From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 532 The First Unlocking of Fate

That icy gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, leaving a direct imprint on the depths of my soul.

The woman in black robes disappeared, but her words, "The destined one will eventually return to his place," lingered in my mind like a curse.

What does "returning to one's rightful place" mean?

Should I return to my past life's identity, or... return to the side she belonged to?

A bone-chilling cold rose from the soles of my feet, making me shiver involuntarily.

This is not out of fear, but a warning from the soul's instinct after being targeted by a nemesis.

"Yao'er, are you alright?" Wen Chen's voice pulled me back from my chaotic thoughts.

He stepped in front of me, his eyes full of concern, and subtly shielded me behind him.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil in my heart, and shook my head: "I'm fine. It's just what she said..."

"Who is this person? Why did she appear from the talisman?" Elder Qingfeng frowned, stroking his beard as he scanned the talisman in the air and the place where the woman had disappeared. "Her aura... is cold and pure, unlike that of ordinary demonic cultivators. She seems to be... the embodiment of rules."

“She…she seems to know Sister Xiao Yao…” Zi Ling’s voice trembled slightly, clearly not yet fully recovered from the terrifying pressure she had just experienced. “The way she looked at you was so strange.”

All eyes were focused on the ethereal immortal, who, as the guardian spirit of this place, should know something.

Sure enough, an unprecedented solemnity appeared on the ethereal immortal's illusory face.

He sighed, “I have never seen her true form either. I have only sensed a similar existence in the oldest inherited imprint of the Wuxiang Palace. They call themselves ‘Night Watchers’ and are the maintainers of the old order. In their eyes, any attempt to break the shackles of fate is a desecration of the Heavenly Dao.”

"The Night's Watch? The Old Order?" I keenly grasped the key words. "You mean, there's more than one of them?"

“Indeed.” The ethereal immortal nodded. “They are shadows that coexist with the laws of this world, omnipresent yet elusive. The woman just now was probably only one of them, a warning thought sent through the medium of the talisman after sensing the first seal being broken. She is right, this is indeed just the beginning.”

Wen Chen's face darkened: "You mean, every time we break a seal, it will attract the attention and interference of an even more powerful 'Night Watcher'?"

"Yes." The ethereal immortal's answer weighed heavily on each of our hearts like a boulder. "The nine seals of the Formless Palace not only seal away power, but also a piece of 'truth' that has been erased. What you must do is defy the heavens and bring that truth back to this world. And the duty of the Night Watchers is to stop you. The rift in the sky outside is probably their doing; it is the coordinate that guides their power to descend."

I understood instantly.

We are racing against time to break the seal here, while the enemy is gathering forces outside, preparing to crush us in one fell swoop.

This is a race against both internal and external pressures; we have no way out.

“Then we have even less time to waste!” I said decisively, my gaze regaining its resolve. “Senior, where is the second seal? What should we do?”

Inspired by my resolute attitude, the morale of the group was boosted.

Yes, fear and speculation solve nothing; only by moving forward can we find a glimmer of hope.

The ethereal immortal gave me an approving look: "Very good. The first layer of the 'Spirit Awakening Seal' has been broken, and the core hub of the palace has been activated. Next, we will go to the 'Hall of the Heart' to break the second layer of the 'Seal of Inquiry into the Heart'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the huge circular stone slab in the center of the hall beneath our feet began to slowly sink, revealing a deep spiral staircase leading to the unknown underground.

An even more desolate and ancient aura than before emanated from below the steps, as if connecting to an ancient battlefield forgotten for millennia.

“The Palace of the Heart is below. But be careful,” the ethereal immortal warned. “The lifting of the Spirit-Awakening Seal means that the power of the Formless Palace itself is also beginning to awaken. This power will repel all outsiders, and the deeper you go, the stronger the suppression will become. Moreover, there are still remnants of the chaotic will from the great war of that year. If you are not careful, you will lose your mind and fall into an illusion.”

"Let's go." Wen Chen didn't hesitate at all, taking the lead to the entrance of the stairs, glancing back at me.

I nodded and followed closely behind. Elder Qingfeng and Ziling also caught up immediately.

The moment I stepped onto the stairs, I felt an invisible pressure squeezing in from all directions.

This pressure doesn't act on the body, but rather directly oppresses the soul, making one dizzy and wanting to give up.

I immediately activated the meditation technique from my past life, and a sense of coolness flowed through my mind, dispelling much of the oppressive feeling of restlessness.

I glanced at Ziling beside me. Her face was pale, and fine beads of sweat were seeping from her forehead. She was clearly on the verge of collapse.

I reached out and gently grasped her wrist, transferring a stream of pure spiritual energy to her while simultaneously transmitting my voice: "Guard your mind, imagine this pressure as flowing water, do not resist, and adjust your breathing and spiritual energy circulation along with it."

Ziling glanced at me gratefully and tried her best to adjust according to my instructions.

Although her face was still pale, her eyes were much more stable.

Wen Chen walked at the front, his steps steady and powerful, each step seemingly calculated to minimize the impact of the divine pressure on himself.

Elder Qingfeng then took out a jade pendant, which emitted a faint light, isolating him and Ziling from some of the pressure.

The spiral staircase seemed endless. As we spiraled downwards, the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer. Only the ancient runes on the walls would briefly light up as we passed, illuminating the path ahead before fading back into silence.

The surroundings were eerily quiet; the only sounds were our own footsteps and breathing.

That kind of loneliness and oppression is enough to drive a person with a weak mind insane.

“Xiao Yao,” Wen Chen suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the dimly lit passage, “Don’t be troubled by the words of that ‘Night Watchman.’ Whoever you are destined to be, the one standing here right now is yourself. Your choice is the most important thing.”

My heart warmed.

Wen Chen always gives me the strongest support with the calmest words at the most crucial moments.

I understand what he means. He is reminding me not to let the vague concept of "destined person" shake my resolve.

“I understand,” I replied softly. “My destiny is in my own hands. No one can arrange it for me.”

This conversation seemed to dispel the dull atmosphere between us.

We broke our silence and began to whisper our observations and feelings about our surroundings, reminding and supporting each other.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of light finally appeared in the darkness below.

It was a stone door emitting a soft white light, standing quietly at the end of the steps.

"We've arrived. That's the entrance to the Temple of the Heart." The ethereal immortal's voice echoed in our minds.

We quickened our pace and finally arrived at the stone gate.

The stone gate was several meters high, without any carvings, and smooth as a mirror, except for a palm-shaped groove in the center, which seemed to be waiting for my arrival.

Behind the door, a faint, heart-beat-like rhythm could be heard, heavy and powerful, each beat resonating with the spiritual energy within my body.

This is the second seal, the "Seal of Inquiry into the Heart".

I can sense that this seal is a hundred times more complex than the first one. It will test not only bloodline and key, but also one's Dao heart and will.

I composed myself and was about to step forward and place my palm into the groove.

At that very moment, an extremely subtle yet incredibly clear tremor came from beneath my feet without warning.

This tremor was different from the roar of the palace when the seal was broken. It was more muffled and oppressive, as if it did not come from the Wuxiang Palace that was suspended in the air, but from... a more distant and vast external world.

Wen Chen and Elder Qingfeng's expressions changed drastically at almost the same time.

"No!" Elder Qingfeng exclaimed, "This tremor... it's the lament of the laws of space!"

I suddenly raised my head. Although I was in front of a closed underground palace, my senses seemed to penetrate through layers of barriers, and I could perceive the terrifying changes in the outside world.

The black rift that had been torn open was expanding rapidly at an unimaginable speed, and a deathly aura, powerful enough to wither everything, was surging wildly in from the other side of the crack.

That was not a simple energy fluctuation, but rather the arrival of... "existence".

The whole world seemed to be beneath our feet, letting out a painful groan.

The storm is not coming.

It has arrived outside the door.