Chapter 48 – Infiltration
The wind carried whispers.
Jin landed soundlessly on a jagged slope overlooking the ruin he had seen from the cliff. The shattered temple stood atop a rocky mountain, cracked pillars glowing faintly under a fractured dome of barrier essence. The structure itself was half-buried in the rock, but the aura leaking from within was no illusion—old, cold, and powerful.
Gorr crouched beside him, the space element subtly folding the light around his form, rendering them both nearly invisible. Jin had used the wind element to suppress their presence. Together, they were shadows.
He scanned the perimeter.
At least fifteen cultivators milled around the outer courtyard of the ruin. Their robes bore varying insignias—seven from the Luminous Peak Sect, four from the Blazing Phoenix Sect, and three from the Howling Storm Sect. There was even one robed figure with no insignia—likely a rogue cultivator who had joined them temporarily.
Jin's eyes narrowed.
Each one of them was at the late-stage Initiate Realm.
No ordinary group.
Inside the ruin, however, was chaos. He could sense the fighting—violent clashes of fire, ice, and poison colliding deep within the structure. The spatial fluctuations suggested hidden formation traps were being triggered.
They weren't here to admire the architecture.
They've already triggered the ruin's trials.
But what drew Jin's attention most was the one standing at the front—a tall man with silver hair bound in a jade clasp. His robes bore the phoenix emblem of Luminous Peak, and the poison aura wrapped around him was so condensed it shimmered like mist.
Jin recognized him.
Reivan Lang.
An elite disciple and the direct junior of a sect elder. He'd watched this man fight once during the tournament qualifiers in his early days at Aegis. He remembered the arrogance and cruelty in his methods—how he used poison to paralyze opponents and forced them to surrender in agony.
Reivan's presence here wasn't good.
He wasn't just strong—he was methodical.
If he's leading this group, the ruin's already in trouble…
Jin knew storming in would be suicide. So he waited. He watched.
For hours.
Night passed and morning arrived, sunlight brushing the peak with gold. During that time, three cultivators returned from the ruin's depths—two wounded, one unconscious.
Jin learned quickly.
The ruin had three stages: the outer formation, the trial of essence, and the Pool of Dissonant Will—a location none of them had reached yet, but which Reivan believed held a legacy from a forgotten ancient.
Reivan's voice rang out earlier that morning, echoing faintly toward Jin.
"We press on after this formation is broken. This is no ordinary ruin—it's one that tests the purity of essence and the unity of mind. Those who fail will be devoured."
It wasn't a bluff. Jin could feel the malevolence within the temple. A residual will laced with resentment. He'd sensed something similar in the blood pool where Gorr had evolved.
"Looks like we have to act before they get to the final stage," Jin murmured.
But how?
Even with his early-stage Adept Realm power, Jin knew he couldn't take on this many enemies head-on—not unless he wanted to burn through all his essence and risk awakening the dark orb's power again.
He wasn't ready for that.
Then… an idea bloomed.
He turned to Gorr and smirked.
"We don't have to fight them all. We just have to shake the hornet's nest."
Gorr tilted his head.
"We strike inside. Cause chaos. Then wait for the vultures to tear each other apart."
---
Night returned.
The stars blinked above as Jin slipped into the ruin from the side, bypassing the barrier by latching onto one of the departing scouts and moving in with the wind.
Inside, the air was heavy with blood and decay.
The ruin's halls were tall and narrow, filled with cracked murals of ancient creatures and forgotten battles. Elemental traps glowed faintly along the walls—many already triggered. The signs of conflict were everywhere: scorched stone, frozen corpses, shattered talismans.
Jin's eyes gleamed.
The essence in here was denser than he thought. Something powerful lay ahead.
He followed the trail and found a large chamber glowing red with essence. The floor was etched with runes, and a floating orb hovered in the center—pulsing gently.
One of the final trial gates.
Jin stepped forward carefully.
But before he reached it—
"You're not part of our sect."
Jin froze.
A woman stepped from the shadows behind a broken pillar. Her robe bore the insignia of the Blazing Phoenix Sect, but her expression held none of the arrogance. Her gaze was wary, calculating.
Jin turned slightly, readying a spell.
She raised a hand. "Wait. I'm not here to fight."
He narrowed his eyes.
"My name is Lyra," she said, voice low. "They captured me three weeks ago. My entire team was killed during an ambush outside the ruin. I was forced to join them."
"…Forced?"
She took a breath. "Ignis—the genius of the Blazing Phoenix Sect—he intends to make me his… furnace. But he's not here, he had something urgent to attend to and left."
Jin's brow tightened.
"He thinks my body constitution enhances his fire essence. They call it cultivation duality. I call it slavery."
She stepped back, letting the silence settle.
"I saw you and your friend watching from the cliffs. If you were enemies, we'd be dead already. You waited. That means you're not with them."
Jin didn't move.
"I want out," Lyra said. "And I'll help you. Reivan, Ignis, all of them—they think they own this place. But I've seen enough to know this ruin has a will. And I think it's reacting… to something inside you."
Jin's body tensed.
"How do you—?"
"I felt it. Just for a moment. Something deep. Dark. Watching."
Jin's lips tightened. The orb. Again.
She tilted her head, her voice softening. "You're not the only one who wants to escape fate."
Jin studied her carefully. Fire and light essence. Late-stage Initiate Realm, just like the others… but broken. She had been strong once. Maybe still was.
He needed an ally. Just one.
"Fine," he said. "We collapse this place from within. Take what we can. And run."
She nodded.
But before either could speak again—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion shook the chamber. Screams echoed from deeper inside—violent, distorted.
Then silence.
Jin and Lyra locked eyes.
"Someone triggered the final trial."
Above them, the ceiling cracked. Dust rained down.
Essence howled.
The ruin was waking up.
Jin stepped forward, eyes sharp with purpose. "Let's go."