Chapter 69: The New Shadow Over the Western Region
The night covered the Western Region like a vast black curtain.
The moon was barely visible through the clouds.
Han Feng stood on a rocky ridge overlooking a small settlement below.
Dozens of wooden houses were scattered around a narrow river.
A few lanterns still burned.
Merchants were packing their belongings.
Cultivators came and went through the streets.
At first glance, it looked peaceful.
Han Feng knew better.
He had been watching the settlement for nearly an hour.
Nothing escaped his attention.
The cultivators entering through the eastern gate.
The guards stationed near the river.
The spiritual fluctuations coming from several buildings.
And most importantly...
The rumors.
The Celestial Corpse Sect had increased its presence in the region.
Several wandering cultivators had disappeared.
A merchant caravan had been attacked.
And three different groups had reported seeing a mysterious cultivator wearing black-and-purple robes.
The description was vague.
But Han Feng knew exactly who they were talking about.
He turned away from the village.
"Things are moving too quickly."
The encounter with the Celestial Corpse Sect hunting squad had confirmed something important.
They were no longer searching randomly.
They had begun gathering information.
And the black tracking plate he had taken from them had revealed another problem.
The Celestial Corpse Sect had discovered traces connected to the ancient resonance network.
Han Feng couldn't allow them to reach the next node before him.
But there was another problem.
His Qi Cultivation had reached Rank 4.
His Gu Master cultivation remained Rank 2.
The difference between the two systems was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
His Qi had become stronger.
His body could withstand more energy.
But his Gu still required better materials.
Better refinement resources.
And possibly another compatible Gu.
Han Feng's gaze shifted toward the distant mountains.
A rumor had recently reached him.
There was an abandoned ruin within the territory controlled by the Black Lotus Sect.
According to the rumor, the ruin contained an ancient flame-type Gu.
Some called it the Dark Flame Gu.
Others claimed it was not a Gu at all.
An ancient spiritual flame.
A fragment of a cultivation inheritance.
Or perhaps something left behind by one of the ancient cultivators who had built the resonance network.
Most people considered the rumors nonsense.
Han Feng didn't.
Because the symbol associated with the ruin...
Was the same six-point pattern.
He had seen it before.
Han Feng's expression became serious.
"Another connection."
He turned toward the mountains.
"Then I have no choice."
He disappeared into the darkness.
The Black Lotus Territory
The journey took nearly a day.
By the time Han Feng reached the outskirts of the Black Lotus Sect's territory, the landscape had completely changed.
The forests became darker.
Black flowers grew between the rocks.
Thin streams of spiritual energy flowed beneath the ground.
Even the insects seemed reluctant to make noise.
Han Feng stopped several kilometers from the sect's main stronghold.
He didn't intend to enter the sect directly.
That would be suicide.
The Black Lotus Sect was a powerful Western Region faction.
Even if its reputation wasn't comparable to the greatest sects of the region, it possessed far more resources and experts than Han Feng could currently deal with.
Instead, he followed an old map obtained from a wandering cultivator.
The map marked a ruined complex several kilometers outside the sect's territory.
An abandoned branch facility.
Han Feng approached carefully.
The ruins were surrounded by broken walls.
Most of the formations had already collapsed.
But not all of them.
Han Feng activated the Art of the Celestial Veil.
His aura weakened.
Then he activated Shadow Concealment.
His presence gradually blended with the surrounding darkness.
He moved through the ruins.
One formation.
Then another.
He didn't destroy them.
He simply found the gaps.
After nearly half an hour, Han Feng reached a stone staircase leading underground.
He stopped.
A faint spiritual fluctuation came from below.
His eyes narrowed.
The ancient map in his storage space had begun to tremble.
Han Feng slowly retrieved it.
The six-point symbol glowed faintly.
Then one of the points pulsed.
Han Feng's expression changed.
"So it's real."
He descended.
The underground passage was much older than the ruins above.
The walls were covered in ancient inscriptions.
Most had been damaged beyond recognition.
But several words remained.
Balance.
Resonance.
Flame.
Han Feng slowed.
The deeper he went, the stronger the heat became.
Yet there was no fire.
That made him even more cautious.
Eventually, the passage opened into a vast underground chamber.
Blue flames floated in the air.
Dozens of them.
They were motionless.
Not burning.
Simply floating.
At the center of the chamber stood a black stone altar.
Something rested above it.
A small flame.
It wasn't red.
It wasn't orange.
It was almost completely black.
Only a thin violet edge surrounded it.
Han Feng stared at it.
His Celestial Diagram reacted immediately.
The six symbols rotated.
The seventh point flashed.
Han Feng's breathing slowed.
"This isn't an ordinary flame."
He approached carefully.
The flame pulsed once.
A strange sensation passed through his spiritual sense.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Han Feng stopped.
He didn't touch it.
Instead, he examined the altar.
Six channels had been carved into the stone.
Each one led away from the flame toward a different section of the chamber.
Six directions.
Six nodes.
The same system.
The so-called Dark Flame wasn't merely a treasure.
It was part of the ancient network.
Perhaps a stabilizer.
Perhaps a source.
Perhaps something else entirely.
Han Feng frowned.
"So the rumors were wrong."
A voice answered from behind him.
"Not entirely."
Han Feng's body became still.
He turned.
A black-robed woman stood at the entrance.
Her hair was tied behind her head.
A dark lotus emblem was embroidered across her chest.
She looked to be in her forties.
Her aura was considerably stronger than Han Feng's.
Not overwhelmingly so.
But enough.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
"Black Lotus Sect."
The woman smiled faintly.
"You entered our territory without permission."
Han Feng glanced at the flame.
"I didn't know this place was still occupied."
"It wasn't."
Her gaze moved toward the altar.
"Until you arrived."
Silence.
Han Feng understood.
She hadn't been guarding the ruin.
She had been investigating it.
He had simply arrived at the wrong time.
The woman stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
Han Feng didn't answer.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Recently, a mysterious cultivator has been appearing throughout the Western Region."
She studied him.
"Black-and-purple robes."
"White hair."
"Purple eyes."
Han Feng remained expressionless.
The woman smiled.
"So the rumors were accurate."
Han Feng's hand moved slightly.
His spiritual sense expanded.
No other cultivators.
No formation activating.
No hidden killing intent.
She had come alone.
That was strange.
The woman noticed his movement.
"Relax."
"I didn't come here to fight."
Han Feng didn't lower his guard.
"Then why are you here?"
The woman looked toward the black flame.
"Because my sect has been trying to understand this thing for thirty years."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
"And?"
"We failed."
She laughed softly.
"It refuses to respond to anyone."
Han Feng looked at the flame again.
"Until today."
The woman's expression became complicated.
"Yes."
The flame pulsed.
The entire chamber trembled.
Both cultivators immediately turned toward it.
A thin crack appeared on the altar.
The black flame rose.
Then—
Six lines of light spread across the chamber.
Han Feng's Celestial Diagram reacted violently.
The woman stepped backward.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Then why is it reacting to you?"
Han Feng didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
The six lines connected.
For a brief moment, the chamber became identical to the ancient formations he had encountered before.
Then one line changed.
It pointed downward.
Not toward the surface.
Toward something beneath the chamber.
Han Feng's expression became serious.
The Dark Flame wasn't pointing toward the next node.
It was pointing toward something below.
Something hidden.
The woman stared at the formation.
Her face slowly lost its color.
"That..."
Han Feng looked at her.
"What?"
She swallowed.
"My sect's records say there is nothing beneath this ruin."
Han Feng gave her a cold look.
"Then your records are wrong."
A deep sound echoed beneath the floor.
Boom.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The woman took another step backward.
"Impossible."
Another pulse.
Boom.
The black flame suddenly split into six smaller flames.
Five remained around the altar.
The sixth descended through the stone.
It disappeared beneath the floor.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
The ancient map inside his storage space began burning with faint spiritual light.
A new symbol appeared.
Not one of the six points.
Not the seventh.
Something beneath them.
Han Feng's expression changed.
There was another layer.
The six points weren't the end of the ancient network.
They were only the surface.
He slowly clenched his fist.
The Western Region had become much more complicated.
The woman suddenly moved.
Han Feng reacted instantly.
A dark blade passed through the space where his head had been.
He landed several meters away.
His eyes became cold.
"You said you didn't want to fight."
"I changed my mind."
The woman's aura surged.
"Whatever is beneath this ruin belongs to the Black Lotus Sect."
Han Feng looked at her.
"No."
He raised his hand.
"It belongs to whoever survives long enough to understand it."
The woman attacked.
A black lotus appeared behind her.
Petals of spiritual energy unfolded.
The entire chamber shook.
Han Feng activated Shadow Concealment.
His figure blurred.
The first attack missed.
The second nearly struck him.
Han Feng countered with a concentrated burst of purple Qi.
Boom!
The woman blocked it with a lotus-shaped shield.
Both retreated.
Han Feng immediately understood.
She was stronger than the Celestial Corpse Sect cultivator he had fought earlier.
But she wasn't overwhelmingly stronger.
This was dangerous.
Not impossible.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
He didn't need to defeat her.
He only needed to escape.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu appeared.
Golden-black light surrounded his hand.
He touched one of the formation channels.
The spiritual energy flowing through it changed.
The black lotus behind the woman flickered.
Her expression changed.
"What did you do?"
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"Changed the direction."
The formation beneath them suddenly activated.
The chamber shook violently.
The woman's expression became furious.
"You—"
Han Feng disappeared.
Shadow Concealment carried him toward the passage.
The woman attempted to pursue.
Then stopped.
The black flame had changed.
It was no longer floating above the altar.
It had begun sinking.
The ancient formation was opening.
And whatever lay beneath it was waking.
The woman stared downward.
Han Feng's footsteps disappeared into the darkness.
She clenched her fists.
"Who exactly are you?"
Han Feng emerged from the ruins several minutes later.
He didn't stop.
He continued moving until the Black Lotus territory was far behind him.
Only then did he slow down.
He looked at the ancient map.
The new mark remained.
Six points.
A seventh point.
And now...
A hidden layer beneath them.
Han Feng's expression was serious.
He had entered the Black Lotus ruins searching for a resource to strengthen his Gu.
Instead, he had discovered another piece of the ancient system.
He sighed.
"Every time I look for a treasure..."
He looked toward the dark mountains.
"...I find another mystery."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
But there was something else.
His encounter with the Black Lotus woman had given him a new piece of information.
She hadn't called him a murderer.
She hadn't mentioned the Demon of Shadows.
She hadn't mentioned the Black Urn.
She had simply asked who he was.
That meant the Black Lotus Sect didn't yet know what the Celestial Corpse Sect knew.
Different factions were investigating the same ancient system independently.
That could be useful.
Or extremely dangerous.
Han Feng placed the map back into his storage space.
Then he looked toward the distant horizon.
His eyes became cold.
"The Western Region is becoming crowded."
Behind him, deep beneath the Black Lotus ruins, the black flame continued descending.
Far below the earth...
A sealed stone door slowly opened.
For the first time in thousands of years, a line of ancient writing became visible.
WHEN THE SEVEN POINTS AWAKEN, THE ROAD BENEATH THE WORLD SHALL OPEN.
Then the door closed again.
The Black Lotus Sect knew nothing about it.
The Celestial Corpse Sect knew nothing about it.
Even Han Feng didn't know.
But something beneath the Western Region had begun counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
...
And somewhere in the darkness—
The seventh point waited.