No one understood the true meaning behind the snowflake symbol.
No one understood the appearance of the ancient sword.
No one understood why the guardian dragon had reacted differently toward Lin Shuan.
The answers remained buried beneath countless years of history.
Yet—
inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen had already begun piecing together fragments of the truth.
His expression had become unusually solemn.
For the first time since entering the Treasury Realm—
the old monster felt a sense of familiarity.
A familiarity that originated from an age long forgotten.
An age before Da Cang Empire.
Before the current world.
Before countless civilizations had risen and fallen.
Slowly—
he spoke.
"Lin Shuan."
The young man immediately responded.
"Master?"
"You should prepare yourself."
Lin Shuan narrowed his eyes.
"For what?"
Tian Wuchen stared toward the slowly opening gate.
His voice became low.
"For a battle."
A battle.
Only two words.
Yet hearing them from Tian Wuchen caused Lin Shuan's expression to become serious.
The old monster rarely spoke without reason.
If he believed a battle was coming—
then something dangerous awaited ahead.
Lin Shuan silently nodded.
His Frost Divine Heart slowly circulated.
His Luo Essence remained ready.
Meanwhile—
far ahead—
the guardian dragon remained motionless before the colossal gate.
The crack across its surface continued widening.
Golden light poured endlessly from within.
Ancient energy flooded the ruins.
Then—
suddenly—
the dragon froze.
Its eyes brightened.
As though it had received some form of command.
The ancient voice echoed one final time.
"Target confirmed."
"Arrival confirmed."
"Guardian duties complete."
The dragon slowly lowered its head.
Then—
its enormous body dissolved into countless golden particles.
The sky became quiet once more.
The terrifying pressure vanished.
The guardian was gone.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators immediately became excited.
"The guardian disappeared!"
"The path is open!"
"Move!"
Without hesitation—
the leading elder charged forward.
The others quickly followed.
Even the hidden Immortal Seed experts entered the gate.
Lin Shuan remained hidden.
Waiting.
Observing.
Only after the last Yu Long Sect cultivator disappeared did he finally move.
Crack.
Tiny arcs of lightning appeared beneath his feet.
The Lightning Immortal Path activated.
His figure transformed into a blur.
WHOOSH!
He entered the ancient gate.
The moment he crossed the threshold—
everything disappeared.
No light.
No sound.
No direction.
Nothing.
Absolute darkness.
Lin Shuan felt as though he had fallen into an endless void.
There was no sky.
No earth.
No stars.
No spiritual energy.
It was as if existence itself had vanished.
Even his spiritual sense became useless.
For several moments—
he could see absolutely nothing.
Then—
a single light appeared.
A tiny spark.
Far away.
The spark rapidly expanded.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Until—
BOOOOOOM!
A blinding radiance exploded before him.
And within that light—
a figure appeared.
A figure so enormous that words could barely describe it.
The silhouette stood amidst countless stars.
Entire worlds seemed tiny compared to its size.
The figure held a sword.
A sword that illuminated endless darkness.
One casual movement caused countless stars to appear and disappear.
The sword danced.
Elegant.
Perfect.
Ancient.
It was as though the figure was practicing a sword art.
Not fighting.
Not killing.
Simply practicing.
Yet every movement contained principles beyond comprehension.
Laws.
Truths.
Mysteries.
The scene lasted only an instant.
A single instant.
Then—
everything vanished.
The giant figure disappeared.
The stars disappeared.
The sword disappeared.
Only darkness remained.
Lin Shuan stood frozen.
"...What was that?"
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen remained silent.
Because he had seen it.
Seen it clearly.
Much more clearly than Lin Shuan.
The old monster's soul trembled slightly.
That sword.
That posture.
That aura.
Even after countless years—
he would never mistake it.
Never.
A memory surfaced within his mind.
A young swordsman laughing loudly beneath collapsing heavens.
A sword capable of splitting worlds.
A brother-in-arms who had once stood beside him against impossible enemies.
Lin Xin Jian.
The vision had only lasted an instant.
Yet Tian Wuchen was now almost certain.
This place possessed some connection to Lin Xin Jian.
A connection hidden beneath countless ages.
But he said nothing.
Not yet.
The evidence was still incomplete.
And before he could think further—
the darkness disappeared.
Lin Shuan found himself standing inside a vast underground world.
Ancient stone stretched endlessly in every direction.
Ruined halls.
Broken structures.
Collapsed pathways.
The place looked as though it had been abandoned for millions of years.
Most importantly—
there was nothing here.
No treasures.
No inheritances.
No divine weapons.
Nothing.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators had already arrived.
And their expressions were becoming increasingly ugly.
"This is impossible!"
"Where are the treasures?"
"Where are the inheritances?"
"We spent decades searching for this place!"
Angry voices echoed throughout the ruins.
Many cultivators appeared unwilling to accept reality.
The leading elder's expression had become dark.
Very dark.
They had sacrificed too much.
Spent too many years.
Risked too many lives.
Yet the place they had sought for generations contained nothing.
Then—
a powerful pressure emerged.
The hidden Immortal Seed expert finally stepped forward.
For the first time—
he removed his outer robe.
The black dragon insignia disappeared.
And another symbol appeared beneath it.
A black panther.
A dark panther surrounded by shadows.
Lin Shuan's eyes narrowed.
The man's appearance was ordinary.
Yet his presence felt strange.
Dangerous.
Like liquid darkness.
At any moment—
it seemed as though his body could dissolve into black fluid.
The Immortal Seed expert slowly looked around.
Then laughed.
A cold laugh.
"So this is the result of generations of effort?"
Silence.
No one dared respond.
His gaze became colder.
"We entered through the hidden passage."
"We sacrificed resources."
"We mobilized experts."
"We crossed half the Treasury Realm."
"And in the end..."
His eyes narrowed.
"There is nothing."
The surrounding Yu Long Sect cultivators lowered their heads.
The atmosphere became extremely heavy.
Then—
the Immortal Seed expert suddenly smiled.
A cruel smile.
"Fortunately."
"One task still remains."
The leading elder immediately bowed.
"Senior..."
The man interrupted him.
"The target is still inside the Treasury Realm."
Lin Shuan's eyes immediately became cold.
Target.
He already knew who they meant.
The Immortal Seed expert continued.
"We failed to obtain the treasure."
"But we can still complete the second objective."
Several cultivators looked up.
The man's eyes gleamed.
"Capture Shuan hao."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Far away—
hidden among the ruins—
Lin Shuan slowly clenched his fists.
So it really was him.
Part of their mission had always involved him.
The Immortal Seed expert continued calmly.
"The boy possesses treasures from the Empire Warriors Tournament."
"The rewards alone are worth a fortune."
"He also carries secrets that interest certain individuals."
"Therefore..."
His smile widened.
"We leave with him."
One elder hesitated.
"What if we cannot capture him?"
The Immortal Seed expert laughed.
"Then kill him."
The surrounding air immediately became colder.
Even many Yu Long Sect cultivators felt uneasy.
Because they knew.
The person standing before them was not truly a member of Yu Long Sect.
He merely cooperated with them.
His true identity remained hidden.
Only the highest-ranking individuals knew who he really served.
The man slowly extended his hand.
Black liquid emerged from his palm.
The darkness moved like a living creature.
The surrounding cultivators instinctively stepped back.
Fear flashed through their eyes.
Even now—
the sight made them uncomfortable.
The Immortal Seed expert looked toward the darkness.
Then smiled.
"A pity."
"If the inheritance truly existed..."
"I would have preferred taking that."
The black liquid flowed around his fingers.
Like a serpent.
Like a shadow.
Like something alive.
Meanwhile—
hidden among the ruins—
Lin Shuan remained perfectly silent.
His expression was calm.
But inside—
killing intent surged.
Yu Long Sect.
Again.
Always Yu Long Sect.
Destroying his clan.
Hunting him.
Attempting to seize everything he possessed.
For a brief moment—
the image of the ruined Lin Clan flashed through his mind.
Blood.
Fire.
Death.
The screams of his clansmen.
His fists slowly tightened.
Crack.
The stone beneath his feet fractured.
Tian Wuchen immediately noticed.
"Control yourself."
Lin Shuan took a deep breath.
The killing intent gradually subsided.
The old monster continued.
"Now is not the time."
Lin Shuan nodded slowly.
"I know."
His eyes moved toward the Immortal Seed expert.
Then toward the ancient ruins surrounding them.
Something still felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The guardian dragon had not opened the gate for these people.
The sword vision had not appeared for these people.
And Tian Wuchen's reaction made one thing clear.
This place was hiding something important.
Something connected to the forgotten past.
Something connected to Lin Xin Jian.
Something connected to the symbols on the gate.
And perhaps—
something connected to the Frost Divine Heart itself.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators believed they had reached a dead end.
But Lin Shuan did not.
Because the moment he focused on his Frost Divine Heart—
it pulsed again.
THUMP.
A faint sensation appeared.
Weak.
Almost imperceptible.
Yet unmistakable.
It was coming from deeper within the ruins.
As though something was calling him.
Waiting for him.
Watching him.
And somewhere far beneath the ancient underground world—
hidden beyond countless layers of forgotten history—
a pair of ancient eyes slowly opened.
For the first time in countless ages.
And when those eyes opened—
the entire hidden world trembled.