The deeper they went into the Scarlet Gorge,the quieter the forest became.
Too quiet.
Zu Tian kept his hand on the broken sword at all times—its faint hum a constant presence beneath the surface of his awareness. Ever since the Guardian Beast fell, the blade felt… different. Warmer. Almost alive.
But he said nothing.
Branches cracked in the distance, yet when they turned, nothing moved. Strange crimson motes drifted from ancient trees, giving off the faint scent of scorched copper.
Though they encountered beasts—a few crimson-furred wolves, a swarm of ember locusts, even a lumbering stoneback bear—none came close to the strength or malicious intelligence of the Root-Forged Guardian they had defeated earlier.
Most fell after a coordinated strike.Some retreated after sensing Zu Tian's sword.
Bai Kuan cracked his knuckles after each fight.Yen Mo gained confidence swing by swing.Li Xueyao's Flame Lotus Mist burned brighter with every technique she refined.
Yet unease hovered over them.
Because the gorge was too still.
"Senior Brother," Yen Mo whispered as they walked beneath a skeletal ravine of red stone.
"Shouldn't we have encountered another group by now? With so many factions entering…"
Zu Tian gave a noncommittal hum.He did not mention the map they had uncovered.He did not mention the runes that had reacted to his sword.
"We've just been lucky," he said instead. "Enjoy the quiet while it lasts."
Bai Kuan snorted. "Quiet in the Scarlet Gorge? That's a bad omen."
He was right.
Because just moments later—
They sensed cultivators ahead.
At the curve of a cracked cliffside, two silhouettes came into view.
Both staggered toward them, leaning on each other for support.
One carried a broken blade.The other had lost one arm entirely.
Zu Tian's team froze.
Then the taller survivor lifted his head.
White robes stained with dirt.Hair tied in a rigid topknot.Eyes sharp even through exhaustion.
Wei Yunxiao.Senior Disciple of the Stone Ridge Sword Hall.
But instead of four,only two remained.
"Zu Tian?" Wei Yunxiao rasped. "By the heavens… we finally found someone."
Li Xueyao rushed forward to support the wounded. "What happened to your group?"
Wei Yunxiao exhaled shakily.Blood dripped from a gash across his ribs.
"A monster," he said hoarsely. "A creature in the Vein-Carving Realm. Its claws tore through our defensive arrays like paper. We tried to retreat, but…"
He closed his eyes.
The implication was obvious.
Bai Kuan's face hardened. "You lost three?"
"No." Wei Yunxiao shook his head slowly. "We lost all four of us."
Yen Mo stiffened. "But—there are two of you right he—"
The other survivor looked up, eyes hollow."Zhou Ming," Wei Yunxiao murmured. "He's… not himself anymore. Something in that monster's qi corrupted his spirit. He barely knows his own name."
Zu Tian examined the wounded disciple—Zhou Ming's gaze was empty, unfocused. Not madness. Not fear.Hollow.
As if something vital had been scraped clean.
A sign of a higher existence.A predator born of ancient eras.
Zu Tian's grip tightened on his sword.
"What did it look like?" he asked.
Wei Yunxiao swallowed. "Shadow claws. Red mist. And… it moved like it was testing us."
Testing.
A word that resonated deeply.
Zu Tian kept a calm expression, but he did not reveal the map's discovery nor the Guardian's defeat. Only said:
"We've encountered a few beasts. But nothing like that."
Yen Mo glanced at him in surprise—Zu Tian's lie was seamless, spoken with ease.
Wei Yunxiao slumped against a stone. "If you can… avoid the western ridge. That's where it hunts."
"We'll help you set up a temporary recovery spot," Zu Tian said gently.
Wei Yunxiao gave a strained smile. "You're calm as always. Stone Ridge thanks you."
But inwardly…
Zu Tian was already thinking:
If something that strong is roaming here… what else is waiting deeper inside? And why has the gorge awakened after a century of silence?
A tense stillness hung atop the ancient pillars outside the gorge.
Elder Lei Qingshan stood with arms folded, brows furrowed deeply. Flames flickered around his fingertips in restless agitation.
At his side stood Monk Hongxi of Skyfire Monastery, robes tattered from suppressing the formation earlier. Behind him, the serpentine gaze of Matriarch Serpent Ji sharpened on the blood-red mist swirling above the gorge's entrance.
None of them spoke at first.
Then Monk Hongxi murmured:
"This reaction… it is the same."
Elder Lei's gaze narrowed. "One hundred years."
Matriarch Serpent Ji flicked her tongue lightly. "That cycle again…"
The monk nodded, gaze wistful with memory.
"One hundred years ago, we were the disciples. Our elders sent us in to investigate the sudden pulse of the gorge. Ten disciples from each sect. A full force."
Serpent Ji's eyes darkened. "Only half returned."
"And not whole," Hongxi added quietly. "Many came back with broken minds. Some had lost their cultivation foundations. One… never stopped screaming."
Elder Lei gripped his staff tightly. "What did you see?"
Hongxi closed his eyes.
"Things that should not have survived… yet hungered still. Relics that whispered in our dreams. The shadows of ancient titans. And formations that seemed to shift as if alive."
Serpent Ji hissed. "We were not meant to disturb that place. We sealed it afterward for a reason."
"But the gorge opened again," Elder Lei said softly. "Not by our hands."
"And the reaction this time…" Hongxi glanced at the trembling red sky. "…is stronger."
The elders exchanged looks.
Fearless. Experienced.And yet—uneasy.
"What will it cost this generation?" Serpent Ji murmured.
Hongxi whispered the only answer he could give.
"More than we wish to pay."