382: Ancient Altar Secrets, Heritage Marks

Deep within the Kunlun Mountain Range, the mist was thicker than the outskirts, and the spiritual qi was so chaotic it almost condensed into substance, bringing a cold sting when inhaled into the lungs. The New Guardians had just emerged from the trust trial when Ling Che suddenly stopped, the pure Spiritual Qi around him fluctuating violently: "Something's wrong; the flow of the Spiritual Vein nearby is very strange, as if it's being forcibly twisted by some kind of power!"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw a dark silhouette vaguely emerging where the mist was thickest, towering into the clouds and looking completely out of place among the surrounding mountains. Stone Dares All volunteered to scout ahead, protected by Mysterious Yellow Energy, and forcibly pushed through a patch of mist: "It's an altar!"

The seven people quickly followed, and when the mist cleared, an ancient and weathered altar appeared before them. Built from unknown black stone, the altar was dozens of chang high and divided into three tiers, each covered in dense runes. These runes were identical to the Guardian runes on the seven sages stele, but the lines were more ancient and vigorous, flowing with a faint golden light that faintly resonated with the aura of the distant Spiritual Vein Nexus.

"The age of this altar is likely even older than the Kunlun Sect of the Mortal Realm." Ling Xianer lightly touched the stone wall of the altar, her fingertips feeling the warmth coming from the runes. "Furthermore, these runes... share the same Origin as the Creation Runes I saw in the Origin Sacred Hall."

Green Sprout walked to the bottom of the altar, and the Spirit Ruins Spirit Seal at her waist suddenly flew out on its own, turning into a beam of emerald light that resonated strongly with the runes on the stone wall. The Fruits of Protection within her body also grew hot, and Vitality Spiritual Qi poured out uncontrollably, flowing along the paths of the runes: "I can feel it; these runes are calling to me."

"Be careful." Li Xiaoyao gripped his long blade, looking around alertly. "No one knows if this altar is dangerous."

Green Sprout nodded, took a deep breath, and pressed the Spirit Ruins Spirit Seal into the indentation in the center of the altar. The moment the seal was embedded, the entire altar shook violently, and the runes on the stone wall seemed to come alive, lighting up with golden light and spreading upward through the tiers of the altar.

"Rumble—"

The platform at the top of the altar slowly unfolded, revealing a circular formation eye, which was also covered in runes, perfectly matching the layout of the seven sages stele. Golden light shot up from the formation eye, forming a massive pillar of light that pierced through the mist of the Kunlun Mountain Range and reached straight into the clouds.

The seven people were enveloped by the pillar of light, feeling a majestic power surge into their bodies as the glow of the Fruits of Protection became even more intense. At the center of their brows, a mark identical to the runes suddenly appeared, golden in color and looking like a miniature version of the seven sages stele, emitting a faint Guardian power.

"Is this... a guardian mark?" Qin Yao instinctively touched her brow, feeling a warm current spread through her body from the mark. "I can feel the power of the Five Realms Spiritual Vein gathering toward me!"

At the moment the mark appeared, countless images flashed through the minds of The seven people simultaneously: Lu Chen holding a white source pearl, colliding with the Corroding Spirit Master's black source pearl; Yu Lan setting up a runic grand array to block the Evil Energy storm; Zhu Rongyan's flame spiritual qi burning away the filth; Hai Qinghan's water spiritual qi purifying the Spiritual Vein... Those were the battle fragments of The Seven of Lu Chen protecting the Five Realms back then, each scene filled with resolve and determination.

"So... this is the meaning of guardianship." Tears welled in Green Sprout's eyes. She finally understood the heavy meaning in Saintess Ningshuang's eyes when she taught her the methods of spiritual qi usage. "It's not about talent or power, but the determination to protect one's home even if it means giving everything."

Stone Dares All clenched his fists, the Mysterious Yellow Energy surging in his body. The image of the final battle between Lu Chen and the Corroding Spirit Master made his blood boil: "This is too incredible! I want to be like Saint Venerable Lu and the others, becoming a Guardian who can stand on my own!"

The pillar of light lasted for half an hour before slowly dissipating, but the guardian mark on the brows of The seven people did not disappear. Instead, it turned into a faint golden light and merged beneath their skin, remaining hidden. They could clearly feel that with just a thought, they could temporarily borrow the power of the Five Realms Spiritual Vein, causing their cultivation to instantly skyrocket.

"This guardian mark is proof of the ancient Legacy." Ling Che felt the changes within his body, his eyes full of pleasant surprise. "With it, we'll be able to better mobilize the power of the realm Spiritual Veins in the subsequent trials!"

Just then, Stone Dares All noticed a huge black stone standing in the corner of the altar. The stone was covered in cracks and emitted an aura identical to the residual Evil Energy at the Spiritual Vein nodes. With a thought, Mysterious Yellow Energy gathered in his fists, and he shouted: "Shatter for me!"

His fists slammed hard against the giant stone, and with a loud "crack," the stone instantly shattered into countless small pieces. Shockingly, the moment the stone shattered, a surge of pure Mysterious Yellow Energy poured out from the fragments, flowing along the rune patterns on the ground and actually triggering a resonance with the War Soul Cave in the distant Xuanhuang Realm—the five realms token at the waists of The seven people grew hot simultaneously, and faint phantom of war souls appeared on them.

"This evil stone can actually trigger the power of the War Soul Cave!" Ling Xiao's eyes flashed with surprise. "It seems it's not an ordinary stone, but a xuanhuang mother rock contaminated by Evil Energy."

Ling Xianer crouched down and picked up a fragment to observe it closely: "The purity of this Evil Energy is very high, much denser than the residual Evil Energy at the Spiritual Vein nodes. It's as if it comes directly from the Origin of the Spirit-Corroding Evil Clan."

Green Sprout noticed a tiny crack on the floor of the altar, with a faint golden light vaguely shining through it. She tentatively injected Vitality Spiritual Qi into the crack, and the golden light instantly became intense, with the vague sound of metal clashing audible.

"There seems to be something underneath!" Green Sprout looked up at the others. "It's hollow beneath this crack, and there's a metallic aura inside."

Stone Dares All wanted to smash the floor directly, but was stopped by Ling Xianer: "Don't be impulsive. The structure of the altar is very special; forcing it open might trigger danger. Moreover, the position of this crack is right below the formation eye of the runes. Perhaps something important is hidden there."

Ling Che closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, and then nodded: "The Spiritual Vein fluctuations inside are very stable, and they perfectly match the aura of the five realms token. It should be a treasure left behind by ancient Cultivators."

Just then, a soft golden light poured out from the altar's rune patterns, condensing into an ancient tome that slowly landed in front of The seven people. The cover of the tome was made of polished black stone, with the four golden characters "Altar Legacy Art" engraved on it. The pages detailed how to use the guardian mark, how to use the altar's power to communicate with the Five Realms Spiritual Vein, and the chant to activate the altar's hidden space.

"It's the Altar Legacy Art!" Qin Yao excitedly picked up the tome. "It records the method to activate the altar's underground space, which requires the simultaneous effort of the guardian mark of all seven of us!"

The seven people looked at each other, their eyes full of anticipation. Following the chant in the tome, they simultaneously activated the guardian mark on their brows, and golden spiritual light poured out from the marks, gathering at the formation eye in the center of the altar.

The formation eye lit up with golden light again, and the crack in the floor slowly widened, revealing a staircase leading underground. Both sides of the staircase were engraved with runes identical to those on the seven sages stele, emitting a soft light that illuminated the darkness below.

"The core area of the altar must be down there." Li Xiaoyao gripped his long blade and was the first to step onto the stairs. "I'll go first. You guys follow behind and stay alert."

Stone Dares All followed closely, protected by Mysterious Yellow Energy, alertly observing the surroundings. Ling Xianer, Ling Xiao, Green Sprout, Qin Yao, and Ling Che followed in order, and The seven people slowly walked down the stairs.

At the end of the stairs was a massive stone chamber. On a stone platform in the center of the chamber, a pitch-black token floated. The words "Five Realms" were engraved on the token, surrounded by five stars, perfectly matching the distribution of the Five Realms. The token emitted a majestic Spiritual Vein power, forming a strong resonance with the temporary tokens at the waists of The seven people.

"Is this... the five realms token?" Ling Che's eyes were full of shock. "The records in the tome say it can mobilize the emergency power of the Five Realms and is the highest token of authority for a Guardian!"

Green Sprout walked to the stone platform and could clearly feel the pure Spiritual Vein power contained within the token: "With it, we can quickly gather the forces of all races when the Five Realms face a crisis. We won't have to rely on passive defense like before."

Ling Xianer gazed at the five realms token, but felt a faint sense of unease in her heart: "This token is so important, why would it be hidden in an ancient altar in the Kunlun Mountain Range? Moreover, the rune layout of this altar is identical to the seven sages stele, as if it was specifically left behind by the Seven Ancient Sages."

Stone Dares All said carelessly, "Who cares who left it? Let's take it first! With this token, we'll have more confidence in protecting the Five Realms!"

Just as he reached out to take the token, it suddenly emitted a black light, within which the patterns of the Spirit-Corroding Evil Clan vaguely appeared. The temporary tokens at the waists of The seven people vibrated simultaneously, emitting a warning hum.

"Careful! There's residual Evil Energy on the token!" Green Sprout immediately shouted, and Vitality Spiritual Qi poured out, forming a green light shield in front of everyone.

The black light quickly dissipated, and the five realms token returned to tranquility, still floating on the stone platform. But all seven of them understood that the secrets of this ancient altar went far beyond this, and behind this five realms token, there seemed to be deeper secrets related to the Spirit-Corroding Evil Clan.

Ling Che looked at the token and said softly, "It seems our trial is not as simple as just increasing our strength."

The seven people surrounded the stone platform, looking at the five realms token emitting a mysterious aura, their hearts filled with awe and curiosity. They knew that taking this token meant the responsibility on their shoulders had become heavier, and the secrets of the Kunlun Mountain Range's ancient altar, as well as its connection to the protection of the Five Realms, were still waiting for them to uncover step by step in the subsequent trials.

In a corner of the stone chamber, a tiny black thread quietly retracted into the shadows, merging with the stone wall as if it had never appeared. And the aura of this thread bore a striking resemblance to the Evil Energy of the Corroding Spirit Master from years ago.