Deep within West Mountain, the ruins suddenly began to tremble, as if an invisible force beneath the earth was roaring. The stone slabs beneath Ye Chenyu's feet cracked, runes flashing with a blood-red glow. Each pulse throbbed like a heartbeat, reverberating in his chest. He could feel the entire ruin breathing; the walls seemed alive, twisting shadows stretching in the dim light, like sentient beings watching his every move.
"Run!" Li Yueying shouted sharply, her figure darting like a wraith past fallen stone pillars. The rune fragments in her hands carved protective barriers, momentarily blocking the collapsing rubble. Gritting his teeth, Ye Chenyu ran along the shattered stone path, ears filled with the rumble of tremors and the thud of falling stones striking the ground.
The earth split into chasms again and again, as if the whole of West Mountain were tearing itself apart. The runes leapt along the rock walls like veins of blood; each flash illuminated the outlines of lurking monsters. The remnants of stone guardians, Qiongqi, and Shuqiang appeared briefly, stirred by this power, then twisted and dissipated midair like phantoms. It was as if the ruins were declaring to Ye Chenyu: this place is not meant for mortals.
Ye Chenyu felt the ground beneath him shifting, each step teetering toward the abyss. The air was thick with the scent of scorched earth and blood; smoke and dust formed a heavy curtain, blocking vision. He could hear the whispers of the runes, mocking the helpless intruder, and his fear and sense of urgency climbed rapidly.
"Left!" Li Yueying directed him through a fissure, where stones nearly blocked the exit. Ye Chenyu climbed carefully, fingers grasping the fractured wall. The rocks vibrated slightly under his touch; every contact felt like touching some ancient pulse of life. The runes burned at his fingertips. He realized that the slightest hesitation could plunge him into the chasm, vanishing forever beneath West Mountain.
At the final moment of their dash for the exit, the ground suddenly collapsed. A powerful suction dragged them toward the abyss's bottom. Terrified, Ye Chenyu looked into the fissure, where a gigantic eye emerged from the thick mist, slowly opening. The eye gleamed like a star reflected from deep underground—cold, immense, observing their every move, as if it could see into their thoughts and fears.
Ye Chenyu froze, a bone-chilling cold rising in his chest. He finally understood that the divinity of West Mountain had never slumbered; it was waiting to be awakened. It required no words, yet its gaze pressed on consciousness to the limit, leaving no room for self-deception or escape. Li Yueying gave him a gentle push, pulling him back from the fissure's edge. The fragment's glow flickered in front of his eyes, and he managed to steady his breathing.
With a final roar, the walls and runes collapsed entirely. The ruins of West Mountain crumbled, debris and dust pouring down like a torrent. Ye Chenyu and Li Yueying tumbled through the wreckage, their bodies smeared with dust and blood, like ghosts surviving from the abyss. Outside, the air was cold and tangible. The distant peaks remained silent, as if the disaster had been merely a whisper from the depths of West Mountain.
Ye Chenyu drew a deep breath, glancing back at the vanished ruins, emotions churning—fear, awe, obsession intertwined. He realized that the mysteries of West Mountain ran far deeper than the disaster he had witnessed; the ruins were merely the tip of the iceberg. Li Yueying stood silently beside him, her gaze still cold but carrying a warning, as if to say: the true challenge had yet to arrive.
"Let's go," Li Yueying said softly, her voice echoing faintly in the night wind. Ye Chenyu nodded, fear and obsession in his chest, following her along the broken mountain path before parting ways. He stepped onto an unknown road, heading toward the Northern Mountains of the Spirit Realm—where even deeper mysteries and trials awaited him.
The resonance of the rift gradually faded behind them, yet that colossal eye seemed still to watch from the depths of his mind, low and eternal. Ye Chenyu understood: the divinity of this Spirit Realm would not retreat after a single escape. It waited silently, patiently, for the moment it would be awakened.