The expedition stopped immediately.
No one needed to be ordered.
The moment the scout mentioned chains, Xu Mingshan’s expression changed.
Lin Yuan noticed it.
The vice hall master was not a man easily disturbed.
Since entering the Star Dou Forest, he had remained calm in every situation, whether facing dangerous spirit beasts or unexpected discoveries.
Yet now, genuine caution appeared in his eyes.
“Take me there,” Xu Mingshan said.
The scout nodded.
“We marked the route.” The vice hall master looked toward the expedition.
“We investigate first.” No one objected.
Ancient ruins were significant discoveries.
Even Spirit Hall could not simply ignore them.
Within minutes, the group changed direction.
The forest became increasingly dense as they advanced.
Ancient trees towered overhead like pillars supporting the heavens.
Their roots twisted across the earth in enormous networks.
Sunlight struggled to penetrate the canopy.
The air itself seemed heavier.
Lin Yuan silently followed the formation.
The fragment hidden within his pack continued radiating faint warmth.
The closer they moved toward the ruins, the stronger the reaction became.
Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice.
After nearly an hour, the scout raised a hand.
“We’re here.” The expedition emerged into a clearing.
Silence immediately spread through the group.
Before them stood ruins.
Ancient ruins.
Time had reduced much of the structure to rubble, but enough remained to reveal its former grandeur.
Massive stone pillars rose from the earth.
Some had collapsed.
Others still stood despite centuries of weather and decay.
Fragments of walls stretched through the clearing.
Vines covered most surfaces.
Nature had spent countless years reclaiming the site.
Yet something remained.
Something that instantly captured Lin Yuan’s attention.
Chains.
Black chains.
Enormous chains carved directly into the stone.
They covered the pillars.
The walls.
The broken archways.
Everywhere.
Each chain was accompanied by strange crimson markings identical to those on the fragment.
Identical to those on the Chainbound Ape.
Identical to those inside the Asura Prison.
Lin Yuan’s heartbeat accelerated.
This wasn’t coincidence.
Not anymore.
Xu Mingshan slowly approached one of the nearest pillars.
His hand brushed against the ancient carvings.
The stone felt worn.
Weathered.
Yet the chain symbols remained remarkably clear.
“How old…” one spirit master whispered.
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The vice hall master examined the carvings carefully.
Eventually, he shook his head.
“I’ve never seen this script.” Several scholars accompanying the expedition moved closer.
One began copying symbols into a notebook.
Another studied the architecture.
Minutes passed.
The clearing filled with quiet investigation.
Lin Yuan, meanwhile, found himself drawn toward the center of the ruins.
Something called to him.
Not a voice.
Not a sound.
A feeling.
The closer he moved, the stronger it became.
Eventually, he reached what appeared to be a circular stone platform.
Most of it had collapsed long ago.
Only fragments remained.
Yet one section still displayed clear carvings.
Chains converging toward a single point.
As though everything in the ruins focused upon this location.
Lin Yuan crouched.
His fingers lightly touched the stone.
The moment contact occurred— The world blurred.
Not completely.
Just for an instant.
A vision flashed before his eyes.
The ruined platform restored itself.
The broken pillars stood whole once more.
The clearing transformed into a magnificent complex.
Countless figures moved throughout it.
Humans.
Spirit masters.
Warriors.
All dressed in ancient robes unlike anything from modern Douluo Continent.
Then— The vision vanished.
Lin Yuan inhaled sharply.
His heart raced.
Another vision.
The second one in only a few days.
The Asura Prison stirred deep within his soul.
The chains rattled faintly.
A warm sensation emerged from his pack.
The fragment.
Without thinking, Lin Yuan reached inside and touched it through the cloth.
Instantly, the reaction intensified.
The stone platform beneath him trembled.
Very slightly.
But enough.
Lin Yuan froze.
Did anyone notice?
He looked around quickly.
Fortunately, most attention remained elsewhere.
Only one person seemed to have seen something.
Xu Mingshan.
The vice hall master’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He had noticed the vibration.
Not its cause.
But the vibration itself.
Before he could investigate further, another voice echoed through the ruins.
“Vice Hall Master!” Everyone turned.
One of the scholars stood near a fallen wall.
Excitement filled his expression.
“I found writing.” Xu Mingshan immediately walked over.
The expedition gathered around.
Lin Yuan joined them.
The scholar pointed toward a partially preserved inscription hidden beneath vines.
Several lines remained legible.
Most had been destroyed by time.
Only fragments survived.
The scholar translated slowly.
His voice echoed through the clearing.
“…the First Gate…” Silence.
He continued.
“…the Keepers shall remain…” Several spirit masters exchanged glances.
The wording felt strange.
Ancient.
Almost religious.
The scholar moved to the next surviving section.
“…until the Keys return…” Lin Yuan’s pupils contracted.
Keys.
The word struck him like lightning.
The scholar frowned.
“This part is damaged.” He brushed dirt from the stone.
Then continued reading.
“…the prison must never…” The remainder had been destroyed.
The sentence ended abruptly.
No conclusion.
No explanation.
Only mystery.
The clearing became silent.
Even Xu Mingshan looked troubled now.
First Gate.
Keepers.
Keys.
Prison.
The words formed pieces of a puzzle nobody understood.
Nobody except perhaps Lin Yuan.
Or rather— He understood slightly more than everyone else.
Yet even he possessed only fragments.
Questions vastly outnumbered answers.
The vice hall master eventually straightened.
“We’ve seen enough.” Several people looked surprised.
“We’re leaving?” Xu Mingshan nodded.
“This place feels wrong.” The simple statement carried unusual weight.
No one argued.
Experienced spirit masters learned to trust their instincts.
And the ruins inspired very little confidence.
The expedition began preparing to depart.
As everyone gathered supplies, Lin Yuan looked back one final time.
Toward the circular platform.
Toward the ancient carvings.
Toward the forgotten history buried beneath centuries of silence.
Then— He saw it.
For less than a second.
A figure standing atop the platform.
Tall.
Wrapped in black chains.
Watching him.
The figure vanished immediately.
As though it had never existed.
Lin Yuan’s expression remained unchanged.
But deep within his soul, the Asura Prison reacted violently.
And for the first time, he realized something unsettling.
The ruins had not merely been waiting for the Keys.
They had been waiting for him.