolated island platform, the entire space seemed to freeze for an instant.

"Thump!"

The heartbeat of the sea of Evil Qi below suddenly intensified by a beat!

In the center of the platform, the battle spirit pierced by the chains slowly, and with extreme difficulty, raised its blurred head composed of condensed Evil Qi. Two deep, blood-abyss-like eyes locked onto Lin Xuan, focusing entirely on him. The chains emitted a heavy, harsh grinding sound due to its movement, each sound seemingly pulling at its endless agony.

"Latecomer... state your name." The battle spirit's voice resonated directly in Lin Xuan's mind, clearer and seemingly a bit more... human, shedding some of the indifference of looking down upon ants.

"Lin Xuan." Lin Xuan stood firm, facing those massive blood-colored eyes, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Lin Xuan... Good." The battle spirit seemed to nod slightly (if the blurred outline of its head could count). "One stick of incense. Evil Qi empowerment, Battle Intent Soul-shock. Persist, trigger the Legacy resonance, and you might relieve my agony and see the true face of the Martial Dao. Failure... Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, nourishing this sea."

"Begin." Lin Xuan didn't waste words, sitting cross-legged directly on the platform, facing the stele and the battle spirit. He placed his hands on his knees, his left hand cupped, his right palm facing up, gently holding the broken metal disk, and he took out the fragments from his bosom, placing them near the gap in the disk. As the two made contact, a low hum immediately sounded; they actually floated up on their own, merging into a more complete, though still partially missing, strange metal component, emitting a faint dark gold luster.

A trace of reminiscence and comfort seemed to flash in the battle spirit's blood-colored eyes, and it said no more.

The next second, the trial—began!

"Evil Qi—Empowerment!"

The battle spirit let out a low roar (a roar on the mental level)! The sea of Evil Qi in the entire underground space suddenly boiled! Endless, pure, and violent liquid Evil Qi, like an army receiving a summons, surged into the sky from all directions, especially from the ocean below, transforming into eight thick, condensed, blood-red torrents, rushing madly along the eight dark gold chains that pierced the battle spirit's body!

The runes on the chains shone brightly, not only failing to block it but instead acting like an acceleration channel! The eight torrents of Evil Qi used the chains as a medium, passing through the "filtering" and some strange transformation of the battle spirit's body (fusing with a trace of the battle spirit's unyielding Battle Intent and ancient Martial Dao will), gathered at the top of the stele, and then—crashed down!

The target was none other than Lin Xuan, sitting cross-legged before the stele!

This was not the disorderly washing of the previous vortex, but a highly concentrated, directional infusion with clear intent and the purpose of "tempering"! Like eight blood-colored angry dragons, they wanted to crush and reshape Lin Xuan's Soul and Physical Body together!

"Argh—!"

Almost the instant the torrent hit his body, Lin Xuan let out an irrepressible roar of agony! This pain was far beyond any previous experience! It felt as if every inch of his flesh, every bone, every cell was being thrown into a millstone interwoven with lava and ice, repeatedly ground! It was not just physical agony, but a terrifying sensation of his very essence of life being forcibly interfered with and violently washed!

His skin cracked instantly, and the blood that seeped out was evaporated or assimilated by the Evil Qi! His muscle fibers twisted and deformed in spasms! His bones emitted a teeth-grinding "clattering" sound, as if they would fall apart at any moment! Dark red blood mist sprayed continuously from his seven orifices!

"Battle Intent—Soul Shock!"

At the same time, the battle spirit's blood-colored eyes shone brightly! A vast, desolate, unyielding torrent of consciousness, containing the purest fighting will and destructive spirit of ancient Martial Dao practitioners, like an invisible, surging sea, ignored his physical defenses and crashed directly into Lin Xuan's Sea of Consciousness!

In an instant, the scene before Lin Xuan's eyes changed drastically!

It was no longer the isolated island platform, but an ancient battlefield filled with mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and a collapsing sky! Countless tall ancient Martial Artists were fighting against the sky-filling immortal light and torrents of Magic Treasures! The sounds of roars, howls, weapons clashing, and Spells exploding were deafening! He saw Martial Artists shattering stars with their fists, only to be pierced by a Law chain descending from the sky; he saw Martial Artists roaring as they rushed toward the Nine Heavens, only to be drowned by endless thunder and sword light; and he saw, at the center of the battlefield, seven blurred figures (Immortal Emperors?) exuding invincible auras joining forces, slashing out a light that divided heaven and earth, cutting a massive, vast "River of Qi and Blood" (a symbol of Martial Dao rules?) in half!

Despair! Unwillingness! Anger! Resistance! And that unyielding will to imprint the Legacy into the earth's veins even if they died and their Dao dissipated!

These extreme emotions and images were like the most violent steel needles, fiercely piercing Lin Xuan's Divine Soul! They attempted to assimilate and crush his will, or let him sink into this endless tragedy and despair!

Double the blow! His Physical Body endured the extreme tempering (and destruction) of the Evil Qi empowerment, and his Divine Soul endured the washing of ancient Battle Intent and desperate memories!

Lin Xuan's body trembled violently, like a small boat in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment. His consciousness floated in the illusion of Battle Intent, almost about to be drowned by the overwhelming negative emotions.

"System!" In the deepest part of his consciousness, Lin Xuan roared with his remaining clarity.

[Detected that the host is suffering from high-intensity energy infusion and mental shock! Hidden conditions met! Triggering emergency auxiliary mode!]

[Martial Dao Legacy core starting deep-layer protection! Beginning to divert, analyze, and convert the shock energy! Consuming reserve energy... 10%... 20%...]

[Warning! Host's Physical Body is approaching its limit! Divine Soul is shaking violently! Please hold fast to your original heart! Guide the energy! Find the resonance point!]

The cool System notification sound was like a needle to calm the sea, allowing Lin Xuan's consciousness, which was about to collapse, to coalesce for an instant. He could feel that the System was, in an arcane way, helping him share and channel a portion of the most violent Evil Qi energy and Battle Intent fragments, while at the same time, frantically analyzing the mysteries of the power belonging to the ancient Body Cultivator contained within the Evil Qi empowerment and Battle Intent shock.

"Hold fast to my original heart... Guide the energy... Resonance point..." Lin Xuan bit his teeth hard, blood seeping from between them. He focused all his will on two points: First, frantically circulating the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, no longer passively enduring the Evil Qi tempering, but actively guiding, swallowing, and refining the relatively "gentle" Evil Qi essence diverted by the System, leading it to the deeper, more hidden Meridians and acupoints recorded in the Ancient God Body Refining Technique! Second, holding fast to that bit of obsession with the path of the Martial Dao in the depths of his Soul, the exploration of the essence of power, and the longing to break all shackles! Using his own "Martial Dao Intent" to resist, digest, and absorb the unyielding and resistant spirit within that ancient Battle Intent, rather than being assimilated by it!

This was an extremely dangerous process, like dancing on the tip of a knife, walking on the edge of a cliff.

Time flowed slowly amidst extreme pain and struggle.

One breath, two breaths, ten breaths...

Lin Xuan's body, under the washing of the Evil Qi torrent, was torn and bloody, with pale golden bones exposed in many places! But strangely, under the combined action of the Evil Qi and the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, those bones not only did not shatter but instead displayed a deeper, more solid luster, with new, tougher bone matter rapidly generating at the cracks!

His aura fluctuated violently between rapidly weakening and stubbornly climbing, like a candle in the wind, yet it never extinguished.

The incomplete metal component floating in front of him, under the dual soaking of Evil Qi and Battle Intent, began to emit an increasingly bright dark gold light, and the incomplete patterns on the surface seemed to be growing and completing themselves, producing an increasingly strong echo with certain runes on the base of the stele!

On the cliff stairs, everyone watched with trepidation, not daring to breathe.

Wang Mang clenched his fists until they cracked, his eyes wide and red. Li Dali had cold sweat streaming down his forehead, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was praying for.

Su Qingyue's face was pale as paper. Watching that figure in the blood light, barely human-shaped but still holding his spine straight, the string in her heart called "Dao Heart" was violently plucked. The difference between immortal and mortal? Rules are supreme? In the face of the will that transcended life, death, and pain shown by Lin Xuan at this moment, it seemed so pale and ridiculous.

In Han Feiyu's eyes, greed and fear were intertwined. He stared fixedly at the glowing metal component in front of Lin Xuan, then looked at the stele with flowing runes, calculating rapidly in his heart. Once Lin Xuan succeeded and the Legacy emerged, how should he seize it? That metal component was clearly the key! If Lin Xuan failed... how should he protect himself and profit from the disaster that might be triggered?

Just as more than half a stick of incense passed, and Lin Xuan's aura weakened to the point of being almost imperceptible, as if he had reached his limit, and even the energy consumption reported by the System was approaching 80%—

A sudden change occurred!

The incomplete metal component suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant dark gold light! It shook violently, broke free from in front of Lin Xuan, turned into a streak of light, and shot straight into an inconspicuous depression on the base of the stele!

"Click!"

A soft sound, and it fit perfectly!

The metal component was perfectly embedded! The entire stele shook violently! All the dim runes on the stele body were ignited instantly, erupting with blinding blood-gold dual-colored brilliance! The eight chains trembled crazily, emitting a dragon-like hum!

"Roar—!"

The battle spirit let out an earth-shattering roar mixed with pain and relief! Its massive Evil Qi body began to fluctuate violently; the extraction power of the chains seemed to have reached a certain critical point!

At the same time, in Lin Xuan's mind, the System notification rang frantically:

[Detected that the ancient Body Cultivator Legacy core token is in place! Triggering Legacy resonance!]

[Receiving core Legacy information...]

[Obtained Ancient God Body Refining Technique core general outline · Fragment!]

[Obtained Indestructible Body of the Martial God Foundation Establishment chapter!]

[Obtained ancient secret fragment · Seven Immortal Emperors Slaying Dao Records (Fragmented)!]

[Obtained basic method for controlling earth vein Evil Qi (requires special Physique or Cultivation Technique compatibility)!]

A massive amount of information flooded into Lin Xuan's almost exhausted Sea of Consciousness. If not for the System's auxiliary sorting and buffering, his Divine Soul might have collapsed immediately. But along with it came a pure, gentle, yet warm current containing the supreme Martial Dao truth, fed back from the stele, flowing along the resonance channel, and slowly injected into his broken body and Divine Soul!

This warm current was like sweet dew, rapidly repairing his severe injuries, nourishing his nearly dried-up vitality, and perfectly merging with the Origin of the Ancient God Body Refining Technique he was cultivating!

"It's done! The Legacy has resonated!" Sun Miao exclaimed in shock.

A terrifying gleam erupted in Han Feiyu's eyes, and he could barely suppress the urge to rush out!

However, just as the Legacy information flooded in and the warm current repaired Lin Xuan, the eight chains piercing the battle spirit suddenly shone brightly, and then—broke inch by inch! They turned into countless points of light and dissipated!

"I... finally... waited for it..."

The battle spirit let out a sigh of relief, long and drawn out. Its massive Evil Qi body, having lost the restraint and extraction of the chains, began to rapidly become transparent and illusory, as if it were about to dissipate with the wind. But its blood-colored eyes were brighter than ever, and its gaze toward Lin Xuan was full of relief and entrustment.

"The Legacy has begun... Latecomer... The path of the Martial Dao... is arduous... I hope you... will walk it to the end..."

"The stele will collapse... The sea of Evil Qi will surge... Quickly... leave..."

Following its final, intermittent message, that massive "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele", after erupting with its final blood-gold light, began to develop huge, spiderweb-like cracks on its surface! A teeth-grinding sound of disintegration came from within!

Having lost the suppression and channeling of the battle spirit and the stele, the vast and boundless sea of Evil Qi below completely lost control, began to churn crazily, kicking up heaven-high blood waves, slamming against the isolated island platform and the cliff stone bridge! The entire underground space shook, and the crystal clusters on the dome fell one after another!

The Legacy appeared, the guardian was liberated, but a greater disaster was also triggered!

Lin Xuan opened his eyes abruptly, a flash of blood-gold light passing through them. Although his aura was still weak, it gained an indescribable weight and antiquity. He didn't have time to carefully comprehend the Legacy, suddenly stood up, grabbed the dim metal token in front of him, which had split back into a disk and fragments, stuffed it into his bosom, and turned to rush toward the stone bridge!

"Run! This place is going to collapse!" He roared sternly toward the cliff.

On the cliff, everyone had long been frightened out of their wits by these successive changes. Hearing this, they were even more panicked, turning and fleeing for their lives toward the upper level of the spiral stone stairs!

Before fleeing, Han Feiyu looked back one last time at the collapsing stele and the dissipating battle spirit, his eyes full of unwillingness and greed, but in the end, driven by the instinct for survival, he fled frantically.

The moment Lin Xuan stepped onto the stone bridge, the bridge shook violently, and cracks appeared on the bridge surface. He forced his remaining strength, pushed his speed to the limit, and rushed toward the cliff.

Behind him were the disintegrating giant stele, the rioting sea of Evil Qi, and the final afterglow of the ancient guardian.

Before him were the narrow retreat, the unknown dangerous path, and the treacherous hearts of his companions.

The Legacy was in hand, but the crisis had only just begun.

(End of Volume 1, Chapter 23)

[Next Chapter Preview]: The stele collapses and the ground cracks, a desperate flight! The stele collapses, the sea of Evil Qi riots, and the entire underground space falls apart! Lin Xuan escapes heavily injured with the Legacy, while Han Feiyu and others harbor their own ulterior motives. How to survive the devastating disaster? Will the secret of the Legacy be exposed immediately? What kind of situation will he face after escaping the ruins? Will Qingshi Town be affected by this earthquake? Next Chapter: Shaking Earth and Mountains, A Race Against Life and Death! Lin Xuan: "Once obtained, one must have the life to carry it out."