Suddenly, the still lake began to bubble beneath his feet.
Not only that, but a sudden rain fell from the sky.
It wasn't an ordinary rain. Each drop shone faintly, as if it were purifying the forest.
The dead bodies disappeared, erased as if they had never existed.
The crimson leaves of the immense trees were washed clean, revealing a vibrant green.
The dark water, tainted with the blood of the dead, cleared once more, becoming completely crystalline.
Then, the trees began to sink slowly, as if they were submerging back into the lake, but inverted, with their roots pointing upward.
Cairen watched in silence, feeling the energy of the place change.
When the transformation ended, the light mist faded along with the rain. Five figures remained above the lake.
Cairen took a deep breath, analyzing and understanding what had happened.
In front of him, not too far away, Princess Ling was staring at him, a strange, expectant smile shining on her face.
On the other side, a young man from the Blue Sparrow Sect, the last survivor of his group, clenched his fists, though his body trembled.
To the left, a girl from the Golden Sword Sect gripped her blade tightly, though her trembling hands betrayed her exhaustion.
A rogue cultivator stood farther from everyone else, almost shrinking away, his eyes wide as if facing savage beasts.
He was one of the five survivors purely by luck, having run amidst the chaos while Princess Ling slaughtered his allies.
Five survivors remained.
The inheritance would be decided among them.
Silence weighed heavily. Cairen noticed the princess's gaze fixed on him, completely ignoring the other three.
Cairen, in turn, kept his eyes locked on Princess Ling.
Her smile was calm, confident, and provocative, a smile that seemed to say, 'Everything is under my control.'
But Cairen didn't look away. His hands slowly tightened, fingers pressing hard against his palms.
A cold wind passed between them, and the silence grew heavier.
Then something changed, the lake below began to vibrate again, slowly, as if it were breathing. Cairen frowned and looked down. The others noticed it too.
Beneath the surface, where shimmering schools of fish swam, something deeper drew their attention.
At the bottom of the lake, upon an altar wrapped in thick, living roots of wood, there was a coffin. Its appearance was ancient, but that wasn't what mattered, the coffin was pulsing.
As if it had a heart.
The surrounding roots moved, twisting in slow, organic motions. It seemed as though something inside… was trying to get out.
For a moment, a faint crack appeared on the coffin's lid. A soft light escaped, but the force soon subsided when a terrifying Qi of two elements sealed the coffin once again. Whatever was trapped inside still couldn't break free.
And then…
A wave surged from the altar toward the five remaining cultivators.
"Prove yourselves worthy."
The words weren't spoken, they were felt, seeping into their minds like a command.
Cairen felt a pressure that nearly drove him to his knees. Even Ling, who had been smiling moments before, furrowed her brow.
Suddenly, the lake gleamed.
Five small drops appeared at the bottom, floating around the coffin. Each drop glowed with two distinct colors, pulsing in harmony.
As if responding to the presence of the five cultivators above.
Then, the drops began to rise, slowly at first, then faster and faster.
They passed through the schools of fish, slipped between the roots, broke through the spiritual barrier solidifying the lake's surface, and then…
They entered directly into the foreheads of the five.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Cairen felt an unbearable chill surge through his body. His vision darkened for a moment, but he quickly realized he was still conscious.
However, the screams of the other three were deafening.
The young man from the Blue Sparrow Sect fell to his knees, veins bulging as his blood boiled.
The girl from the Golden Sword Sect clutched her face in despair, screaming as her skin split open in glowing red lines.
The rogue cultivator didn't even have time to understand what was happening before his body grotesquely swelled.
One by one, their bodies exploded.
The sound was muffled, but the impact shook the surroundings.
Blood, bones, and fragments of flesh vanished before they could touch the ground, drawn back into the lake as if they had never existed.
At that same moment, more roots sprouted around the coffin.
In seconds, only Cairen and Princess Ling remained.
Silence returned. But now, it felt as though the entire lake was watching them.
Cairen panted, his heart racing. His entire body was reacting to the new force trying to invade him.
Across from him, Ling staggered, her eyes wide, and then something within them changed.
Her silver eyes and hair shifted, taken over by a radiant golden light.
Her smile returned, wilder than before.
With a sharp crack, the horn on her forehead suddenly grew, curving forward like the blade of a sword.
Cairen's eyes widened. From her elbows and knees, other bone spikes emerged.
Plates formed around her arms and legs, a living armor.
Then, an overwhelming pressure fell upon the lake.
Cairen instinctively took a step back.
Princess Ling's bloodline seemed to have been fully awakened.
Even without understanding it, he could feel the difference, and not only that, the connection between them had deepened immensely.
Cairen steadied himself, taking a deep breath.
At that moment, a subtle presence began to stir within his body. And then...
'Ding!'
[Pure energies of the Wood and Water elements have entered contact with the host!]
[Affinity with the Water element, belonging to the host's original physique, detected.]
[Automatically expelling the Wood element!]