52: Secrets of Meteor Cliff, Schemes in the Forbidden Land of Ancestral Abyss

Meteorite Cliff, in the rear mountains of the Star Moon Sect.

The night was ink-dark, the stars sparse. Only a solitary crescent moon hung above the cliff edge, casting a clear light that made the jagged strange rocks look like crouching behemoths. Lin Yang arrived as agreed. The night wind rustled his robes, bringing the chill of the deep mountains. The chaos star core in his Dantian pulsed slightly. It wasn't a warning, but a nearly resonant pull, guiding him toward the pale purple figure who had been waiting by the cliff.

Shen Shuanghua turned around. Her Immortal Palace robe, adorned with flowing cloud patterns, shone with a soft luster under the moonlight. She was twirling an ancient jade pendant between her fingers. The pendant had a strange shape, neither quite a Dragon nor quite a vine, and was engraved with complex runes. It subtly echoed the material of the half-map of the Forbidden Ground in Lin Yang's possession, as well as the aura of the space stone.

"You've arrived." Shen Shuanghua's tone was calm, shedding the official demeanor she held in the main hall during the day, replaced by the casualness of an old family acquaintance. "It seems the star core is very close to you; it can sense this 'concentric dragon vine pendant'."

Lin Yang's gaze fell upon the jade pendant: "Is this the token left by our ancestors?"

"It is a token, and also a piece of a key." Shen Shuanghua handed the pendant to Lin Yang. "Touch it, and inject your Chaos True Essence into it. You will see some fragments. The answers regarding how our two families' ancestors met and why they jointly guarded the Spirit Locking Array on Qingmeng Mountain are all inside."

Lin Yang took the jade pendant. It was warm and smooth to the touch, and an ancient, desolate aura washed over him. He circulated his Chaos True Essence as instructed, and the gray-gold energy slowly flowed into the pendant.

In an instant, the scene before his eyes rippled open like water—

Scene One: Deep within Qingmeng Mountain, on the edge of the Ancient Battlefield.

Two young Cultivators were fighting fiercely, bathed in blood. One was wearing the Lin Family's Crimson Sun Art Cultivation Technique's unique red-patterned robust attire. His features bore some resemblance to Lin Yang's; his punches interwoven thunder and fire, powerful and unmatched. The other was a woman, wearing the Shen Family's unique flowing cloud plain skirt. Her techniques were agile, controlling vines and a Heart-Cleansing Barrier, providing support and healing. Behind them was a massive, dilapidated Ancient Array Base. In the center of the base, a mass of constantly surging Chaos energy was suppressed, trying to break free of its constraints—that was the initial chaos origin Dispersion Point, and the core of the Spirit Locking Array.

"Big Brother Lin, the energy in the Array Eye is starting to riot again!" the female Cultivator from the Shen Family shouted anxiously, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"Little Sister Shen, hold on! We absolutely cannot let this chaos origin fully erupt, or thousands of miles of land will be reduced to dust!" The Lin Family Ancestor punched back a powerful Yao Beast drawn by the Chaos energy, his eyes resolute. "My Lin Family's Crimson Sun Art is Utmost Yang and Utmost Firm, capable of temporarily stabilizing the Array Eye, but your Shen Family's 'Heart-Cleansing Spirit-Sensing Technique' and Wood-Element Affinity are the key to long-term guidance and appeasement of the Origin! We must join forces!"

Scene Two: After the Array Eye was temporarily stabilized.

Both were covered in wounds, sitting leaning against the Array Base.

"We owe you greatly this time, Little Sister Shen." The Lin Family Ancestor sighed emotionally. "If you hadn't arrived in time to use the Heart-Cleansing Technique to guide the backlash, I might have been assimilated by this Chaos energy."

"Big Brother Lin, you speak too highly. Guarding this place is also my Shen Family's Ancestral Teaching." The Shen Family female Cultivator shook her head, worry crossing her face. "It's just that this array is ancient and severely damaged; I fear it's not a long-term solution. Although this chaos origin is dangerous, it also contains the Ultimate Truths of Heaven and Earth... Our Shen Family's records state that if one day a person appears who can truly control the power of Chaos instead of being consumed by it, they might completely resolve this disaster, and even use it to glimpse the Supreme Dao."

"Control Chaos?" The Lin Family Ancestor gave a bitter smile. "Easier said than done. It's already a blessing that we can barely Seal it now. Since this matter is of great importance and our two families bear this heavy responsibility together, why don't we form an Alliance? Our future descendants should support each other and jointly guard this secret. As for that elusive 'Controller', let us leave it to the Destined Opportunity of later generations."

"Good!" The Shen Family female Cultivator nodded solemnly, taking out a pair of jade pendants and applying their respective family's Secret Technique Imprints. "This is the 'concentric dragon vine pendant'. It is split into two; when combined, they can sense the aura of the Spirit Locking Array and the chaos origin, and also serve as a Proof of Recognition for future descendants."

The scene abruptly ended here.

Lin Yang withdrew his True Essence, the shock in his heart taking a long time to subside. Yet, a trace of doubt arose, and he looked at Shen Shuanghua, saying, "Since our ancestors could jointly suppress the chaos origin, their strength must have been immense. Why have our two families fallen to such a state now? The Lin Family is ostracized by the Collateral Branch in Qingshi Town, and I was treated as a waste when I was young; the Shen Family is under house arrest by the Immortal Palace, unable to even freely research Arcane Arts... the disparity is too great."

Hearing this, the jade pendant on Shen Shuanghua's finger rotated slightly. Her tone was tinged with melancholy, seeming to recall and sigh at the same time: "This is not due to the incompetence of our ancestors, but three Triple Calamities over three hundred years that severely severed the Legacy and Foundation of both families." She walked to the cliff edge, gazing in the direction of Qingmeng Mountain shrouded in night, and slowly explained, "The First Calamity was the Legacy Fault. Not many years after the ancestors' battle, a sudden earthquake struck Qingmeng Mountain. The Secret Ground surrounding the Spirit Locking Array completely collapsed, and the ancient texts recording the two families' Core Secret Techniques—the Lin Family's 'Spirit Suppressing Chapter' of the Crimson Sun Art, and the Shen Family's Rune Diagrams for the 'Dragon Vine Channeling Technique'—were all buried in a ten-thousand-foot deep ravine. Later, when the Lin Family reconstructed the Crimson Sun Art, only the basic Body Refining and shallow Fire-Element True Essence methods remained, losing the Utmost Yang Power capable of directly interfacing with the Array Eye. The Shen Family fared even worse; the crucial methods of the 'Dragon Vine Channeling Technique' were lost, leaving only the superficial aspects of the Heart-Cleansing Spirit-Sensing Technique. We could no longer guide the chaos origin long-term, only barely use it to detect its aura."

"The Second Calamity was the suppression by the Immortal Palace." Shen Shuanghua's voice deepened, carrying a hint of indignation. "Three hundred years ago, the Elder in charge of 'Chaos Research' in the Immortal Palace discovered the secret of the Spirit Locking Array. They first sent people to win over the two families, intending to monopolize the chaos origin. The Lin Family Ancestor refused to compromise, and the Immortal Palace secretly framed them with the crime of 'privately possessing a Chaos Supreme Treasure,' sending Masters to launch a sneak attack, resulting in heavy casualties. To protect their Direct Lineage, the Shen Family could only feign submission, but they were moved into the Mountain Gate for 'protection,' which was actually semi-house arrest—Shen Family disciples could only Cultivate the Cultivation Techniques specified by the Immortal Palace, losing the Foundation of their own Wood-Element Arcane Arts. Even contacting the Lin Family was monitored. When your grandfather, Lin Xingnan, was in seclusion attempting to break through to the Xiantian Realm, the Immortal Palace secretly interfered, causing him to suffer Qi Deviation. Since then, the Lin Family's talents have withered, forcing them to live under others' thumb even in Qingshi Town."

"The Third Calamity was the Origin Mutation and Resource Depletion." Shen Shuanghua turned around, her gaze resting on the jade pendant in Lin Yang's hand. "Without the nourishment of the two families' Core Secret Techniques, the Array Eye's energy has grown increasingly unstable over the years. Chaos Aftershocks occasionally dissipate, attracting increasingly powerful Yao Beasts. But the two families long ago lost the ability to jointly respond—the Lin Family struggles to produce even Xiantian Realm Cultivators, let alone suppress Yao Beasts; the Shen Family is controlled by the Immortal Palace, unable to step onto Qingmeng Mountain freely. Furthermore, the Immortal Palace deliberately withheld the two families' Cultivation resources. The Lin Family couldn't even keep their Medicine Field in Qingshi Town, and Shen Family disciples rarely see decent Spiritual Plants, so their strength naturally declined with each generation."

Lin Yang's heart sank upon hearing this. Only now did he understand that it wasn't that the ancestors' Legacy was insufficient, but that the erosion of time and external suppression had caused the two families to fall from being the "Spirit Locking Array Guardians" to their current predicament. He recalled secretly Cultivating in the Lin Family Woodshed when he was young, struggling even with the most basic Crimson Sun Art—it turned out the core chapter had been lost. He remembered his grandfather's sigh when holding the nine revolutions jade dew pill; it turned out that was not just about forming good karma, but the only support the Shen Family could provide the Lin Family under the Immortal Palace's surveillance.

"Then... is there no way to restore our ancestors' Legacy?" Lin Yang clenched the concentric dragon vine pendant in his hand, his voice laced with unwillingness.

"There is. This is also why I sought you out. The chaos star core within you is the only key that can re-sense the core of the Spirit Locking Array; and if this concentric dragon vine pendant can be combined with the space stone and the Forbidden Ground Map in your possession, perhaps we can find the Fragmentary Texts that were buried back then. More importantly, your ability to devour Chaos energy without being assimilated makes you precisely the 'Controller' foretold by our ancestors—only you can enable our two families to join forces again, not only restoring the Legacy but also completely resolving the hidden danger of the chaos origin."

Lin Yang tightened his grip on the jade pendant. Gray-gold Chaos True Essence subtly flowed in his palm, interweaving with the ancient aura of the pendant. It turned out the burden on his shoulders was not just saving his mother, but also revitalizing the Glory of both families' ancestors and fulfilling the Alliance spanning three hundred years.

Seeing a hint of determination in his eyes, Shen Shuanghua continued, "The Trial of the Heavens is the Opportunity. The Trial Secret Realm hides the Branch Energy of the Spirit Locking Array. If you can comprehend the utilization of the Power of Chaos within it and find clues to the Fragmentary Texts, you can help the Lin Family Complete the Crimson Sun Art. I can also use this to gain more freedom in the Immortal Palace and reclaim the Arcane Arts Legacy for the Shen Family."

Lin Yang took a deep breath, looking down at the Star Moon Sect below the cliff. All the doubts in his heart were resolved, leaving only a clear direction. Although the ancestors' Splendor was long gone, as long as he could shoulder this responsibility, the Lin Family and the Shen Family might yet reproduce the Grand Occasion of their joint guardianship back then.

"I understand." Lin Yang looked up at Shen Shuanghua, his tone firm. "In the Trial of the Heavens, I must not only save my mother but also retrieve the lost Legacy for both families."

Shen Shuanghua revealed a relieved smile: "This is the appearance a Lin Family descendant should have. Remember, no matter how many schemes the Immortal Palace has, as long as we uphold the Alliance between our two families, and maintain our Awe and control over the Power of Chaos, there will always be a day when we break the deadlock."

The night deepened. The cold moon above the cliff remained high, yet seemed a little brighter than before. Lin Yang held the concentric dragon vine pendant. The chaos star core in his Dantian slowly rotated, echoing the aura of the pendant and the space stone, as if conversing with the ancestors from three hundred years ago, accepting that cross-temporal Mission.

Saving his mother, Searching for Texts, revitalizing the two families, and guarding the chaos origin.

This Journey was far heavier than he imagined, but also far more worthwhile.