The map on the dome had yet to fade. Blue-white light flowed across the rock walls like ripples on water. The ancient characters "Heavenly Mechanism," suspended amid the light and shadow, remained clearly visible. The residual warmth at the base of the crystal pillar had not yet dissipated, and fine threads of light still snaked across the ground like a breathing web.
Chen Wuya slowly withdrew his hand, and the torn scroll slipped into his robes with a soft rustle of fabric. He did not rise immediately. He merely lowered his gaze to his palm—between its lines, there seemed to linger a faint, almost imperceptible glow that vanished at the slightest touch.
In that instant of silence, a guardian suddenly spoke. "You touched the Pillar of Origin."
His voice was not loud, yet it was like a stone smashing into a still lake. Everyone's eyes turned away from the dome and fell upon Chen Wuya.
"The ancestral precepts decree that any who approach the pillar without the bloodline shall suffer backlash." The man stepped forward. A small bronze mask covered his face, and his frame was lean, but his tone was resolute. "You may have awakened the map, but have you considered why no one has seen this place in its entirety for a thousand years? It isn't that they couldn't. They didn't dare!"
Another chimed in, "That red light that seeped out just now was no auspicious sign. We have guarded the rules for generations and never acted rashly, yet today an outsider forcibly opened the mechanism. If disaster follows, who will bear the responsibility?"
Murmurs gradually arose. Some nodded, some frowned, and two others quietly stepped back, disappearing among their companions. Their sleeves shifted slightly, as though they had gripped something within.
Chen Wuya raised his head, his