Chapter 72: The Abyss Opens
Before them stretched an underground battlefield, frozen in time. Thousands of warriors, locked in their final moments of combat, stood petrified in twisted shapes, their weapons still clenched in their skeletal grips. A thick layer of dust and ash coated the remains, untouched by the passage of centuries.
Mei Lian halted, her eyes darting across the scene with a wary glint. "This… isn't just a battlefield. It's a graveyard."
Yan Shun let out a slow exhale. "No battle ever ends cleanly. Even in death, some wars refuse to fade."
Zheng Wei, despite his weakened state, moved forward, his gaze drawn to the crumbling statues of warriors mid-swing. "This isn't just any battle. These warriors were powerful cultivators. Their techniques are ancient, yet they still hold traces of their intent. Look at their stances."
Li Feng approached one of the preserved figures, brushing a hand over the faded armor. As his fingers met the cold surface, the shadows in the Abyss twisted, and suddenly, the battlefield was alive again.
Spectral figures flickered into existence, transparent and wreathed in mist, fighting battles that had long since ended. The clang of weapons, the cries of warriors, and the sickening crunch of bones filled the air as the past replayed before their eyes.
Shen Longwei's forces.
Li Feng's breath caught as he saw them, not in their present forms but from centuries past. These were warriors bearing the insignia of Longwei's bloodline, locked in battle against an unknown force. The conflict played out in brutal detail, warriors tearing into each other with reckless abandon.
Then, something even more unsettling caught Mei Lian's attention. She stepped closer to a fallen warrior whose armor bore a distinct emblem—one she had only seen in the oldest texts.
"This emblem…" she whispered. "This belonged to the Order of the Silent Fang."
Li Feng turned sharply. "The Silent Fang? I thought they were just a legend. They were said to have been annihilated by…"
His words faltered, the weight of realization settling over him.
"By the Azure Dragon Clan," Mei Lian finished grimly. "Your ancestors, Li Feng."
Silence fell upon them. The echoes of the battle faded, leaving only a crushing stillness.
Li Feng clenched his fists. His clan, the noble lineage he had spent his life honoring, had not only fought but possibly eradicated an entire sect.
Yan Shun crossed his arms. "It seems every side in history claims to be righteous. Perhaps the Azure Dragon Clan wasn't as pure as you believed."
Before Li Feng could respond, the ground rumbled again, more violently this time. A deep growl reverberated through the cavern, shaking the petrified remains.
Zheng Wei stumbled, gripping his staff tightly. "That's not the Abyss shifting. Something is coming."
From the shadows beyond the battlefield, figures emerged. They moved with purpose, their forms flickering like ghosts yet carrying the unmistakable weight of warriors. Shen Longwei's forces had arrived.
But they were not alone.
Between them, something darker slithered. A towering, amorphous presence, its edges dissolving into nothingness, pulsed with a sinister aura. It did not move like a human, nor did it seem entirely bound by the physical world.
Shen Longwei stood at the center of his ranks, his gaze fixed on Li Feng. A knowing smirk played across his lips. "So, you've seen the truth hidden beneath your clan's glory. Does it shake your resolve, Li Feng? Or will you finally embrace what you were meant to become?"
Li Feng glared at him, but deep inside, unease twisted in his chest. The battlefield of the past had resurfaced for a reason. And the war they were about to fight—it was not a new one.
It was a continuation.
As Shen Longwei stepped forward, the dark entity beside him unfurled its form, its very presence warping the space around it. It was something beyond mortal comprehension, and it had chosen to stand at Shen Longwei's side.
The war was no longer between men alone.