A red fire filled the shrine as the four cauldrons roared with fire, their ancient inscriptions glowing in fire.
Kent hovered in the air, gazing down at the unlocked structure below. The blood moon overhead seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. As he descended, his feet touched the smooth stone of the shrine’s outer courtyard.
Except for his breathing, everything ahead was dead silent.
Kent took the first step, his palm brushing against the faint outline of the massive shrine doors. They parted with a loud creak, unveiling a narrow, winding path into the heart of the ancient structure.
Behind him, Gunji Zing and Aran Lam approached. Aran couldn’t step inside even after using all his efforts.
But that’s not the case of black lady Gunji. As soon as Gunji crossed the threshold, a powerful force repelled her violently backward. She fell flat on the ground like someone kicked her chest.
She landed hard, skidding across the stone courtyard.
“Gunji! Are you alright?” Aran rushed to her side and asked in a concerned tone.
She coughed and rose to her knees, eyes wide with frustration and disbelief. “The shrine kicked me… but not you. why?”
Kent glanced back with a stoic face. He didn’t understand it either, but something attracted his attention. Gunji’s forehead faintly glowed with dark lines of a skull pattern.
Kent focused gaze in surprise. Because the old man Grizzac mentioned that his daughter has a demon mark on forehead. Also, Kent now found that Gunji had several features similar to her father, Grizzac.
“The world is such a strange place. Out of all things, Grizzac’s daughter appeared here like a pre-written destiny.” Kent muttered as he turned his focus back onto the shrine’s interior.
Without a word, he continued forward. The doors closed behind him, sealing the world outside.
A suffocating darkness enveloped Kent as he ventured deeper. His steps echoed through the stone corridor, each one measured and deliberate.
The aura of the shrine pressed down on him. There was no turning back now. The manual Grizzac left behind detailed every possible danger inside, but nothing could fully prepare him for what lay ahead.
“The world is static… but the disciple must move forward. ” Kent muttered the lines from the manual, his voice barely louder than the flicker of his path flame.
As he advanced, faint carvings along the walls began to glow faintly, illuminating the path. Each step triggered a soft hum, the shrine seemingly coming alive. Kent kept his gaze forward, ignoring the ghostly shapes that shifted along the edges of his vision.
The first obstacle soon revealed itself. A grand stone bridge stretched across a bottomless chasm, but its surface was fractured, with large sections missing. A deep mist swirled below, obscuring the depth of the fall. Kent narrowed his eyes, studying the bridge. There was no way around it.
He placed one foot forward, the stone beneath him groaning but holding firm. With slow, deliberate steps, he crossed the narrow sections that remained intact. Halfway across, a faint cracking sound echoed through the chamber. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
Kent froze. The bridge trembled beneath him. He gritted his teeth, summoning a thin layer of azure flames around his feet to stabilize the stone. The heat reinforced the weakened sections, allowing him to move forward.
“Everything’s an illusion… but consider it as reality. One short breath, one mis-step and one wrong attack will make the disciple take another karma cycle.” he whispered the lines from the manual, inching toward the other side.
As he reached the final few steps, the last remaining stones crumbled beneath his weight. Kent’s eyes widened as he plummeted.
In a flash, he summoned the phoenix cauldron, hurling it into the air. The cauldron hovered mid-fall, its base expanding to catch him. He landed atop it, breathing heavily as he floated across the gap and onto solid ground.
“That was too close.”
Once he stepped down, the cauldron returned to his side, shrinking back to its original size.
The path ahead branched into three separate tunnels, each one shrouded in shadows. Kent recalled the manual’s warning: ‘One leads to salvation, the others to despair. But a true disciple will know the path.’
He closed his eyes, steadying his breath. “Trust your instincts. There are no deviations for the disciple. A disciple must walk in a straight path.” Grizzac’s words written on the manual echoed in his mind.
After a brief hesitation, Kent chose the middle path. As he walked, the tunnel narrowed, and the walls seemed to shift. Shapes twisted and danced in the periphery of his vision. When he reached out to touch the wall, it shifted away from his hand.
Suddenly, he emerged into a vast chamber lit by an eerie golden glow. At the center stood a towering stone golem with wings and club, its eyes burning with molten fire. The creature rumbled to life, stone grinding against stone as it stepped forward.
Kent didn’t hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned flames into his palms. The golem raised its massive arm holding the club, swinging down with crushing force. Kent rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the blow as the stone cracked beneath the impact.
‘Disciple must prove himself as a worthy vessel to seek salvation.’
“Alright, let’s see how durable you are.”
Kent unleashed a stream of purple alchemy flames, enveloping the golem’s arm. The stone glowed red-hot, cracks spider webbing across its surface.
The golem roared, swiping wildly. Kent ducked under the attack, summoning a barrier of azure flames to deflect the next strike.
The battle continued, Kent dodging and countering with precision. Each attack chipped away at the golem’s body until finally, with a burst of Nirvanic flames, Kent shattered the creature’s core. The golem crumbled to dust, leaving only a faint echo of its roar behind.
A colourful bow appeared in place of golem. Kent hesitated as he was really attracted by the bow. But soon, the warning mentioned in the manual stopped him from touching the bow.
‘Desire is the blade against salvation. One must avoid all blades to attain salvation.’
Kent leaned against the chamber wall, catching his breath. The shrine’s trials were relentless, but he could feel himself growing closer with each step.
The next challenge came in the form of shifting sands that threatened to pull him under.
“The path of salvation is a walk on fire.’
Remembering the manual lines, Kent conjured flames beneath his feet, creating solid ground with each step. As he pressed on, the sands gave way to another vast chamber, where four statues stood around a circular platform.
At the platform’s center, a faint inscription glowed. Kent approached carefully, brushing the sand away to read it.
“To awaken the heart of the shrine, light must meet shadow.”
He summoned a sphere of golden divine light in one hand and a dark demon flame in the other. As he brought them together, the statues began to shift, revealing an ascending staircase that spiraled into the shrine’s core.
Kent took the first step upward, his gaze locked on the distant apex. Whatever lay at the top would reveal the shrine’s secrets—and possibly lead him to the answers he sought and great treasures.
Outside, Gunji watched the shrine from afar, the faint red glow still emanating from within. She clenched her fists, frustration gnawing at her. “Why couldn’t I enter? Just because I’m a dwarf demon? Why?”
–
/// Happy X-MAS. Enjoy the day and sent some Santa gifts. Will you? ///