The smile beyond the gate lasted only a moment.
Yet it felt eternal.
Every person in Blackstone City felt it.
Not with their eyes.
Not with their minds.
With their souls.
Terror spread across the city faster than any shockwave.
Fighters dropped their weapons.
Cultivators stumbled backward.
Even powerful faction leaders found themselves unable to move.
Because whatever existed beyond that gate—
Should not exist.
And it had just smiled.
Lin Feng stared into the crimson darkness beyond the opening.
His heartbeat slowed.
Strangely—
The fear everyone else felt wasn't reaching him completely.
Not because he was stronger.
But because something inside him recognized the presence.
And that realization terrified him more than anything else.
"…No."
The word escaped quietly.
Because he didn't want to recognize it.
Didn't want any connection to whatever was waiting behind that gate.
The voice echoed again.
"COME HOME."
This time the entire city shook.
The shattered streets cracked further.
The sky distorted.
The air itself seemed unable to withstand the pressure leaking from beyond the seal.
Su Yao grabbed Lin Feng's arm tighter.
"Don't answer."
Lin Feng blinked.
"…I wasn't planning to."
The older man stepped forward.
Golden light exploded around him.
For the first time since his appearance—
His power erupted without restraint.
The night sky transformed into a sea of gold.
Ancient symbols filled the heavens.
Countless seals appeared around the gate.
The pressure pushed everyone backward.
Everyone—
Except Lin Feng.
The gate remained focused entirely on him.
The older man's voice thundered across the city.
"By the authority of the Seven Seals…"
Golden chains descended from the sky.
"Return to your prison."
The chains struck the gate.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact shattered clouds for hundreds of miles.
The city shook violently.
The ground collapsed further.
Yet—
The gate remained open.
Not fully.
But enough.
A deep laugh emerged from beyond it.
Not mocking.
Amused.
As if watching a child struggle against a mountain.
The older man's expression darkened.
Then—
For the first time—
The figure beyond the gate moved.
A hand emerged.
Only a hand.
Nothing more.
But the moment it appeared—
Every seal in the sky cracked.
Lin Feng's eyes widened.
The older man's attack shattered instantly.
The golden chains disintegrated.
The ancient symbols collapsed.
The sky returned to darkness.
And the hand withdrew.
It had done nothing except exist.
Yet it had broken everything.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unbelievable.
The older man stared at the gate.
For the first time—
Lin Feng saw genuine disbelief in his eyes.
"…Impossible."
The voice from beyond the gate answered calmly.
"Not impossible."
A pause.
"Forgotten."
The crimson markings on Lin Feng's arm suddenly surged.
Pain exploded through his body.
"Argh!"
He dropped to one knee.
The markings spread across his shoulder.
Across his chest.
Glowing brighter than before.
Su Yao immediately knelt beside him.
"Lin Feng!"
He could barely hear her.
Because the voice inside his mind had returned.
Not one voice.
Many.
Thousands.
Whispers.
Memories.
Fragments.
A throne surrounded by endless stars.
A battlefield larger than worlds.
A crown made of black crystal.
A sword covered in crimson fire.
And one figure.
Always the same figure.
Sitting upon the throne.
Waiting.
Watching.
For him.
Lin Feng clenched his teeth.
"…Get out of my head."
The whispers only grew louder.
Then—
Something unexpected happened.
A second presence appeared inside his mind.
Different.
Warm.
Steady.
Ancient.
And familiar in an entirely different way.
The crimson memories froze.
The whispers stopped.
The figure on the throne vanished.
Everything became quiet.
Then a calm voice spoke.
"Not yet."
Lin Feng froze.
Unlike the other voice—
This one felt protective.
Resolute.
The voice continued.
"You are not ready."
The crimson presence beyond the gate became furious.
The city trembled violently.
The gate itself shook.
"WHO DARES?"
The roar echoed across reality.
Lin Feng's eyes widened.
Because for the first time—
The thing beyond the gate sounded angry.
The calm voice answered.
"An old debt."
A pulse of golden light erupted from within Lin Feng's body.
Not from the older man.
Not from any seal.
From him.
The crimson markings halted instantly.
Then began retreating.
The gate shook harder.
The figure beyond it rose from its throne.
And for the first time—
Fear appeared in its voice.
"…You."
The calm voice spoke one final time.
"Sleep."
The world exploded with golden light.
Cliffhanger
The gate began closing.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
As if reality itself were forcing it shut.
The figure beyond the gate lunged forward—
Trying to break through before it closed.
And Lin Feng finally saw its face.
The moment he did—
A forgotten memory surfaced.
One impossible memory.
A memory of himself—
Standing before that same being.
Holding a sword to its throat.