The land was ancient.
Murong Chen stood atop a blackened ridge, gazing over the vast ruins that stretched beyond the horizon. The City of Forgotten Kings was unlike anything he had encountered before. It was a graveyard of an age long past, its broken temples and crumbling palaces whispering secrets that had been buried beneath the sands of time.
Here, history itself had been erased.
And yet, the power still lingered.
The air was thick with something unnatural—not quite Qi, not quite divine energy. The shattered spires hummed with a presence far beyond mortal comprehension. It was neither welcoming nor hostile. It was waiting.
The Abyssal Sect's Arrival
The Abyssal Sect moved cautiously through the ruined streets, their formations unbroken. The towering statues of ancient emperors loomed over them, their faceless visages weathered by time, yet still exuding an aura of forgotten sovereignty.
Even Bai Qingshan, hardened by years of war, felt the weight of the city pressing down on them.
"Patriarch," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "This land is… alive."
Murong Chen did not respond immediately. He could feel it too. The land had a will of its own. It was watching them, measuring them.
Judging them.
The Other Factions
They were not alone.
Beyond the crumbling archways, hidden among the ruins, others lurked in the shadows. Rival factions—sects, rogue cultivators, and ancient families—had also gathered here, drawn by the city's forgotten power.
Murong Chen did not need to see them to know they were there. He could feel their eyes upon him.
One presence stood out.
A man in crimson robes stood at the far end of the ruins, his arms crossed, his eyes burning with amusement. Murong Chen recognized his insignia—the Scarlet Moon Sect. A powerful group known for their blood sacrifices and forbidden techniques.
The man smiled. Mocking.
Murong Chen did not react. Let them watch.
Soon, they would kneel. Or perish.
The Throne's Challenge
At the heart of the ruins lay a colossal obsidian throne, untouched by time. It stood in the center of an ancient coliseum, surrounded by the broken weapons of those who had once fought for it.
Murong Chen stepped forward. The moment his foot touched the sacred ground, the ruins shuddered.
A voice, neither alive nor dead, echoed through the air.
"Who dares claim the legacy of forgotten kings?"
The very fabric of reality twisted. A surge of energy erupted from the throne, and then they appeared.
The guardians.
Ancient spirits clad in spectral armor, their eyes burning with the remnants of a long-forgotten will. They had defended this throne for centuries.
Now, they would fight again.
The Trial of Kings
Steel clashed against steel. The specters moved with inhuman speed, striking from all angles. Their swords were weightless, yet unstoppable, cutting through the air like shadows made solid.
Murong Chen did not retreat.
A king does not ask for power. A king takes it.
His blade met the first specter's strike head-on, shattering its weapon in a single motion. Qi exploded outward, sending the phantom warrior crumbling into dust.
The others charged.
Murong Chen moved like a force of nature, his every step bending the battlefield to his will. His sword carved through the remaining warriors with ruthless precision, their howls vanishing into the abyss.
The last guardian lunged forward—a towering wraith, clad in gold and crimson. Its eyes, unlike the others, held something deeper. Recognition.
Murong Chen raised his blade.
Their swords met. The impact shook the ruins, the sheer force splitting the stone beneath them. The trial was reaching its climax.
One final strike.
Murong Chen's sword cut through the phantom's chest, its ethereal form unraveling into mist.
The throne pulsed with acknowledgment.
The trial was over.
The Abyssal King's Throne
[Congratulations! You have claimed the Throne of Forgotten Kings.]
[New System Functions Unlocked:]
• Abyssal Throne Authority – The ability to command forgotten lands and bind lost spirits.
• King's Edict – Reshape fate itself with a single decree.
• Eternal Dominion – Unlock the path to transcending the mortal plane.
Murong Chen exhaled slowly.
The throne was his. The city was his.
As the other factions watched in stunned silence, he took his seat upon the obsidian throne.
The New King
The moment he sat, the world shifted.
The land beneath them trembled. The air grew heavy with an unseen force.
Something far greater than the city had taken notice.
Beyond the mortal plane, unseen entities stirred. The heavens had ignored him once. They would not do so again.
Murong Chen's lips curled into a knowing smile.
The Abyssal Sect had not come to be part of history.
They had come to rewrite it.