When Lin Wudao stepped through the secret realm's entrance, night lay thick around him. Damp mist carrying the scent of rotting leaves washed over his face. Before him, moss-covered stone steps wound into the depths of darkness. The Chaos Sword suddenly hummed, fine blue light shimmering along its blade and illuminating the weathered murals on either side of the steps-a group of black-robed figures surrounded an altar, and the black jade fragment floating at its center bore markings strikingly similar to those on the secret realm map fragment the system had displayed in his sea of consciousness.
"Ding! Residual traces of an ancient clan's sacrificial grounds detected. Hidden quest triggered: collect three black jade fragments to unlock the complete inheritance of Mystic Heaven Creation Instruction: Advanced Chapter." The system notification rang especially clearly in the silence.
Lin Wudao tightened his grip on the sword hilt. He had just stepped onto the third stone step when the ground suddenly shook violently. Countless tiny holes spread beneath his feet, and hundreds of skeletal claws burst through the earth. He leaped into the air and swept the Chaos Sword across, unleashing a half-circle blade of black light that severed every claw. Yet once the broken bones hit the ground, they swiftly reassembled into skeleton soldiers wielding rusty swords, ghostly green flames kindling in their hollow eye sockets.
"These things can regenerate?" Lin Wudao's brow furrowed deeply. He circulated the Mystic Heaven Creation Instruction, gathering spiritual power along the blade with the force of thunder. Boom! A bolt of purple lightning struck. The skeleton soldiers hit by it exploded, their charred frames showing no sign of reassembling. Yet more skeletons poured from the mist, forming a densely packed tide of corpses.
At the height of the fierce battle, a white figure flashed through the mist. Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Wudao caught sight of a black jade fragment at its waist and immediately abandoned the skeleton soldiers to pursue it. The white figure darted through the corridors, and whenever Lin Wudao was about to catch up, a mechanism would activate to block him. Spikes shot from the walls, huge rocks crashed down from overhead, and even strange mist coiled around him, trying to blur his senses.
"Stop!" Lin Wudao shouted, hurling the Chaos Sword. Its blade traced a golden arc through the air. Seemingly wary of the sword's might, the white figure turned and fled behind a bronze door. Lin Wudao pursued it to the door and found its surface covered in the same runes as the murals. The instant his fingertips touched it, an icy memory flooded his mind-in the scene, Great Emperor Xuantian held a black jade fragment and pinned the ancient clan's patriarch dead at the center of the altar. Blood soaked the black jade, which glowed an ominous red.
"So that's how it was..." Lin Wudao murmured. Just then, the system notified him that the black jade fragment was behind the door, but opening it required a particular spiritual power fluctuation. He tried circulating the Mystic Heaven Creation Instruction. The runes actually began absorbing his spiritual power, and the bronze door slowly opened.
Beyond the door lay a circular secret chamber. A black jade fragment rested on a stone platform at its center, with the white figure standing beside it. Once Lin Wudao saw the figure's face clearly, his pupils abruptly contracted-it was a gaunt-faced girl, her white robe stained all over with blood and half a broken sword embedded in her chest, yet a strange light gleamed in her eyes.
"You're here to steal the black jade too?" the girl asked hoarsely, snatching up the fragment and starting to retreat.
"I need it to complete the inheritance. If you're willing to hand it over, I can ensure you leave safely." Lin Wudao softened his tone as much as he could.
The girl suddenly let out a shrill laugh. "Safely? Ever since the ancient clan sacrificed me and turned me into something half-human and half-ghost, I've no longer known what safety is!" Before she had finished speaking, black mist surged around her, transforming her into a vicious ghost with three heads and six arms. The broken sword became nine bone blades that attacked in a sky-blotting barrage.
Lin Wudao swung the Chaos Sword. Sword Qi collided with the bone blades, unleashing an ear-piercing screech of grinding metal. The girl's attacks were fierce, every strike carrying black mist that corroded spiritual power. One grazed Lin Wudao's shoulder, and his skin instantly turned bluish-purple. Realizing he could not meet her head-on, he instead used a movement technique to circle behind her, directing the Chaos Sword at the vital point on her back.
"Ah!" The girl let out an agonized scream and reverted to human form. Lin Wudao was about to restrain her when the chamber floor suddenly split open and a gigantic centipede burst from the earth. It was a full ten zhang long, its shell gleaming like metal. Wherever the poisonous mist spraying from its mouth reached, even the stone tiles gave off bluish smoke.
"Watch out! That's a Spirit-Devouring Centipede raised by the ancient clan!" Having regained her senses at some point, the girl actually took the initiative to warn Lin Wudao. "You can only kill it by shattering the black crystal core on top of its head!"
With no time to think it through, Lin Wudao leaped onto the centipede's back. It thrashed violently, countless jointed legs pounding the ground and whipping up waves of air. Amid the shaking, he searched for the crystal core's location, the Chaos Sword charged to the brim with the power of lightning. Just as he was about to succeed, the centipede suddenly spat purple poisonous smoke. His vision went black, and he nearly fell.
At that critical instant, the girl swung her broken sword, severing two of the centipede's jointed legs and drawing its attention. Lin Wudao seized the opening to gather all his strength and thrust his sword at the crystal core. Crack! The instant the core shattered, the centipede let out an earth-shaking shriek and dissolved into a pool of foul-smelling blood.
"Why... did you help me?" Lin Wudao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The girl tossed him the black jade fragment and smiled bitterly. "I only wanted the ancient clan's secrets to see the light of day again. Back then, Great Emperor Xuantian seized three pieces of black jade and sealed them in different secret realms, while I... was the living sacrifice guarding a fragment." The broken sword in her chest suddenly glowed red. "Now my mission is complete. The road ahead is up to you."
The girl's body began to dissipate, turning into specks of starlight that merged into the black jade fragment. Lin Wudao gripped the fragment tightly, a jumble of feelings filling his heart. The system notified him that the quest was complete and unlocked part of the advanced chapter's cultivation method, but as he gazed at the spot where the girl had vanished, he could not let it go for a long time.
When he left the chamber, Lin Wudao discovered that the entire secret realm had begun to collapse. Holding the black jade fragment, he searched for an exit amid the falling rubble and dust. When the last shaft of sunlight fell across his face, he knew clearly that he was another step closer to Great Emperor Xuantian's secret...