The chamber was silent.
The lightning elemental was gone, its essence scattered into the air like dust returning to the sky. Shen Hao stood still, shoulders heavy, but eyes steady.
Before him, the scroll floated gently in a golden glow.
He reached forward, hands trembling from the battle, and closed his fingers around it.
It was cold to the touch — too cold for something born of lava and lightning — but inside, Shen Hao felt warmth. Not heat, but meaning. Legacy.
He took a deep breath and turned.
Mo Han hovered silently behind him. The two golems stood near the broken platform's edge, waiting like statues carved from will.
Without a word, Shen Hao began to walk back. The others followed him, their footsteps quiet even in the echoing ruin.
The long path through the traps had deactivated. The flames were gone. The gravity fields faded. The wind, once violent, now whispered gently as Shen Hao retraced his steps.
Halfway up, the elder golem broke the silence.
"Shen Hao."
He stopped and looked back.
"From this day forward, we acknowledge you as our master."
Shen Hao blinked. "What"
The younger golem nodded. "We were created to protect our previous master's legacy. That legacy now lives within you."
The elder extended his hand. In it was a ring — dark silver, etched with ancient runes that shimmered faintly even in the low light of the ruin.
"This is the Ring of Eternal Vault. It can store anything — energy, items, even living beings and biological lifeforms."
Shen Hao stepped closer, eyes wide.
"Its only limit," the elder continued, "is weight — 1 billion tons."
Shen Hao accepted it, slowly sliding it onto his finger. It adjusted to him instantly.
"Whoa…" Lingfeng muttered. "I want one."
"You don't have fingers," Shen Hao whispered back.
Lingfeng pouted.
"You may store us in the ring," the younger golem said. "Until we're needed."
With a flash of Qi and a silent agreement, both golems turned into streams of light and entered the ring. Shen Hao felt their presence settle inside — silent, respectful, waiting.
The path continued upward, and the air grew cooler with every step.
"I have questions," Shen Hao finally said.
"Then listen," the elder golem's voice echoed from the ring. "You deserve to know the truth."
"Long ago," the voice began, "there lived a cultivator unmatched in all of Earth's history. His name was Master Zahraan — the founder of Earth's cultivation path."
"Many revered him. Some even worshipped him out of ignorance. But he was no god — only a man of overwhelming strength, will, and wisdom."
"He lived for thousands of years, creating a legacy vast enough to shape nations. At his side, he raised seven disciples — not as servants, but as sons and daughters."
"But as their strength grew… so did their ambition."
"One day, a foreign being arrived — not human, not of Earth. We still don't know how he came or what he truly was."
"But his words were poison."
"He told the five eldest disciples how to slay their master and divide his Origin Consciousness into five equal parts — 20% each."
"Blinded by greed, they believed they could rise beyond all realms."
"Only two disciples remained loyal."
Shen Hao walked slower now, as the golem's voice grew deeper.
"The battlefield stretched beyond mountains. Flames covered the sky. Lightning turned rivers into steam."
"At the center stood Master Zahraan — his robes in tatters, but his eyes burning brighter than suns."
"To his left and right, his two remaining disciples — each at Level 8. They stood against an army of thousands. And behind that army... the five betrayers."
"Four had reached Level 8. One had already become Level 9."
"The battle was endless. Waves of enemies came, wielding dark techniques, spirit-consuming blades, and soul corruption methods."
"Zahraan fought like the sky itself. He tore apart legions. He shattered the ground with his breath."
"But even he... could not hold forever."
"His two disciples... chose to sacrifice."
"They poured every last drop of Qi, life, and soul into a final creation — us."
"The energy burst was so massive... it gave us life. Real life. Souls. Not just programming."
"We were their last project. Their final gift. And their last breath."
"With their deaths... we awoke."
"With our arrival, the tide shifted. We turned the war. We destroyed fleets. We dismantled enemy armies."
"Our side formed an empire — The Dominion of Flame and Will."
"Their side — the betrayers — ruled as The Fivefold Ascendancy."
"For a hundred years, war raged."
"But eventually… we began to weaken."
Shen Hao paused again, frowning.
"Why You were unstoppable."
"Because we were tied to our creators. Elementals evolve only when their masters evolve. And our masters… were dead."
"Each day, our energy faded. Our bodies held form, but the strength inside slowly dimmed. We were not created to last. We were created to end a war."
Lingfeng floated beside Shen Hao. "So… just like me. Accidentally born from too much power."
"Yes," the golem replied. "Exactly like you."
"As our power faded, the betrayers grew. Three of them reached Level 9 peak. Zahraan saw the end approaching."
"He used forbidden seals to hide this chamber — even from Lord Mo Han — and stored his greatest secrets here."
"And then... he faced them one last time."
The air seemed to grow colder.
Mo Han's voice finally returned.
"He fell in battle. Not broken. Not defeated. But finished. His body vanished… but his legacy remained."
"My first disciple — the most powerful of the betrayers — did not kill him. Instead, they captured him."
"They extracted his Origin Consciousness. Split it. Implanted it into themselves. Each took 20%."
"And yet… not one of them ever broke through to the Demi-Conqueror Realm."
Shen Hao turned his head. "Why"
"Because they lacked something no scroll can teach purity."
"Without it… power turns to ash."
"Eventually, all five of them died. Old. Alone. Unfulfilled."
"But the scrolls, the secrets… they remained."
Shen Hao reached the final steps.
A soft wind met his face. Light trickled in from the top.
He climbed the last platform.
And then —
The sky opened before him.
The sun was rising, orange and gold spilling across the horizon. Morning had come. The night of tests and truths had passed.
Shen Hao looked around, chest rising with each breath.
Lingfeng floated beside him, arms crossed.
"So... what now, Master"
Shen Hao smiled faintly.
"Now Now I go home."
He looked toward the distant city skyline.
"Before my family wakes up."
Mo Han's spirit hovered behind him, silent.
Shen Hao tucked the scroll into his robe.
The ring shimmered on his finger.
A new weight pressed on his shoulders — but it wasn't heavy.
It was purpose.
He took one last look at the hidden ruin behind him.
And then he flew — straight into the rising sun.