50. Echoes of the Vanquished Throne

The cold wind howled across the desolate valley, carrying whispers of forgotten truths. The sky was painted in hues of crimson and gold as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the ancient ruins before Ling Tian.

Each step he took on the cracked, ancient stone seemed to stir something buried deep within his soul. The lingering aura of an era long erased from history pulsed beneath his feet. His azure-gold energy flickered in response, resonating with the ruins in a way he couldn't yet understand.

Xu Qing'er stood beside him, her gaze solemn. "This place should not exist," she murmured, her fingers brushing against the faded engravings on a shattered pillar.

Ling Tian's golden eyes narrowed as he examined the strange symbols. The more he looked, the more they seemed... familiar. It was as if his very being recognized them. Not through knowledge—but through memory.

He reached out.

The instant his fingertips made contact with the stone, a deep hum echoed through the ruins.

—BOOM!—

A formless energy surged through Ling Tian's veins, flooding his mind with chaotic visions.

The world around him twisted.

A Fragmented Memory—A War Lost in Time

He stood on a battlefield under a darkened sky. Lightning tore through the heavens, striking the ground with divine fury. The world itself was collapsing.

Before him, a throne of twilight stood at the edge of existence, bathed in eerie golden radiance. Countless figures, clad in celestial armor, waged war against an unseen force. Sovereigns, Immortals, Ancient Beings—all fighting against an inevitable end.

And at the center of it all... stood a lone figure.

His face was shrouded in mist, but his presence shook the very fabric of reality.

Ling Tian felt his own soul tremble as the figure raised his sword. A voice, neither young nor old, echoed across eternity.

"To ascend is to vanish. To reign is to be erased."

Suddenly—

The vision shattered.

Ling Tian gasped as he stumbled back, his chest heaving. The energy around him fluctuated violently, as if resisting his very existence.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Xu Qing'er's voice was quiet but firm.

Ling Tian turned to her, his golden eyes stormy with emotion. "You knew about this place." It wasn't a question—it was a realization.

For the first time, hesitation flickered across her usually composed face. "Not everything, but enough to know that we were not meant to be here… yet."

A chilling silence fell between them.

This place—these ruins—were tied to him. To her. And perhaps… to the very fate of the Myriad Worlds.

A Past That Shouldn't Have Been Forgotten

Ling Tian's mind spun. What was the Vanquished Throne? And why did it feel as though the very laws of existence were trying to erase its memory from the world?

And then there was Xu Qing'er.

Since the moment they met, she had always seemed to know more than she let on. But this was different. Her connection to this place was far deeper than mere knowledge.

"You said… that this place shouldn't exist," Ling Tian said, his voice slow and deliberate. "Why?"

Xu Qing'er exhaled softly, her silver eyes shimmering under the twilight. "Because it was erased. Just like your clan."

The moment the words left her lips, the air around them grew deathly still.

Ling Tian's expression darkened. "What did you say?"

She turned to face him fully, stepping closer. "The Ling Clan. The moment you left for the Forsaken Realm… they vanished. Not killed. Not destroyed. Vanished."

Ling Tian's heartbeat pounded in his ears.

This was no longer just about himself. It was about his very bloodline. His home. His family.

Erased from existence?

Who—or what—could do such a thing?

And then, deep within his soul, something stirred.

A hidden fragment of memory—locked away—began to crack.

And for the first time… Ling Tian felt fear.

But alongside it, rage.

A Promise Beneath the Falling Night

He clenched his fist. "Then I will find them. No matter what it takes."

Xu Qing'er studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then you must prepare. Because the moment you walk this path… there is no turning back."

Ling Tian's lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes burned with determination. "Who said I ever planned on turning back?"

Above them, the last remnants of sunlight faded.

In the distance, beyond the ruins, the first flickers of something watching them stirred in the darkness.

And for the first time… the world itself seemed to shudder in anticipation.

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