At the center of the valley, ancient stone pillars erupted with pale light. Elder Lei Qingshan, staff raised, intoned the formation's activation words.
A swirl of golden mist spiraled around the assembled contingents of Blaze Sword Sect, Skyfire Monastery, Serpent River Clan, Stone Ridge Sword Hall — dozens of factions in total.
Then, with a massive pulse of energy — whoosh! — the world fractured like glass, and a blinding flash swallowed them all.
When the light faded… they were somewhere else.
They stood beneath towering trees whose trunks soared into a canopy of black-green leaves, blotting out the sky. Shadows moved among the branches as distant roars and rustling sounds echoed far away. Mist curled around ancient roots.
The forest exhaled a living breath.
No path, no familiar landmark — only raw wilderness.
Elder Lei Qingshan's gaze sharpened. "We have arrived." His voice was quiet, steel calm. "Disperse. Keep formation. Be alert."
Zu Tian exhaled softly. Around him, the disciples of Ember Pulse Realm and Vein-Carving Realm shifted uneasily.
Yen Mo clutched his sword hilt, voice low: "Senior Brother… this place feels… alive."
Zu Tian nodded. The broken sword at his waist — long thought worthless by others — hummed faintly at the unseen tremors in the forest.
He said nothing more. His eyes drifted toward the thick trees ahead.
The Forgotten Battlefield — The Scarlet Gorge
Long ago, the Scarlet Gorge was not a forbidden land.It was once a holy battleground where ancient beings of immeasurable power clashed — cultivators whose steps shattered mountains, and creatures whose roars split the heavens.
The wars they waged burned the skies red and carved the land into ravines. When they fell, their remnants of qi, weapons, and grudges sank deep into the soil.
At first, brave wanderers ventured into this battlefield.Those who returned spoke of:
voices whispering in the shadows,
illusions so real they twisted one's spirit,
and fragments of divine weapons buried beneath corrupted earth.
Some came back stronger — mysterious, altered, with new insights into cultivation.But others…
Others returned as empty shells.And most never returned at all.
They called it:
"The Land Where Spirits Break.""The Gorge of Madness.""The Pathway of Cursed Opportunity."
Over centuries, the land was sealed by decree of the great sects.No one entered.No one dared disturb the slumbering remnants within.
Not unless fate demanded it.
And now — the seal had been broken again.
As the group advanced, a sudden crack split the silence.
From the bushes burst massive Thornback Boars — territorial monsters borne from corrupted ancient qi. Their tusks gleamed with acidic residue, their bristled hides rattling like metal.
They charged without warning.
Yen Mo slashed desperately but was thrown aside.Li Xueyao's frosted blade technique froze the ground, halting one boar.Bai Kuan shattered another tusk with brute force.
But the beasts were relentless.
Then—
Zu Tian exhaled softly.
His broken sword thrummed faintly — a sound only he heard — and in a single clean motion, he severed the lead boar's head. The remaining beasts collapsed moments later, their corrupted qi dispersed.
and the group continued on.