Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
Lin Yuan stood alone within it.
There was no forest.
No camp.
No Star Dou Forest.
Only silence.
A silence so profound that it seemed capable of swallowing thought itself.
Then came the chains.
Countless black chains extended across the void like rivers of iron.
Some were thicker than mountains.
Others disappeared beyond the horizon.
They crossed one another endlessly, forming a labyrinth that seemed without beginning or end.
Lin Yuan looked down.
This time he was not merely observing.
He was present.
Aware.
The dream felt far too real.
A cold sensation passed through the darkness.
Then— Boom.
A distant sound echoed through the void.
Like the beating of an ancient heart.
Boom.
Again.
The chains trembled.
Boom.
The entire world seemed to shake.
Lin Yuan slowly raised his head.
Far away, the colossal black gate from his previous vision stood before him.
But now it was different.
Previously it had been closed.
Now— It was opening.
Only slightly.
Yet even that tiny movement revealed a glimpse of what lay beyond.
Blood-red light.
Endless crimson mist.
And something vast hidden within the darkness.
Lin Yuan instinctively took a step forward.
The moment he moved— The chains reacted.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Their sounds echoed across the void.
Suddenly, a figure appeared.
An enormous silhouette sitting beneath the gate.
At first glance, it resembled a human.
At second glance, it clearly wasn’t.
The being was simply too large.
Its shoulders alone rivaled mountains.
Its body remained wrapped in countless chains.
Its face could not be seen.
Only two crimson eyes glowed faintly within the darkness.
Lin Yuan stopped.
The giant remained motionless.
Then the ancient voice spoke once more.
The same voice he had heard in the forest.
A voice older than civilization.
Older than memory.
“Bearer.” The single word shook the void itself.
Lin Yuan’s expression remained calm.
“What are you?” Silence followed.
Then— A faint laugh.
Not mocking.
Not hostile.
Merely ancient.
“So young.” The voice carried traces of endless time.
Lin Yuan frowned.
The giant’s crimson eyes watched him quietly.
“You seek strength.” The statement wasn’t a question.
“You seek destiny.” Again.
Not a question.
Lin Yuan remained silent.
The giant slowly lifted one enormous hand.
Countless chains rattled.
Then an image appeared before Lin Yuan.
A city.
Dark.
Twisted.
Covered in blood.
The sky itself seemed stained crimson.
Thousands of corpses filled its streets.
Slaughter City.
Lin Yuan immediately recognized it.
The giant continued.
The image changed.
A white-haired old man knelt alone within darkness.
Madness filled his eyes.
Pain.
Loneliness.
Endless struggle.
Tang Chen.
Lin Yuan’s pupils contracted.
Then the image changed again.
A young woman stood atop a palace.
Golden wings stretched behind her.
Pride hid deep loneliness within her eyes.
Qian Renxue.
The image shattered.
The void returned.
The giant’s gaze never left him.
“You seek to alter fate.” For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in Lin Yuan’s eyes.
The giant knew.
Or perhaps— The Asura Prison knew.
The being’s laughter returned.
A quiet rumble capable of shaking worlds.
“Good.” The single word echoed endlessly.
Then the giant extended one finger.
A small object materialized before Lin Yuan.
A black fragment.
No larger than a coin.
Covered in strange crimson markings.
The same markings seen on the chains of the giant ape.
The same markings covering the chains surrounding the gate.
“The first key.” Lin Yuan stared at it.
“The key to what?” The giant became silent.
Its crimson eyes slowly turned toward the distant gate.
Toward the darkness beyond.
Toward whatever lay imprisoned there.
Then came the answer.
“The prison.” The words carried immeasurable weight.
The moment they were spoken— The entire dream began collapsing.
Chains shattered.
Darkness cracked.
The giant faded.
The gate vanished.
Everything dissolved.
Only the fragment remained.
Floating before Lin Yuan.
Then suddenly— His eyes opened.
Cold night air filled his lungs.
The camp remained silent.
Moonlight filtered through the tent.
For several seconds, Lin Yuan simply stared upward.
A dream.
Only a dream.
At least— That was what he intended to think.
Then he felt something pressing against his palm.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Lin Yuan lowered his gaze.
And froze.
Resting within his hand was a small black fragment no larger than a coin.
Covered in crimson markings.
Exactly like the one from the dream.
For the first time since arriving in this world— A chill traveled down Lin Yuan’s spine.
Because this was no dream.
And somewhere deep within the Asura Prison, countless chains stirred as though welcoming the return of something long lost.