"Keep descending, until you reach the end of this abyss... The answer lies there."
Yan Huan said no more. After searching the palace for a while, he soon found a concealed door in an inconspicuous corner at the bottom of the pool.
He calmly pushed the door open, and a cold gust carrying the heavy stench of the sea and the dusty scent of ages rushed toward him.
The path beyond the door sloped downward. The stone steps were overgrown with slick moss, leading toward an even deeper, darker seafloor.
Following the narrow, shadowy path, Yan Huan arrived in a relatively open oval chamber.
Rough natural stone walls surrounded him, and at their center stood an enormous, ancient stele.
"Look, a grave..." Laigushi's voice sounded at just the right moment.
"Here, the prisoner who called herself a warden finally made her choice..."
Before the tombstone, time and space seemed to overlap, and memory phantoms of both Hysilens and Laigushi appeared at once.
The Laigushi of the past asked Hysilens, who had her back to him, in an even tone:
"Duke Jianqi, over the past century, I've lost count of how many times you've stopped here."
Without turning her head, Hysilens merely stared at the inscriptions on the tombstone.
"You're a noisy prisoner, Lycurgus."
Laigushi was not angered. His gaze likewise settled upon the enormous tombstone.
"Those two geniuses who altered the foundations of the [Law], along with every Chrysos Heir who sacrificed themselves here in this age. They—you—joined forces to weaken my power, but you cannot take away my will."
"As long as my will remains intact, I am free."
"Heh." Hysilens let out a cold scoff.
"Don't celebrate too soon... I still have ways to bind your soul."
"I look forward to it." Laigushi watched her back, his voice