Below the Valley– The Hollow Sanctum
They emerged in darkness.
But it was not cold.
No, it was alive—with torchlight that burned blue, with breath that echoed through cavernous halls. Before him stretched a city carved from black stone, pulsing with veins of crimson ore. Domes and towers rose like teeth. Bridges wove between stalactites. Waterfalls of Crimson light—not water—fell from the cavern ceiling, casting everything in a dreamlike glow.
The Hollow Eye Sect.
A place forgotten by the world. Hidden by time.
Yet it lived.
Strange creatures crawled along walls—Immortal beasts with translucent hides and eyes like stars. Monks in robes moved silently through the streets, many blindfolded, some barefoot on glass bridges. Massive statues loomed in the city center—depicting figures with missing faces, gazing toward a sky that did not exist.
Lin Mu's feet touched down on obsidian stone, still warm from some ancient forge.
The city did not feel hostile to him... Not yet.
