Ethan wandered aimlessly across the Golden Immortal Mountain, his footsteps slow and measured, his brows furrowed in growing frustration. Two full days had passed since he left the Spirit Pool and resumed his search, yet he had not discovered a single clue related to the Soul God's Inheritance.
Not even a hint.
Not even a trace.
At first, he had been patient. He told himself that inheritances belonging to beings like the Soul God would never be simple to locate. They were not vegetables growing on the roadside, waiting to be plucked. Such treasures were always hidden behind layers of danger, secrecy, and tests designed to weed out the unworthy.
But after two days of fruitless searching, patience slowly turned into irritation.
Ethan stopped walking and looked around.
Towering ancient trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their thick trunks covered with moss and creeping vines. Golden-hued spiritual mist drifted lazily through the air, occasionally condensing into visible wisps before dispersing again. The mountain was beautiful—majestic, even—but at this moment, Ethan had no mood to appreciate it.
"Where the hell is the Soul God's Inheritance?" he muttered under his breath.
For the first time since coming to this mountain, doubt crept into his heart.
Does it even exist?
The thought surfaced uninvited, and once it appeared, it refused to leave easily.
The Soul God had protected the Blissful Village with extreme prejudice. Cultivators were forbidden from setting foot inside, and anyone who violated that rule faced certain death. Given that mindset, it seemed contradictory for him to leave behind an inheritance meant for cultivators.
Why would someone who despised cultivators prepare a legacy for them?
The more Ethan thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
"Isn't this ridiculous?" he muttered. "If he hated cultivators so much, why leave an inheritance at all?"
For a brief moment, Ethan seriously considered the possibility that the Soul God's Inheritance was nothing more than a myth—a false lead, exaggerated or misunderstood over time.
But almost immediately, he shook his head.
"No. That can't be it."
The System had personally confirmed the existence of the Soul God's Inheritance. Even though Ethan did not fully understand how the System could verify such things with absolute certainty, one thing was undeniable—the System had never been wrong so far.
Not even once.
And more importantly, the System had assigned him a V-Ranked mission centered entirely around this inheritance.
There was no way something so critical was fake.
"So the problem isn't the inheritance," Ethan concluded with a sigh. "The problem is me."
He clenched his fists slightly, frustration bubbling under the surface.
"I'm just incapable of finding it."
As if mocking him, his wandering steps brought him to a location that felt disturbingly familiar.
Ethan stopped abruptly.
The ground beneath his feet was cracked and scarred. Large gouges marked the surrounding stone, and dried blood stains—both dark red and black—were still faintly visible. Even though some time had passed, the traces of battle had not completely faded.
This was the place.
The place where he had fought—and killed—the giant monster.
Ethan stared at the massive corpse lying there, its lifeless form sprawled across the ground. Even in death, the monster's body exuded a faint oppressive aura, a testament to the strength it had once possessed.
He let out a slow breath.
Since the beginning, Ethan had been puzzled by one question.
How had this monster reached the Physique Strengthening Stage?
Monsters did not cultivate the same way humans did. They lacked systematic cultivation techniques, structured guidance, and refined resources. Without a powerful bloodline or external assistance, breaking through to a major realm should have been nearly impossible.
And yet, this monster had done exactly that.
Earlier, Ethan had no answer.
But now, standing here again, the truth became obvious.
"The Spirit Pool…" Ethan murmured.
The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
This monster must have bathed in the Spirit Pool repeatedly.
That was the only explanation.
The Spirit Pool contained incredibly dense Soul Energy, capable of strengthening spirits and bodies alike. With prolonged exposure, even a monster lacking intelligence could benefit from its effects. Over time, the accumulation of Soul Energy would naturally push it toward a breakthrough.
"So that's how you did it," Ethan said, looking at the corpse with a complicated expression.
No wonder the monster had been so powerful.
No wonder it had managed to break through into the Physique Strengthening Stage without any guidance.
"What a beast," Ethan complained inwardly. "No wonder you could step into a major realm. You were basically soaking in heaven-grade resources all the time."
As he stood there, lost in thought, something suddenly caught his attention.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Wait…"
He noticed something in the monster's hand.
Something small.
Something that definitely hadn't been there before—or at least, something he hadn't noticed.
Ethan frowned deeply.
"Why didn't I see anything in its hand when I took its Monster Core?"
He was certain about this.
After killing the monster, Ethan had carefully extracted its Monster Core. He had also checked its body for anything valuable. Back then, its hands had been empty.
Or so he believed.
Then how was there something there now?
A sense of unease crept into his heart.
Caution instantly replaced curiosity.
Ethan did not rush forward. Instead, he slowed his breathing and carefully scanned his surroundings. After everything he had experienced so far, he had learned one crucial lesson—never let your guard down.
He first checked for traps manually, then used the System to double-confirm.
Only after receiving confirmation that there were no active traps did Ethan finally step forward.
Slowly, carefully, he approached the giant corpse and crouched down.
In its massive hand lay a thin, ancient-looking piece of paper.
Ethan picked it up.
It felt surprisingly ordinary.
There was no obvious aura, no overwhelming pressure, no visible inscriptions glowing with power. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an old, fragile sheet of paper that could crumble at the slightest force.
And yet…
Ethan felt certain that it was not ordinary.
"This thing…" he murmured. "Why would it appear now?"
He was absolutely sure he hadn't seen it earlier.
The timing was strange.
Almost too strange.
Unable to identify it on his own, Ethan decided not to take any risks.
"System," he said silently, "inspect this."
[Command Accepted]
[Initializing inspection procedure…]
[Inspection complete. Displaying results.]
[Item Identified: Spiritual Key Talisman]
[Spiritual Key Talisman: A high-level array key commonly used by peak-tier cultivators. Powerful beings often hide their most precious treasures within illusionary or concealment arrays. These arrays merge the concealed space with the surrounding environment, making detection nearly impossible. Even powerful senses will fail to notice anything abnormal.]
[The only way to unlock such an array is through a designated key. This key takes the form of a talisman known as the Spiritual Key Talisman.]
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
"So that's how it is…"
A smile slowly spread across his face.
Everything suddenly made sense.
That explained why he had been unable to find the Soul God's Inheritance despite searching the entire mountain. It had never been exposed in the first place.
It had been hidden inside an illusionary array.
Perfectly concealed.
Merged with the environment itself.
"No wonder I couldn't sense anything," Ethan muttered. "Even with the System's help."
He looked down at the talisman in his hand.
"And this thing is the key."
His gaze shifted back to the giant monster's corpse.
"No wonder you were holding onto this even as you died," Ethan concluded. "You were guarding it."
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
This monster hadn't just been a random guardian.
It had been the keyholder.
Without this talisman, no one—no matter how strong—would ever find the inheritance.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
There was no reason to wait.
He clenched his hand around the Spiritual Key Talisman.
The moment his grip tightened, the talisman reacted.
A brilliant silver radiance burst forth, flooding the surrounding area.
The talisman shattered into countless fragments of light.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the mountain.
The ground trembled violently, as if struck by a sudden earthquake.
Ethan staggered, nearly losing his balance.
"What the—!"
Before he could react further, silver light exploded outward in all directions, engulfing his vision completely. The radiance was so intense that it forced him to shield his eyes instinctively.
For several seconds—no, an eternity—he saw nothing but silver.
His ears rang.
His heart pounded.
Then, slowly, the light began to fade.
Ethan cautiously lowered his hands.
What he saw left him utterly stunned.
As the silver radiance receded, the scenery around him transformed.
Where there had once been empty forest and stone, a massive structure now stood.
At first, Ethan thought it was a building.
Then he realized he was wrong.
It wasn't just a building.
It was a palace.
A gigantic, majestic palace that stretched far beyond what his eyes could perceive. Towering pillars, grand arches, and ancient walls carved with incomprehensible patterns stood before him, exuding an aura of age, power, and authority.
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"…That's excessive," he muttered.
He shook his head slightly.
"Is there really a need to build something this huge for a grave?"
In his mind, this was nothing short of wasteful.
Ethan had grown up on Earth, where practicality mattered. A person living alone didn't need a massive mansion. One bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom were more than enough.
And this Soul God was already dead.
So why build something like this?
"What a waste of resources," Ethan complained inwardly.
Still shaking his head, he slowly walked toward the entrance of the palace, his footsteps echoing softly as he approached the resting place of the Soul God's Inheritance.