The air in the altar's core area was thick enough to feel solid.
Hyuga Xiao stood before the stone door engraved with star charts, half of the Starfall Decree Feng Qianye had left behind resting in his palm. A dark silver gleam flowed across its surface, and faint, intricate energy patterns could be seen along the broken edge—the traces left by it being forcibly torn apart.
"This is the place."
He murmured to himself and pressed his right hand against the groove in the center of the stone door.
The Covenant Stone Fragments within him trembled slightly, as if they had caught the scent of something from the same source. Xiao did not hesitate. He infused chakra into the Pact Stone, then transmitted it through his palm into the stone door.
Buzz—
The star chart on the stone door suddenly lit up.
The previously motionless star patterns began to slowly rotate. Beams of light shot from the edges of the groove, intertwining before the door to form a three-dimensional projection of the stars. At the center of the projection, a groove perfectly symmetrical to the decree in Xiao's hand slowly emerged.
Xiao pressed the half of the Starfall Decree into it.
Click.
It fit perfectly.
The moment the decree embedded itself, a dull sound of turning gears came from within the stone door. The entire stone wall began sliding apart to either side, revealing a deep passage beyond. A fist-sized glowstone was embedded in the walls every ten paces, emitting a soft milky-white radiance that stretched to the end of his vision.
Xiao stepped inside.
His footsteps echoed through the empty passage with a strange rhythm. He could feel the Covenant Stone Fragments within him growing more active with every step—something deep within this passage was calling to them.
After