The dark crimson "Forge Heart Remnants" in his palm trembled slightly, like a heart that had slept for a thousand years awakening.
This faint pulse, however, was like a thunderclap, instantly igniting the violent power latent within Gu Xuan.
He grunted, feeling as if his internal organs had been thrown into a furnace spanning two realms; his blood surged and reversed, and a metallic sweetness rushed up his throat.
Forcibly synchronizing with that terrifying furnace spanning two realms just now to seize this item had ultimately extracted a price.
The cold, resentful power from the bottom of the Black Water Pool had already infiltrated his Spirit Sea along the connection of vital energy.
At the edge of the rift valley, the rocks were jagged and uneven.
Gu Xuan forcefully suppressed the surging blood, sat down cross-legged, and attempted to calm this backlash.
However, his Spirit Sea was no longer clear.
Bizarre and grand illusions flashed wildly, like a revolving lantern.
He saw himself, clad in dark armor, standing alone atop a platform piled high with white bones.
In his hand, he held a monstrous bone blade larger than a mountain, its edge aimed at the firmament shrouded by endless dark clouds.
With one slash, the sky tore open, unleashing an endless Blood Rain.
And the earth beneath his feet cracked inch by inch; from the Shen Yuan, ten thousand Wrathful Spirits stretched out withered claws, emitting wails that shook the Soul.
The scene was terrifyingly real; that aloofness and dominance in cleaving the heavens and earth, that cold indifference and resolve in trampling ten thousand souls, almost merged with his own Soul.
For an ordinary person, this might be mistaken for a prophecy of the future, or they might even become immersed in this feeling of world-destroying power.
But Gu Xuan’s gaze, after a fleeting moment of confusion, turned as cold as glacial ice.
No!
This was not a premonition, nor was it his own will.
This was a more sophisticated method—implantation!
It was the entity at the bottom of the Black Water Pool attempting to plant a seed called "Destiny" deep within his Soul, making him unknowingly follow a predetermined script.
“Trying to taint my Dao Heart? A fool’s errand!”
With a thought from Gu Xuan, the ancient and majestic Demon Suppression Hall deep within his Spirit Sea shook violently.
The hall doors burst open, golden divine radiance surged out like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire Spirit Sea.
“Purification Mode, activate!”
Buzz—!
Under the universal illumination of the golden light, those grand and bizarre illusions rapidly melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun.
A trace of imperceptible yet utterly venomous aberrant spiritual consciousness, unable to hide in the golden light, let out a sharp shriek, attempting to flee.
“Suppress!”
Gu Xuan let out a cold shout. The Ten Thousand Laws Pool atop the Demon Suppression Hall suddenly shot down a pillar of light, like an invisible shackle, precisely locking onto that aberrant spiritual consciousness and dragging it deep into the pool water.
The pool water churned, instantly sealing it completely, grinding away its will, leaving only the purest source of information, awaiting analysis.
Having accomplished all this, Gu Xuan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air tinged with faint black miasma.
He looked down at the Forge Heart Remnants in his palm, which had calmed down, his gaze profound.
It seemed the secret of Charcoal Iron Ridge was deeper than he had imagined.
The next morning, as dawn faintly broke.
Gu Xuan followed the faint pulsating sensation between the Remnants in his palm and the other fragment, venturing deep into the interior of Charcoal Iron Ridge.
Finally, he stopped before a cave entrance concealed by collapsed rocks.
Pushing aside the rubble, a cold wind mixed with the scent of rust, blood, and decay rushed toward him.
This was the entrance to that underground labyrinth.
Diving inside, the tunnels crisscrossed like a giant spider web, accessible everywhere yet utterly without pattern.
The rock walls were covered in claw marks of varying depths, some reaching several feet deep, with traces of long-dried dark brown bloodstains remaining on the edges.
It was easy to imagine that countless living beings had been trapped here, struggling in despair, eventually becoming part of this labyrinth.
Gu Xuan did not rush forward; he closed his eyes and employed the technique of Listen to the Wind and Discern Position.
His spiritual sense spread out, carefully capturing the subtle differences in airflow in every side passage.
Soon, he discovered that the passage leading southeast had abnormally slow airflow, almost stagnant.
This meant the end of that path was either a completely sealed dead end, or... another relatively independent space.
Having made up his mind, his figure flickered, and he silently slipped toward the southeast.
“Crack... crunch...”
After advancing only a hundred feet, a grating sound of bones rubbing together came from the darkness ahead.
Several staggering figures swayed unsteadily, blocking the path.
They were "Rust-Jade Corpse-Ghouls."
These corpse-ghouls seemed to have been craftsmen of Charcoal Iron Ridge in life; they wore armor long since rusted beyond repair and still clutched broken forging hammers and sharp iron chisels.
Their bodies were long decayed, their movements stiff, but the two points of Crimson Soul Fire in their eyes burned with fearless madness.
Gu Xuan’s eyes narrowed; he could feel that these corpse-ghouls were firmly bound to this place by some power, and any intruder would be treated as an enemy to be fought to the death.
Fighting them head-on would only waste time and attract more trouble.
In a flash, he flipped his wrist, and a pitch-black Yin Gui inscribed with bizarre Fu Wen appeared in his palm.
This Yin Gui sealed a wisp of Remnant Core he had obtained from the Fúyú Zhī Hǎi.
Without hesitation, he threw the Yin Gui backward into the depths of a side passage!
“Explode!”
With a low shout, the Yin Gui detonated at the end of the side passage.
Thick black mist instantly erupted; this was not ordinary smoke, but a mental shockwave containing the chaotic perception of the Mayfly Remnant Core.
For a moment, the movements of all nearby Rust-Jade Corpse-Ghouls froze simultaneously, their Crimson Soul Fires flickering violently, as if they had lost their targets.
Now was the time!
Gu Xuan’s figure slid past the rock wall like a phantom, taking advantage of the moment the ghouls' perception was confused to silently bypass their blockade and continue deeper into the core area.
The end of the passage opened up suddenly.
A massive circular stone chamber appeared before him.
In the center of the chamber, the second fragment of the "Forging Heart Anvil" floated quietly in mid-air, emitting an ancient aura identical to the piece Gu Xuan held.
But it was not freely accessible.
Nine pitch-black iron chains, as thick as a child's arm, extended from the surrounding rock walls, tightly locking the fragment. Each chain was densely inscribed with faintly glowing forbidden spell Fu Wen, forming a three-dimensional cage like a vast net.
Gu Xuan had only taken three steps forward when a cold, venomous whisper filled with endless temptation erupted from the ground like a spring, exploding directly in his mind:
“Sever them! Sever those chains! I can let you... hear your true name!”
The voice was magical, seemingly capable of stirring the most primal desires in the heart.
Simultaneously, the four walls of the stone chamber distorted with light and shadow, revealing layers upon layers of illusory figures.
These figures, men and women, old and young, dressed differently, were all attempting to seize the fragment by various means.
However, their final outcome was the same—the moment they touched the chains, their entire bodies burst into flames, turning into a handful of ashes that merged with the earth.
Gu Xuan’s gaze was not swayed by the tempting whisper; instead, he narrowed his eyes, staring intently at one of the illusions.
It was the back of a woman wearing a unique long robe; the pattern on the hem of the robe... bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Ye Xi!
His heart tightened, but he did not act rashly.
Sever the chains?
That was probably the fastest way to die.
He snorted, advancing instead of retreating. He flipped his wrist, taking out the "Huī Yáo Lìng" he had seized from the Gray Kiln Market. With a flick of his finger, the token turned into a streak of light and shot precisely toward the nearest iron chain.
There was no earth-shattering collision.
The moment the token touched the chain, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The entire pitch-black chain seemed like a lit fuse; starting from the point of contact, it burst into pale white flames, completely turning to ash and dissipating into the air within a single breath.
The fragment, freed from one corner in mid-air, trembled slightly, and a trace of extremely pure Essence Fluid fluctuation leaked out.
Gu Xuan instantly understood.
These chains were not simple seals at all, but a kind of... "Contract Verification Device"!
Only those who had previously gained recognition from the core area of Charcoal Iron Ridge, or rather, those who had undergone some kind of life-and-death transformation and formed a "Covenant" with this place, were qualified to activate it!
The Huī Yáo Lìng was one such "Yao Jian."
“So that’s how it is.” Gu Xuan let out a cold laugh. If that was the case, it was simple.
He brought his fingers together like a blade and lightly sliced his wrist, opening a bloody gash from which crimson essence blood welled up.
Without any hesitation, he smeared his own blood onto the remaining eight chains in sequence.
His blood, having been tempered by the Demon Suppression Hall, already contained characteristics that transcended the rules of this realm.
This was his strongest "Yao Jian"!
Hiss... hiss...
The first, the second, the third... as Gu Xuan’s essence blood touched the chains, the forbidden spell Fu Wen reacted as if meeting their nemesis, emitting a piercing sound, and the entire chain disintegrated and vanished.
When the eighth chain also turned to ash, a sudden change occurred!
The last chain, instead of collapsing, seemed to come alive in an instant!
It let out a sharp scream, like a venomous snake lying in wait, and violently detached itself from the fragment, wrapping around Gu Xuan’s neck with lightning speed!
Killing intent was fully revealed!
At the critical moment, Gu Xuan’s eyes showed no panic; instead, a hint of long-anticipated mockery flashed across them.
“Divine Ability, Substitution Effect!”
An invisible force of karma instantly activated. The fatal strangling force of the chain, just as it was about to touch his skin, was forcibly transferred to a Rust-Jade Corpse-Ghoul wandering in the labyrinth passage a hundred feet away.
“Bang—!”
A muffled explosion sounded from the distant passage. That unlucky ghoul, without even time to react, was instantly crushed into a mist of blood by this terrifying force.
This was the opening!
Gu Xuan’s figure shot upward. The moment the last chain lost its support and hung limply, he snatched the floating Forge Heart Remnants!
“Ah—!”
An indescribable, intense pain shot like lightning from his arm straight to his brain!
It was as if ten thousand vengeful spirits were gnawing at his nerves; every inch of flesh, every single cell, cried out in agony.
At the same time, the Demon Suppression Hall issued frantic warnings!
“Warning! High-intensity Soul-Seal Imprint invasion detected! Initiate counter-attack protocol?”
“Yes!” Gu Xuan endured the intense pain and roared in his Spirit Sea, “Not only counter-attack, but also lure that bastard consciousness from the spring bottom in here!”
In an instant, he deliberately abandoned the defense of his Soul, allowing the massive Soul-Seal Imprint, and the spring-bottom whisper hidden deep within the imprint, to flood into his Spirit Sea like a bursting dam.
“Foolish mortal! How dare you...” The voice was filled with ecstasy and confusion, believing Gu Xuan had given up resistance.
But what greeted it were the wide-open doors of the Demon Suppression Hall and the boiling power within the Ten Thousand Laws Pool!
“Come in, you!”
Gu Xuan used himself as bait, luring all this power into the hall, then using the power of the Ten Thousand Laws Pool to firmly trap it, and conversely extracting the information contained within!
Countless fragmented images and data shards were forcibly stripped away.
Finally, he glimpsed a corner of the concealed truth:
The so-called "Forging Heart Anvil" was not a supreme treasure at all, but a mold for a divine weapon secretly forged by ancient rebels!
And every forging required a "Broken Covenant" person—one who had broken some ancient contract—as fuel, to be thrown into the furnace core and sacrificed entirely!
Carrying this heavy truth and the second Remnant, Gu Xuan swiftly retreated.
However, just as he was about to leave this core area, he suddenly stopped and turned back sharply.
On the smooth rock wall behind him, a line of words written in blood had appeared at some unknown time; the blood had not yet dried.
“You should not have lived... but you are now more like ‘It’ than I am.”
The writing was shocking, and at the end of Gu Xuan’s line of sight, toward the flickering firelight of the furnace core in the distance, a vague female silhouette flashed past.
She held a Green Lantern, and her silhouette... was exactly like Ye Xi!
She said nothing, only shook her head gently toward Gu Xuan from the distant space, before vanishing into the firelight.
Gu Xuan gripped the scorching Remnants in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He spoke softly to the empty darkness, his voice low but filled with resolute finality:
“I am not anyone’s substitute... I am the Ender.”
At the same time, in the Gray Kiln Market, which had long since been reduced to ruins.
Old Weighing Squat squatted on the charred earth, using a bone knife ground from some unknown animal bone to carve a brand new totem.
In the center of the totem was a Towering figure, holding a burning fragment in each hand, standing proudly atop the furnace.
And behind him were nine... completely severed chains!
When Gu Xuan returned to his hiding place and placed the two "Forge Heart Remnants" together, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
The two fragments attracted each other like opposite magnetic poles; the moment they drew near, they emitted a low hum.
They resonated with each other, and a pulse a hundred times stronger than before began to spread uncontrollably in all directions.
This pulse was no longer a faint sensation, but a crystal-clear "beacon," as if announcing their reunion to the entire Charcoal Iron Ridge, and even to entities farther away.
Gu Xuan’s expression instantly darkened. The trouble had only just begun.