Chapter 51: The Gates of the Abyss
Behind him, Mei Lian, Yan Shun, and Zheng Wei followed, their gazes flicking toward the ancient inscriptions etched into the walls. The markings twisted and pulsed as though alive, whispering in a tongue long forgotten.
"This place reeks of death," Zheng Wei muttered, clutching his prayer beads. "Even the spirits here do not rest."
Yan Shun knelt beside the nearest set of inscriptions, running his fingers across the grooves. "The Abyssal Vault… A place that even the Jade Empress feared. Why would she build something like this?"
Mei Lian's fingers curled tightly around the Celestial Mirror at her side. The polished surface rippled, faint glimpses of shadowy figures moving within its depths. "It's reacting," she whispered, watching the distorted reflections. "It's showing us… something."
Before anyone could respond, the ground rumbled beneath them. The entrance behind them slammed shut with a thunderous boom, sealing them in. Loose dust rained down from the ceiling, and the walls trembled as an ancient mechanism activated.
Li Feng spun around, pressing a hand against the sealed doorway. "Damn it. No way back."
The air grew colder. From the dimly lit passage ahead, spectral figures flickered into existence, remnants of warriors long lost to time. Their translucent forms bore shattered armor and empty eye sockets that burned with an eerie blue light. They hovered in silence before the largest among them—a warrior clad in regal battle garb, his face obscured by a cracked helmet.
"Turn back." The voice was like the scraping of steel against stone, hollow and heavy. "This place is not for the living."
Yan Shun stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "We have no choice. Our enemies have already gone ahead."
"They have broken the seals." The specter's voice carried a grim finality. "And now, the vault will claim you all."
Before anyone could react, the chamber trembled again. The specters lunged, their forms wraithlike but deadly. Li Feng barely managed to duck as a ghostly blade slashed through the air where his head had been moments ago.
"Move!" Mei Lian shouted, summoning a burst of energy from the Celestial Mirror. Light flashed, driving back the nearest spirits, but they recoiled only momentarily before advancing again.
Yan Shun's sword whistled through the air as he struck at another phantom, but the blade passed through harmlessly. "Tch! Normal attacks won't work."
Zheng Wei, still gripping his beads, closed his eyes. "Then let me try something different." His voice took on a reverent tone as he muttered an incantation. Golden light emanated from his hands, forming a protective seal around the group. The spirits faltered, their forms flickering in distress.
Li Feng seized the opportunity. "Through the corridor—go!"
They sprinted forward, dodging spectral attacks as Zheng Wei's barrier weakened. The further they ran, the more the walls around them pulsed with unnatural energy. The whispers of the Abyss grew louder, filling their minds with fractured memories and chilling echoes of the past.
Then, without warning, the floor beneath them split apart.
A chasm yawned open, swallowing Mei Lian's footing. She gasped as she tumbled forward, but Li Feng lunged, catching her wrist just in time. The weight of her body nearly dragged him down, but he gritted his teeth and pulled her back onto solid ground.
"Keep going," he urged as she steadied herself, her breathing ragged.
Yan Shun and Zheng Wei leaped over the gap with ease, but just as Li Feng prepared to follow, the chamber quaked once more. From the depths of the chasm, a deep, guttural growl reverberated.
A pair of glowing eyes flickered in the darkness below.
Before they could react, something massive stirred within the abyss.