Chapter 82: The Crimson Legacy
The depths of Black Tomb plunged into a cavernous abyss, the air heavy with the oppressive scent of ancient decay and the faint, unsettling hum of demonic qi pulsing from jagged walls adorned with twisted runes and scattered skeletal remains. The late morning light struggled to pierce the gloom, casting an eerie, flickering glow over the uneven stone floor where shadowy shades—ethereal remnants with glowing red eyes—stirred, their claws scraping against the rock with a chilling rhythm. Lin Xuan led the expedition deeper, his crimson eyes alight with a sense of vision, the power of his 9th Layer Qi Transformation a steady force cutting through the darkness. The Celestial Unity Crest on his back pulsed with a quiet rhythm, a guide as he approached Qorath's seal, a massive obsidian slab etched with crimson glyphs that radiated a malevolent energy. His voice dropped to a murmur, "This place holds more than we know," his senses sharpening as he touched the seal.
The moment his fingers made contact, a fragmented vision—disjointed images of a desolate realm, towering spires crumbling under a blood-red sky, and a figure cloaked in shadow wielding a blade that split the heavens, its purpose and origin shrouded in mystery. The vision faded as quickly as it came, leaving Lin Xuan staggering, his breath ragged as he steadied himself against the wall, his mind reeling with the enigma. A shade lunged from the darkness, its dark qi lashing out in tendrils, forcing him to dodge. He countered with a precise qi burst from Crimson Blood Crystallization Art, the red-tinged energy dissipating the shade in a burst of smoke, but a second struck, grazing his leg before he struck again, the ground shuddering as it vanished.
Liu Yue, her Half-step Profound Heavenly Realm qi flowing with Frost Phoenix Cry, and Liu Yang, his 9th Layer Qi Gathering qi robust, fought off the encroaching shades, her snowflake mark glowing as she froze one's advance with a crystalline wave, his blood-forged glaive flashing to cleave through another, ichor spraying in a dark arc. "Keep them back, Elder Sister—the seal's stirring!" Liu Yang shouted, his young face set with determination, the glaive's weight a grounding force as he parried a claw strike. The shades pressed harder, their numbers growing, but the team's coordination held, Liu Yue's icy barriers complementing Liu Yang's relentless strikes.
In the Dawnriver palace, Ji Yunjing, at the 5th Layer Profound Heavenly Realm, reinforced the surface team, his silk robes rustling as he directed guards to secure the entrance, his voice firm with authority. "Hold the perimeter—support them below," he ordered, his brow furrowed with the weight of rulership, the air thickening with the clink of armor as sentries took their positions. Bai Ningxue, her 1st Layer Profound Heavenly Realm aura a serene yet potent force, stabilized the seal's surging energy with her Thousand Lotus Seal Art, her seals shimmering like a delicate web as she countered the demonic outpour, her hands steady and precise. "This will maintain the balance—press on," she said, her tone calm and focused, her efforts preventing a catastrophic release.
The exploration stretched into the afternoon, the air growing heavy with the scent of decay and the murmur of awe, the fragmented vision lingering in Lin Xuan's mind as a cryptic puzzle. The team regrouped near the seal, the air crackling with residual energy, Lin Xuan's breath steady but his eyes reflective. "That vision—it's a piece of something vast. We need to understand it," he said, his voice thoughtful, the weight of the unknown settling on his shoulders. Liu Yue nodded, her breath even but her resolve firm. "We'll decipher it, Senior Brother—together," she replied, her hand brushing his arm in quiet support. The palace buzzed with the clink of strategy and the hum of speculation, the crimson legacy a bridge to a mysterious and foreboding future,