Chapter 62: The Shadow of the Tomb
The pivotal breakthrough arrived not as a sudden cataclysm, but as a slow, agonizing grind. The warfront before Ironfang's capital had become a brutal, unending exchange, a scarred landscape where every meter of scorched earth was paid for in blood and shattered qi cores. The midday sun beat down with a fierce, uncompromising determination, amplifying the heat radiating off the clash of steel and spiritual energy. Ironfang's Ravencrest Clan, known for its tenacity, pressed back with a desperate, savage ferocity, their leader, a behemoth of a man wielding a qi-infused axe, carving deep, bloody gashes into the allied lines.
Lin Xuan stood, as always, at the very nexus of the battle. His crimson eyes, now fully alight with a profound and terrifying resolve, were fixed on the Ravencrest Clan leader. The power of his 9th Layer Qi Transformation was peaking, surging through him as he invoked Battle Soul Unity. The technique, a spiritual forging of mind and body, amplified his qi into a roaring, destructive torrent, forcing his muscles beyond mortal limits. The Celestial Unity Crest on his back pulsed with a steady, rhythmic light, acting as a quiet, powerful beacon in the overwhelming chaos.
In that moment of amplified power, the ancient memories of the Demonic Sovereign resurfaced, not as a haunting distraction, but as a fuel for his current struggle. He reflected briefly on the raw, piercing pain of Mo Tianyin's betrayal—the ultimate scar—and the crushing weight of his subsequent rebirth into this weaker, but now powerful, body.
"This is for every scar," he murmured, the words a low, feral growl that only the ambient noise of the battlefield could hear.
He charged. The resulting clash with the Ravencrest leader was a terrifying, blinding explosion of light and sound that sent shockwaves rolling across the entire field. The leader's axe swung with a thunderous, momentum-driven roar, forcing Lin Xuan into a near-impossible sidestep, the brutal heat of the qi singeing his robes as it passed. He countered instantly with a focused, devastating qi burst, channeling his full power into the single strike. The impact was phenomenal: the leader's axe, a weapon he had forged through decades of cultivation, shattered into a thousand pieces of splintered metal and qi. The behemoth staggered, blood streaming from a fresh gash across his chest. Lin Xuan pressed his absolute advantage, his second, finishing strike felling the man with a choked, despairing cry. His body hit the churned earth with a heavy, final thud.
With their formidable leader eliminated, the Ironfang defensive line fractured, then collapsed. The allied army surged forward, transforming the hard-won victory into a full-scale rout. The main defense of the city was broken.
Yet, amid the cheers of triumph, Lin Xuan felt a profound sense of unease. As the chaos receded, a chilling, primal energy began to seep from the ruins, a sensation far older and more malignant than Ironfang's brute force or the Bloodshade Abyss's standard corruption. His crimson eyes, now piercing the veil of mortal perception, caught sight of a vast, ethereal energy signature emanating from the deepest part of the conquered city, a subtle warping of the spiritual fabric.
"A forbidden seal... it's not Ironfang's magic," he whispered, the name of a forgotten terror clicking into place in his mind. "It's the dark legacy of Qorath—the Black Tomb is here".
The victory was tainted. The siege was won, but the true war was just beginning.
As the army began the slow, cautious process of securing the fallen capital, Lin Xuan and his team were immediately pulled into the most dangerous sector: a crumbling section of the northern wall, from which the chilling, decaying qi now flowed freely. This area was a hotbed of minor demonic entities—shadowy wraiths with glowing red eyes and claws of pure shadow, the first skirmish with Qorath's influence.
Liu Yue, her Icy Skin mist now a shield against the creeping spiritual decay, deployed her chilling aura at the perimeter. Her snowflake mark glowed brightly, and she unleashed controlled bursts of the Frost Phoenix Cry, not to kill, but to contain, freezing the advancing wraiths in place.
Liu Yang, his 6th Layer Qi Gathering now a steady, reliable reservoir of power, fought beside his sister with a fierce, unwavering determination. His blood-forged glaive—now a familiar, comforting weight—flashed and cleaved through the shadow forms, ichor spraying like dark, viscous water.
"Keep them back, Elder Sister—the qi's thickening!" Liu Yang shouted, his young face etched with concentration, the constant use of his glaive becoming second nature. The weight of his heritage was momentarily forgotten, replaced by the immediate, life-or-death necessity of holding the line.
In the hastily established war council, the youthful ruler Ji Yunjing, still at the peak 4th Layer Profound Heavenly Realm, traced the ruins on the map with a grim expression. The exhilaration of conquest had been swiftly replaced by the cold dread of a new, unknown threat.
"We need answers—send the best," he ordered, his voice firm and commanding, the rustle of his silk robes replaced by the resonant clink of his command staff. His brow was deeply furrowed, the weight of command pressing down on his shoulders as he realized the true scale of the inherited danger. He dispatched the scout team, knowing the answers lay in the newly discovered spiritual taint.
Bai Ningxue, her power anchored at the 9th Layer Qi Transformation, moved through the command center with the deliberate, graceful movements of a serene yet potent force. She was the spiritual cornerstone of the army. Utilizing the Thousand Lotus Seal Art, she wove a vast, complex network of shimmering seals to contain the qi leaks and stabilize the surrounding area.
"This will contain it—for now," she said, her tone calm, focused, and utterly precise. Her efforts bought the military command the critical hours needed to investigate.
The exploration stretched into the morning, the scent of decay mingling with the metallic odor of battle. Lin Xuan regrouped with his team, his mind racing. The pieces of the puzzle—Ironfang's aggression, the Wudu Clan's poison, the Bloodshade Abyss's influence—finally locked into place, forming the shape of a much deeper, more ancient conspiracy.
"Qorath's legacy is here—we need to prepare," he stated, his voice thoughtful and chillingly conclusive.
Liu Yue nodded, her hand brushing his arm in their silent, shared acknowledgement of the new burden. "We'll defend the line, Senior Brother—let's plan our next move," she replied, her breath steady but her eyes alert with the dawning of a new, terrifying challenge. The hum of debate and strategy in the council was no longer about winning a war, but surviving an extinction-level threat.