As Chen Moyan stuffed the Qingqiu Fox's inner core into his storage pouch, the stench of fox blood stained his fingertips—it reeked of rotting meat gone bad mixed with iron rust, seeping into his bones through the gaps between his fingers. He frowned and wiped his hand on his sleeve, then shifted his gaze to the short corridor on the other side of the main hall. Hidden in shadows, the corridor's stone walls were etched with runes glowing pale cyan, like the Qingqiu Fox's eyes before it died, staring at him coldly.
The corridor's floor was pockmarked; every step crushed fragments of moss-covered stone. The night pearls embedded in the walls had long lost their luster, leaving only bean-sized glimmers of light that revealed carvings on the stone—some were Qingqiuzi's handwriting, scrawled messily: "Heavenly Demons passed through, spiritual veins destroyed"; others were beast claw marks, dug deep into the stone, their edges crusted with blackened blood, like frozen tears. Chen Moyan reached out to touch the carvings, but the moment his fingertip brushed the characters "Heavenly Demons," a sharp pain stabbed him—as if pricked by a needle. It was the lingering anger Qingqiuzi had left in the formation patterns, still burning even after a million years.
[Information Analysis: The carvings contain fragments of Qingqiuzi's soul, recording the "Heavenly Demon Calamity" 1.3 million years ago—Heavenly Demons poured through a planar rift, devouring the ruins' spiritual veins. Qingqiuzi sealed the rift with his own soul, ultimately falling from exhaustion.]
[Recommendation: Proceed to the chamber at the end of the corridor, collect "Qingqiuzi's Soul Lamp," and repair the seal.]
Chen Moyan withdrew his hand; the warmth of the formation patterns still lingered on his fingertips. He recalled a time in Canglan Realm, when Su Qingxue had crouched by Ice Sea Cliff drawing a Spirit-Gathering Array, snow dusting her hair like scattered silver: "Master, formation patterns must follow the spiritual veins, or they'll backfire." The carvings before him now bore a striking resemblance—seven parts alike—to Su Qingxue's technique: both followed the stone walls' natural grain, embedding the patterns into the rock like a protective net woven for the stone.
The mist in the corridor grew thicker, pale purple and tinged with Heavenly Demon aura. Chen Moyan fished out the Soul-Purifying Bead around his neck—a keepsake from Canglan Realm, still infused with Su Qingxue's spiritual energy. The bead immediately glowed white, and the mist retreated like a receding tide. He walked along the mist's edge, and suddenly heard a "drip-drip" sound ahead—it was water, seeping through cracks in the stone wall and falling into a bronze plate on the ground, echoing hollowly.
The bronze plate was carved with a nine-tailed fox design; its nine tails formed nine formation patterns, facing the stone door ahead. Chen Moyan scanned it with his interface:
[Stone Door Restriction: Qingqiu Fox Soul Formation. Requires activation with a Qingqiu Fox inner core.]
He took out the inner core he'd just obtained and pressed it against the nine-tailed fox's left eye—the core merged into the door instantly. The ruby eye lit up, and the stone door creaked open slowly, a heavy sound like Qingqiuzi sighing.
The chamber's air smelled of decaying wood. On a stone platform in the center sat a bronze lamp; its wick was white and unlit, yet it emanated a soft glow. The lamp's body was carved with three characters: "Qingqiuzi," written in a bold, powerful style that carried an imposing aura. Chen Moyan approached the platform, and the moment his fingertip touched the lamp, the wick suddenly burst into pale blue flame. Within the flame, the figure of an old man with a white beard appeared—the remnant soul of Qingqiuzi.
"You carry the aura of Canglan Realm…" Qingqiuzi's voice was raspy as sandpaper, yet clear. "Are you Chen Moyan, the one who unified the Mortal Realm all those years ago?"
Chen Moyan nodded, his black robe shimmering faintly in the flame: "I am."
Qingqiuzi laughed, and the flame flickered: "I've waited 100,000 years for you. At last, someone can take over my burden. During the Heavenly Demon Calamity, I used my Soul Lamp to seal the Heavenly Demon aura in these ruins—but now the seal is breaking. Disciples of the Seven Great Holy Sects are digging up the ruins' spiritual veins, trying to release the Heavenly Demons in exchange for your bloodline."
Chen Moyan's pupils contracted, and his fingers curled into fists: "What do they want with my bloodline?"
"Your bloodline can open the planar hub." Qingqiuzi's flame drew closer, illuminating the sword scar above Chen Moyan's left eyebrow. "It's the gate connecting Earth and the Divine-Demon Continent—and also the passage for Heavenly Demons to invade. The Holy Sects want to use your blood to activate the hub, lure more Heavenly Demons here, and trade for greater power."
The flame suddenly trembled violently, and Qingqiuzi's voice grew urgent: "There's no time left. I'm leaving you the Soul Lamp and a fragment of the Primal Artifact—the lamp holds my inheritance of formation patterns, and the fragment will help you restore your cultivation. Remember: the Holy Sects' spies have already reached the ruins' outer perimeter!"
Before his words faded, the flame died out. On the stone platform lay a pale golden fragment—the Primal Artifact! Tiny formation patterns floated on its surface, like Earth's latitude and longitude lines, warming at the touch. Chen Moyan picked it up; a familiar surge of energy pulsed against his fingertips, like the feeling of touching spiritual veins in Canglan Realm long ago. His interface popped up:
[Obtained Primal Artifact Fragment (1/10). Main Quest Progress +10%. Map Function Unlocked: "Qingqiu Ruins · Deep Layer."]
[Remnant Soul Inheritance: Qingqiu Spirit-Gathering Array (can repair the ruins' spiritual veins and suppress Heavenly Demon aura).]
Just then, footsteps echoed from the corridor—heavy, accompanied by the clink of metal. Chen Moyan stuffed the fragment into his storage pouch and turned toward the stone door. Through the gap, he saw three rogue cultivators: the leader wore a tattered Daoist robe, a rusted token hanging from his waist carved with the words "Tianyan Holy Sect"; the other two wielded crudely made magical artifacts, their eyes filled with greed.
"There's treasure inside! Hurry!" The leader slammed open the door. When he saw Chen Moyan, he froze for a moment, then sneered menacingly: "Kid, hand over the treasure if you know what's good for you—otherwise, I'll cut you down!"
Chen Moyan stood in the shadows, the sword scar above his eyebrow glowing faintly in the flame. His voice was cold as ice: "Get out."
The rogue cultivators exchanged glances, then burst into laughter: "Is this guy stupid? Get him!"
The leader swung his blade at Chen Moyan, who dodged sideways. Red light flickered at his fingertips—it was a Third-Rank Fire-Thunder Talisman Su Qingxue had painted years ago. The talisman's edges were yellowed with age, yet it still carried a familiar warmth. He unleashed the talisman's power; the red light struck the rogue's blade, which burst into flames instantly. The cultivator screamed, dropping his sword, his hands burned. He rolled on the ground, howling in agony.
The other two rogue cultivators turned to run, but Chen Moyan didn't chase them—he stared at the sunlight outside, the warmth of the Fire-Thunder Talisman still lingering on his fingertips. His interface popped up:
[Defeated Holy Sect Outer Disciples (3/3). Experience Points +50. "Restore Basic Cultivation" Progress +10%.]
[Side Quest: Explore the Qingqiu Ruins (50% Progress).]
He bent down to pick up the rogue's token. The words "Tianyan Holy Sect" were already blurred, yet they felt like a thorn piercing his heart. Chen Moyan tossed the token into his storage pouch and looked up at the chamber's ceiling—there was a hole in it, and sunlight streamed through, falling on the Soul Lamp on the stone platform, making its body glow golden. He remembered Su Qingxue's words from long ago: "Master, when we reach the Divine-Demon Continent, we'll build a sect even more beautiful than the one in Canglan Realm."
Wind blew through the hole, lifting Chen Moyan's robe. He gazed at the sky outside, a cold smile tugging at his lips: "Seven Great Holy Sects… I, Chen Moyan, have returned. Your good days are over."