Chapter 185: The Door Cannot Be Opened From This Side

The Land of Shura, western desert.

Deep within this desolate, silent desert, yellow sands swirled endlessly under a blazing sun, as if time itself had stalled here.

Yet, rising from this lifeless wasteland, a grand palace complex stood tall, like a mirage of fantasy.

Sadly, every brick and stone on the palace's thick stone walls bore dark, soot-stained marks, as if it had suffered a great calamity; only faint traces of ornate, lavish carvings hinted at its former splendor.

Several solemn men stood before a fan-shaped stone door, its blackened burn marks still fresh, gazing inside—but they saw nothing.

Behind the stone door lay emptiness; all past glory had been reduced to ash by a great fire long ago, leaving only the horizon where sky met earth.

This was the sacred site of the Northern Dipper Fist—"Northern Dipper Tai Sheng Palace"!

"Tai Sheng" means ancient sages, profound benevolence and deep virtue.

Originally, the "Tai Sheng Palace" stood at Ningbo Port, long venerated by the descendants of the Northern Dipper Liu Family Fist, but no one knew when it had been moved to Chongming Island—this was why Shi Qing had remained here ever since regaining his clarity.

It was also the birthplace of Bao and Ken Shi Lang.

"Close call—you almost became the Ningbo patriarch instead of the Shanghai patriarch," Jia Ji patted the two on the shoulders and sighed deeply.

"What exactly is the 'Heaven-Granted Rite'?"

Ken Shi Lang asked curiously, and all the current inheritors except Jia Ji wore the same expression.

When they first heard this strange term, their hearts had stirred uncontrollably, blood surging, thoughts crashing against their minds like something desperate to burst free.

They urgently needed an answer to ease their inner agitation—but the moment Ken Shi Lang uttered that name here…

【Heaven-Granted Rite】—Heaven and earth shifted abruptly, wind and clouds churned violently!

In an instant, gales howled, thunder roared, as if heaven and earth trembled; the clear sky was swallowed by thick black clouds, shadows like a colossal curtain smothering the land, suffocatingly oppressive, followed by a torrent of hail pelting the ground, then, moments later, the sky cleared again, the sun blazed fiercely, and violent tornadoes erupted, swirling dust into the heavens.

Multiple celestial phenomena clashed chaotically, alternating wildly between sun and rain, wind and thunder, air currents descending into chaos—as if the very order of heaven and earth had been shattered.

"This…?"

Jia Ji had never seen such a bizarre scene.

Yet none present were weaklings easily swayed by such external forces; they activated colored aura-domes, and no matter how fierce the wind or lightning, none could touch them.

Finally, all anomalies vanished, leaving only seven brilliant stars like swords piercing the earth, carving seven blazing light patches into the sky, scattering before them.

"This is the secret of the Northern Dipper Fist—one legend says the heir of the Northern Dipper Divine Fist must duel the heir of the Northern Dipper Liu Fist before the Mother Statue, and only the victor may be called the true Northern Dipper heir."

"This isn't just a test of qualification or a way to gauge the Divine Fist's worth... there's also an old saying: when the Divine Fist lineage lacks a worthy heir, the Liu Fist shall inherit the title of the true Northern Dipper successor."

Shi Qing sighed:

"I… when I was young, I challenged the Dragon Fist—but was utterly defeated! Completely crushed! And our duel took place without the 【Woman Statue】 as witness, so… the Dragon Fist never received the ultimate secret art bestowed by the Northern Dipper Goddess."

Over two thousand years of Northern Dipper history—some say the Northern Dipper Divine Fist has never lost a single battle due to the 【Heaven-Granted Rite】.

It is a defining trait of the Northern Dipper: two martial arts of the same origin must fight to the death.

"So, where is the Woman Statue?"

In response to Jia Qi's question—someone with no Northern Dipper bloodline—Lao, Duo Qi, Ken Shi Lang, even Bao and Jia Ao, all wore strange expressions—"Didn't you hear her calling?"

"Nani?!"

What exactly did you all hear?!

"She said, below." x5

"You mean someone is calling you?" Han, also without ancestral bloodline, seemed to grasp something, though clearly he heard nothing—"Hmm… perhaps this is the voice of fate."

Ken Shi Lang lightly stamped his foot, and the sandy ground beneath instantly revealed its true form: a single-piece, subterranean shelter of unknown width and length.

All eyes turned to one spot.

"Is it here?"

At the center of the cold, metallic floor lay a massive golden ring; in their perception, silver lightning-like currents surged from the ground's cracks, instantly enveloping the entire space.

"I'll try."

Jia Qi squinted, stepped forward, seized the ring, his left arm muscles bulging as he pulled with all his might.

"Huh!"

The strength capable of hurling a mass-produced Zaku could not budge the golden ring embedded in the earth—even the entire ground seemed fused as one, unmoved by his brute force.

He seemed to see a phantom prompt before him—"The door cannot be opened from this side."

"Oh my, now I feel strangely at home."

Stopping Jia Qi's prepped technique, "Rock Mountain Twin Slash Wave," everyone followed their inner instinct, stepping forward together.

"It's blinding… but so warm, so gentle a light! Like… being held in my mother's arms," Duo Qi's long, flowing hair, which had floated upward, slowly settled as he realized with astonishment that he was once again "standing" on solid ground.

All of them had, in that radiant light, gently, weightlessly descended underground—without using any technique; only when they noticed did they realize they had unconsciously landed in the vast subterranean chamber.

The ground they had stood on had vanished like snow melting in water, dissolved entirely within the tender, watery glow.

One moment they were in a wuxia film, the next in a fantasy epic—each stood stunned, unable to believe what they had just experienced.

A stone statue of a woman, roughly one zhang tall, stood squarely in the long-sealed chamber.

Spotless, radiating a faint white glow, her solemn, peaceful expression carried an aura of spiritual energy.

Before anyone could move, they all faintly heard a voice—filled with complaint and irritation—though incomprehensible, its meaning was clear:

"So many this time? Fine, ■■ is tired of all these formalities!"

Then, a boundless yet gentle will descended, enveloping the four Northern Dipper brothers—including Jia Qi, who had no ancestral bloodline.

(End of Chapter)