The complete annihilation of the Celestial Void Sect left the skies above its ruins shrouded in an ominous gloom. The scent of death lingered, as if the world itself acknowledged the fall of one of its once-greatest powers.
Shao Xian stood atop the remnants of the grand sect, his golden eyes gazing into the distance. There was no satisfaction in his expression—only absolute calm, a sign that this was nothing more than a minor step in his journey.
His steps were light, yet each movement sent an invisible tremor through the air. He was like a celestial harbinger of destruction, an entity beyond mortal comprehension.
Yet amid the devastation, something caught his attention.
Beneath the collapsed remains of the Celestial Void Sect's main hall, a faint glow flickered.
Shao Xian raised his hand, and with a mere thought, the debris scattered in all directions, revealing an ancient altar, its surface still faintly pulsing with the remnants of a long-forgotten formation.
He approached, his eyes sweeping over the intricate carvings adorning the altar. A flicker of recognition crossed his face as he traced the symbols with his gaze.
"Ah… so this was their source of confidence," he murmured.
This was no ordinary remnant.
This altar was a gateway—a portal leading to a hidden chamber, one that likely contained the Celestial Void Sect's greatest secret.
Without hesitation, Shao Xian reached out and pressed his palm against the altar's surface.
—BOOM!—
A burst of dark energy erupted, instinctively rejecting his presence. The last defensive mechanism of the Celestial Void Sect struggled to resist, but against an existence like his, it was meaningless.
With a single, indifferent glance, Shao Xian shattered the remaining seals.
The chamber was unveiled.
A long corridor stretched before him, its walls adorned with inscriptions carved using techniques of the highest order. A lingering ancient aura filled the space, making it clear that whatever lay ahead was no ordinary treasure.
Without breaking his stride, Shao Xian stepped forward, his presence alone causing the very air within the chamber to tremble.
Shao Xian advanced through the ancient corridor, his footsteps eerily silent despite the crushing pressure radiating from his body. The deeper he ventured, the denser the lingering aura of power became. The inscriptions on the walls pulsed faintly, remnants of a formation designed to suppress intruders.
Yet to Shao Xian, it was nothing more than an insignificant annoyance.
With a mere flick of his fingers, the restrictive energy shattered, dissipating like mist under the sun. The path ahead was now completely open to him.
At the end of the corridor stood a massive obsidian door, inscribed with runes that shimmered faintly in the dim light. It exuded an oppressive presence, as if it had remained sealed for countless millennia, hiding something beyond mortal comprehension.
Shao Xian's golden eyes gleamed with intrigue.
"Let's see what you were hiding," he muttered before pressing his palm against the door.
—RUMBLE—
The moment his energy made contact, the runes on the door flickered violently. An unseen force attempted to resist him, but its struggle was futile.
—CRACK!—
With a deafening sound, the ancient door splintered, its protective formations disintegrating instantly under Shao Xian's overwhelming power.
Beyond the threshold lay an expansive chamber, lined with towering shelves filled with jade slips, ancient scrolls, and divine artifacts. The air was thick with an overwhelming sense of history, as though the knowledge of countless generations was stored within these walls.
At the center of the chamber, atop an intricately designed pedestal, rested a single black jade tablet. Unlike the rest of the treasures surrounding it, this tablet radiated an aura so profound that even the void itself seemed to tremble in its presence.
Shao Xian's gaze locked onto it immediately.
"This... is interesting."
Stepping forward, he reached out and grasped the black jade tablet. The moment his fingers made contact, a surge of unfathomable energy erupted from within, attempting to invade his mind.
Most would have collapsed under the sheer weight of the knowledge contained within the tablet. Lesser beings would have been reduced to dust, their souls obliterated by the overwhelming influx of power.
But Shao Xian simply smirked.
"Trying to suppress me?"
With an effortless exertion of his will, he crushed the invading force, absorbing the knowledge contained within as if it were nothing more than a fleeting breeze.
Memories flooded his mind—visions of an era far older than the current world, of beings that stood above the heavens themselves, and of a technique so incomprehensibly powerful that it had been sealed away to prevent its misuse.
The Eternal Dao Suppression Scripture.
A technique not meant for mortals. Not even meant for gods. A technique that, if fully mastered, could rewrite the laws of reality itself.
Shao Xian's smirk deepened.
"Now this... this is truly a step toward absolute dominion."
With the tablet now in his possession, his path to supremacy had become even clearer. The Celestial Void Sect was nothing more than a minor stepping stone.