Chapter 323: The Thousand‑Year Past Buried Deep Underground (Combined)

It should be here.

Continuing downward, Qin Chuan and Lin Yue finally came to a stop at a certain position within the red rock passage.

The stone steps underfoot and the surrounding reliefs were increasingly damaged; only faint traces of artificial carving could be discerned among the scattered rubble. Ahead of them, the reddish rock grew ever darker, almost becoming blood‑red, as if it were about to drip blood.

Meanwhile, a blood‑red mist began to surge within the passage ahead.

Within that mist, both simultaneously sensed an indescribable sense of danger.

It seemed as if a terrifying opponent lay hidden within.

Sure enough, their guess was correct.

This entrance to the Heavenly Stairway once used by the Lan tribe is still not entirely safe even today; great danger lurks within.

It is precisely this danger that, over the past thousand years, has thwarted one after another expedition by foreign peoples.

"Little Gold, go back." Lin Yue spoke softly, sending Little Gold back to reality.

Having not yet broken through to the Mythic Stage, it could only muster Legendary Stage strength, which is dangerous in the present situation.

Mmm—

Little Gold gave a hum and vanished instantly from the spot.

With its departure, the illuminated passage fell back into darkness, yet the blood‑red mist before them grew clearer, surging in the dark with a chilling crimson glow.

Qin Chuan and Lin Yue, each coordinating with the already Mythic Stage‑broken Ice Cream and Little White, made a slight adjustment and then without hesitation stepped into the range of the blood‑colored mist.

Soon, a figure entirely formed from the gathering blood‑colored mist appeared soundlessly and lunged at the two.

Judging by appearance, it should be a dwarf demon; at this moment the power emanating from its whole body is roughly at the Legendary Stage level.

He raised a hand and sliced it down with a blade, disposing of it, yet Qin Chuan's expression was not relaxed.

Because in the next instant, more and more opponents began to appear within the blood‑red mist.

These opponents belonged to various races, their strengths uneven—some reaching Legendary Stage, others only Epic Stage or even Hall Tier.

Each defeated opponent instantly turned into blood‑red mist, merging into the surrounding environment, after which yet more opponents emerged.

This gave Qin Chuan a feeling of endless slaughter.

"What a troublesome bunch." Qin Chuan muttered under his breath and without hesitation unfurled the Remnant Frost Domain.

An extreme chill instantly blanketed a large area of the passage; the blood‑red mist nearly solidified, countless figures about to lunge were instantly frozen, and then Qin Chuan casually shattered them.

"Go."

After clearing the field, Qin Chuan had no intention of continuing to entangle with these grunts; he pulled Lin Yue and rushed at top speed deeper into the passage.

But soon, his expression grew solemn again.

Perhaps due to the ever‑increasing density, the blood‑red mist deeper down had markedly improved its resistance to extreme cold; even with Qin Chuan activating Frost Cold, he could still move at great speed.

One after another new figures gathered before them.

Their number was considerably lower than before—only about ten or so—but this caused Qin Chuan and Lin Yue's expressions to turn grave simultaneously.

Because these blood‑colored figures were all at the Mythic Stage.

Lin Yue raised her hand heavily; one domain combining illusion and reality, Descent, boomed, enveloping all the Mythic Stage figures present. Accompanied by alternating bright and dark marks that continually stacked and faded above the blood‑colored figures' heads, these Mythic Stage opponents' power plummeted at great speed even before they lunged.

Little White, having broken through to the Mythic Stage, had already perfectly fused illusion and reality, easily able to maintain the continual stacking and swift resolution of the 【Virtual Seal】 and 【Real Seal】, dealing consecutive damage equal to a percentage of the target's current HP.

Boom!!!

Accompanied by a roar, the ten‑plus Mythic Stage figures in the passage vanished simultaneously; Lin Yue, who had achieved the feat in one strike, showed a hint of fatigue.

Little White's skill effect is very strong, but it consumes too much power.

As the Mythic Stage figures were simultaneously destroyed, the chilling crimson light within the blood‑red mist noticeably dimmed a bit; evidently, the simultaneous appearance of so many Mythic Stage entities greatly drained the blood mist.

After a while of churning, no new Mythic Stage figures appeared, and Qin Chuan and Lin Yue pressed onward without hesitation.

Soon, their eyes flashed.

The blood mist ahead grew ever thicker, to the point that with the naked eye they could no longer see each other standing side by side.

Yet they could clearly sense via perception that the blood‑red mist permeating the red‑rock passage was nearly at its end.

The two instinctively sped up, but in the next instant Qin Chuan's expression changed sharply; he quickly grabbed Lin Yue's hand and dodged to the side.

Boom!!!

Accompanied by a terrifying roar that echoed through the passage, the entire passage shuddered violently at that moment.

A shape indiscernible in form, barely recognizable as a humanoid blood‑red figure, stepped out of the blood‑red mist one step at a time; its eyes glowed with a chilling crimson light, unlike the mechanical silhouettes, it regarded Qin Chuan and Lin Yue with a cold, sentient stare.

A terrifying power exceeding the Mythic Stage First Realm surged throughout the passage.

Qin Chuan's expression grew somewhat solemn.

This fellow's power is infinitesimally close to the Second Realm of the Mythic Stage.

Similar to Bai Xi, and even somewhat stronger than her.

Before he could think further, the manifested blood‑red figure let out a silent roar and charged at the two.

With a sigh in his heart, Qin Chuan unhesitatingly activated Time Stop.

In the next instant, the blood‑red figure stalled in mid‑air and then collapsed and dissipated on the spot.

The blood‑red mist grew completely dim, with not a trace of crimson light remaining; its dangerous aura also fell utterly silent.

Having let out a breath of relief, Qin Chuan without hesitation proceeded further inward.

Being able to encounter such a powerful guardian only heightened his interest in everything deep within the cave.

Besides him, likely no one at the Mythic Stage First Realm could have passed that checkpoint; as long as no Mythic Stage Second Realm powerhouse Descent to explore here, the secrets deep in the cave ought to remain undiscovered.

The lingering blood‑red mist posed no further hindrance to the two; after passing through smoothly, everything ahead suddenly opened up.

At the end of the passage, there was light.

Even without Little Gold's help, Qin Chuan and Lin Yue at this moment could easily make out the interior's appearance.

This is an enormous spherical cavern; at its center floats a grand palace, that ruined, mottled palace bearing bloodstains solidified over a thousand years, suffused with a hazy glow, the sole light source of this place.

On the ground of the underground cavern lay layer upon layer of corpses weathered into white bones, as if recounting the cruelty of that ancient battle.

He could faintly discern that the bone piles contained remains of different races, and before Qin Chuan's eyes rose visions of various clans locked in chaotic melee.

"This is the Race War," he murmured softly.

The victor lives, the vanquished dies.

How cruel.

"Let's go look at that palace," Lin Yue said, unable to bear looking at the bones beneath her feet any longer, turning her gaze toward the palace floating in the air.

"Hmm." Qin Chuan gave a slight nod.

The two flew to the palace entrance, slowly pushed open the blood‑stained ruined doors, and entered the interior.

Upon entering, all that met their eyes were still remains.

However, compared with the bone heaps outside, the remains inside were noticeably fewer; moreover, many statues stood within the hall.

One or two of them had survived undamaged, allowing Qin Chuan and Lin Yue to see for the first time what the defeated Lan tribe of a thousand years ago actually looked like.

They had a single vertical pupil in the forehead where eyes should be, and at the same time a pair of extra arms grew from their backs, giving them four arms total.

They appeared to be an extraordinarily powerful race.

Had the Gatekeeper not died, they might have become another formidable opponent capable of threatening the Human Race.

From this perspective, Qin Chuan felt fortunate instead.

"Look over there!" Lin Yue glanced around and quickly made a new discovery.

She hurried to a stone pedestal in the palace's center and carefully removed a vertical pupil made of a substance similar to red rock.

For the Lan tribe, which possesses only a single eye, the vertical pupil is obviously an important symbol; a red‑rock vertical pupil clearly carries special significance.

Qin Chuan took the vertical pupil, his face showing a thoughtful expression.

Soon he carefully poured his own power into it.

As his power flowed in, the red rock's color gradually deepened, causing a faint gleam to flicker in Qin Chuan's eyes.

The red rock inside the passage also showed variations in shade—was it a coincidence? He soon found out.

It was no coincidence.

When the infused power reached a certain point, the red‑rock vertical pupil turned completely blood‑red, and a crimson mist began to seep out, spreading in all directions.

Within the crimson mist, blood‑light flickered continuously, and soon three humanoid silhouettes coalesced.

Qin Chuan instinctively moved to act, but quickly halted.

Unlike the apparitions that had appeared in the blood mist before, these figures did not attack him and Lin Yue; instead they were fighting each other.

One side consisted of a male and a female figure with delicate features; though their skin and hair colors were indiscernible, their long, pointed ears marked them as members of the Moon Spirit Clan.

These were two Moon Spirits.

On the other side stood a powerful Lan warrior.

Both sides possessed strength at the peak of the Mythic Stage First Realm; the Lan warrior, facing two opponents, managed to hold his own.

This only strengthened Qin Chuan's earlier suspicion.

The Lan tribe is a mighty, war‑adept race.

Judging by their performance, they are no weaker than the Dragon Clan.

Since the battle did not involve them, Qin Chuan pulled Lin Yue aside and they watched silently.

He had a premonition that the clash of these three figures at this moment was perhaps not random.

It might well be a real battle that took place a thousand years ago.

Lin Yue shared the same thought; they exchanged a glance and quickly reached agreement.

Meanwhile, as the fight continued, the situation among the three Mythic Stage combatants shifted suddenly.

The male Moon Spirit warrior produced an indistinct object, pointed it fiercely at the Lan warrior, and in the next instant the Lan warrior let out a painful roar, fell to the ground and began rolling wildly.

For a battle at the Mythic Stage, such an effect is lethal.

Soon the Lan warrior perished on the spot under the combined assault of the two Moon Spirit warriors.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan could not help but shake his head.

This is the difference in racial foundation.

The Lan tribe had just set foot on the Heavenly Stairway, having only secured a foothold on the First Level; they probably had not yet reached the Second or Third Levels.

By contrast, the Moon Spirit Clan has operated on the Heavenly Stairway for over ten thousand years; not only can they summon a Second Realm powerhouse when needed, but even a First‑level expert might hold a trump card granted directly by the Second Realm or the Moon Spirit Ancestor, making them hard to guard against at critical moments.

This scene also served as a warning to Qin Chuan himself.

At least the Lan tribe managed to build such a magnificent palace at the entrance of the Heavenly Stairway; the Human Race's current situation is even worse than theirs.

When facing other races, although he has Time Stop as a trump card, he still needs to be more cautious.

He must never capsize in a gutter.

Huh? It's not over yet?

Qin Chuan raised his eyebrows, suddenly realizing that after the Lan warrior's demise the vision did not end.

The two Moon Spirit Mythic Stage warriors laid the Lan warrior's body straight, then each sat cross‑legged atop his head and beneath his feet, their hands forming mysterious seals, giving the scene an oddly eerie air.

"What… are they doing?" Lin Yue frowned slightly, eyes fixed on the scene.

"Let's watch." Qin Chuan shook his head slightly, his expression solemn.

He faintly felt that what he was about to see next might involve a significant secret of the Moon Spirit Clan.

After the two Moon Spirits made a series of strange attempts, the Lan warrior, who had lain on the ground sturdy and strong, oddly withered away, his flesh and blood drawn out, quickly turning into a skeleton of white bone.

In mid‑air, a rich gleam of blood flashed.

It looked like a drop of blood.

The two Moon Spirits treasured that drop of blood, collected it, and then vanished on the spot.

The blood-red mist collapsed and dissipated, and the image ended here.

Qin Chuan and Lin Yue's expressions, however, became increasingly solemn.

"You say… are those bones outside really naturally dried?" Lin Yue spoke with some difficulty.

The Lan Clan's war was already a thousand years in the past, so upon seeing the bones outside, their first reaction was that they were caused by natural drying.

Consider it from another angle.

Is it possible that those bones were already bones a thousand years ago?

"Perhaps it's related to the Moon Spirit Clan." Qin Chuan spoke in a low voice, "but I can't figure out what the Moon Spirit Clan's purpose is."

"Separating and refining the dead's flesh and blood, condensing it into essence—could this essence possibly aid their cultivation?" Qin Chuan stroked his chin, "I always feel this method of enhancement is a bit sinister."

"It sounds more like a method for enhancing ghosts." Lin Yue shook her head slightly.

As they spoke, the blood-colored mist rapidly gathered with the collapsing image, returning to the red rock vertical pupil.

Within the red rock vertical pupil, red to the point of almost dripping blood, a sudden burst of astonishing energy erupted, and in the next instant its surface cracked inch by inch.

Inside the blood-red rock shell, a gleam of gold burst forth.

That was a golden vertical pupil.

At the moment it truly revealed itself, Qin Chuan's sundial hand gave a warning of his first innate talent effect, and simultaneously a line of text appeared before his eyes.

【【Gold】】 Heaven Ripple Holy Array Eye: an object left behind by the Lan Clan's strongest, who inscribed the array with holy pupils, which can be activated by nine individuals of comparable Legendary Stage strength to unleash the utmost power of the Mythic Stage First Realm.

Heaven Ripple Holy Array Eye?" Qin Chuan's eyes flashed with surprise.

Allowing the Legendary Stage to rival the peak of the Mythic Stage First Realm, this thing is quite formidable.

(End of Chapter)