A Treasure, or a Curse?

Raindrops poured over the dense forest throughout the night until morning arrived with a rare clear sky. The sun shone gently, bathing the forest in balanced warmth.

Deep within the forest, hidden inside a dark cave, Qin Chen sat cross-legged. A few hours of sleep had given him a bit of energy after a long day. Throughout the night, he had tried to piece together the fragmented memories that had haunted him since the incident. Slowly, the memories began to take shape, although they remained shrouded in mist.

He had no idea who this "second Qin Chen" occupying his mind truly was. However, the memories brought cultivation techniques, ancient terms, and vast knowledge about a world unfamiliar to him. It was like a treasure trove ready to help him survive in this world.

One thing was clear: this figure had once been extraordinarily powerful, standing on par with the greatest figures of his era.

Qin Chen slowly opened his eyes. A calm and confident glow was evident on his face, as though he had been reborn.

He stood up, stretching his refreshed body. The sunlight piercing through the cave's crevices bathed his body, making him feel stronger, as if the life force within him had been rekindled.

"Alright," he muttered. "It's time to take the first step."

Just as he was about to leave, a strange sound from behind halted his steps. It sounded like a throw or a crack.

He turned toward the noise, squinting his eyes to penetrate the darkness. "This cave goes deeper than I thought," he murmured, stroking his chin. When he arrived here, his goal had only been to find shelter. He hadn't even considered other possibilities.

A faint smirk appeared on his face, replacing any doubt. A bold idea crossed his mind. "Why not? Let's see what's hidden in here," he said with a grin.

Without fear, he ventured deeper into the cave, carefully watching his every step. Though there was no artificial light, the cracks above provided enough illumination to see the path ahead.

One minute, three minutes, five minutes passed, and as he delved further, the cave's atmosphere began to change. The air became damp, and the smell of earth and moss filled his nostrils. The sound of water dripping from stalactites echoed, adding a mysterious ambiance. The cave walls began to glow faintly orange from the sunlight's reflection, revealing ancient carvings hidden beneath thick moss.

"This…" Qin Chen paused for a moment, studying one carving shaped like a coiled dragon.

His expression turned serious. The symbol felt eerily familiar. The vague figure of the second Qin Chen in his mind seemed to whisper softly, giving him a troubling sense of déjà vu. "This symbol… it belongs to an ancient sect," he murmured. "But which sect?" He racked his brain, trying to pierce through the fog in his memory that seemed to obscure the answer.

Curiosity consumed him. Qin Chen ran his fingers over the carving, feeling its cold, rough texture. The touch triggered a spark of recollection—a fleeting image of a group of people in ancient clothing standing before a grand gate adorned with a coiled dragon. But the scene was blurry, like fragments of a dream difficult to grasp.

"Damn… why do I feel like I know it but can't remember?" he muttered in frustration. He withdrew his hand and exhaled deeply.

He continued walking, but the curiosity about the symbol lingered in his mind. Every few steps, he encountered similar carvings with the same coiled dragon, but each time, the surrounding patterns were slightly different—as if each carving told a part of a story.

The farther he went, the more symbols adorned the walls. Carvings of a massive sword, an eight-pointed star encircled by mysterious rings, and mythical creatures like phoenixes and qilins appeared along the way.

"With symbols like these, there's no way this cave is ordinary," he thought, pressing on.

The tunnel began to narrow, and the atmosphere grew quieter. The air became even damper, and the sound of dripping water echoed faintly in his ears. After a while, the path widened again, but his attention was now drawn to a large stone wall blocking the way.

Qin Chen stroked his chin, examining the sturdy stone wall before him. Its appearance was too perfect to be natural—there were no cracks or fissures typical of ordinary caves. "A dead end? No way. There must be something here," he muttered, his curiosity ablaze.

He began inspecting the wall's surface, carefully feeling every inch. His fingers traced the cold, rough stone until they stopped at a point that felt different—smoother and slightly raised compared to the rest. He tapped it lightly, and the sound was different—heavier and hollow, as if something lay behind it.

Qin Chen grinned, "I found it!" his eyes glinting with confidence. Without hesitation, he clenched his fist and struck the spot.

Crack!

Small cracks began to spread across the wall's surface. He stepped back, observing his handiwork with a wide grin. "Hahaha, I guessed right. This isn't just an ordinary cave!" he exclaimed, dusting his hands off.

Determined, Qin Chen mustered all his strength to punch the same spot again. Though his body hadn't fully recovered, his power was still far beyond that of an average human.

Crack!

The cracks widened, followed by the sound of crumbling stone. After a few more strikes, the wall shattered, revealing a hidden path behind the rocks.

Without hesitation, Qin Chen stepped forward. The newly uncovered corridor led to a vast, breathtaking chamber. Towering stone pillars adorned with dragon patterns seemed almost alive under a dim orange glow from an unknown source. The ceiling was filled with crystal stalactites that shimmered, creating a magical scene.

At the center of the chamber, a large throne stood majestically. Atop it sat an untouched skeleton, wearing the robes of an ancient cultivator—a combination of fiery red and deep black adorned with dragon motifs along the fabric.

Qin Chen paused, marveling at the extraordinary sight before him. The sturdy pillars, dragon carvings, and the mysterious skeleton on the grand throne—all confirmed this was an invaluable relic of the past. Smirking slightly, he muttered, "Who would've thought, a seemingly ordinary cave hides something like this, and strangely, no one's found it until I came."

He stepped forward with unwavering confidence. "Lady Luck, you've truly blessed me," he said, his face lit with a victorious smile.

As he approached, his eyes locked onto the skeleton sitting on the throne. In its hand was a scroll adorned with dragon motifs, tightly gripped even in death. Qin Chen stopped a few steps before it, studying the object intently. Stroking his chin, he analyzed the situation. "There must be a trap… or something," he thought aloud.

He wasn't naive. Before transmigrating, he'd read many cultivation novels, and treasures like this rarely came without traps. The scroll could be cursed, trigger an explosion, or even summon something more terrifying.

His gaze fell on a small rock on the ground. He quickly picked it up and stepped back a few paces. With calculated precision, he tossed the rock at the skeleton's hand.

Thud!

The scroll fell from the skeleton's grip and hit the ground. Qin Chen observed closely, waiting for any changes. Nothing happened. No explosions, no mechanisms triggered. He picked up another rock and nudged the scroll with its tip. Still, no reaction.

He let out a short sigh, stroking his chin again. "Well, maybe there really isn't a trap. In that case…" With a wide, assured smirk, he reached for the scroll.

However, as soon as his skin touched the scroll's surface, something unexpected occurred. The scroll began to glow blood red, emitting a blinding light that made Qin Chen step back. He tried to release it, but the scroll seemed to fuse with his skin, refusing to let go despite his frantic shaking.

"Damn! What's going on?!" Qin Chen shouted.

In an instant, ancient characters emerged from the scroll, glowing brightly and beginning to crawl across his body. The writings clung to his skin like living tattoos, relentlessly spreading. Qin Chen could only scream as the characters enveloped his eyes, blinding him almost entirely.

Through his blurred vision, he noticed something terrifying that make his eyes widened. The skeleton that had been motionless was now slowly standing. Its bones emitted a blinding white light, forming a menacing figure.

"Aaargh-!" Qin Chen screamed, but his voice was cut off as the ancient characters began entering his mouth. His body felt paralyzed, his vision darkened, leaving him enveloped in terror and pain.

He couldn't move, only watch as the glowing skeleton approached, its steps slow but steady. Qin Chen sensed something unnatural—as if the skeleton intended to merge with his body.

In an instant, the chamber erupted with a mix of red and black light from the ancient characters, blending with the white glow of the skeleton. Terror and pain reached their peak as Qin Chen could only scream internally, his body consumed by an indescribable foreign power.