The first thing Li Tian did after learning that an ancient Sword Emperor wanted to kill him was return to his room and go to sleep.
At least, that was what he intended to do.
Unfortunately, Heavenly Cloud Sect had apparently decided that peace was a privilege reserved for people who knew nothing about ancient seals.
Three knocks sounded at his door.
Li Tian pulled the blanket over his head.
Three more knocks followed.
"Li Tian! Open the door!"
He recognized the voice immediately.
Chen Wei.
Li Tian considered pretending to be dead.
Then he heard the words that destroyed his final hope.
"I brought breakfast!"
The door opened.
Chen Wei rushed inside, carrying a basket of steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and enough dried meat to feed a small army.
He placed everything on the table and sat down.
"Brother, we need to talk."
Li Tian sat up.
"If this is about your plan to become an inner disciple by pretending to be an injured elder, the answer is no."
Chen Wei stared at him.
"How did you know?"
"Because you told me yesterday."
"Oh."
Chen Wei picked up a steamed bun.
"Then I shall discuss something else. I have decided that we should leave the sect."
Li Tian blinked.
"Why?"
"Because our sect has terrible safety standards. First, a mountain starts glowing. Then a coffin talks. Then mysterious people attack our rooms. Now an ancient Sword Emperor wants to murder you."
He pointed at Li Tian with the bun.
"I have no objection to adventure, but I would prefer adventures that do not involve ancient beings with personal grudges."
Li Tian poured himself some tea.
"We aren't leaving the sect permanently."
"Excellent. Then we are leaving temporarily?"
"We have to visit an ancient shrine north of the sect."
Chen Wei stopped chewing.
"An ancient shrine?"
"Yes."
"Does it contain treasure?"
"Possibly."
"Medicinal pills?"
"Possibly."
"Ancient weapons?"
"Possibly."
Chen Wei's expression brightened.
"Then I support this decision wholeheartedly."
Li Tian looked at him.
"You were just complaining."
"I was expressing concerns. Concerns disappear when treasure appears."
Li Tian shook his head.
Before he could respond, the system appeared.
[Hidden Cultivation System]
Host: Li Tian
Public Cultivation: Qi Refinement Layer 1
Stored Cultivation: 1,160 years
Memory Recovery: 0.05%
Technique: Silent Dao Circulation — Comprehension 1%
New Objective: Investigate the Forgotten Gatekeeper Shrine.
Secondary Objective: Recover the lost record of Jian Wu.
Warning: The shrine's guardian may recognize the Host.
Additional Warning: The marked individual must not enter the shrine alone.
Li Tian's gaze lingered on the final message.
"System, what happens if the marked individual enters alone?"
No response.
He sighed.
"Of course."
Chen Wei tilted his head.
"Are you talking to yourself again?"
"No."
"You definitely are."
"I'm thinking."
"That is worse. Whenever you think, I end up carrying a wooden tray into battle."
Li Tian tossed him a bun.
"Eat."
Chen Wei caught it.
"Fine. But this time, I am bringing real armor."
Li Tian immediately regretted agreeing to the journey.
By noon, the four members of the investigation party had assembled before the sect's northern gate.
Li Tian stood beside Mei Ling, who had her sword strapped securely to her waist.
Han Feng carried a travel pack and several formation tools. His expression suggested that he had already calculated the dangers of the journey and disliked every result.
Chen Wei arrived last.
He wore a thick leather vest, two layers of padded cloth, and a metal cooking pot strapped to his head.
Li Tian stared at him.
"What is that?"
"Armor."
"That's a cooking pot."
"An excellent cooking pot. It can also withstand attacks from above."
Han Feng looked at him with genuine confusion.
"How did you obtain a metal helmet?"
Chen Wei puffed out his chest.
"I borrowed it from the sect kitchen."
"Did the kitchen agree?"
Chen Wei hesitated.
"Agreement is a complicated concept."
Mei Ling covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Li Tian pointed toward the gate.
"Return it when we get back."
"Of course."
Chen Wei adjusted the pot.
"Assuming we get back."
The group departed before he could invent another concern.
Beyond the northern gate, the terrain gradually changed from cultivated fields to rocky hills and dense forests. The sect's spiritual formations grew weaker with every mile, and the air carried the earthy scent of old trees and damp stone.
Han Feng unfolded a map.
"The shrine should be somewhere beyond the Black Pine Ridge. According to the records, the road was abandoned roughly three thousand years ago."
Chen Wei peered over his shoulder.
"Three thousand years? How do you abandon a road for three thousand years? Does nobody ever need to travel there?"
"Apparently not."
"That is suspicious. Perhaps the road leads to a place full of poisonous insects." The source of this chapter is g.com.
Mei Ling glanced at him.
"Then you should feel comfortable. You have enough poisonous words to frighten them away."
Chen Wei looked offended.
"I am a man of considerable courage."
A bird suddenly burst from a nearby bush.
Chen Wei screamed and grabbed Li Tian's arm.
The bird flew away.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Han Feng cleared his throat.
"Considerable courage."
"That bird was unusually aggressive," Chen Wei muttered.
Li Tian laughed quietly.
For a while, the journey remained peaceful.
But as the sun began to descend, he noticed something strange.
The birds had stopped singing.
The wind had died.
Even the insects seemed to have vanished.
Li Tian slowed his pace.
"Everyone, stop."
Han Feng immediately turned.
"What is it?"
Li Tian looked at the trees.
"Something is watching us."
Mei Ling drew her sword.
Chen Wei slowly removed the cooking pot from his head and held it in front of his chest.
"How many things?"
"I don't know."
"Can we negotiate?"
A low rumble passed through the forest.
The ground trembled.
Then a massive shape emerged between the trees.
It resembled a wolf, but its body was formed from dark stone and twisted roots. Blue flames burned in its eye sockets, and ancient symbols covered its limbs.
A ring of pale light surrounded its neck.
Han Feng's expression changed.
"An ancient guardian beast."
The creature lowered its head.
A voice echoed directly inside their minds.
"State your purpose."
Mei Ling stepped forward.
"We seek the Forgotten Gatekeeper Shrine."
The creature's blue flames intensified.
"No one seeks the shrine without a reason."
Han Feng bowed respectfully.
"We need to examine an ancient mark connected to the Ninth Seal."
The guardian remained motionless.
Then its gaze shifted toward Li Tian.
The forest seemed to freeze.
The creature lowered its enormous head until its burning eyes were level with him.
"You."
Li Tian kept his expression neutral.
"Me?"
"Your scent..."
The guardian took a step closer.
"I have waited through three ages for that scent to return."
Chen Wei slowly moved behind Han Feng.
"Why does every ancient creature recognize him?"
Han Feng whispered, "I don't know."
"Perhaps he smells unusual."
"I can hear you," Li Tian said.
Chen Wei immediately straightened.
"I was praising your distinctive presence."
The guardian ignored them.
Its eyes remained fixed on Li Tian.
"The shrine is not for you."
Li Tian nodded.
"Understood. We'll leave."
Mei Ling turned toward him in disbelief.
Han Feng looked equally surprised.
Even Bao Bao, who had been sleeping inside Li Tian's robe, lifted his head.
The guardian seemed momentarily confused.
"You will leave?"
"Yes."
"Without entering the shrine?"
"Correct."
Li Tian gestured toward the path behind them.
"You said it wasn't for me. I respect your property rights."
Chen Wei stared at him.
"Brother, we walked half a day to get here!"
"Then we'll walk half a day back."
"But the treasure!"
"Which treasure?"
Chen Wei opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He had no answer.
The guardian's eyes flickered.
For a moment, Li Tian thought his strategy had worked.
Then the creature laughed.
It was a deep, grinding sound that shook leaves from the trees.
"Still the same."
Li Tian's expression froze.
The guardian raised its head.
"You always retreat when the truth approaches. Even after the heavens shattered, you chose silence over explanation."
A sharp pain passed through Li Tian's forehead.
The forest disappeared.
For a brief instant, he stood beneath a sky filled with broken stars.
A vast battlefield stretched before him. Mountains floated upside down. Rivers of silver light crossed the heavens, and countless cultivators knelt beneath a man dressed in white.
The man's face was Li Tian's own.
In front of him stood the same guardian beast, its stone body unbroken and its eyes filled with sorrow.
The white-robed man held a sword.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Forgive me."
Then he drove the sword into the earth.
Nine rings of light spread across the world.
Something screamed beneath reality itself.
The vision shattered.
Li Tian staggered.
"Li Tian!"
He blinked rapidly, struggling to regain his balance.
The guardian lowered its head.
"You remember a little."
Li Tian's fingers tightened.
"What happened on that battlefield?"
The creature's flames dimmed.
"That is not my story to tell."
"Then whose story is it?"
"The story of the one you were before you became the one you are."
Li Tian felt the system stir within his consciousness.
[Memory Fragment Detected]
Recovery Progress: 0.05% → 0.07%
Fragment Classification: Restricted
Warning: Forced memory recovery may destabilize the Host's meridians.
The guardian stepped aside.
"Enter the shrine. The Gatekeeper's inheritance awaits the one who carries the forgotten name."
Li Tian looked at the dark path between the trees.
Then he looked at Mei Ling.
She had not released his arm.
"Are you all right?" she asked quietly.
He wanted to tell her that he had seen an impossible battlefield, that he had watched a version of himself seal something beneath reality, and that the system was warning him that remembering more might damage his body.
Instead, he said, "I think so."
Mei Ling studied his face.
"Then we'll proceed carefully."
He nodded.
This time, he did not tell her to stay behind.
The Forgotten Gatekeeper Shrine stood beyond a narrow ravine.
It was smaller than Li Tian had imagined. There were no towering golden gates or elaborate halls, only a circular stone building partially swallowed by roots and moss.
Nine statues stood around its entrance.
Eight depicted figures holding swords.
The ninth had no face.
A broken inscription lay across the archway.
Han Feng brushed away the moss.
"Only a few words remain."
He read them aloud.
"When the sword returns, the door shall remember."
Mei Ling's sword trembled.
The golden mark along its blade brightened.
At the same moment, the faceless statue turned its head toward her.
Chen Wei nearly dropped his cooking pot.
"Statues should not move."
Bao Bao emerged from Li Tian's robe and sat on his shoulder.
"That's an excellent observation."
"Why aren't you frightened?"
"Because I am an ancient spirit beast."
"Then as an ancient spirit beast, could you perhaps stand in front of me?"
Bao Bao yawned.
"No."
The statue raised one stone hand.
A golden line appeared across its chest.
Mei Ling's sword flew from its sheath.
She reached for it, but the weapon stopped in midair, floating before the statue.
The golden mark spread from the blade to the statue's hand.
Then a woman's voice filled the ravine.
"The Gatekeeper has returned."
The stone doors opened.
Cold air poured from the darkness within.
Li Tian felt the Silent Dao Circulation technique respond instinctively. The spiritual energy around him became still, and the golden mark in his dantian pulsed once.
The statue's faceless head turned toward him.
"And the one who abandoned the heavens has returned with her."
Mei Ling's sword dropped into her hand.
She looked at Li Tian.
"What does it mean by abandoned the heavens?"
"I was hoping you knew."
Before she could answer, the shrine doors slammed shut behind them.
The darkness inside suddenly illuminated.
At the center of the chamber stood an enormous stone sword embedded in the floor.
A figure sat beneath it, dressed in ancient armor. Its body was covered in dust, and a long sword rested across its knees.
A pressure filled the chamber so overwhelming that Han Feng immediately dropped to one knee.
Mei Ling braced herself, gripping her sword with both hands.
Chen Wei fell flat on his face.
"I knew it," he whispered into the floor. "I knew this place would be dangerous."
Li Tian remained standing.
Not because he wanted to reveal his strength.
The pressure simply seemed to pass around him.
The seated figure slowly raised its head.
Two pale lights appeared beneath its helmet.
"The Silent One."
Its voice was rough with age.
"I have guarded this inheritance for ten thousand years."
The ancient warrior stood.
The enormous stone sword rose with it, tearing free from the floor.
"I have waited for the chance to repay the debt you left behind."
Li Tian looked at the weapon.
Then at the warrior.
"Before we begin, can I ask what debt you're referring to?"
The warrior's sword began to glow.
"You killed my master."
Li Tian went still.
The warrior raised its weapon above its head.
"And today, I shall kill you."
A system notification exploded into Li Tian's vision.
[CRITICAL WARNING]
Ancient entity identified: Jian Wu's Guardian.
Combat capability: Beyond current assessment.
Primary Objective Updated: Survive.
Secondary Objective Updated: Protect Mei Ling.
Then a final message appeared.
Hidden condition activated: The Silent One must not draw his sword.
Li Tian stared at the notification.
He had not even brought a sword.
The ancient warrior charged.
And the shrine vanished beneath a storm of golden light.
To be continued…