61. Whispers of the Vanquished Throne

The cold winds of the Forsaken Realm howled across the desolate plains, carrying with them the echoes of a forgotten past. Ling Tian stood amidst the corpses of the assassins, his blade still gleaming under the pale moonlight. The stench of blood lingered in the air, but his mind was elsewhere—on the words spoken in the ruins.

"The Ling Clan… the Forsaken Realm… all of it was orchestrated long before your birth."

Xu Qing'er watched him with quiet intensity. "What now?"

Ling Tian exhaled slowly, his golden and azure aura receding. "We press forward. These assassins prove that our journey here is not unnoticed."

Xu Qing'er nodded, but her expression was unreadable. "And if we're walking straight into a trap?"

Ling Tian's lips curled into a smirk. "Then we break through it."

With that, he turned and continued forward.

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Somewhere in the Shadows

A pair of unseen eyes watched the duo's every move. Cloaked in the void, a figure stood at the edge of a ruined temple, observing with a gaze as ancient as the world itself.

"So, he has arrived… sooner than expected."

A second voice, deeper and filled with authority, responded from the darkness. "He was always meant to come. The seals are weakening. The past is clawing its way back."

The first figure chuckled. "Then let us see if he is truly worthy of what awaits him."

A silent ripple spread through the Forsaken Realm, as if the land itself had acknowledged Ling Tian's arrival.

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The Path of the Forgotten City

Ling Tian and Xu Qing'er moved swiftly through the barren lands. The soil beneath them was cracked and lifeless, yet every so often, remnants of an ancient civilization would peek through—broken pillars, half-buried statues, inscriptions long eroded by time.

They were close.

The closer they got, the heavier the air became. It wasn't just pressure—it was something else, something intangible, yet suffocating.

Xu Qing'er frowned. "This place… it feels like it's rejecting us."

Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. "Not rejecting—testing."

Just as the words left his mouth, the ground trembled.

From the cracked earth, dark silhouettes began to rise—warriors clad in ancient armor, their hollow eyes glowing with eerie light. They were neither alive nor dead, yet their presence reeked of lingering resentment.

Xu Qing'er's expression turned sharp. "The Fallen Sentinels."

Ling Tian tightened his grip on his sword. "They guard the path."

The sentinels let out an unearthly screech before lunging forward.

Boom!

Ling Tian moved like a tempest, his sword carving through the first wave of sentinels with unmatched precision. Azure and gold light clashed against the dark forms, each strike sending ripples of power through the battlefield.

Xu Qing'er was just as fierce. With a flick of her wrist, a delicate yet devastating wave of energy erupted from her palm, slicing through the enemies like a divine judgment.

But no matter how many they cut down, more continued to rise.

Ling Tian's brows furrowed. "They're endless."

Xu Qing'er clenched her fists. "There must be a source."

As if answering her words, a deep roar echoed from the horizon. The ground split apart, and from the abyss, a towering figure emerged—a sentinel unlike the rest.

Its armor was cracked yet brimming with an ancient power. In its hand was a great spear, pulsing with a dark crimson glow.

Ling Tian's gaze hardened. "The Warden."

The creature let out a guttural growl before charging forward with earth-shattering force.

Ling Tian wasted no time. His sword met the Warden's spear in a blinding clash of power, sending shockwaves through the air. The force of the impact sent cracks splintering across the ground beneath them.

Xu Qing'er leaped back, gathering energy in her palms before unleashing a beam of radiant light towards the Warden's exposed side.

But the creature was fast. It twisted its body mid-strike, deflecting the attack before countering with a sweeping strike of its spear.

Ling Tian saw the opening.

Boom!

Golden energy surged from his blade as he executed a flawless counter, severing the Warden's weapon in half.

The creature staggered.

Ling Tian did not hesitate. He took a single step forward—then slashed.

A streak of golden light cut through the night.

The Warden's body froze. Then, slowly, it began to disintegrate into nothingness.

The remaining sentinels let out a final, haunting wail before vanishing into the wind.

Silence returned.

Xu Qing'er exhaled. "That was… close."

Ling Tian sheathed his sword, his gaze never leaving the path ahead. "The true challenge still lies beyond."

And as he looked toward the distant ruins of the Forgotten City, he could feel it—something ancient, something waiting.

Their journey was far from over.

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