Chapter 18: The Prison Beneath the Tomb
1762 Words
The sinister laughter continued to echo through the collapsing chamber.
It was not loud.
Yet every word seemed to seep directly into the hearts of those present, awakening fear they didn't know they possessed.
Luo Jian's face turned pale as he struggled to breathe.
Qin Yu's hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Even the usually composed Inner Sect disciple could not hide the shock in his eyes.
Only the mysterious old man remained calm.
His gaze was fixed on the endless abyss beneath the shattered floor.
"So..."
"It has awakened."
The laughter faded, replaced by the deafening sound of metal snapping.
Clang!
Another ancient chain broke.
The entire inheritance shook violently.
Huge stones crashed from the ceiling, smashing into the ground and sending clouds of dust into the air.
Lin Chen looked toward the abyss.
The darkness below was no longer empty.
Two enormous golden eyes slowly opened.
They were larger than houses.
Cold.
Ancient.
Filled with endless hatred.
The pressure that erupted from them caused everyone's spiritual qi to become sluggish.
Luo Jian collapsed onto one knee.
"I... I can't move..."
The old man raised his wooden staff.
A gentle wave of spiritual energy spread through the chamber, easing the pressure on the younger cultivators.
"Breathe."
"Don't resist."
"The stronger you resist its aura..."
"...the more it crushes your mind."
Lin Chen immediately adjusted his breathing according to the rhythm of the Voidheart Scripture.
The oppressive feeling lessened considerably.
He glanced at the old man.
"Senior..."
"What exactly is sealed below?"
The old man was silent for several breaths.
Finally, he sighed.
"A remnant."
"A survivor from an age that should have ended."
His words stunned everyone.
Qin Yu frowned.
"You mean..."
"It's still alive after thousands of years?"
"Not alive."
The old man shook his head.
"Not dead either."
"It exists between the two."
Before anyone could ask further, the golden eyes blinked.
The sinister voice returned.
"So..."
"The old guardian still draws breath."
The old man looked toward the abyss.
"I've been waiting for this day."
The voice laughed again.
"You failed."
"The seal weakens."
"The inheritance has chosen its successor."
"And you no longer possess the strength to stop me."
The old man didn't deny it.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
"I was never meant to stop you forever."
"I merely had to wait..."
"...for the right person."
As he spoke, his gaze slowly turned toward Lin Chen.
Everyone followed his eyes.
Lin Chen frowned.
"Me?"
The old man nodded.
"The inheritance chose you."
"Not because you're the strongest."
"Not because you're the most talented."
"But because your Sword Heart remained unbroken."
Lin Chen remained silent.
He knew there had to be more.
The old man continued,
"The Eternal Sword Canon cannot be cultivated by someone whose resolve wavers."
"It rejects ambition without purpose."
"It rejects power without compassion."
"And it rejects those who wield the sword only for themselves."
Qin Yu's eyes widened.
"The Eternal Sword Canon?"
"I've heard that name before..."
"My master once said it disappeared before recorded history."
The old man smiled.
"Then your master knows more than most."
The chamber trembled once again.
This time, one of the giant chains shot upward from the abyss.
It whipped through the air like a dragon.
Boom!
The chain smashed into a nearby stone pillar, reducing it to dust.
The shockwave threw several disciples backward.
Lin Chen immediately steadied Luo Jian before he struck the wall.
"Thank you..."
Luo Jian gasped.
Lin Chen's attention never left the abyss.
Something was climbing upward.
Not quickly.
But steadily.
Each movement was accompanied by the sound of another chain breaking.
Clang!
Clang!
The old man's expression became grave.
"We don't have much time."
He suddenly waved his sleeve.
Five streams of light shot toward the group.
Each person caught a small jade talisman.
Lin Chen examined his.
Its surface was engraved with a tiny sword.
"Keep it close."
The old man said firmly.
"It will conceal your presence for a short while."
Qin Yu looked confused.
"What about you, Senior?"
The old man smiled.
"I'll remain here."
Silence filled the chamber.
Luo Jian immediately shook his head.
"No."
"If we leave you alone—"
The old man raised a hand.
"My duty began long before any of you were born."
"And today..."
"It ends."
His voice carried no fear.
Only peace.
Lin Chen looked into the old man's eyes.
For the first time...
He realized who this mysterious elder truly was.
Not a wandering cultivator.
Not an accidental visitor.
He was...
The final guardian of the ancient inheritance.
Before anyone could speak again, a monstrous black claw slowly emerged from the abyss.
Its scales were covered with broken runes.
Each claw was longer than a sword.
The ancient prison...
Had finally begun to open.
The monstrous claw gripped the edge of the abyss.
Its scales were as black as obsidian, yet countless broken golden runes still clung to them. Ancient chains wrapped tightly around its wrist, but one after another, they shattered beneath its immense strength.
Clang!
Another chain snapped.
The sound echoed throughout the inheritance.
The chamber shook so violently that entire sections of the ceiling collapsed.
Lin Chen tightened his grip on his iron sword.
"What kind of creature is that?"
The old guardian's expression remained solemn.
"It no longer has a name."
"It lost that long ago."
"What remains..."
"...is only hatred."
The claw slowly pulled upward.
A second claw emerged from the darkness.
The creature was climbing.
Its movements were slow, but each one carried terrifying power.
Qin Yu's face turned pale.
"I've never felt such pressure."
"If it escapes..."
The old guardian nodded.
"Everything within a thousand miles will perish."
Silence followed.
Even Han, Zhao Feng, and the disciples trapped outside the second gate would have no chance of survival.
The inheritance wasn't merely collapsing.
It was failing in its final duty.
The jade token in Lin Chen's hand suddenly trembled.
A stream of golden light shot toward the ancient sword-shaped runes covering the chamber walls.
Every rune lit up at once.
The creature paused.
A furious roar shook the abyss.
"So..."
"The new bearer has awakened the seal."
The old guardian looked at Lin Chen.
"The Eternal Sword Canon recognizes you."
"It is asking for your decision."
"My decision?"
The old guardian nodded.
"You can flee."
"Or..."
"You can become the next guardian."
Those words stunned everyone.
Luo Jian immediately stepped forward.
"No!"
"Brother Lin has only begun cultivating!"
"How can he face something that even an ancient expert couldn't destroy?"
Qin Yu remained silent.
Deep down, he agreed.
This burden was impossible for someone at the Third Layer of Body Tempering.
The old guardian sighed.
"I'm not asking him to fight."
"I'm asking whether he accepts the responsibility."
Lin Chen lowered his head.
His gaze fell upon the glowing jade token.
Images flashed through his mind.
The nameless swordsman smiling among the clouds.
The words he had spoken.
"A sword... is a promise."
The faces of his parents appeared briefly in his memories.
Then Elder Mo Yun.
Luo Jian.
The disciples of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
Finally...
The battlefield of his previous life.
The countless people he had failed to protect.
Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again...
His hesitation had vanished.
"I accept."
The words were calm.
Yet they echoed throughout the chamber.
The jade token burst into brilliant golden light.
A pillar of radiance descended from the ceiling, enveloping Lin Chen completely.
The creature roared in fury.
"No!"
"Another guardian?"
"I will not remain imprisoned!"
Its enormous body surged upward.
For the first time, everyone caught a glimpse of it.
It resembled a gigantic dragon...
Yet its body was covered in shattered black armor instead of scales.
Its horns had been broken.
Half its face was scarred.
Ancient chains pierced through its flesh.
It looked less like a living creature...
And more like a prisoner that had struggled against its bonds for countless ages.
The old guardian struck the ground with his wooden staff.
Boom!
The chamber filled with dazzling sword light.
Every rune carved into the walls awakened.
Thousands of streams of golden qi shot toward the creature, wrapping around its body like chains.
The beast roared and fought violently.
The old guardian turned to the others.
"Go!"
"There isn't much time."
"No!"
Luo Jian shouted.
"We're not leaving you!"
The old man smiled gently.
"My duty ends today."
"But yours..."
He looked toward Lin Chen.
"...has only begun."
The entire chamber suddenly shook with unprecedented violence.
The ancient guardian's body began glowing.
Tiny particles of golden light drifted from his skin.
Lin Chen's expression changed.
"Senior..."
The old man laughed softly.
"This old body has guarded this place for over three thousand years."
"It is finally time to rest."
He raised his staff one final time.
"I entrust..."
"...the future..."
"...to you."
The staff shattered into countless rays of light.
The old guardian's body dissolved alongside it.
His life force merged with the ancient formation.
The countless runes surrounding the beast blazed brighter than ever before.
The prison stabilized.
The creature let out a deafening roar of rage.
"You may seal me today..."
"But the darkness will return!"
"When the final seal breaks..."
"No one will stop us!"
Its voice gradually faded as the golden chains dragged it back into the abyss.
One by one, the broken chains repaired themselves.
The c***k in the earth slowly closed.
Silence returned.
Only the ruined chamber remained.
Lin Chen stood motionless, staring at the place where the old guardian had disappeared.
He bowed deeply.
"I will not betray the promise you've entrusted to me."
The jade token glowed softly in response.
At that moment, a beam of light descended upon the four survivors.
The inheritance had completed its final task.
The world around them blurred.
When the light faded...
Lin Chen, Luo Jian, Qin Yu, and the cold young woman found themselves standing once more beneath the morning sky of the Spirit Beast Forest.
The ancient tomb had vanished.
It was as though it had never existed.
Only the jade token hanging from Lin Chen's waist proved that everything they had experienced was real.
Far away, hidden within the highest peak of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, an elderly man slowly opened his eyes during meditation.
His sharp gaze pierced through the mountains toward the Spirit Beast Forest.
"The inheritance..."
"...has chosen a successor."
His expression gradually became solemn.
"It seems..."
"The peaceful days of the cultivation world are coming to an end."
- Writer
