The moment the leading elder spoke—
the entire Yu Long Sect group became visibly alert.
No one relaxed.
No one celebrated.
Instead—
every cultivator quietly tightened their grip on their weapons.
As though they had finally reached the most dangerous part of their mission.
Hidden among the branches of a gigantic ancient tree—
Lin Shuan watched everything carefully.
His eyes remained fixed upon the floating mountain in the distance.
The sight was breathtaking.
The mountain hung suspended in the sky above a sea of darkness.
Countless fragments of broken land drifted around it.
Ancient pillars protruded from its surface.
Half-collapsed palaces stood silently beneath the golden sky.
Massive statues towered over ruined courtyards.
Many had already lost their heads.
Others had been split apart by ancient forces.
Time itself seemed to have forgotten this place.
Yet despite its ruin—
an indescribable pressure still lingered there.
As though the mountain remembered its former glory.
As though something within it still refused to disappear.
Lin Shuan narrowed his eyes.
Even from this distance—
he could feel a faint aura emanating from the ruins.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
Dangerous.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen spoke quietly.
"Interesting."
Lin Shuan asked mentally,
"What is it?"
The old monster remained silent for several moments.
Then replied slowly.
"Those ruins are far older than I expected."
Lin Shuan's eyes narrowed.
"Older than Da Cang Empire?"
Tian Wuchen snorted.
"Brat."
"Everything in this realm is older than Da Cang Empire."
Lin Shuan coughed awkwardly.
The old monster continued.
"But those ruins..."
"They feel different."
Before Lin Shuan could ask further—
movement appeared ahead.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators had already begun advancing.
The floating mountain was separated from the forest by an enormous abyss.
A bottomless void stretched between them.
Darkness churned beneath.
Occasionally—
broken pieces of land slowly drifted through the emptiness.
The leading elder raised his hand.
Immediately—
several cultivators stepped forward.
Each removed a jade token.
Then—
they simultaneously activated them.
BOOOOOOM!
Bright dragon-shaped runes erupted into the sky.
The surrounding space trembled.
Ancient energy surged forward.
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
The void between the forest and the floating mountain suddenly reacted.
Ancient stone platforms emerged one after another.
A hidden pathway.
A pathway that clearly hadn't existed moments ago.
Tian Wuchen laughed softly.
"So that's how they intended to cross."
Lin Shuan's expression became serious.
This confirmed his suspicion.
The Yu Long Sect possessed detailed knowledge about this place.
Perhaps knowledge passed down through generations.
Or information obtained from someone else.
Either way—
they were not exploring blindly.
They had come prepared.
Very prepared.
The leading elder nodded.
"Move."
Without hesitation—
the group advanced onto the stone pathway.
Lin Shuan waited patiently.
Only after the last cultivator disappeared into the ruins did he move.
Crack.
Tiny arcs of lightning appeared beneath his feet.
The Lightning Immortal Path activated.
His figure vanished.
Several breaths later—
he reached the edge of the abyss.
The hidden pathway remained.
However—
the dragon runes embedded within the stones were beginning to fade.
Lin Shuan carefully stepped onto the first platform.
Nothing happened.
Then the second.
The third.
Soon—
he was moving rapidly through the abyss.
Below him—
endless darkness churned like a living ocean.
Occasionally—
he saw fragments of mountains drifting through the void.
Entire forests floated upside down.
Ancient structures drifted silently in the darkness.
The scene looked less like a world—
and more like the remains of one.
As though this realm had been shattered long ago.
As though someone had broken heaven itself.
The thought caused even Lin Shuan to become uneasy.
Several minutes later—
he finally reached the floating mountain.
The moment his feet touched solid ground—
a strange sensation spread through his body.
His Frost Divine Heart suddenly pulsed.
THUMP.
Lin Shuan froze.
THUMP.
It pulsed again.
Inside his chest—
the Frost Divine Heart seemed unusually active.
Almost excited.
Almost curious.
Lin Shuan frowned.
"Master?"
Tian Wuchen immediately noticed it as well.
"...Interesting."
"What does it mean?"
The old monster answered honestly.
"I don't know."
That response alone surprised Lin Shuan.
Very few things could leave Tian Wuchen uncertain.
Yet before they could investigate further—
a loud rumbling sound echoed through the ruins.
RUMBLE!
The entire floating mountain trembled.
Dust fell from broken structures.
Ancient stones shifted.
Far ahead—
the Yu Long Sect cultivators had stopped.
The leading elder stood before a colossal stone gate.
Lin Shuan quickly concealed himself behind a shattered wall.
Then observed carefully.
The gate was enormous.
At least two hundred meters tall.
Ancient dragon carvings covered its surface.
Weathered runes glowed faintly across the stone.
Although countless years had passed—
the gate still radiated terrifying pressure.
One glance was enough to understand.
Something important lay beyond it.
The leading elder removed an ancient scroll.
Slowly—
he unfolded it.
Several nearby cultivators immediately knelt.
Even the stronger hidden experts lowered their heads respectfully.
Lin Shuan's eyes narrowed.
That reaction was unusual.
Very unusual.
Who exactly had given them that scroll?
The elder carefully compared the scroll to the symbols on the gate.
Then pointed toward several locations.
"Begin."
Immediately—
dozens of cultivators moved.
Some injected Luo Essence into specific runes.
Others placed jade tokens into ancient slots.
Several powerful experts formed a complicated formation around the gate.
Clearly—
they had prepared for this moment long ago.
Minutes passed.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The entire mountain shook violently.
Ancient runes illuminated one after another.
Golden light surged across the gate.
The carvings began glowing.
Lin Shuan's expression changed.
Something was awakening.
Something old.
Very old.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen suddenly became serious.
"Retreat."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What?"
"Retreat."
The old monster's voice was unusually firm.
"Now."
Lin Shuan had never heard Tian Wuchen sound like this.
Before he could respond—
the gate suddenly emitted a blinding golden light.
The dragon carvings moved.
Actually moved.
Their stone eyes slowly opened.
A terrifying pressure descended upon the entire mountain.
Many Yu Long Sect cultivators instantly turned pale.
Several weaker ones nearly collapsed.
Even the leading elder's face changed.
Clearly—
this reaction had exceeded his expectations.
Then—
a voice echoed across the ruins.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Emotionless.
A voice that seemed to originate from countless years in the past.
"Unauthorized entrants detected."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Every Yu Long Sect cultivator froze.
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
The voice continued.
"Treasury Authority Verification..."
The ancient runes across the gate brightened.
Golden light swept across the mountain.
Like a giant eye.
Observing everything.
Judging everything.
Then—
the voice spoke again.
This time—
its tone became colder.
"Verification failed."
The leading elder's expression immediately changed.
"No!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The gate exploded with light.
The sky darkened.
Ancient energy surged from the ruins.
Countless dragon-shaped shadows emerged from the gate.
Each radiated terrifying pressure.
The weaker Yu Long Sect cultivators instantly became terrified.
Even Lin Shuan felt his scalp turn numb.
These weren't ordinary guardians.
Not even close.
The first dragon-shaped shadow slowly opened its eyes.
Then—
it looked directly toward the Yu Long Sect group.
And raised a massive claw.
At that moment—
everyone realized the same thing.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
And the floating ruins were about to reveal why they had remained untouched for countless ages.