The deeper they went, the thicker the spiritual energy became. It pressed down on them like invisible water, dense and ancient. The walls of the passage glimmered faintly, marked with symbols that neither Mei Ling nor Liang Rui could decipher.
"This place…" Liang Rui muttered, his eyes narrowing as he traced the inscriptions. "The energy signature doesn't belong to the mortal realm. It's too refined."
Mei Ling's flames danced along her fingertips, casting shifting light across the walls. "No wonder the Sect Master classified this as a high-risk mission," she said softly. "This isn't a cave—it's a tomb."
Tian Shen walked silently ahead, his hand brushing against the cool stone. Even through his exhaustion, he could feel it—something pulsing deep within the cavern, a rhythm that resonated faintly with his own qi. It wasn't hostile. It was waiting.
They reached a wide chamber carved in perfect symmetry. In its center stood a massive stone statue—an armored figure kneeling with both hands resting on a greatsword, its blade buried deep into the floor. The statue's eyes were closed, and faint veins of light ran across its surface like sleeping lightning.
Hao Feng let out a low whistle. "A guardian construct?"
Liang Rui shook his head. "Not exactly. The array patterns carved into this statue… they're alive. It's not a puppet—it's a bound spirit."
Mei Ling frowned. "Meaning?"
"Meaning it was once a cultivator," Tian Shen said quietly, stepping forward. His voice echoed through the chamber, calm but heavy. "One who gave up their body to protect this place."
As if in answer, the ground trembled. Dust fell from the ceiling. The statue's eyes opened.
Twin beams of azure light burst forth, filling the room with raw, oppressive intent. The ancient voice reverberated through the chamber, neither human nor divine—something caught between both. "You who trespass… what is your purpose?"
The air turned thick with spiritual pressure. Even Mei Ling, at the peak of Qi Awakening, gritted her teeth as her knees threatened to buckle. Hao Feng raised his spirit hammer, defensive aura flaring.
"We come by order of the Azure Cloud Sect," Liang Rui began, but the guardian's gaze shifted immediately toward Tian Shen. "No… your aura is different."
The light in its eyes dimmed slightly, focusing. The statue's voice grew softer, almost uncertain. "Eight elements… and something that does not belong. You carry the scent of the Primordials."
The others turned sharply toward Tian Shen. He remained still, his expression unreadable.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said evenly.
But the statue rose to its feet with a thunderous clang, its blade scraping across the stone. "Then prove your claim. Show me if you are worthy to walk this path."
With a roar like cracking thunder, the guardian swung its sword down. The shockwave tore through the ground, splitting the chamber. Hao Feng intercepted the strike, his spirit hammer colliding with the blade in a burst of sparks.
"Go!" he shouted, bracing against the force.
Mei Ling raised her hands, releasing a torrent of crimson flame that coiled into a blazing lotus. The fire struck the statue's chest, but the flames dispersed instantly—absorbed by the glowing runes carved into its armor.
"It's converting energy into strength!" Liang Rui warned, drawing talismans and throwing them into the air. Formation lines burst around the guardian, sealing its movements for an instant. "We only have seconds!"
Tian Shen stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "That's enough."
He gathered his qi, merging multiple elemental streams at once—fire and wind for acceleration, earth for stability, lightning for impact. His body blurred, vanishing from sight.
He appeared behind the guardian, palm glowing with silver light. The faint echo of the time resonance shimmered again, rippling through space.
The statue swung around, its blade cutting through afterimages, but Tian Shen had already moved. He struck the guardian's chest directly, channeling pure force into the core inscriptions.
Crack.
A visible fracture appeared across the statue's chest. Energy surged outward, wild and unstable. "Enough…" the guardian's voice thundered, shaking the chamber. "You have awakened… what was sealed."
The light in its eyes softened, shifting from azure to white. The immense pressure faded. Slowly, the guardian knelt once more, lowering its sword. "In another age… my master foresaw the return of one who would carry the scent of chaos and time. If you have reached this chamber, then fate itself has chosen you."
Tian Shen stared silently, his heart pounding. "Who was your master?" "The one who forged the path between order and ruin… the near-immortal who defied the heavens."
A pulse of light radiated outward, wrapping around Tian Shen. The guardian's voice faded, replaced by a faint whisper in his mind: "Awaken me, and I shall serve once more—not as protector, but as guide."
The statue's body disintegrated into motes of light, converging into a faint spirit sigil that floated before Tian Shen. The mark sank into his palm, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
The others watched in stunned silence.
"Tian Shen…" Mei Ling whispered. "What did you just—?"
He looked down at his hand, where the faint glow slowly faded. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But something tells me… this is only the beginning."
As the last remnants of the guardian faded, the chamber's runes dimmed—and deep beneath the mountain, a dormant force stirred, sensing that its ancient seal had finally been touched.