The underground chamber fell deathly silent.
The ancient voice had vanished.
Only the sound of rattling chains lingered in the vast darkness.
Lin Tianyu swallowed hard.
“…Who was that?”
Neither Hei Bao nor Sun Xiaohou answered.
Instead…
Both legendary beasts bowed their heads toward the stone pedestal.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect.
The System’s blue screen flickered erratically.
Synchronization Initiated
Keeper Authority Verified…
Bloodline Verified…
Soul Resonance Stable…
Beginning First Guardian Contract…
Progress: 1%
“What contract?”
Every Keeper must form a bond with the Sanctuary Guardians.
“I didn’t agree to this.”
Your acceptance was inherited when you accepted ownership of the Sanctuary.
“…That’s how contracts work?”
For Keepers, yes.
“…That’s incredibly unfair.”
Your grandfather also complained.
Tianyu froze.
“My grandfather?”
The System paused for a brief moment.
Access to historical records unavailable.
“…You just brought him up!”
Correct.
“…”
He was beginning to suspect the System enjoyed frustrating him.
A warm breeze swept through the chamber.
It shouldn’t have been possible.
There were no windows.
No opening to the outside world.
Yet the air carried the scent of fresh bamboo…
rain…
and mountain forests.
The cracked stone tablet began glowing.
Golden runes emerged across its surface.
One by one.
Thousands of them.
The symbols floated into the air like fireflies.
“They’re beautiful…”
Chen Xiaoyu would’ve loved to see this.
The thought came naturally.
He quickly shook his head.
“Focus.”
Sun Xiaohou climbed onto the bronze pedestal.
“…Read.”
“I can’t.”
“…Heart.”
“My…
heart?”
The monkey nodded.
“…Not eyes.”
Tianyu stepped closer.
The glowing characters drifted toward him.
Instead of entering his eyes…
They flowed directly into his chest.
A flood of memories—not his own—exploded inside his mind.
A sky filled with enormous dragons.
Giants walking among clouds.
Countless cultivators kneeling before creatures that blotted out the sun.
Then…
War.
The heavens burned.
Cities collapsed.
The oceans split apart.
Beasts and humans slaughtered one another until the world itself began to crumble.
Finally…
One man stood between both armies.
He wore plain robes.
No crown.
No armor.
Yet every legendary beast lowered its head before him.
His voice echoed across heaven and earth.
“Enough.”
Nine pillars of golden light descended from the sky.
The world trembled.
The beasts vanished.
Sealed away.
Protected.
The vision ended.
Tianyu stumbled backward, breathing heavily.
“What…”
“…was that?”
Hei Bao slowly opened his eyes.
“…Memory.”
“Whose memory?”
“…First Keeper.”
“The first…”
Tianyu looked toward the cracked tablet.
“So this sanctuary wasn’t built as a prison.”
Hei Bao nodded.
“…Sanctuary.”
“…Home.”
Sun Xiaohou added quietly,
“…Protection.”
Everything Tianyu had assumed…
Was wrong.
These beasts hadn’t been locked away because they were monsters.
They had been hidden…
To save them.
Or perhaps…
To save everyone else.
The System chimed.
History Updated
Ancient Assumption Corrected.
The Demon Sanctuary was created to preserve the world’s remaining Divine Beasts after the Heavenly Cataclysm.
Further records remain sealed.
“So someone has been calling them demons all this time…”
Hei Bao’s expression darkened.
“…Humans.”
A deep rumble interrupted them.
One of the massive chains vibrated violently.
CLANG!
Another crack spread across the stone tablet.
This time…
A piece the size of Tianyu’s hand broke away.
Golden light burst from the opening.
The temperature in the chamber dropped instantly.
The System’s calm voice became urgent.
Warning
Seal Integrity: 95%
Foreign Spiritual Energy Detected.
Location:
“Foreign?”
Sun Xiaohou leaped onto the nearest pillar.
His playful demeanor vanished.
“…Someone.”
Hei Bao sniffed the air.
“…Cultivator.”
Miles away…
Hidden atop a forested hill overlooking the zoo…
Three figures stood beneath the moonlight.
All wore black robes embroidered with crimson clouds.
One held an ancient compass.
Its needle spun wildly before locking onto the zoo.
“…It’s here.”
The youngest of the three frowned.
“I thought the Sanctuary was only a legend.”
The oldest smiled coldly.
“Legends exist because someone survived to tell them.”
“What now, Elder?”
The old man looked toward the distant lights of Lin Family Wildlife Park.
“We wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“For the seal to weaken.”
“And when it does?”
The elder’s eyes gleamed with greed.
“We take the Divine Beasts.”
Back inside the underground chamber…
Tianyu knew nothing about the people watching his zoo.
He only noticed something strange.
The glowing mark on the back of his right hand had changed.
The simple silver paw print was gone.
In its place…
A golden emblem of a roaring bear surrounded by ancient runes shimmered faintly beneath his skin.
The System displayed a new message.
Congratulations
First Guardian Contract Complete
Guardian Bound:
Hei Bao – Heaven-Shaking Black Yin Bear Emperor
Contract Rank:
Equal Partnership
New Ability Unlocked:
Guardian’s Eyes
Passive Effect:
You can now perceive traces of Spirit Qi, hidden formations, and disguised beings.
Trust Level Increased:
15%
Before Tianyu could even examine his new ability…
His vision changed.
The underground chamber erupted with streams of golden energy flowing through every wall, pillar, and chain.
Then…
He looked at Sun Xiaohou.
Around the monkey blazed the phantom image of a colossal golden ape wielding a staff that reached into the heavens.
He turned toward Hei Bao.
Behind the lazy panda stood an unimaginably massive black bear, its head brushing against the stars, its mere presence making the world tremble.
Tianyu’s legs nearly gave out.
“So…”
He whispered.
“This…”
“This is what you really look like…”
Hei Bao smiled gently.
“…Only a fraction.”
Then the giant bronze doors at the far end of the chamber…
Slowly…
Began to open on their own.
[End of Chapter 6]