In mere minutes, the tunnels that once echoed with the grinding steps of mechanical guardians had fallen silent, replaced only by the low hum of qi lingering in the air and the crunch of debris beneath their feet.
Finally, the narrow passages gave way to something far grander—a cavern so vast that its ceiling disappeared into shadow. What sprawled before them was no mere hideout; it was a city.
The underground metropolis stretched out in all directions, built upon tiered platforms of stone and metal, each level connected by bridges and ramps. In the very heart of this subterranean expanse rose a massive structure—a temple, its walls covered in strange aquatic motifs, rippling patterns carved into its stone as if the entire building had been frozen mid-wave.
And before the temple stood a monolith.
