Location: Crystal Palace of the First Void Emperor — Inner Inheritance Hall
The tremor did not stop.
Deep beneath their feet, the Emperor's Forgotten World seemed to awaken from a sleep that had lasted countless years.
Ancient black crystal pillars rose from the ground one after another.
The floating islands above shifted slowly through the endless dark sky.
For a moment, the entire ruins felt alive.
Fenglan steadied himself as another vibration passed through the pathway beneath them.
"What did you do?" he asked, looking toward Qin Huaian.
Huaian's expression remained calm.
"Nothing."
Meiyue immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her silver eyes remained fixed on the distant crystal palace.
"The ruins reacted to Father's answer."
The moment she said those words, silence fell.
Even Fenglan understood the implication.
The First Void Emperor had left these ruins behind to find a successor.
Yet after witnessing Huaian's trial, it seemed the Emperor's Will had found something else.
Not a successor.
A different path.
...
Far above them, the floating crystal palace released another pulse.
BOOM.
The sound echoed across the entire world.
The pathway beneath their feet expanded.
Countless black stone platforms emerged from the darkness, creating a road toward the palace.
Ancient symbols began glowing across the surface.
The symbols were unlike any cultivation script they had ever seen.
They looked alive.
Changing constantly.
As though existence itself was being rewritten every second.
Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes.
"This place feels different now."
"It is," Huaian replied.
"The first layer of testing is over."
A faint seriousness appeared in his voice.
"The real inheritance begins now."
...
The group continued forward.
The closer they moved toward the crystal palace, the stronger the strange pressure became.
It was not spiritual pressure.
Nor was it killing intent.
Instead, it felt as though the world itself was examining them.
Judging them.
Determining whether they were worthy.
After nearly an hour of travel, they finally arrived beneath the palace.
Fenglan instinctively looked upward.
And froze.
The structure was far larger than it had appeared from a distance.
Massive black crystal walls stretched into the sky.
Ancient cracks covered its surface.
Countless floating fragments orbited around it like shattered stars.
Despite its damaged state, the palace still radiated overwhelming majesty.
This was not merely a building.
It was history.
A monument left behind by someone who had once stood at the peak of existence.
Even Huaian remained silent for several moments.
Then—
The enormous gates slowly opened.
CREAK.
The sound echoed through the ruins.
Darkness waited beyond.
...
Inside the palace was a vast hall.
Rows of crystal pillars stretched endlessly into the distance.
Floating lights drifted through the air like stars.
At the center stood a single pedestal.
Above it floated three symbols.
One silver.
One black.
One golden-black.
The moment Fenglan entered—
The silver symbol reacted.
A beam of light shot downward.
The Void Mark on his arm immediately began glowing.
Fenglan's eyes widened.
"It's calling me."
Before anyone could respond, the silver symbol descended.
It merged directly into his Void Mark.
BOOM.
A wave of understanding exploded inside his mind.
Countless scenes flashed before his eyes.
Space twisting.
Existence bending.
Reality shifting.
Then—
A new technique appeared within his consciousness.
Void Step.
A movement technique created by the First Void Emperor himself.
Instead of traveling through space...
It traveled through absence.
Fenglan's breathing quickened.
This was unlike any technique he had ever seen.
...
At the same time, the black symbol above the pedestal descended toward Meiyue.
The Void Mark on her arm glowed brilliantly.
The symbol merged into her body.
Immediately, countless images flooded her mind.
She saw invisible threads connecting existence itself.
She saw places where reality was weak.
She saw things hidden beyond perception.
When the vision ended, a new understanding remained.
Void Sight.
A perception technique capable of seeing distortions that normal cultivators could never detect.
Meiyue slowly opened her eyes.
For the first time, she could see cracks within the palace itself.
Tiny fractures hidden inside reality.
The world suddenly looked very different.
...
Only one symbol remained.
The golden-black one.
It floated quietly above the pedestal.
Motionless.
Waiting.
Everyone's attention shifted toward Qin Huaian.
After all, he was the one acknowledged by the Emperor's Will.
Surely the final inheritance belonged to him.
Even Xiaoxiao thought so.
Yet something unexpected happened.
The symbol did not move.
It remained perfectly still.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Nothing happened.
Fenglan frowned.
"Why isn't it reacting?"
Meiyue remained silent.
She felt something strange.
The symbol was watching.
Not choosing.
Watching.
As though it could not make a decision.
Then—
The Emperor's Will appeared once more.
The ancient voice echoed through the hall.
"The final inheritance cannot be given."
Everyone froze.
Fenglan looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
The Will remained silent for several moments before answering.
"The path diverges."
A pulse spread through the palace.
"The one who stands before me has chosen a road I never walked."
For the first time, the voice carried something resembling emotion.
Regret.
Curiosity.
Perhaps even hope.
The golden-black symbol slowly rose into the air.
It drifted away from the pedestal.
Toward the deeper sections of the palace.
Toward a massive sealed gate hidden in the darkness.
"The answer lies beyond."
The gate trembled.
Ancient seals began breaking one by one.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
The entire palace shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The floating lights scattered.
Then—
A horrifying aura emerged from beyond the gate.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Unfathomable.
Not even Fenglan could breathe properly.
Meiyue's face turned pale.
Even Xiaoxiao felt danger.
Only Huaian remained calm.
His eyes focused on the darkness beyond the opening gate.
Something was there.
Something that had existed long before the First Void Emperor built these ruins.
Something that should not have survived until now.
Then a pair of enormous eyes slowly opened within the darkness.
And the entire palace fell silent.