Lin Tian's breathing grew heavy after the chaotic battle in the dark river. The spirit pearl in his chest still emitted a faint silver glow, yet he forcibly suppressed it deep within his meridians, not allowing a single trace of its power to leak.
Mu Changsheng put away his spear and cast a cold glance at Zi Dian. "This is no place to linger."He turned to Lin Tian, his tone calm yet leaving no room for refusal. "Come with me."
Lin Tian frowned. "I didn't agree—"
"In your current state, you can't even protect yourself." Mu Changsheng's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "If you stay, you and it—" he jerked his chin toward Zi Dian, "—will both die here."
Zi Dian's tail coiled slightly, arcs of lightning flickering, as though ready to tear apart the man before him. "Mu Changsheng, if you so much as touch him—"
The corner of Mu Changsheng's mouth curved into the faintest of smirks. He tapped a finger lightly against the icy shaft of his spear, and the air temperature instantly dropped to freezing. "Do you want to try me?"
Lin Tian could tell that if they exchanged even a few more words, the fight would erupt once again—and at this moment, the rock walls of the dark river cavern were already riddled with cracks from the previous clash. If they fought again, the entire underground river system might collapse.
Clenching his teeth, he finally spoke. "Mu Changsheng, I'll go with you. But Zi Dian must leave here unharmed."
Mu Changsheng's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he uttered two faint words. "Fine."
Zi Dian stared at Lin Tian for several breaths, then exhaled softly. "Kid, don't die in his hands." With that, he flicked his tail and vanished into the mist at the far end of the cavern as a streak of thunder-light.
Mu Changsheng gave a small nod, then raised his hand in a slight grasping motion. A surge of icy-blue spiritual energy wrapped around Lin Tian, and with a flash, the two turned into a streak of light, crossing the dark river and disappearing into the depths of the mist.
The Ice Prison Mountains.
Lin Tian was brought to a towering peak shrouded in cold mist. At its summit stood a palace entirely made of crystalline ice, its outer walls reflecting a ghostly blue light, as if the entire sky had been frozen solid.
Mu Changsheng led him down a long corridor to a sealed ice chamber. At its center floated a crystal-clear ice coffin. Inside lay a man in ancient robes, his face calm, as if merely asleep.
"Who is he?" Lin Tian couldn't help but ask.
Mu Changsheng's voice was quiet. "The last Key Guardian of Beiming… and my master."
Lin Tian's heart jolted. Key Guardian—he had heard the term from Zi Dian before. It was the vital force of the Beiming lineage, the one that suppressed some ancient existence. And now, this Guardian lay in eternal slumber.
Mu Changsheng slowly turned, his gaze like a blade piercing into Lin Tian's eyes. "Han Yuan is inside your body—and you are the only one who can suppress it."
Lin Tian gave a cold laugh. "So you brought me here to use me as your weapon?"
Mu Changsheng did not deny it. "If you die, Han Yuan will be freed. When that happens, not just Beiming, but the entire Central Continent will be devoured."
Lin Tian was about to retort when a sudden pain stabbed his chest—the familiar cold surged wildly from the depths of the spirit pearl, sweeping through his limbs and bones in an instant.
"Heh… so your plan is to imprison me here." Han Yuan's voice echoed in his mind, clearer now than in the dark river. "Very well. Then I'll show you the price of sealing me."
Lin Tian's vision blurred as he felt himself being dragged into an endless, icy abyss.
—
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing upon a silver lake. The water was frozen like a mirror, surrounded by endless white mist.
From within the fog came the sound of footsteps.
A figure slowly emerged—clad in ancient silver armor, his face bore a faint resemblance to Lin Tian's, but older and more imposing.
"You…" Lin Tian's throat felt dry.
"My name is Han Yuan." The man's voice was deep, as if from the depths of antiquity. "You are my vessel—but also the only one who can kill me."
Lin Tian froze. "Why?"
Han Yuan did not answer immediately. Instead, he extended a hand, pointing into the depths of the mist. There, faintly, a colossal shadow took form—it was slowly awakening, exuding a pressure vast enough to swallow everything.
"Because our enemy is not just Mu Changsheng or Zi Dian," Han Yuan's voice dropped lower. "That… is the endgame."
Lin Tian's heart sank heavily.
The next instant, the mist surged, the ice lake cracked apart, and his consciousness was wrenched back into reality.
—
In the ice chamber, Lin Tian's eyes snapped open, cold sweat beading his forehead. Mu Changsheng stood not far away, watching him quietly. "You saw it?"
Lin Tian didn't answer. He only raised his head, his gaze heavy and complicated.
He knew he was already standing at the edge of a far greater vortex.