Night fell over Canglei Mountain like a suffocating veil, heavy and unrelenting. 

The wind carried an unnatural chill, slicing through the empty courtyards and silent halls of the sect grounds. 

An uneasy hush settled over the land, broken only by the distant howls of spirit beasts and the faint, flickering glow of formation wards warding off unseen dangers.

Jiang Xuan moved like a shadow , fluid, silent, deliberate. He wove between ancient pavilions and worn stone paths, each step calculated, each breath measured. 

By day, he was the laughingstock of the outer disciples, a crippled waste fit only for servitude. But by night?

By night, he was a predator stalking a den of fools who believed themselves untouchable.

The arrow in his system interface pulsed steadily, pointing southeast , toward the crumbling pagoda at the edge of Lingyuan Plaza . 

Few dared to approach it. Whispers spoke of cursed grounds, vanished disciples, and restless spirits that roamed its ruins. 

But Jiang Xuan knew better. This wasn’t some ghost story spun by frightened novices. It was something far older, far more dangerous.

He approached the pagoda, its once-proud roof now half-collapsed, its entrance flanked by weathered stone lions whose faces had long since been worn smooth by centuries of wind and time. 

The relic’s pulse grew stronger, a deep, resonant hum vibrating in his bones.

[System Synchronization: 73%...]

Faded characters were carved into the archway above him. Jiang Xuan traced them with gloved fingers: Sealed Burial , No Entry Beyond This Point.

“Too bad for them,” he murmured.

He stepped inside.

Dust hung thick in the air, disturbed only by his quiet movements. 

Cobwebs clung to the ceiling like decayed banners of forgotten worship. A broken prayer wheel spun lazily in the wind, creaking with age. 

But at the center of the chamber, half-buried beneath rubble, lay a stone disc etched with ancient runes , unmistakably a formation node.

As his foot crossed the threshold, the system flared to life.

[Relic Access Granted: Hidden Pathway Unlocked.]

With a low, grinding groan, the formation activated. Faint azure lines traced across the floor in glowing spirals. 

The ground trembled slightly, then split open. A narrow stairwell yawned downward, vanishing into pitch-black depths.

He hesitated for only a heartbeat.

Then descended.

The air grew colder with every step, oppressive and dense, pressing against his skin like invisible chains. 

Moisture clung to the walls, and distant echoes hinted at vast caverns buried far beneath the mountain.

[System Notice: Unknown Relic Residue Detected.]

Jiang Xuan’s eyes narrowed. Relic residue meant something powerful had either been sealed here , or left behind. Either way, the elders likely had no idea this place existed. Or worse , someone had buried it on purpose.

At the stair’s end, a massive underground chamber opened before him. Towering statues lined the walls, their faces eroded beyond recognition. 

At the chamber’s heart stood a single altar, and atop it, a fragmented jade talisman flickered weakly with fading energy.

The pulse he’d felt earlier surged here , strongest, clearest, calling to him.

He stepped closer.

[System Synchronization: 100% Complete.]

[New Skill: Relic Pulse Sense Acquired .]

A sudden clarity washed over him, as if a veil had lifted from his senses. 

He could feel the relic’s lingering aura now , threads of ancient energy still clinging to the fractured talisman, whispering secrets lost to time.

But before he could reach out, movement in the shadows made him freeze.

A figure.

Half-shrouded in mist, emerging from the darkness like a wraith.

Not a spirit beast.

A person.

Tall, slender, face obscured beneath a thin veil of silver mist. They moved with eerie grace, silent and cold, their very presence suffocating.

Jiang Xuan instinctively suppressed his spiritual energy, becoming as inert as stone. His system flickered with warning.

[Unknown Entity Detected: Power Level , Unknown.]

The figure paused beside the altar, as if studying the jade fragment. Then, without a word, they turned and vanished deeper into the cavern, swallowed by the dark.

Jiang Xuan didn’t move. Not until the oppressive aura faded entirely.

His mind raced.

Someone else knows about this place? Who the hell was that?

He couldn’t risk being discovered now. Not with his cultivation still stabilizing. But one thing was certain , whatever lay beneath Canglei Mountain , it wasn’t dormant anymore.

He stepped forward, carefully pocketing the fragmented talisman. A fresh surge of energy pulsed through him.

[New Quest Acquired: Relic Echo , Trace the Origin .]

Jiang Xuan smirked. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Carefully retracing his steps, he ascended back through the hidden passage, sealing the formation behind him. 

The night air outside felt sharp and biting, carrying distant howls from the forest below.

He glanced back once at the pagoda’s shadowed frame.

Let them believe he was weak. Let them think he was broken.

Let them laugh.

Because soon, this entire mountain would belong to him.

And the first heads to roll would be Liu Tianyi’s.