59: Chapter 59 Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Clues to the Nine Secrets

Early morning at Xuanwei Peak, a thin mist lingered.

Lin Ye opened his eyes from his cultivation, seven starlight points fleetingly visible deep within his pupils. After a night of bitter cultivation, the "Tianshu Star Seal" from the introductory chapter of the Big Dipper True Scripture had preliminary condensed. Though not yet perfected, he could feel a subtle increase in his power attributes—roughly around 2%. Once fully condensed, it should reach the 10% boost described in the Cultivation Technique.

"Cultivating Star Power is indeed different from conventional Spiritual Qi." Lin Ye felt the new wisp of Star Power within his body; it darted through his Meridians like a swimming fish, coexisting harmoniously with his Chaos Divine Power, even showing a faint trend of mutual nourishment.

Chaos evolves into all things, and stars are among them. This discovery deepened Lin Ye's understanding of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

He got up for a simple wash and pushed open the bamboo door. Elder Xuanwei was already busy in the vegetable patch, still dressed like an old farmer and humming an unknown little tune.

"Good morning, Master," Lin Ye greeted him.

"Mm," Elder Xuanwei didn't even look up. "Been to the Scripture Pavilion?"

"I went yesterday and gained quite a bit."

"Then go more often." Elder Xuanwei straightened up and thumped his waist. "Knowledge is the Foundation of cultivation. The path your Chaos Body must take is different from others; you need to draw from many sources and then walk your own Dao. Remember, you can learn from others' experiences, but never copy them blindly."

"This Disciple understands."

"What are your plans for today?"

"I plan to go back to the Scripture Pavilion to continue searching for clues regarding the 'Five Elements Origin' and the continuation of the 'Void Scripture'," Lin Ye answered truthfully.

Elder Xuanwei nodded and pulled a pitch-black token from his robes, tossing it over. "Take this. Some areas of the Scripture Pavilion require special clearance. This token will let you into the outskirts of the 'Forbidden Book Area'—though there aren't really any forbidden books there, just old junk no one reads, but you might find what you're looking for."

Lin Ye caught the token. It felt heavy in his hand, neither metal nor wood, with a rough surface carved with a blurry character for "Xuan".

【Xuanwei Command (Special)】

Quality: Silver (Access Token)

Effects:

① Identity Proof: Proof of being Elder Xuanwei's Personal Disciple

② Special Access: Can enter the "Forbidden Book Area Outskirts" of the Scripture Pavilion (must be used alongside a True Disciple token)

③ Elder's Mark: Contains three Divine Sense marks from Elder Xuanwei, which can automatically activate a protective shield when encountering fatal danger (30-day cooldown)

Description: The Legacy token of Elder Xuanwei's lineage. The holder must maintain the reputation of this branch. Report to the Elder if lost.

"Thank you, Master."

"Go on, go on, don't bother me while I'm planting vegetables." Elder Xuanwei waved him off and lowered his head to get back to work.

Lin Ye tucked away the token, left Xuanwei Peak, and headed once more to the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion in the early morning was much quieter than yesterday. There were only a few scattered Disciples flipping through records, most with focused expressions, clearly there to truly seek knowledge.

Lin Ye presented his True Disciple token and the Xuanwei Command. After the guarding Disciple verified them, he pointed to the far left. "The Forbidden Book Area is at the very back of the outskirts. There is a Formation at the door for identification. With the Xuanwei Command, you can enter directly, but you can only browse the first row of bookshelves; do not go deeper."

"Understood."

Passing through rows of conventional bookshelves, he reached the deepest part of the Scripture Pavilion's first floor. The light here was dim, and there was a faint smell of dust in the air, clearly a place few visited. An unremarkable wooden door blocked the way, with no markings on it, but Lin Ye could feel faint Formation fluctuations coming from it.

He pressed the Xuanwei Command against the door. The token's surface glowed slightly, and the wooden door slid open silently, revealing the space behind it.

The so-called "Forbidden Book Area" wasn't actually gloomy or terrifying; it was just a slightly smaller room. There were only three rows of bookshelves, each with five levels, holding about two hundred scrolls and records. These records were in significantly worse condition than those outside; many scrolls were damaged, yellowed, and some pages were even stuck together.

Lin Ye scanned the labels on the shelves. The categories were very diverse: "Ancient Anecdotes", "Study of Lost Secret Techniques", "Records of Foreign Domains", "Forbidden Experimental Notes", "Unsolved Mysteries"... Just looking at the labels, he knew most of the collections here were obscure, niche, or even considered useless data.

But it was precisely such a place that might hide true treasures.

Lin Ye started from the first row, flipping through them one by one.

The first book, "Study of the Ancient God-Fiend War", recorded rumors from the Mythological Era. Much of the content contradicted mainstream historical records, making its authenticity questionable. However, Lin Ye noticed a description of "Chaos Fiendgods," mentioning that after a Chaos Fiendgod fell, its Origin scattered across the heavens, turning into various Chaos-attributed Heaven And Earth Treasures.

"chaos source stones... could they be fragments of a Chaos Fiendgod's Origin?" Lin Ye noted this hypothesis.

The second book, "Collection of Lost Pill Formulas", contained seventeen ancient Pill Formulas that were either lost or difficult to refine. One of them, the "Five Elements Creation Pill", required a wisp of each of the Five Elements Origins as the main ingredients. Once refined, it could reshape the Foundation of the Physical Body and increase affinity with the Five Elements. This perfectly matched Lin Ye's needs—to condense the Chaos Five Elements Divine Treasuries.

"Five Elements Creation Pill..." Lin Ye memorized the entire Pill Formula. Although he couldn't refine it now (it required a Grandmaster Alchemist), he could start collecting the Materials.

The third book, "Foreign Script Comparison Table", recorded comparisons between thirty-seven different civilizations' and races' scripts and the common tongue. Among them was the script of the Eternal Star Domain! Lin Ye read it carefully, committing those strange symbols and their meanings to memory. Next time he encountered people from the Eternal Star Domain, he might be able to understand what they were communicating.

As he flipped through book after book, time quietly slipped away.

When Lin Ye picked up the seventh record, his fingers felt something unusual.

The cover of this book was ordinary beast hide, titled "Miscellaneous Talks on Astrology". It looked like a leisure book about observing the stars. However, the thickness of the spine clearly didn't match the cover—the middle part was about half an inch thicker than the ends.

Lin Ye's heart stirred, and he checked it carefully. He found a very fine crack at the spine that would be impossible to notice without a careful touch. He tried to gently pry it with his fingernail.

*Click.*

With a soft sound, a small hidden compartment popped open at the spine. Inside was a roll of silver silk as thin as a cicada's wing.

The silk felt cool and smooth, its material being neither silk nor cloth; Lin Ye had never seen anything like it. Unrolled, it was about a foot long and half a foot wide, embroidered with dense ancient text in dark gold thread. These characters were not the common tongue, nor any foreign script Lin Ye had seen, but a more ancient, primitive type of pictographic symbols.

Fortunately, later generations had added annotations in the common tongue along the edges of the silk. Though few, they were enough to understand the general meaning.

Lin Ye focused on reading.

The opening was an introduction: "The secrets of the Nine Heavens, one has escaped. The Nine Secrets are: Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing. Each secret represents an ultimate Dao method; obtaining one allows one to dominate their generation, and gathering all nine allows one to strike down Immortals and Gods..."

The Nine Secrets! The top-tier secret technique Legacy of the "Shrouding the Heavens" world!

Lin Ye's breath hitched as he continued reading.

The main body of the silk recorded information related to the "Jie Character Secret". It wasn't the technique itself, but clues on how to find and obtain the Legacy of the Jie Character Secret.

According to the records, the core of the Jie Character Secret was "Triggering"—triggering a tenfold explosion of one's own potential. However, the conventional cultivation methods had long been lost; only in certain special locations at specific celestial times could the residual Dao rhythm of the Jie Character Secret be invoked for comprehension.

The silk marked three possible locations:

The first was "War God Mountain" in the Central State. One needed to reach the summit on a night when "The blood moon hangs and ten thousand stars dim" to resonate with ancient Battle Intent. However, the annotations mentioned that War God Mountain was destroyed in an Emperor War three thousand years ago, cutting off this path.

The second was the "Aurora Ice Field" in the Northern Plains. One needed to go deep into the core of the ice field during an "Aurora sky-glow and cold wave outbreak" to sense the explosive rhythm contained within the aurora. But the annotations said the Aurora Ice Field was occupied by the Ice Snow Divine Palace, and no one but their Disciples could enter.

The third was the "Star Gazing Platform of the Yaoguang Back Mountain" in the Eastern Wasteland. One needed to ascend the platform to observe the stars at the moment of "Full moon night, Seven-Star Alignment". If one resonated with the rhythm of the stars' movement, it might trigger the Jie Character Secret Dao rhythm hidden beneath the Star Gazing Platform.

The first two were either destroyed or occupied by major powers, but the third—it was right here in the Yaoguang Holy Land!

At the end of the silk was a small warning: "The Nine Secrets Legacy all carry great Karma. Those who obtain them have profound Luck, but also carry calamities. Without great perseverance, great Opportunity, and great Luck, one must not force it."

Lin Ye carefully rolled up the silk and placed it in the deepest part of his storage ring.

【Obtained: Nine Secrets · Jie Character Secret Clue Silk (Special)】

Quality: Gold (Unique Clue Item)

Effects:

① Records three clues to obtain the "Jie Character Secret" Legacy

② Current valid clue: Yaoguang Back Mountain Star Gazing Platform, Full Moon Night, Seven-Star Alignment

③ When carrying this item, sensitivity to "Jie Character Secret" related Dao rhythms +10%

Quest Started: 【Nine Secrets Legacy · Jie Character Secret】

Quest Description: According to the clues, head to the Yaoguang Back Mountain Star Gazing Platform at the appropriate time and attempt to trigger the hidden Jie Character Secret Dao rhythm.

Quest Hint: Full moon nights occur once a month, Seven-Star Alignment occurs once every seven years. The next Seven-Star Alignment is in... five months.

Quest Reward: ???

Failure Penalty: None (Clue item will not disappear, can try again)

Five months later!

Lin Ye quickly calculated the time. It was currently the beginning of the third month since the game launched; five months later would be the eighth month. By then, his strength should reach the Dao Palace Peak or even the Four Extremities Realm, making him qualified to attempt obtaining a Nine Secrets Legacy.

Furthermore, five months later was exactly when the "Five Elements Secret Realm" would open. If he could obtain the Jie Character Secret before then, he would have a powerful trump card while exploring the Secret Realm.

"It seems I need to prepare in advance."

Lin Ye put the "Miscellaneous Talks on Astrology" back in its original place; the hidden compartment closed automatically, leaving no trace. He continued flipping through the remaining records, but his mind was already mostly on the Nine Secrets clue.

An hour later, Lin Ye left the Forbidden Book Area and returned to the regular area.

He didn't leave the Scripture Pavilion immediately; instead, he headed to the "Astrology Section" to look for data on the "Seven-Star Alignment" and the "Star Gazing Platform".

In a corner of the Astrology Section, Lin Ye found a book titled "Yaoguang Astrology Records". The book detailed the astrological patterns within the Yaoguang Holy Land's territory, including the cycle of the Seven-Star Alignment, the construction history of the Star Gazing Platform, and the insights gained by various Holy Lords on the platform.

The Star Gazing Platform was located on the Yaoguang Back Mountain and was built by the Holy Land's first-generation Holy Lord, "Star Lord Yaoguang," to observe the movement of the stars and comprehend the Star Great Dao. The platform was nine zhang and nine chi high, built entirely of "Starfall Stone," which could automatically absorb Star Power. Successive Holy Lords, Elders, and outstanding Disciples had all made gains on the Star Gazing Platform.

However, the book also mentioned that the Star Gazing Platform was not open at all times. It was normally protected by a Formation, and only on the night of the full moon on the fifteenth of each month would the Formation temporarily close, allowing Disciples to ascend and observe the stars. And if a special astrological event occurred, such as a Seven-Star Alignment or Nine-Star Alignment, the Star Gazing Platform would even actively draw in Star Power, forming a "Star Power Tide," which was of great benefit to observers.

"On the night of the Seven-Star Alignment, the Star Gazing Platform's Star Power Tide will reach its peak..." Lin Ye noted this key information. "That will be the time when the success rate for triggering the Jie Character Secret Dao rhythm is highest."

He continued flipping and found a detailed structural map of the Star Gazing Platform in the latter half of the book. The map marked various areas of the platform: the central "Main Observation Zone", the surrounding "Auxiliary Observation Positions", the underground "Star Power Convergence Pool", and... several unremarkable "Ancient Formation Eyes".

One of the Formation eye locations was specifically noted: "This Formation eye has been out of repair for years, and the Formation lines are incomplete; use is not recommended."

Lin Ye stared at the location of that Formation eye, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

An incomplete Formation eye... perhaps that is precisely where the hidden Jie Character Secret Dao rhythm lies!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Still need more information."

Lin Ye continued searching in the astrology section and found a few more relevant notes and insights.

The author of one of them, "Star Gazing Platform Realization Records," was an Elder of the Holy Land from three hundred years ago.

He recorded in his notes that on a night of the Seven Stars Alignment, he had sensed a "peculiar explosive rhythm" at the Star Gazing Platform, but it was fleeting and he failed to capture it.

"It must be the leakage of the Dao Rhyme of the Secret Character of Jie..." Lin Ye concluded.

After collecting the information, it was already noon.

Lin Ye left the Scripture Pavilion, but instead of returning directly to Xuanwei Peak, he made a detour to the "Contribution Hall."

The Contribution Hall was the place where Holy Land Disciples exchanged resources, accepted missions, and settled contribution points.

The hall was crowded with people, much livelier than the Scripture Pavilion.

A huge jade wall scrolled through various missions and exchange lists, and many Disciples were gathered in front of it to choose.

Lin Ye walked to the exchange area to check what his ten thousand contribution points could be exchanged for.

The list was long, ranging from Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pills, and Magic Treasures to Materials, intelligence, and special services; it had everything.

Earth Rank Low Grade Cultivation Technique: 5000-8000 contribution points.

Grade 5 Medicinal Pill (bottle): 200-500 contribution points.

Epic Equipment: 3000-6000 contribution points.

Star Palace cultivation time (day): 1000 contribution points.

Elder's personal guidance (time): 5000 contribution points.

...

Lin Ye browsed quickly and finally locked onto a few targets:

[Star Palace cultivation time (7 days)]: 7000 contribution points. This had to be exchanged for; the time acceleration effect of the Star Palace was crucial for his cultivation of the Big Dipper True Scripture and consolidating his Realm.

[void stone (fist-sized)]: 2000 contribution points. This was a material for setting up teleportation Formations and cultivating spatial secret arts, just enough to replenish his consumption in the Secret Realm.

[Star Meteorite fragments (10 catties)]: 800 contribution points. The Star Gazing Platform was built from Star Meteorites, and carrying Star Meteorite fragments might increase his resonance with the Star Gazing Platform.

["Complete Guide to Basic Formations"]: 200 contribution points. Although it was only basic, he needed to systematically learn Formation knowledge to prepare for cracking various Restrictions in the future.

A total of 10,000 contribution points, just enough to spend it all.

After the exchange was completed, Lin Ye received a Storage Pouch containing all the items he had exchanged for.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice called out to him.

"Junior Brother Lin?"

Lin Ye turned around and saw Chen Hao, Su Qingyue, and Shi Potian walking over.

They had also changed into the attire of Holy Land Outer Sect Disciples; although not as gorgeous as the True Disciples, their temperament had obviously improved a notch.

"Are you here to exchange for resources too?" Lin Ye smiled.

"Yes," Chen Hao said excitedly, "Outer Sect Disciples have a basic quota of 500 contribution points per month. We just received it, so we came to see what we could exchange for. Brother Ye, you are a True Disciple, your quota must be very high, right?"

"It's alright," Lin Ye didn't go into detail. "What did you choose?"

Su Qingyue said softly, "I exchanged for the follow-up of the Advanced chapter of the Ice Heart Art, and a bottle of 'Cold Jade Pill,' which has a nourishing effect on the Vast Cold Spirit Body."

Shi Potian: "I exchanged for a copy of 'Shadow Escape Technique' and a set of hidden weapon diagrams."

Chen Hao scratched his head: "I haven't decided yet. Contribution points are too few; I want to exchange for everything, but I can't afford anything..."

Lin Ye thought for a moment and took out three bottles of Medicinal Pills from his storage ring—they were the Grade 5 Mind-Condensing Pills rewarded from climbing the Heavenly Stairs earlier, and he couldn't use them all himself.

"Take these. Mind-Condensing Pills can stabilize Divine Sense and are helpful for cultivation."

The three of them hurriedly declined: "Brother Ye, this is too valuable..."

"Take it," Lin Ye said, leaving no room for refusal. "The Heavenly Court needs a Foundation in the Holy Land. The stronger you are, the better the future of the Heavenly Court will be. Besides, I am a True Disciple now; I have more resources than you, so don't be polite."

The three of them accepted it, their eyes full of gratitude.

"By the way," Su Qingyue remembered something, "Brother Ye, we heard that there will be an 'Entry Ceremony' in seven days, and all new Disciples must attend. At that time, there will be a 'Star Divination' to calculate the good fortune and calamities for the new Disciples."

"I've heard of it too," Lin Ye nodded. "Be prepared. Star Divination might reveal some fragments of the future. Regardless of whether it's good or bad, you must maintain your inner self."

"Understood."

The four of them chatted for a while longer, agreed to meet at the Entry Ceremony, and then went their separate ways.

By the time Lin Ye returned to Xuanwei Peak, it was already afternoon.

Elder Xuanwei was not in the courtyard. The vegetable field had been watered, and the hoe was leaning against the corner of the wall. The door of the bamboo house was open, and a bowl of still-warm porridge and two side dishes were placed on the table.

Lin Ye felt a warmth in his heart. This Master appeared cold on the surface, but was actually thoughtful.

After finishing the simple meal, Lin Ye took out the items he had exchanged for and began planning his upcoming cultivation.

First, use the Star Palace cultivation time.

He inserted the [Star Palace Secret Key] into a specific groove on the floor of the bamboo house—this was what Elder Xuanwei had told him. Although Xuanwei Peak was simple, every Disciple's residence had a Formation interface connecting to the core facilities of the Holy Land.

The moment the Secret Key was inserted, the space of the bamboo house began to twist and expand. The bamboo house, which was originally only a few feet square, quickly turned into a spacious stone chamber. The top of the stone chamber was transparent, allowing him to see the starry sky directly—although it was daytime, the Formation at the top simulated a night star map.

Rich Spiritual Qi surged from all directions, and the concentration had indeed reached more than fifty times that of the outside world. The flow of time also changed, and Lin Ye could feel his thinking and body movements accelerating by three times.

"Let's begin."

He sat cross-legged and first cultivated the Big Dipper True Scripture.

Under the blessing of the Star Palace, the condensation speed of the Tianshu Star Seal was more than ten times faster. The Star Seal that originally required a month to reach Perfection could now be completed in three days. Moreover, the simulated starry sky at the top continuously cast down Star Power, resonating with the Cultivation Technique, making the cultivation effect twice the result with half the effort.

Three days later (one day in the outside world), the Tianshu Star Seal reached Perfection. Lin Ye's strength attribute increased by 10%, and there was an extra strand of pure Tianshu Star Power in his body.

He did not stop and continued to condense the second seal—the Tianxuan Star Seal.

Another three days later, the Tianxuan Star Seal reached Perfection. Agility attribute + 10%.

Then came the third seal, the Tianji Star Seal, which focused on Physique.

When three days had passed in the outside world, and nine days in the Star Palace, Lin Ye had already condensed all three Star Seals of the introductory chapter of the Big Dipper True Scripture to Perfection.

Strength, Agility, and Physique each increased by 10%. At the same time, the prototype of "Seven Stars Resonance" was activated—although he could only activate three seals at the same time, when the three seals resonated, the effect of all attributes + 30% could already be triggered, but the duration was shortened from 10 seconds to 3 seconds.

"That's about it."

Lin Ye ended his cultivation, and the Star Palace space slowly contracted, returning to the original bamboo house.

He felt the changes in his body. The three Star Seals were slowly rotating in his Dantian, echoing the Chaos Divine Palace from afar. Although the Star Power and Chaos Divine Power had different attributes, they did not conflict; instead, they formed a subtle balance.

"Next, research Formations."

Lin Ye took out the "Complete Guide to Basic Formations" and began to systematically learn Formation knowledge.

Although he knew some Formations in his previous life, they were all scattered experiences without systematic theory. Now that he had the Opportunity to learn from the beginning, he naturally had to lay a good Foundation.

The Dao of Formations was broad and profound. From the most basic Formation pattern drawing and Spiritual Qi guidance to complex Formation overlapping, Formation core setting, and Formation Plate refining, every step required a lot of learning and practice.

Lin Ye had the high Comprehension Ability brought by his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, plus the residual effect of the Star Palace time acceleration (although the space had recovered, the residual influence of the time flow could still last for a few hours), so his learning speed was extremely fast.

In three days, he completely mastered the "Complete Guide to Basic Formations" and reached the level of an "Entry-Level Formation Master." Although he could not set up Advanced Formations yet, he could at least understand most Formation structures and perform basic Formation repairs and cracking.

"It's time to go for a field inspection."

On the evening of the fourth day, Lin Ye left Xuanwei Peak and headed to the back mountain of Yaoguang.

The back mountain was a non-core area of the Holy Land, and few Disciples came here usually. The ancient trees towered here, quiet and deep, with only a few bluestone paths winding through them.

Following the map's guidance, Lin Ye walked for about half an hour, and suddenly his view opened up.

A stone platform nine zhang and nine chi high stood on the edge of the cliff, built entirely of grayish-white Star Meteorites, its surface naturally producing dotted silver light spots, resembling real stars in the twilight. The stone platform was octagonal, with a stone pillar standing at each corner, and different astrology patterns carved on the top of the pillars.

This was the Star Gazing Platform.

At this moment, the Star Gazing Platform was shrouded in a layer of faint silver light, which was a protective Formation. The Formation was not strong; it was mainly to prevent idlers from climbing the platform at will and interfering with star observation.

Lin Ye walked close and looked carefully.

The architectural style of the Star Gazing Platform was simple and grand, with every Star Meteorite fitting tightly together, and fine Formation patterns engraved on the surface. Most of these Formation patterns had dimmed, but the core Formation eyes were still operating, absorbing the faint Star Power.

Lin Ye walked around the Star Gazing Platform and finally stopped in front of a stone pillar on the west side.

According to the "Star Gazing Platform Structural Diagram," three zhang below this stone pillar was that "long-disrepair" Formation eye.

He took out the Star Meteorite fragments and held them in his hand. The fragments resonated weakly with the Star Gazing Platform, emitting a faint silver light.

"It really works..."

Lin Ye probed his Divine Sense towards the bottom of the stone pillar. Although blocked by the Formation and rocks, with the resonance of the Star Meteorite fragments, he could still vaguely feel the situation below—there was indeed a Formation eye there, with most of the Formation patterns missing, and the Star Power flowing unsmoothly within it, forming a blockage point.

"If I trigger the Dao Rhyme of the Secret Character of Jie here..." Lin Ye thought about the possibility.

A damaged Formation eye meant the Formation was incomplete and prone to loopholes. And on the night of the Seven Stars Alignment, the Star Power Tide would reach its peak, and this blockage point would likely become one of the outlets for the Star Power to vent. If at that moment, he guided it with a special method...

"More precise calculations are needed."

Lin Ye took out paper and pen and began to record the detailed data of the Star Gazing Platform: the position, height, and angle of each stone pillar, the direction of the Formation patterns, the laws of Star Power flow...

These data would become the key to him triggering the Dao Rhyme of the Secret Character of Jie on the night of the Seven Stars Alignment five months later.

Night fell, and the stars gradually appeared.

Lin Ye looked up at the sky. Tonight's moon was not yet full, but it was already close to Perfection. Five months later, when the moon was at its roundest, the seven stars would align in a line...

At that time, it would be when he attempted to obtain the Nine Secrets Legacy.

Putting away the paper and pen, Lin Ye took one last look at the Star Gazing Platform and turned to leave.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long.

And at the highest point of the Star Gazing Platform, a black shadow that was almost integrated with the night sky watched quietly in the direction where Lin Ye left.

In the black shadow's hand, he held a silver silk cloth exactly the same as the one Lin Ye had obtained.

Only on that silk cloth, there was an extra line of annotations in blood-red text:

"The Nine Secrets appear in the world, the Great Tribulation is about to begin. He who obtains it may be the Lord of Salvation, or the Demon of World Destruction..."

The black shadow muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like grinding gravel:

"Chaos seeds a green lotus... Nine Secrets clue... Lin Ye, which one will you be?"

As the words fell, the black shadow dissipated like smoke.

As if he had never existed.