Chapter 45: A Cursed Legacy

Lin Yun felt his body being torn apart.

The moment the jade scroll activated, an overwhelming force engulfed him, pulling him into an abyss of swirling energy. His vision blurred, his body felt weightless, and his mind teetered on the edge of consciousness.

Then—

**Thud!**

He crashed onto the cold, unforgiving ground. Pain shot through his body as he struggled to breathe. His limbs felt heavy, his Qi unstable. It took him several moments before he could even lift his head.

The sight before him was nothing like the mountains he had just been in.

**A ruined battlefield.**

The air was thick with an eerie stillness. The ground was cracked, littered with the remains of shattered weapons and bones. In the distance, giant stone statues stood like fallen guardians, their forms eroded by time.

Lin Yun pushed himself up, his breathing ragged.

**Where am I?**

His first instinct was to check the jade scroll, but to his shock, it had turned to dust in his hands. Whatever power had brought him here, it was gone now.

**He was trapped.**

A wave of unease settled over him. There was something **wrong** about this place. The silence was unnatural.

He took a cautious step forward. The moment his foot touched the ground—

A **whisper** echoed in his ears.

A faint, chilling voice. **"Leave… before it's too late…"**

Lin Yun froze. His eyes darted around, but there was no one. He clenched his fists. **An illusion? A formation?**

Before he could think further, a sharp pain shot through his chest. He coughed, his vision blurring again. His body, already exhausted from the previous battle, was now suffering from whatever energy had transported him here.

Then, from the distance—**a shadow moved.**

Lin Yun immediately snapped into a defensive stance, his tired body preparing for a fight. But as the figure emerged from the mist, his breath hitched.

It was a **man in tattered robes**, his body unnaturally thin, his face hidden beneath long, unkempt hair. But what was most terrifying—

**His body was covered in chains.**

Dark, rusted chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso, dragging across the ground as he walked. His steps were slow, his head tilted downward, as if he were half-conscious.

But Lin Yun could feel it—**the presence of overwhelming power.**

This man was no ordinary cultivator.

The air grew heavier with each step he took. Then, suddenly—

He stopped.

And in a hollow, broken voice, he whispered:

**"Do you seek power?"**

Lin Yun's blood ran cold.

There was **something deeply wrong** with this place. With this man. But at the same time… he couldn't deny the temptation.

His fight with Bai Ziyan had made it clear—he was still weak.

If he wanted to survive in this world, if he wanted to **one day stand above the strongest**, he needed power.

And yet… every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn back.

The chained man slowly lifted his head, revealing empty, soulless eyes. "I was once like you… struggling… desperate… willing to do anything to rise above the heavens."

Lin Yun's fists clenched.

"And now… I am a prisoner of my own strength."

The chains rattled as he took another step forward. "But you… you still have a choice."

A **faint glow** appeared in the man's hand—a black, cracked jade tablet pulsing with an ominous light. "This… is my legacy. My sins. Take it, and inherit my power… but be warned…"

Lin Yun swallowed hard.

"This power comes with a price."

**The price of one's soul.**