The Tomb of the Departed was a relentless crucible, its corridors a monotonous gray broken by blood and ice. Kai Shen led a growing band of thirty cultivators, survivors of the labyrinth's brutal trials. The air was thick with frost qi, each breath a reminder of the Frost Ridge's hostility to Kai's fire. His sword, stained with Crykid ichor, hung heavy at his side, its fire aura dimmed by the tomb's drain. Fen, perched on his shoulder, was a bundle of nerves, her ice phoenix form trembling after each fight. The tomb's randomness—Crykids, frost guars, Wandering Ice—defied its purpose as a Qi Condensation trial. Kai's spiritual wounds, soothed by Devourer, were nearly healed, but the cost weighed heavy: twenty dead disciples, some lost before he could intervene.
Another chamber, another foe—a frost boar, dispatched with coordinated strikes. +180 Qi. Kai's reserve brimmed, Devourer converting ice qi into fire with uncanny efficiency. Fen's wing twitched, pointing to a door. Kai's spiritual sense caught it: a faint glyph, Exit, invisible to the eye.
"Anyone sense anything from that door?" Kai asked.
"No," the group chorused.
Kai frowned. A selective exit? Fen's knowledge was no coincidence. He rallied the group, hands linked, and channeled qi into the glyph. A hum vibrated the door, its mechanism stirring. The fog awaited.
Something was wrong. The hands gripping his vanished, only Fen's claws remained. The fog cleared, revealing a grand hall, a stark contrast to the tomb's bleakness. Jade walls gleamed, etched with vibrant frescoes of celestial battles. The ceiling soared, studded with glowing crystals. The air was warm, the frost qi gone, replaced by a neutral, vibrant energy. Kai's fire qi surged, unhindered.
"Nooo," Fen wailed, shrinking. "Stupid old man, you lied!"
Kai's gaze locked on two jade statues at the hall's center. One was a majestic phoenix, its wings spread, eerily resembling Fen—or did Fen resemble it? The other was a dragon, its scales familiar. Kai's blood ran cold. The dragon's qi pressed on him, a presence he'd faced before, in memories or dreams. Master Lu's vendetta felt closer, his spies a shadow even here.
"Fen, explain," Kai said, voice low.
She trembled, silent, eyes fixed on the phoenix statue. Her secrets were unraveling, but fear sealed her beak. Kai approached the statues, his sword ready. The phoenix statue pulsed, its qi echoing Fen's white fire—entropic, unnatural. The dragon's aura was heavier, commanding, a warning.
"Old man?" Kai pressed. "Who lied?"
Fen shook her head, feathers fluffed. "We shouldn't be here! Not the center!"
"This is the center?" Kai's stomach sank. Fen had warned against it, yet the Exit glyph led here. A trap, or her mistake?
The hall's frescoes told a story—phoenix and dragon, allies in a war against a shadowed foe. Glyphs beneath spoke of sacrifice, of a tomb sealing a great power. Kai's spiritual sense tingled; the statues weren't mere art. They were seals, or keys.
"Fen, what's the exit glyph do?" Kai asked.
"It… should've worked," Fen mumbled. "It always worked before."
"Before?" Kai's eyes narrowed. "You've been here?"
Fen flinched, caught. "Not… exactly. I just know things!"
"Know what? That glyph sent us to the center you feared!"
"I didn't mean to!" Fen squawked. "The old man said it was safe!"
"Who's the old man?" Kai's patience frayed.
Fen clammed up, trembling. Kai sighed, turning to the statues. The dragon's qi grew heavier, a low hum vibrating the floor. The phoenix statue flared, and Fen yelped, darting behind Kai. A system message appeared:
Trial of the Tomb's Heart Unlocked
Objective: Claim the Legacy or Perish
"Great," Kai muttered. "Fen, any tips?"
"Don't die!" she squeaked.
The dragon statue's eyes glowed, qi surging. Kai gripped his sword, Acceleration ready. The hall's warmth vanished, frost creeping in. The phoenix statue pulsed, its qi syncing with Fen's. Was she tied to this place, or its creator?
A crack echoed—the dragon statue stirred, jade scales shifting. Kai's heart raced. Master Lu's threat, the tomb's trials, Fen's secrets—everything converged here. What legacy awaited, and would it kill him?