105: Chapter 105 With the seal as proof, the secluded corridor opens wide.

Lin Ye did not hesitate. He stepped forward and simultaneously took out the three tokens from his bosom: the "reincarnation seal," the "yan jun token," and the "command token of ten thousand ghosts." He used his spiritual energy to lift them, suspending them before him.

The three items each emitted chaotic, blazing gold, and pitch-black radiance, resonating faintly with each other, creating a marvelous echo with the ancient, solemn, and sealing aura permeating the "Soul-Guiding Corridor."

At the same time, he circulated the "Gatekeeper" Legacy Mind-Cultivation Technique. The complete Legacy mark at the center of his brow grew slightly warm, emitting a unique and pure will fluctuation—one that belonged to the "Gatekeeper" lineage, representing the heavens to uphold the Dao and guard the Reincarnation.

"I am the successor of this generation's 'Gatekeeper,' Lin Han." Lin Ye's voice rang out clearly in the silent, deep corridor, neither humble nor pushy, carrying the majesty bestowed by the Legacy. "I have arrived holding the 'three keys' to stabilize the passage and conduct the 'three keys Return' ceremony to resist the demonic calamity. I ask the Guardian Spirit, or the Restrictions of this place, to open the path and allow the four of us to proceed to the 'Nine Nether Demon-Suppressing Platform'!"

His voice echoed in the corridor, accompanied by the radiance of the three keys and the fluctuations of the Legacy, slowly transmitting to where the two scarlet lights lay in the depths.

Those two scarlet lights flickered slightly, seemingly reacting to Lin Ye's words and the tokens. After a moment of silence, that neither-male-nor-female, cold and dead voice sounded again, but with less of the previous hostility and warning, and more scrutiny and confirmation:

" 'reincarnation seal'... 'yan jun token'... 'command token of ten thousand ghosts'... The aura of the three keys... they are indeed genuine..."

" 'Gatekeeper' Legacy mark... the fluctuation is pure... no demonic corruption..."

The voice paused, as if carefully sensing and discerning. The ancient murals and runes on the walls on both sides of the corridor also seemed to come alive, flowing with faint halos of light, shining upon the three tokens and the four of them, as if scanning and verifying.

Supreme Elder Tianxuan, Elder Li, and Elder Kumu all held their breath, not daring to move rashly, feeling nervous in their hearts. This place was too strange and mysterious; if the verification went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After a few breaths, the voice sounded again, seemingly carrying a hint of imperceptible, "approval":

"Identity confirmed. 'Gatekeeper' candidate, holding the three keys, you have the qualification to enter the core area of the 'Demon-Suppressing Platform'."

"However, the ceremony is dangerous. It requires the 'Gatekeeper' will as a guide, the power of the three keys as a foundation, and the essence blood and Divine Soul as a sacrifice to communicate with the Origin of the passage before it can be conducted. Are you ready?"

"We are ready." Lin Ye replied in a deep voice. Supreme Elder Tianxuan and the other two also nodded solemnly.

"Good."

As the voice fell, the two scarlet lights in the depths of the corridor slowly "rose" from the darkness. They were actually a pair of gem-like "eyes," like living creatures, embedded on a huge, thick door cast entirely from an unknown black metal! At this moment, these "eyes" were staring at them.

Immediately after, the huge door slid open silently from the middle to both sides, revealing a deeper, vast, and more... heart-palpitating space behind it.

Behind the door was not the palace or square they had imagined.

Instead, it was a huge, circular platform that seemed to be suspended in the endless Void Realm. The platform was made entirely of that black metal, and its surface was covered with giant Formation patterns that were complex to the extreme and profoundly unfathomable. The lines of the Formation patterns were not fixed but were slowly flowing and changing, emitting a faint, gray halo, as if breathing.

In the center of the platform stood a hundred-zhang-tall, nine-layered giant lotus platform carved entirely from crystal-clear black crystal—this was precisely the core of the "Nine Nether Demon-Suppressing Platform" that Lin Ye had caught a glimpse of during his Legacy sensing and when the Sect Master was in seclusion!

At this moment, the lotus platform was emitting a soft and mysterious black light, slowly rotating. In the center of the petals on the top layer of the lotus platform, a figure sitting cross-legged, shrouded in Chaos aura, could be vaguely seen. It was the Sect Master, Master Lingxiao, who was in seclusion! Only, at this moment, his aura was extremely weak and unstable, and faint black Qi lingered around him. Clearly, the "Gatekeeper's Tribulation" was still ongoing and had intensified due to the external demonic calamity and the turbulence of the passage.

Around the lotus platform, at the edge of the platform, nine giant stone pillars, also dozens of zhang tall, pitch-black, and inscribed with runes of different attributes (Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Yin, Yang), were evenly distributed. At the top of each stone pillar, a rotating ball of energy of different colors was suspended, faintly echoing the black light of the central lotus platform, together forming a huge and precise sealing system, suppressing the bottomless darkness—the Void Realm—below the platform, which emitted a cold and dead aura that could freeze the Soul!

That was the entrance to the passage connecting to the "Nine Nether Realm"! Although it was sealed layer by layer, just the slight aura leaking out made even Nascent Soul Cultivators like Supreme Elder Tianxuan feel heart palpitations and fear, and their spiritual energy circulation was invisibly suppressed.

This was the ultimate core upon which the safety of this world depended! It was also the place where the "three keys Return" ceremony must be held!

"What a terrifying Seal... What an exquisite Formation..." Elder Kumu, who was obsessed with Formations, could not help but mutter to himself when he saw this grand arrangement that far exceeded his imagination, his eyes filled with shock.

"Sect Master..." Elder Li looked worriedly at the blurry figure on the top of the lotus platform.

Lin Ye's gaze quickly swept over the entire platform and finally landed in front of the lotus platform, about a hundred paces away, where the ground Formation patterns converged. There, three slightly sunken circular grooves were distributed in a "pin" shape, and the grooves were also covered with dense runes, connected to the entire great Formation.

The Legacy information clearly emerged: that was the "Formation eye" for placing the "three keys" and starting the ceremony!

"Time is tight, let's begin." Lin Ye took a deep breath, suppressed the shock and discomfort caused by facing the passage, and was the first to step onto this suspended black platform.

Where his footsteps fell, the Formation patterns on the surface of the platform lit up slightly, transmitting a solid tactile sensation. A pure and cold strange spiritual energy, as if capable of cleansing the Divine Soul, surged into his body from the soles of his feet, making his spirit perk up, and even the fatigue from days of rushing was relieved a little. Supreme Elder Tianxuan and the other three felt the same; clearly, this platform had a certain nourishing effect on the "Gatekeeper" and those recognized by it.

The four of them quickly arrived before the three grooves.

"According to the Legacy, Supreme Elder Tianxuan, you have the highest cultivation. Take the 'yan jun token', stand at the Li position (South), and preside over 'Ultimate Yang' and 'Purification'."

"Elder Li, you hold the 'command token of ten thousand ghosts', stand at the Kan position (North), and preside over 'Ultimate Yin' and 'Command', to balance the Death Qi of the passage."

"Elder Kumu, you have the deepest understanding of Formations. You are responsible for monitoring the energy flow of the nine outer pillars when we start the ceremony. If there is any abnormality, warn us immediately, and use your own spiritual energy to stabilize the nearest Fire and Wood pillars as much as possible."

"I will place the 'reincarnation seal' in the core Formation eye, preside over the entire ceremony, attempt to communicate with the passage Seal, and trigger the power of the lotus platform to awaken the Sect Master."

Lin Ye quickly assigned tasks and handed the "yan jun token" and "command token of ten thousand ghosts" to Supreme Elder Tianxuan and Elder Li respectively. The two solemnly took them, feeling the vast power and heavy responsibility contained in the tokens, and both looked solemn.

"Let's begin."

Lin Ye first walked to the central core Formation eye and carefully placed the "reincarnation seal" in his hand into the largest groove. The Seal fell in, fitting perfectly, as if it should have been there all along. With a soft hum, the "reincarnation seal" light flowed, perfectly connecting with the runes around the groove, and the chaotic-colored radiance instantly spread along the Formation patterns.

Supreme Elder Tianxuan and Elder Li also followed suit, placing the "yan jun token" and "command token of ten thousand ghosts" into the other two grooves. Red-gold and pitch-black radiance lit up at the same time, intertwining with the chaotic light in the center. The three-colored radiance followed the ground Formation patterns and quickly flowed to the central "reincarnation seal," and with this as the hub, began to slowly deliver power to the entire platform's great Formation and the nine-layered lotus platform in the center.

The entire "Nine Nether Demon-Suppressing Platform" space seemed to be gently "awakened" from its slumber by these three keys.

The platform vibrated slightly, and the energy light balls on the top of the nine giant stone pillars increased their rotation speed, and the light became brighter. The central black crystal lotus platform also slightly increased its rotation speed, and the black light it emitted became more solid, and the figure of Master Lingxiao on the top of the lotus platform seemed to become a little clearer.

"Now! Activate the tokens, inject spiritual energy and the 'Gatekeeper' will!" Lin Ye shouted in a low voice, and at the same time, his hands quickly formed the complex and ancient activation Seals recorded in the Legacy, injecting all his mind, spiritual energy, his insights into "Reincarnation," and his determination to guard this world into the "reincarnation seal" before him without reservation!

"Gatekeeper Lin Han, holding the three keys, hereby requests—"

"Passage Seal, listen to my command! Power of the Origin, be used by me!"

"three keys return, Reincarnation forever solidified! Suppress!"

Boom—!!!

With Lin Ye's chanting and the completion of the Seals, the three tokens burst into brilliant light at the same time!

The "reincarnation seal" erupted with an unprecedented pillar of chaotic light, rushing into the sky, entering the endless Void Realm above, as if resonating with the "Reincarnation" Law in the dark!

The "yan jun token" turned into a scorching small sun, with red-gold flames surging, purifying every wisp of the Nine Nether Realm's Death Qi that tried to invade the platform space!

The "command token of ten thousand ghosts" emitted deep black light, forming a stable force field, smoothing out the subtle ripples and restlessness caused by the start of the ceremony at the passage entrance.

Three powerful forces, with the "reincarnation seal" as the core, merged and resonated with each other, quickly connecting the entire platform Formation through the ground Formation patterns! The light of the nine stone pillars connected into one, forming a huge, slowly rotating light shield, covering the entire platform and the central lotus platform. The lotus platform rotated faster, and the black light it emitted almost condensed into substance, forming a light cocoon, completely wrapping Master Lingxiao.

A vast, ancient, majestic, and terrifying power, as if capable of stabilizing the universe and suppressing all ages, was slowly awakening and condensing on this "Nine Nether Demon-Suppressing Platform"!

The ceremony had started!

Moreover, judging by the momentum, it far exceeded expectations!

Supreme Elder Tianxuan, Elder Li, and Elder Kumu were both surprised and happy, fully maintaining the stability of their tokens and the output of spiritual energy.

Lin Ye felt that his consciousness seemed to be infinitely elevated and extended along the light pillar of the "reincarnation seal," in a way that transcended the Physical Body, "overlooking" the structure of the entire passage Seal, and could even vaguely "perceive" the "Nine Nether Realm" on the other side of the passage, that boundless, dead, cold, and full of Chaos and desire to devour! There was even a cold, tyrannical, and malicious grand will, which seemed to have been startled from the depths of the Nine Nether Realm and cast its "gaze" towards the passage entrance!

Was that... the true will of Demon Lord Yinming?!

But at this moment, the ceremony was completed, the three keys had returned, and the passage Seal was being reinforced and stabilized under the unprecedented injection of power, even reverse-purifying the cracks eroded by the Demonic Lord!

As long as they persisted for a while longer, the ceremony would be completed, the passage would be re-stabilized, the difficulty of the Demonic Lord's true body descending would greatly increase, the Sect Master might also be awakened, and the siege of the Lingyun Sword Sect, and even the demonic calamity of this world, would usher in a turning point!

However, at this critical moment—

A sudden change occurred!

It did not come from the external demonic army, nor from the Demonic Lord on the other side of the passage.

But from... inside the ceremony! From the top of the lotus platform wrapped in black light!

"Ugh... Ah—!!!"

A painful, crazy, and violent roar full of desire for destruction suddenly erupted from the light cocoon!

Immediately after, the solid black light cocoon burst open!

A figure slowly stood up from the top of the lotus platform.

It was still the appearance of Master Lingxiao, still wearing the Sect Master's robes.

But the pair of opened eyes were no longer the deep majesty of the past, but had turned into pure, rolling, endless Devilish Qi and deathly silence—pitch-black! At the center of his brow, a dark red mark, exactly the same as the ghost face pattern on the "command token of ten thousand ghosts" but more hideous and evil, emerged!

His aura surged to a terrifying level, far exceeding that of an ordinary Nascent Soul, and even faintly touched the limit of this world! But that aura was full of Chaos, evil, and destruction, completely incompatible with the sacred and solemn "three keys Return" ceremony being conducted around him, and even produced a violent conflict and rejection!

"Sect Master?!" Supreme Elder Tianxuan and the others exclaimed, their faces turning pale instantly.

Lin Ye's heart also sank to the bottom.

The worst-case scenario had happened!

Sect Master Master Lingxiao had not only failed to survive the "Gatekeeper's Tribulation," but at the most critical moment of the ceremony, had been completely eroded and controlled by the Demonic Lord's remaining mark or the Nine Nether Realm's Death Qi, or rather... had "demonized" prematurely!

Was "he" at this moment the Sect Master, or... a vessel for the Demonic Lord's descent?!

"Heh heh heh... This seat must thank you all... for sending the 'three keys,' and... this perfect 'Gatekeeper' body!"

"Master Lingxiao" spoke, his voice hoarse and twisted, full of mockery and greed, and his gaze first fell on Lin Ye, who was presiding over the ceremony and was closely connected to the "reincarnation seal."

"Now, hand over this 'reincarnation seal,' and your 'Gatekeeper' Legacy to this seat!"

Before the words fell, "he" had already stepped off the lotus platform, carrying monstrous demonic might, turning into a pitch-black demonic shadow, tearing through space, and rushing towards Lin Ye!

At the critical moment of the ceremony, the main Formation operator was attacked! Beset from within and without, a true deadly situation had arrived on this "Nine Nether Demon-Suppressing Platform"!