Silence swallowed Blackstone City.
Even the collapsing streets seemed quieter after those words.
The Heir has appeared.
Every gaze turned toward Lin Feng.
Faction leaders.
Fighters.
Survivors fleeing through the streets below.
Even the older man floating above the city looked in his direction now.
Lin Feng blinked once.
Then pointed at himself.
"…Me?"
The massive creature's crimson eyes remained locked onto him.
Unmoving.
Absolute.
"…That's usually how pointing works," Su Yao muttered beside him.
Lin Feng ignored her.
"…Yeah, but I feel like this needs clarification."
No clarification came.
The creature growled deeply, chains rattling violently around its body as more cracks spread across the ancient seals binding it underground.
The pressure pouring from it became heavier by the second.
And somehow—
Part of that pressure felt familiar.
Lin Feng frowned slightly.
"…Why does this thing feel connected to me?"
The man from the shadows looked sharply toward him.
"…You feel it too?"
Lin Feng nodded slowly.
"It's faint."
"But yeah."
That answer visibly disturbed him.
"…That shouldn't be possible."
Before Lin Feng could ask why—
The creature moved again.
One massive claw pulled higher from the abyss beneath the city, tearing apart more of the center district. Entire buildings collapsed like paper beneath its weight.
The city trembled violently.
Above it all—
The older man finally acted.
His raised hand closed slowly.
And the sky answered.
Golden light erupted across Blackstone City, forming enormous patterns above the battlefield. Ancient symbols spread through the air like massive glowing chains descending from the heavens themselves.
Lin Feng stared openly.
"…That's insane."
Even Su Yao looked stunned now.
The older man's voice echoed calmly across the city.
"You should have remained asleep."
The creature laughed.
Not loudly.
Not wildly.
But deeply.
Ancient amusement vibrating through the ruined streets.
"…You still cling to dying laws."
Its gaze never left Lin Feng.
"But the Heir awakens."
Lin Feng rubbed his forehead.
"…I seriously need someone to explain what that means."
The man beside him remained silent.
Too silent.
Lin Feng glanced sideways.
"…You know something."
A pause.
Then—
"…Maybe."
"That's not reassuring."
Before more could be said—
The older man attacked.
The sky shattered with light.
Massive golden chains descended instantly, crashing toward the creature with terrifying force.
The impact shook the entire city.
Explosions of energy erupted across the district as the chains wrapped around the monster's body, forcing it downward.
The creature roared.
And the sound alone split nearby buildings apart.
Lin Feng's blood surged watching the clash.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Pure awe.
Because this battle—
Was beyond anything he had imagined possible.
The creature struggled violently against the chains.
Each movement shattered parts of the city.
Each roar distorted the air itself.
But the older man remained calm.
Unmoving above the chaos.
Absolute.
"…He's winning," Lin Feng muttered.
"No," the man beside him replied quietly.
"He's containing it."
That answer changed everything.
Lin Feng's eyes sharpened immediately.
"…Meaning?"
"He can't kill it."
Before Lin Feng could react—
The creature suddenly stopped struggling.
Completely.
Then—
It smiled again.
"…You are too late."
The older man's expression finally changed slightly.
And deep beneath the city—
Something answered.
A pulse.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Then another.
Lin Feng's instincts screamed instantly.
Danger.
Far worse than before.
The ground beneath Blackstone City cracked apart violently.
Not just the center district.
The entire city.
People screamed as streets split open. Buildings collapsed. The earth itself seemed to break beneath them.
Then—
From the darkness below—
More crimson eyes opened.
One pair.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Lin Feng stared.
"…No way."
The creature laughed again.
"…The seal breaks."
Su Yao's expression hardened instantly.
"We need to leave."
But Lin Feng couldn't move.
Not because he was frozen.
But because he couldn't stop staring.
Something huge was moving beneath the city.
Something ancient.
Something waking up.
And somehow—
He felt connected to it.
The older man above the battlefield finally looked directly at Lin Feng again.
This time—
There was urgency in his eyes.
"Leave the city."
The command echoed across the battlefield.
Absolute.
Lin Feng looked up at him.
"…What about that thing?"
The older man's gaze sharpened.
"If you stay…"
A pause.
"…it will find you."
Too late.
Because beneath the ruined city—
Something already had.
A massive roar erupted from underground.
Far louder than the first creature.
Far older.
Far worse.
And then—
A gigantic crimson eye opened beneath the shattered streets.
Directly below Lin Feng.
Cliffhanger
The ground beneath the rooftop exploded upward.
Lin Feng barely reacted in time as something massive burst from beneath the city—
Straight toward him.
And for the first time since arriving in Blackstone City—
Lin Feng felt death approaching.
Fast.