Chapter 96: A Thread of the Way of Time

"My father? Where is he?"

"My mother?"

The Sacred Beast, the Qilin, howled in madness. He couldn't accept what he saw. The coffin clearly had the aura of the Qilin Clan, which meant it was crafted by his father. But inside, it was empty.

Where were his parents' bodies?

Fear, shock, and anger flashed through the Sacred Beast's eyes as he scanned the surroundings. At that moment, his aura erupted like a volcano, flames blazing, and the temperature around him spiked dramatically.

Lian Jiufeng, seeing his outburst, furrowed his brow and shouted, "Calm down! The Fallen Immortal Tomb is vast. Your parents might be somewhere else. Don't lose control of your mind."

The Qilin regained his composure, taking deep breaths to suppress his fury. He nodded solemnly. "You're right. I was too irrational."

Lian Jiufeng patted the Qilin's mane in reassurance. "It's natural to be anxious when it comes to your parents, but if their bodies aren't here, we'll search elsewhere. Let's explore the Fallen Immortal Tomb."

The Qilin shook his head. "I don't know. When the Fallen Immortal Tomb fell to the mortal realm, my father threw me out to protect me. I don't know much about this place, but I've always sensed my bloodline here. This coffin must have been made by my father. I thought they would be resting inside, but… I never expected this."

Lian Jiufeng surveyed the surroundings. "Since you don't know, we should start exploring the rest of the Fallen Immortal Tomb. It's huge. If they're not here, maybe they're somewhere else."

The Qilin nodded. For now, this was their only option.

Lian Jiufeng looked up at the walls, ceiling, and the murals etched into the coffin.

"Sacred Beast Qilin, do you recognize these murals?" he asked, having no knowledge of them himself.

The Qilin gazed upward, narrowing his eyes. "These are ancient demon scripts. I have some memories of them, but my cultivation is still too low. My inherited memories aren't fully unlocked yet, so I don't know much."

"Ancient demon scripts…" Lian Jiufeng murmured. He turned to the Qilin and asked, "How much do you recognize now?"

The Qilin observed carefully and began reading aloud.

"In the beginning of the ancient times, heaven and humans were in chaos. The Demon Court ruled over the Nine Heavens with immense power…"

"In the middle period, the Demon Court collapsed. The myriad races fought for power, and the Qilin retreated…"

"In the recent ancient period, the myriad races withered, and the human race began to rise, though only for a brief moment…"

The Qilin recited all he knew.

Lian Jiufeng frowned slightly. The passage revealed a great deal.

The Demon Race once established the Demon Court and ruled with overwhelming power.

Then, in the middle period, the Demon Court fell, and the races fought for dominance. The Qilin retreated.

In the recent ancient period, the human race rose, even if it was only for a short time.

Just these few lines summarized several eras.

"There's nothing more here. Let's move on," the Qilin said.

The remaining demon scripts were unreadable to him, and staying in this place wouldn't help any further.

Lian Jiufeng nodded, following the Qilin as they moved on, exploring other areas of the Fallen Immortal Tomb.

The tomb was essentially a vast palace, filled with countless halls. These halls were connected, some extravagant and luxurious, others simple and modest. Inside, however, they were all empty, devoid of any treasures or useful items.

The Qilin turned to Lian Jiufeng. "The Fallen Immortal Tomb is a treasure of the Qilin Clan, but it was lost long ago. We don't know where it's hidden. However, every Qilin can summon the power of the Fallen Immortal Tomb to aid them in battle. My father once used immense magic to summon its power and create a replica of the Fallen Immortal Tomb. He put everything he had into it and then shattered the barrier between the dimensional battlefield and the mortal realm to come here."

Lian Jiufeng understood. "So those immortal herbs were your father's?"

The Qilin nodded. "Naturally. Those herbs were my father's. Now that they're gone, it's likely he was severely injured and consumed them to heal himself."

Lian Jiufeng gave an outward nod of understanding, but inwardly, he suspected that the ten great kings might have taken them.

After completing a full circuit of the tomb with no discoveries, the Qilin was clearly growing anxious. "Where are my parents' bodies?"

"There's one last grand hall!" Lian Jiufeng pointed ahead.

The Qilin suppressed his agitation and quickly rushed toward the final hall.

Boom!

Upon entering the hall, the Qilin froze in place.

Lian Jiufeng followed closely behind and, upon seeing what lay inside, was equally stunned.

At the center of the hall was a dry well, filled with ash. Around it were numerous white bones, colossal in size, clearly belonging to powerful experts from various races.

What truly shocked both the Qilin and Lian Jiufeng, however, was the blood-colored stele beside the well.

Carved into the stele was a line of words:

"My child, do not fear. My injuries are grave, and time is running out. I have no time to ensure your safety. The Heavenly Well lies here, leading to the Three Realms. I will take your mother to the Heavenly Realm, hoping to find a sliver of hope for survival."

This was a blood-written message from the Qilin's father. In his final moments, he had taken the Qilin's mother through the Heavenly Well into the Heavenly Realm, which explained why their bodies were not in the Fallen Immortal Tomb.

Tears welled in the Qilin's eyes as he stared at the stele, his face pressed against it as he gently rubbed it, murmuring, "Father, I don't blame you. I only hope you can save mother and live together in peace."

Lian Jiufeng watched quietly, letting the Qilin have his moment. He turned to survey the surroundings.

Bones scattered across the ground—some massive, others more ordinary, all crumbling with the passage of time.

Lian Jiufeng absentmindedly picked up a rusted sword from the bones. After channeling his energy into it, the sword's protective formation cracked and shattered.

"What a pity," Lian Jiufeng sighed. "This sword contained tens of thousands of formations. It must have been an invaluable treasure, but after years of corrosion, it's become useless."

The Qilin, having grieved for a while, spoke in a downcast tone, "Nothing in this world can last forever, not even the rumored immortals. They too must eventually decay. The sun and moon set, and all things come to an end. What's a mere sword in the grand scheme of things?"

Hearing the Qilin's words, Lian Jiufeng felt a deep inner stillness.

No one in this world can escape death.

No matter how magnificent or powerful, in the end, all will become dust.

Time is the true eternal force.

To achieve immortality, one must grasp time.

[You are immersed in enlightenment and activate the Heaven-defying Insight, comprehending a thread of the Way of Time!]