Daylight pierced the gloom that had gathered over Black Mountain Forest through the night, falling on Li Yuan with the dampness of morning dew and the freshness of grass and trees. He stood on a hillside not far from the ruins' entrance and glanced back at the deep, cavernous opening, like the throat of some giant beast.
Everything inside—the bloody Sacred Sacrifice, the frenzied enemies, the desperate girl, and the half of the Sacred Spirit Origin he had devoured and refined—seemed to have been swallowed by that entrance, becoming a buried secret deep underground.
He lowered his gaze to himself. His coarse martial hall uniform had long since been reduced to ragged strips by one fight after another, barely covering him. Most of the crisscrossing wounds on his body had closed, leaving only dark red, slightly raised scars, like ferocious tattoos recording the brutality of last night. His new skin was a healthy bronze, gleaming like metal in the morning light.
Within him, the Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun revolved slowly, quiet and powerful. His surging qi and blood were no longer a scorching tide, but more like lava churning deep beneath the earth: heavy, concentrated, and brimming with explosive force. He felt that even the slightest movement could make the air around him ripple, while the earth beneath his feet seemed to resonate faintly with his breathing.
He was in the Aperture Opening Realm, and far from a beginner. The half of the Sacred Spirit Origin and the Crimson Sun True Scripture had brought about a qualitative leap.
After finding his bearings, he set off toward Blustering Wind Martial Hall.
His pace was unhurried but steady. Each step fell with a strange rhythm, as if in time with the pulse of the earth. He made no effort to conceal