The underground great hall was submerged in an eerie, almost sacred silence. A warm, golden pillar of light radiating from the center of the altar illuminated the stone vault, dispelling all darkness and frigid yin energy, turning the entire space as solemn as a divine temple.
The murderous aura had vanished completely. The four Bronze Warriors—four killing machines equivalent to experts at the Foundation Establishment stage—were still majestically kneeling on one knee upon the ground. The melancholy green flames flickering in their eyes were no longer lifeless and deathly; instead, they seemed to contain a trace of reverence, of absolute submission. They looked at no one else, directing their gazes only toward the silhouette of the youth standing within the pillar of light.
Uncle Kiem, Ly Tin, Trinh Cong, and Lam Vy stood dumbfounded, as if petrified. The scene before them had completely exceeded the scope of their understanding. Just a few breaths ago, they had been in a desperate situation, facing certain death. Yet now, the seemingly insurmountable enemies were prostrating at their feet.
"This... this is..." Ly Tin stammered, the sword in his hand nearly slipping from his grasp without him realizing it. He was a general who had conquered battlefields and witnessed countless bizarre spectacles, but never one as absurd and earth-shattering as this.
Uncle Kiem was not surprised. Within the depths of his eyes lay extreme shock. He did not look at the four Bronze Warriors, but stared fixedly at Tran Kien. He understood better than anyone else what had just transpired.
Tran Kien had not merely activated the formation array. He had used his own bloodline and his very willpower to resonate with it, earning the recognition of the heroic spirits of his ancestral legacy.
He was not an intruder, but the Master returning home.
Within the pillar of light, Tran Kien was experiencing an incredibly wondrous sensation. He felt neither scorching heat nor oppressive pressure. He only felt a warm, all-encompassing embrace, as if returning to a mother's arms. Countless ancient images and concepts from the altar, transmitted through the pillar of light, poured directly into his Divine Soul.
He saw how the Lac Viet predecessors had constructed this ancient waterway. He saw how they had battled against natural disasters and Demonic Beasts. And he saw that, in the final moments of their civilization, when facing an invincible enemy, they did not choose to fight to the death. They chose to conceal themselves, to preserve the seeds of hope, constructing this holy land and leaving behind a dying mandate for their descendants.
"He who carries the bloodline of the Dragon and Fairy, possesses the indomitable will of Thiet Dot, and holds the radiant heart of the Sun Star, shall become the new master of the holy land, shouldering the responsibility of reviving the glory of Lac Viet."
An ancient voice, weathered by time yet brimming with hope, echoed directly within Tran Kien's mind.
He slowly opened his eyes. The pillar of light gradually retracted, converging into the fragment of the Sun Star Guardian lying quietly upon the central stone pedestal. The light in the great hall returned to its dim state, but the aura had completely transformed. There was no longer any danger, only a solemn, ancient presence.
Tran Kien stepped down from the altar. The four Bronze Warriors remained kneeling there, completely motionless.
"Young... Young Hero Tran..." Trinh Cong spoke with difficulty. "These things..."
"They will no longer attack us," Tran Kien said. His voice carried a hint of exhaustion after expending too much mental energy, yet it was incredibly resolute. "They have recognized us."
He walked up to the Bronze Warrior holding a long saber in the North. He could sense that, among the four guardians, this one was the strongest. He reached out, gently touching the cold, azure-bronze armor on its shoulder.
There was no resistance. The massive war puppet merely raised its head slightly, the green flame in its eyes flickering a bit, as if expressing its submission.
Only then did Uncle Kiem and the others dare to breathe a sigh of relief, slowly stepping forward. As they passed by the killing machines that had just wanted to take their lives, their hearts couldn't help but pound wildly.
"How did you do that?" Lam Vy asked curiously, her voice filled with admiration.
"I'm not exactly sure myself," Tran Kien shook his head. "I merely followed what my heart told me."
He did not mention the ancient voice. He knew that some secrets could only be kept to oneself.
"Now is not the time to discuss this," Uncle Kiem spoke up, his expression extremely serious. "This place is the holy land of the Lac Viet people, a fortuitous encounter that comes but once in a millennium. Tran Kien, hurry up to the altar and memorize all the incantations and mental cultivation methods of the Lac Viet Grand Heavenly Formation. This is our greatest harvest!"
Tran Kien nodded. Without the slightest hesitation, he returned to the altar. This time, there was no pillar of light. He could observe calmly.
On the bluestone surface of the altar, apart from the complex lines of the array diagram, were tens of thousands of ancient Vu script characters deeply carved into the stone. They recorded in complete detail the entire set of incantations and mental cultivation methods—from how to channel Primordial Chaos Qi to establish the Core Layer: Sun Star Guardian, how to "sow" spiritual energy into the earth to activate the Middle Layer: Hundred Viet Coral, to how to "follow the wind" to command a myriad of Lac birds in the Outer Layer: Soaring Lac Feathers.
This was a priceless treasure trove of knowledge. Compared to it, the metaphorical fragments of incantations that Tran Kien had painstakingly searched for in the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes were merely a drop in the ocean.
He sat cross-legged right in the center of the altar, entering a meditative state and using his entire mind to memorize and comprehend.
Uncle Kiem, Ly Tin, and Trinh Cong stood on the outside, consciously acting as Dharma Protectors. Lam Vy also did not disturb him. She walked around the great hall, curiously observing the murals on the walls. When she reached the stone wall behind the altar, she suddenly let out a soft "Ah!"
"Uncle Kiem, Grandpa Trinh, come quickly and take a look!"
Uncle Kiem and Trinh Cong hurried over. On that stone wall, there were no murals. Instead, there was another line of Vu script, carved with incredibly vigorous and unrestrained strokes. Next to the ancient characters was a small alcove, recessed deep into the stone wall.
"This is..." Trinh Cong frowned. He had also done some research into ancient texts, but even he could not recognize what these characters were.
Uncle Kiem remained silent. He stared fixedly at that line of text for a long time, then looked back toward Tran Kien, who was in deep meditation on the altar. A strange gleam flashed in his eyes.
"It seems," he muttered. "Our journey this time is not over yet. This is not the terminus, but merely a transit station."
"Uncle Kiem, what does this text mean?" Lam Vy asked.
Uncle Kiem turned back, looking at the little girl and Trinh Cong, his voice turning profound:
"The holy land has two gates. A Gate of Life, leading out to the mortal world. A Gate of Death, leading to the origin. If you wish to know the secrets of Heaven and Earth, go find the Heart of the Dragon."