Although this was perilous, perhaps it was also the perfect opportunity for Lin Yun and his group to find out what had truly happened here.
"Maybe we can even learn some of the secrets of the past," he thought. The cultivation world was notoriously secretive about certain historical events. This might be a prime chance to uncover the truth.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the palace entrance.
But as Lin Yun drew near, the scene before his eyes began to flicker erratically. He saw a land of dead stillness, yet his mind was simultaneously flashing with images of a brutal, tragic battle. These images seemed to come from a very ancient time, and the location was the very world beneath their feet. It was clear that the battle back then had not been as simple as they had imagined.
Countless images flashed through Lin Yun's mind. For a moment, his head felt as if it were about to split open. He fell to one knee in agony, clutching his head.
Qin Xiyan rushed to his side with concern. "Senior Brother Lin, what's wrong?"
Lin Yun forced himself to endure the pain and shook his head. "It's just… some images are constantly flashing in my mind."
After a long while, Lin Yun slowly recovered. He stood up and looked towards the stairs. "Since we've already come this far, we can't waste any more time. Let's go in and see what's in this palace."
Lin Yun walked at the front, with Qin Xiyan following closely behind. As he stepped into the palace, the flickering images in his mind finally stopped. But he had only managed to remember a few scattered fragments.
"What exactly happened here?" he asked the voice in his mind. "If a great war truly happened before, why is there no trace of it here?" Lin Yun surveyed his surroundings. In the flashes of memory, this should have been the battlefield. But what he saw now did not resemble his vision at all. This place didn't look like a battlefield in the slightest.
"Continue forward from this entrance," the voice replied. "You only need to walk for another quarter of an hour, and you will see."
The voice didn't directly answer Lin Yun's question, instead luring him to continue forward. Lin Yun didn't engage with it further.
After entering the palace, Lin Yun saw many statues. Each one was carved to be perfectly lifelike. Even the expressions on their faces were unnervingly real. What struck Lin Yun as strange was that statues were normally majestic and god-like. But the statues he saw here, every single one of them, had a twisted, ferocious expression on its face, as if they had witnessed something truly terrifying. And in their eyes was a thick, desperate will to live.
Qin Xiyan looked at the statues, her suspicion of this place growing deeper. "These statues look too strange."
Lin Yun remained silent. The more he learned about the Nether River Dragon Palace, the more shocked he was by what he discovered.
With endless questions in their hearts, Lin Yun and Qin Xiyan passed through a long corridor. The countless statues on either side only deepened their confusion about this place. The atmosphere between the two grew more and more oppressive. In such an environment, anyone would become tense.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yun finally saw a grand hall. And in the very center of this hall stood a towering statue. It looked majestic and awe-inspiring, like the king of the Blood Fiend Dragon Clan. Just by standing beneath it, Lin Yun could feel an overwhelming, domineering aura wash over him.
"Is this the king of the Blood Fiend Dragon Clan?" Looking at the statue, Lin Yun was filled with emotion. It was just as he had thought. What had happened here was far more complicated than he had imagined.
And surrounding this central statue, Lin Yun saw many other figures—cultivators. They wore different attire, looking as if they had come from various powers and sects. Though they looked lifelike, Lin Yun knew they had been dead for a very long time.
The mysterious voice sounded again. "Back then, our various sects and schools united. We took great pains to fight against the Dragon Clan and finally created the situation you see today."
"I believe your opening of the Nether River Dragon Palace was an accident, and done to save someone, which is understandable," it paused, then continued. "But the peace we worked so hard to create cannot simply be disregarded. That is why I need your help this time to reinforce the seal. No matter what, we cannot allow this creature to escape."
Although everything so far seemed to match what the voice was saying, Lin Yun still harbored too many doubts. He certainly couldn't believe every word the entity spoke.
"I will find out what happened here," he replied cautiously. "If you truly need my help, I will naturally help you handle it properly." Even now, Lin Yun remained vigilant. Every action he took concerned the safety of many people; he didn't dare to act rashly. What's more, this voice always spoke in half-truths, never revealing the whole story. No one knew what it truly wanted.
But faced with Lin Yun's repeated refusals, the voice still showed no anger. Instead, it just said flatly, "It does not matter. You will be able to see many records of the past here, and you will naturally understand that we are not joking. You only need to reinforce the seal here."
Lin Yun walked forward. Sure enough, in front of the statue was a table, and on it lay a map. This map detailed the entire Nether River Dragon Palace. From Lin Yun's perspective, it seemed the entire palace had been transformed by a mysterious figure into a powerful formation. The so-called stopping of time was likely closely related to this array.
And beside the map was a book. On it was recorded the name of the formation.
The Heaven-Severing Array.
Once activated, the concept of time would cease to exist within the array. But activating it was no simple task. Not only did it require all sorts of harsh conditions, but the sheer number of people required to cast it was immense. The only good news was that the array had not been completely destroyed. Lin Yun only needed to repair a portion of it.
His time, however, was short.
"Now you know the ins and outs of the matter," the voice said, a hint of urgency now coloring its tone. "This book not only records the method to repair the formation, but it also tells you what happened here. Thus, you should understand that I am not joking."
The voice urged Lin Yun to hurry. They only had a short twelve shichen (twenty-four hours). No one knew what else might be waiting for them.
"Don't worry," Lin Yun said. "I will not stand by and do nothing." He nodded at Qin Xiyan. For now, he could tentatively confirm that everything here was real. The next step was to repair the seal.
But just at that moment, Ezu suddenly began to laugh mockingly in his mind.
It seemed he knew something.