By IMERPUS RELUR
--
Three days passed.
Liang Chen rebuilt what he could—stone by stone, ruin by ruin. He cleared the overgrown path, repaired the formation's outer markers, and sealed the archive room using basic script patterns the system had shown him.
But he had no new spirit stones.
And the formation's integrity remained just over 50%.
He knew time was running out.
And then—they returned.
Two figures cloaked in shadow stepped past the treeline. The same ones he'd seen before. This time, they were not alone.
Five others followed.
Each wore a tattered robe stitched with the symbol of a twisted root, blackened and curled like charred wood. Their robes were patched and uneven, their weapons mismatched—but their auras were real.
> Body Tempering (Mid to Peak Stage)
One Qi Refining Cultivator – Early Stage
The lead man was thin, sharp-eyed, and carried a ring blade on his back.
He stopped just before the outer array and gazed at the faint glow of the Mortal-Tier Defensive Formation.
> "This place was dead," he muttered. "Now it's twitching."
The one beside him laughed. "A half-lit array? A child's trap. If someone's squatting inside, we clear them out and claim the ruin. Just like always."
They began testing the edge—pressing against it, stabbing with blades, trying to sense its weak points.
Inside the array, Liang Chen crouched behind the stele.
His heart beat hard.
He couldn't win in open combat. Not yet.
But he could think.
> [Defensive Array: Mortal-Tier – Integrity: 49%]
[Warning: Repeated external pressure detected]
The system's voice was calm.
He wasn't.
Then something else appeared in his vision—new text, faintly glowing in the corner of his interface:
> [Optional Function Detected: One-Time Array Overcharge]
Requirement: 1 Spirit Stone – Low Grade
Effect: Push array output to 200% for 15 minutes before complete burnout. Use with caution.
He didn't have a stone.
Not even fragments.
But if he did… he could burn the array to repel or destroy them all in one burst.
Instead, he waited.
The group continued circling, testing the limits. The leader scowled.
> "The core must still be half-dead. We'll bring a Formation Cracker next time."
Liang Chen memorized the face. The voice. The weapons.
Then the scavenger sect turned, fading back into the trees.
But not before leaving a sigil behind: a cracked root etched into stone with blood.
> "We'll be back."
---
That night, Liang Chen sat before the archive monolith again.
He stared into the dark chamber, quiet.
Then he whispered:
> "I won't let you be eaten."
And the sect responded—softly.
The monolith glowed faintly. The carved script shimmered.
> [Optional Legacy Preview Available – Ash-Sleeping Sect Inheritance Fragment 01]
Cost: 0 Stones (One-time Preview)
He accepted.
The vision flickered.
And then came fire. Still, silent, and eternal.