Volume - 5 → Paths Beneath Ancient Skies.
When Lin Shuan had first entered the Treasury Realm, he had been nothing more than an Energy Core cultivator carrying countless uncertainties on his shoulders.
Now—
everything had changed.
The Primordial Medicine Garden.
The Golden Eye.
The mysterious white light.
The ancient sword hidden within the Lost Divine Region.
The months spent between life and death.
The Void.
The countless years his consciousness had experienced within that endless darkness.
All of it had transformed him.
His cultivation.
His soul.
His understanding of the world.
Everything was different now.
Standing upon the ruins of the Primordial Medicine Garden, Lin Shuan quietly gazed toward the distant horizon.
A cold wind swept across the shattered valley.
Longshe remained curled around his shoulder in his miniature form.
The little golden serpent lazily lifted his head.
His golden eyes looked toward the distance.
He already understood what Lin Shuan was thinking.
It was time to leave.
The Treasury Realm had already given Lin Shuan far more than anyone could imagine.
Remaining here longer served no purpose.
Lin Shuan slowly exhaled.
"Master."
Inside the pendant, Tian Wuchen opened his eyes.
"What is it?"
Lin Shuan looked toward the distant sky.
"I think it's time to go home."
For a brief moment—
silence filled the pendant.
Then Tian Wuchen smiled faintly.
"Good."
"You've already gained enough."
"Any more greed would only invite disaster."
Lin Shuan nodded.
His gaze drifted toward the direction of the Lost Divine Region.
That ancient sword still lingered within his mind.
Those terrifying eyes.
That overwhelming sense of existence.
Even now—
merely remembering them caused his soul to tremble.
Yet he understood.
He wasn't qualified.
Not yet.
One day he would return.
But not today.
The next moment—
lightning erupted beneath his feet.
CRACK!
His figure vanished.
The Lightning Immortal Path had become far stronger after reaching Meridian Tracer Rank.
His speed was completely different from before.
He crossed the frozen valley.
Crossed the endless forests.
Crossed the ruined wastelands.
Crossed the ancient inheritance territories.
The scenery blurred past him.
Mountains became shadows.
Forests became streaks of green.
Ancient beasts hidden throughout the realm could only feel a faint disturbance before he had already disappeared.
Hours later—
the familiar ruins appeared before him.
And beyond them—
the colossal golden gate.
The entrance through which he had entered nearly a year ago.
Lin Shuan finally stopped.
His robes fluttered in the wind.
The massive gate towered over him.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Untouchable.
Yet something immediately caught his attention.
The gate was closed.
Completely sealed.
Lin Shuan frowned.
"Closed?"
Longshe peeked from his shoulder.
The little serpent blinked.
Then yawned.
As if saying that this was someone else's problem.
Lin Shuan sighed.
"Very helpful."
Longshe ignored him.
Lin Shuan stepped forward.
His hand touched the cold golden surface.
Nothing happened.
He pushed.
Nothing.
He infused Luo Essence.
Still nothing.
His expression gradually became strange.
"Master?"
Tian Wuchen observed briefly.
"The gate has been sealed from the outside."
Lin Shuan's eyebrow twitched.
"Meaning?"
"It means you can't simply walk out."
Silence.
Lin Shuan stared at the enormous gate.
Then his expression darkened.
"I'm not staying here forever."
Without hesitation—
he raised his hand.
Frost energy surged.
A gigantic Frost Halberd materialized.
The surrounding temperature instantly dropped.
BOOM!
The halberd smashed against the gate.
The entire region shook.
Yet—
the gate remained completely unharmed.
Not even a scratch appeared.
Lin Shuan blinked.
Then attacked again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Again and again.
The halberd shattered.
The gate remained unchanged.
A few moments later—
Lin Shuan withdrew his sword.
His eyes narrowed.
"Star Splitting Sword Slash."
A silver line flashed.
The terrifying attack struck the gate directly.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Dust filled the air.
When everything settled—
the gate remained untouched.
Not even the slightest mark could be seen.
Lin Shuan stared silently.
"..."
Longshe looked away.
Apparently embarrassed for him.
Tian Wuchen coughed lightly.
"Ahem."
Lin Shuan's face darkened.
Then—
golden light erupted around his fist.
Golden Emperor Fist.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Another violent explosion echoed.
The entire region shook.
Ancient ruins collapsed.
Cracks spread through the ground.
Yet—
the gate remained exactly the same.
Lin Shuan slowly lowered his fist.
"..."
For several moments—
nobody spoke.
Then Tian Wuchen finally laughed.
"Hahaha!"
Lin Shuan's expression immediately darkened.
"Master."
"What?"
"You seem very happy."
Tian Wuchen laughed even harder.
Lin Shuan could only sigh helplessly.
At that exact moment—
something changed.
A strange warmth spread through his right eye.
Lin Shuan froze.
Then instinctively touched it.
The next second—
golden light appeared within his pupil.
His right eye transformed.
The mysterious Golden Eye had awakened.
The world instantly changed.
Countless invisible patterns appeared before him.
Ancient runes.
Ancient formations.
Ancient laws.
Everything hidden within the gate became visible.
Then—
he saw it.
Above the gate.
A giant golden eye.
The same eye that had tested cultivators upon entry.
The moment it noticed Lin Shuan's golden pupil—
the eye suddenly opened.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Golden light erupted.
Ancient patterns illuminated the entire gate.
Runes spread across its surface.
The entire structure began trembling.
CRACK...
CRACK...
CRACK...
Massive mechanisms started moving.
The giant gate slowly opened.
Lin Shuan stared blankly.
Tian Wuchen stared blankly.
Even Longshe raised his head.
For a moment—
nobody knew what to say.
Then Tian Wuchen quietly muttered,
"...interesting."
Meanwhile—
Longshe immediately jumped from Lin Shuan's shoulder.
The little serpent slithered into his sleeve.
Apparently he had no intention of attracting attention.
Lin Shuan smiled.
Then stepped forward.
Toward the outside world.
Outside the Treasury Realm—
Da Cang Empire remained peaceful.
At least on the surface.
People continued their daily lives.
Markets bustled.
Cultivators trained.
Merchants traveled.
Nothing seemed unusual.
The great garden surrounding the Treasury Realm entrance remained silent.
Unlike before—
nobody waited there anymore.
Months had passed.
Eventually everyone had accepted reality.
Lin Shuan was gone.
Dead.
Lost forever within the Treasury Realm.
Zu Lin had left.
Qin Yue had left.
Even Protector Yi no longer remained there daily.
Life had continued.
Yet on this day—
everything changed.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The ground suddenly trembled.
Trees shook violently.
Birds scattered into the sky.
The entire garden erupted into chaos.
At the center—
the colossal golden gate began opening.
Its ancient surface radiated divine light.
The phenomenon immediately attracted attention.
Far away—
two figures suddenly appeared.
One possessed snow-white hair.
The other possessed golden eyes.
The two elders.
Their expressions changed instantly.
"What?!"
"The gate is opening?"
"Impossible!"
Both immediately rushed forward.
Their auras exploded.
The surrounding space distorted.
Because they understood something terrifying.
The Treasury Realm gate could only be opened by specific methods.
Normally—
all three guardians needed to work together.
Without them—
opening the gate was impossible.
Yet now—
it was opening by itself.
The white-haired elder's expression darkened.
"This may be an invasion."
The golden-eyed elder nodded.
"Or worse."
Immediately—
both formed hand seals.
Powerful waves of energy surged toward the gate.
Ancient runes illuminated the sky.
Their cultivation erupted completely.
The two elders attempted to force the gate closed.
The giant structure trembled.
For a moment—
it actually slowed.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying force erupted from within.
The gate continued opening.
Unstoppable.
The elders were forced backward.
Both stumbled several steps.
Shock appeared on their faces.
At that moment—
another figure arrived.
The announcer elder.
His expression immediately changed after seeing the situation.
Without hesitation—
he joined the other two.
Three powerful elders attacked simultaneously.
The surrounding space shook violently.
Yet—
it was useless.
The gate continued opening.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
As if an invisible authority was commanding it.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The opening widened.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The three elders were thrown backward.
Their faces turned pale.
The gate opened completely.
Silence descended.
The elders immediately prepared for battle.
Their expressions became extremely serious.
Then—
another figure appeared.
Protector Yi.
The moment she arrived—
the elders immediately shouted,
"Help us!"
"There may be an intruder inside!"
Yet Protector Yi didn't move.
She simply stared.
Her beautiful eyes focused entirely upon the gate.
For some reason—
her heart had started beating faster.
An inexplicable feeling appeared.
Something was coming.
Someone.
Then—
the giant golden eye above the gate opened.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Divine golden light erupted.
The brightness was overwhelming.
Everyone instinctively closed their eyes.
Even the three elders.
The light spread across the entire garden.
The surrounding world seemed to disappear.
Only the gate remained.
Only the light remained.
Then—
footsteps echoed.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Someone was walking.
Walking from inside the Treasury Realm.
The footsteps grew closer.
Protector Yi's eyes widened slightly.
The three elders immediately became alert.
Their hands moved toward their weapons.
The light gradually faded.
A silhouette appeared.
A young man.
Dressed in white.
Walking calmly toward the outside world.
His posture was relaxed.
Yet his presence felt entirely different.
He seemed older.
Not physically.
But mentally.
His eyes carried a depth that shouldn't belong to someone his age.
His aura felt powerful.
Stable.
Unfathomable.
The closer he came—
the more shocked everyone became.
Then—
the light finally disappeared.
His face became visible.
No mask.
No disguise.
Only a handsome young face.
And upon his forehead—
a mysterious seal.
The three elders immediately reacted.
Their auras erupted.
Ready to attack.
Ready to suppress the unknown intruder.
Yet before they could move—
Protector Yi raised her hand.
"Stop."
Her voice was calm.
The elders froze.
Protector Yi smiled faintly.
"He's not an enemy."
"Nor is he an intruder."
The three elders stared.
Protector Yi looked at them.
Then said,
"Have you all forgotten?"
"A year ago..."
"You sent a young man into the Treasury Realm."
Silence.
The three elders froze.
Their eyes widened.
Then—
they looked at the young man again.
And suddenly—
recognition appeared.
"Shuan Hao?!"
All three shouted simultaneously.
Their voices echoed across the garden.
Lin Shuan smiled helplessly.
"Greetings, seniors."
The elders remained stunned.
Completely stunned.
Because this was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
The young man who had disappeared for an entire year...
was alive.
Not only alive—
he had become a Meridian Tracer cultivator.
Protector Yi quietly observed him.
Unlike the others—
she immediately sensed something deeper.
The Void.
She could feel traces of Void comprehension within him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
What exactly had this boy experienced?
The three elders continued staring.
One year.
Just one year.
And he had crossed an entire major realm.
Even they required months.
Sometimes years.
To advance a single star.
Yet this boy had crossed from Energy Core Rank to Meridian Tracer Rank.
Such cultivation speed was absurd.
The announcer elder finally recovered.
Then he laughed loudly.
"Hahaha!"
"Good!"
"Excellent!"
His eyes filled with admiration.
"When you didn't return..."
"We all believed the future Empire Protector had fallen."
He shook his head.
"Yet here you are."
"This truly is a miracle."
Lin Shuan blinked.
Then froze.
"...future what?"
The elder smiled.
"Future Empire Protector."
Lin Shuan's expression immediately became strange.
"Empire Protector?"
The announcer elder nodded.
"Yes."
Then he calmly explained.
"The Treasury Realm is not open to ordinary geniuses."
"It is reserved for those chosen for the Empire's future."
"Those with the potential to become Empire Protectors."
Every word struck Lin Shuan like lightning.
His mind blanked.
Then—
very slowly—
he turned toward Protector Yi.
His eyes narrowed.
Protector Yi immediately looked elsewhere.
The corner of her lips curved slightly.
A tiny smile appeared.
A very guilty smile.
Lin Shuan's eyelid twitched.
Suddenly—
everything made sense.
The arena.
Hei Luo.
The missions.
The opportunities.
The special treatment.
The Treasury Realm.
Everything.
He had been tricked.
From the beginning.
Protector Yi still avoided eye contact.
The smile remained.
The three elders also began smiling.
Lin Shuan felt as though he might cough blood.
He had nearly died countless times.
And nobody had told him the full truth.
After a long moment—
he could only sigh.
The elders laughed.
Even Protector Yi looked amused.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Then—
Lin Shuan suddenly noticed something.
His eyes scanned the surroundings.
No Qin Yue.
No Zu Lin.
Neither of them were present.
His smile faded slightly.
"Where are Qin Yue and Zu Lin?"
The moment he asked—
the atmosphere changed.
Protector Yi answered quietly.
"They waited."
"For weeks."
Then she continued.
"They waited for months."
Her eyes softened.
"But there was never any sign of your return."
Lin Shuan remained silent.
Protector Yi looked at him.
"They eventually left."
"They believed..."
"...that you had died."
Lin Shuan lowered his head slightly.
A bitter smile appeared.
He had promised to return quickly.
Yet an entire year had passed.
He couldn't blame them.
Not for this.
For a brief moment—
nobody spoke.
The wind quietly passed through the garden.
Then—
Lin Shuan suddenly seemed to remember something.
His expression became serious.
Very serious.
He looked directly toward Protector Yi.
The playful atmosphere disappeared instantly.
"Protector Yi."
His voice was calm.
Yet unusually solemn.
Protector Yi immediately noticed the change.
"What is it?"
Lin Shuan hesitated briefly.
Then said,
"Can we speak alone?"
Protector Yi stared at him.
Then slowly nodded.
The three elders immediately understood.
Without asking questions—
they exchanged glances.
Then quietly left.
Leaving the two of them alone.