The icy wind of the snowfield cut across Lin Tian's face like a blade.Step by step, he advanced toward the throne of ice. The whispers in his ears had swelled into a roaring torrent:
"Come… unlock… become… the only one…"
Just one step from the throne, the world shuddered violently. A fierce, unseen force wrenched him back.
"Lin Tian—wake up!"Zidian's thunderous roar tore through the illusion.
Lin Tian's eyes snapped open. Above him was the dome of the ice chamber, cracks spreading like a spider's web, shards of frost tumbling down. Mu Changsheng stood to the side, brows knitted—clearly not expecting an outside force to break in.
"Tch. Sooner than I thought," Mu murmured.
The next instant, the great doors of the chamber burst open under a formless impact, and three figures stepped inside at once.
Zidian, wreathed in lightning, took the lead. Behind him, Lu Feng's blade-aura surged like a freezing tide, while You Xuan, cloaked in blue-black, let the eerie blue glow of his eyes pierce the cold chamber air.
"Lin Tian!" Zidian locked onto him immediately, lightning flooding the chamber in an instant. "Get away from that ice coffin!"
Mu Changsheng moved like a shadow, placing himself between Lin Tian and Zidian, his smile unruffled. "You came at the perfect moment—to witness the birth of a new king."
"A new king?" Lu Feng's blade slowly leveled at Mu. "You mean… the Hanyuan?"
You Xuan did not strike. His gaze fixed instead on the glow at Lin Tian's chest, where the Spirit Pearl pulsed visibly through his skin, beating like a heart.
"So that's it…" You Xuan murmured. "The Hanyuan has already chosen you."
A chill coiled in Lin Tian's gut under that penetrating stare. He opened his mouth to speak—but the Spirit Pearl's pulse quickened, its rhythm ancient and strange, half heartbeat, half incantation.
Mu cast You Xuan a sidelong glance, lips curling in faint mockery. "You want to lay hands on it too? Too bad. Once the key chooses its master, there's no turning back."
You Xuan's lips curved slightly. "Who said I wanted the Hanyuan itself?"
Before the words faded, a twisted sigil flared beneath his cloak. The chamber's shadows tore loose and writhed, forming countless black tendrils that lunged for Lin Tian.
"Not a chance!" Zidian erupted in a storm of thunder, chains of lightning whipping into existence and shattering the shadow-limbs to fragments. At the same moment, Lu Feng moved—his blade not aimed at Zidian, but cleaving straight toward the ice coffin.
Clang!Steel met ancient ice with a piercing shriek, the collision shaking the chamber and spawning fresh fractures across the walls.
The shock drove the breath from Lin Tian's lungs; the Spirit Pearl's throbbing grew violent, its power surging until his meridians felt ready to burst.
"Go!" In a flash, Zidian was at his side, sweeping him up with a flick of his massive tail. "Stay, and this place becomes your grave!"
Mu's cold laugh froze the very air. From his palm, a tide of frost surged forth, sealing the chamber doors solid. "No one leaves."
"That's not certain," came You Xuan's voice, sharp as cracking ice. Raising his hand, he unleashed his shadows again—this time enveloping the entire chamber.
In the blink of an eye, all of them—Zidian, Mu, Lu Feng, Lin Tian, and the ice coffin—were swallowed into absolute darkness.
Shadow Abyss — The Nameless Domain
There was no up, no down, no horizon—only infinite dark, broken by fleeting silver fractures in the void. Lin Tian clung to consciousness, realizing that the Spirit Pearl was beating faster here, as if answering some call.
Zidian's scales shimmered faintly in the half-light, his eyes uncharacteristically grave. "This is You Xuan's domain—the Shadow Abyss. The only ones who leave it… are its master, or corpses."
Mu appeared unfazed, as though expecting this. "Perfect. A fine place to witness the Hanyuan's awakening."
Lu Feng's blade hovered midair, his gaze flicking between Lin Tian and the ice coffin, hesitation plain in his stance.
You Xuan began walking toward Lin Tian, each step pressing down like a weight on his heartbeat. "Give me the Hanyuan, Lin Tian… and I'll let you live."
Lin Tian drew a slow breath, his eyes hardening. "It chose me. I won't give it to anyone."
You Xuan stopped. The blue fire in his eyes turned to ice. "Then—die."
The Shadow Abyss contracted like a closing fist, and from every direction, clawed shadows rushed at Lin Tian.
At that moment, the Spirit Pearl blazed—a searing burst of silver light that tore through the darkness.