Fang Lin left the underground hall without looking back.
Behind him, the black altar continued to crack softly. Qin Yuesheng and Meng Shi remained alive, but neither dared move. Huo Lan's body lay motionless on the altar steps, her blood slowly sinking into the ancient stone. The recruited cultivators kept their heads lowered, not speaking, not moving, and certainly not blocking his path.
The black vines covering the stone door parted on their own, opening just enough for Fang Lin to pass. The moment he stepped through, they closed behind him again, and the hall disappeared from view.
Only darkness remained ahead.
Fang Lin walked through the passage silently. His expression was calm, but inside his spiritual sea, the changes were not small. The grey stone floated at the center as usual, wrapped in smoky mist, and beside it burned a small dark flame no larger than a thumb.
Small, but ancient.
Quiet, but deep.
It felt like a night sky compressed into a single spark.
Fang Lin could feel that the legacy had truly entered him, but he had not refined it completely. What he had received was only the beginning, the first gate and the first key. The deeper inheritance still slept inside the dark flame, waiting for his strength and comprehension to reach the required level.
He did not rush.
A legacy from a place like the Demon Sealing Ruins could not be treated carelessly. Before studying it, he needed a safe place.
The path outside the underground hall split into several tunnels. Fang Lin's perception spread carefully, avoiding obvious formation lines and places where black mist gathered too thickly. After walking for nearly half an hour, he found a narrow crack behind a collapsed stone wall. At first glance, it looked like nothing, but the grey stone pulsed faintly.
Fang Lin stopped.
He pushed aside several broken stones and discovered a hidden opening behind them. It led into a small sealed chamber only about the size of an ordinary cultivation room. Ancient black stone formed the walls, and a broken formation array sat in the center. Unlike the dangerous arrays outside, this one no longer carried killing intent.
It might conceal his aura.
Fang Lin's eyes moved slightly. "A hiding place."
He entered, and the stone wall behind him slowly shifted back into place. Darkness filled the chamber.
Fang Lin sat cross-legged at the center of the broken formation, but he did not cultivate immediately. First, he spread his soul perception across the chamber, checking every corner with patience. There were no corpse beasts, no hidden remnant, no active killing formation, and no other cultivators.
Only after confirming this did he relax slightly.
Then he waved his hand.
Several storage pouches and low-grade storage rings appeared before him. They belonged to the sect disciples he had killed from River Sword Sect, Crimson Flame Hall, and Black Mountain Gate.
Fang Lin looked at them quietly.
Outside the Green Bamboo Sect, killing and plundering were common. Now the three sects had tried to kill him for treasure, and in the end, their belongings had become his. He did not feel joy. He only felt that the world worked in a cruel way.
If they had killed him, everything he carried would have become theirs.
Since he killed them, everything they carried became his.
He picked up the first storage pouch. The owner's spiritual imprint was weak, and with Fang Lin's current soul strength, erasing it took only a short moment. Inside were spirit stones, medicinal pills, a spare robe, a few talismans, and a River Sword Sect token.
There were thirty-two low-grade spirit stones, three healing pills, two Qi recovery pills, one low-grade sword talisman, some silver, and a map fragment of the outer ruins.
Not bad.
He moved to the next, then the next. One by one, Fang Lin opened the storage treasures. Some were poor. Some were decent. "
But, Huo Lan's storage ring was the richest. As a Crimson Flame Hall genius at Peak Qi Conjunction Realm, she carried low-grade spirit stones, a few middle-grade spirit stones, fire pills, formation flags, two flame talismans, a small furnace used for pill refinement, several jade slips, and a bottle of blood-red pills similar to the one she had swallowed.
Fang Lin examined the red pills briefly before storing them separately. They could temporarily boost fire Qi and push cultivation pressure higher, but the damage to the meridians was not small. Useful in desperate situations, otherwise dangerous.
Qin Yuesheng and Meng Shi had not died, so Fang Lin had not taken their storage treasures.
That was not mercy.
It was calculation.
If he killed every important disciple immediately, the situation outside might become even more chaotic before he understood the ruin's current state. Leaving two heavily injured survivors could also create confusion. They would tell the three sects something, but not the full truth.
Because they did not know the full strength of Fang Lin.
After some time, Fang Lin finished counting the spoils. In total, he had obtained over two hundred low-grade spirit stones, eight middle-grade spirit stones, several healing and Qi recovery pills, five usable attack talismans, three defensive talismans, two small formation sets, a few weapon fragments, several sect tokens, and one incomplete map of the outer region of the Demon Sealing Ruins.
For an ordinary Qi Conjunction cultivator, this would have been a shocking fortune.
For Fang Lin, it was only somewhat useful.
Especially the spirit stones.
His gaze fell on them, and inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed softly.
Fang Lin did not immediately feed it everything. He had just obtained the darkness legacy, and his foundation had shifted. Before using large amounts of resources, he needed to understand what had entered him.
He stored most of the spoils carefully, leaving only the spirit stones, pills, and jade slips nearby. Then he closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his spiritual sea. He decided to keep aside other concerns like information about other sects and geography of the continent for now. Later he shall investigate it when he has free time.
The dark flame burned beside the grey stone.
The moment Fang Lin focused on it, ancient characters rose from within the flame. They were not ordinary characters. Each one seemed formed from shadow, twisting and moving with a pressure that made Fang Lin's soul tighten.
A scripture slowly unfolded in his mind and a name appeared.
Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
The moment Fang Lin perceived the name, darkness filled his thoughts. Nine abyss. Endless shadow. A scripture born to devour light, hide life, sever breath, and walk between death and silence.
Fang Lin's heart shook slightly.
This was not a normal technique or cultivation method.
Not even close.
Even with only the first layer revealed, he could feel how terrifying it was. That first layer was called Shadow Breath. It allowed the cultivator to refine darkness Qi, hide aura, erase killing intent, move through shadowed spaces, and condense shadow force into attacks. At higher mastery, it could even create a faint shadow body for brief moments.
Fang Lin read carefully.
The technique was deep.
Extremely deep.
If an ordinary cultivator tried to comprehend it, their mind might collapse beneath the pressure of the scripture. But Fang Lin had the Soul Metamorphosis Technique and a variant soul. His soul remained stable, and under the influence of the grey stone, his comprehension sharpened further.
He slowly circulated the first lines of the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
The dark flame trembled.
A thin strand of darkness Qi flowed out and entered Fang Lin's meridians. It was cold, silent, and heavy. Different from spiritual Qi. Different from cosmic energy. Different from frost Qi. This darkness Qi felt as if it wanted to sink into everything, flesh, bone, soul, and thought.
Fang Lin guided it carefully.
The moment it completed one circulation through his body, the Nine Nether Phantom Body suddenly reacted.
His body trembled.
The grey stone pulsed violently, and the smoky mist around it surged. Cosmic energy flowed out without Fang Lin calling it. At the same time, the dark flame released more darkness Qi.
Two forces moved inside Fang Lin.
One came from the grey stone and the Nine Nether Phantom Body. It was ancient, pure, and filled with hidden vitality. It strengthened flesh, bones, meridians, and soul. It repaired, tempered, and nourished.
Life.
The other came from the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture. It was cold, silent, and devouring. It hid breath, erased traces, corroded weakness, and sharpened killing power. It consumed, buried, and ended.
Death.
Fang Lin's eyes opened suddenly. Pale grey light flashed in his left pupil, while dark light flashed in his right.
The two energies did not clash as he expected. Instead, they began to circle each other.
Life and death.
Nine Nether Phantom Body and Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
Fang Lin felt as if two ancient paths had suddenly recognized each other inside him. The Nine Nether Phantom Body circulated through his flesh, while the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture moved through his meridians and shadowed spiritual channels. When the two routes overlapped, a strange change occurred.
A faint white thread appeared within the cosmic energy.
It was not ordinary light. It was gentle but immeasurably deep, like the first breath of life in endless darkness.
At the same time, a black thread appeared within the darkness Qi.
It was not simple demonic Qi. It was silent and absolute, like the final stillness after all the things ended.
The white thread of light entered Fang Lin's flesh, and his injuries from the hall battle began healing faster. Burn marks faded, torn muscles closed, and exhausted meridians warmed.
Fang Lin immediately understood.
Life.
A life-nourishing force born from the Nine Nether Phantom Body under the stimulation of the darkness legacy.
The black thread entered his palm. The air around his fingers darkened, and a stone fragment nearby silently cracked, losing all spiritual luster as if its inner vitality had been drained.
Fang Lin's gaze sharpened.
Death.
A death-eroding force born from the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture under the pressure of the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
The two forces were faint, extremely faint. He could barely control them. But they existed.
Fang Lin's breathing heavily and slowed down. "This is not just a body cultivation or darkness cultivation technique anymore."
His voice was very soft.
"Life and death."
The moment he spoke those words, the grey stone pulsed. The dark flame trembled as well, and inside his spiritual sea, the two powers stabilized slightly.
Fang Lin closed his eyes again.
He did not chase speed.
He cultivated slowly.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body refined his flesh using cosmic energy derived from the grey stone. The Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture refined his darkness Qi using shadow force after the cosmic energy was converted.
Between them, the white life thread and black death thread appeared and disappeared repeatedly. When they circulated, Fang Lin's body strengthened a little, his recovery improved, his aura became harder to read, and his killing intent became easier to hide.
His perception also changed.
The chamber was dark, but to Fang Lin, it was no longer empty darkness. He could sense the darkness itself, not just objects within it. It had layers, depth, and flow. There were places where shadow gathered, places where spiritual energy resisted it, and places where hidden formation lines slept beneath stone.
Fang Lin raised his hand.
A thin shadow gathered around his fingers. It twisted like smoke, then vanished.
He tried again.
This time, the shadow condensed into a small dark needle. It lasted for one breath and a half before collapsing.
Fang Lin was not disappointed.
This was his first time cultivating the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture. Being able to condense even a shadow needle already proved his compatibility was terrifying.
He continued.
Time passed silently in the hidden chamber. Spirit stones turned dull one by one as the grey stone absorbed part of their energy and refined it into cosmic energy. The dark flame absorbed the darkness aura lingering in the ruins, strengthening the first layer of the scripture.
Fang Lin's aura deepened.
Not in realm.
He did not break through.
He remained at Late Qi Conjunction Realm. But his foundation became more terrifying.
His body carried a hidden life force. His shadow carried a faint death force. His soul became calmer under the balance of the two.
After several hours, Fang Lin opened his eyes.
The chamber was still dark, but to him, it was almost alive.
He could feel the ruin breathing faintly around him. Sealed doors. Black vines. Corpse beasts wandering distant passages. Hidden formations sleeping beneath cracked stone. He could not control them fully, but he could sense them. He did not understand what exactly was this feeling but he felt some how connected to it.
A fragment of authority in the form of a token had entered inside him along with the legacy.
Only a fragment.
Very weak. And very limited.
Yet inside this place, even a fragment was useful.
Fang Lin focused.
A faint image appeared in his mind. The underground hall behind him. The sealed passage above. Several scattered groups of recruited cultivators, some wounded, some hiding, some still searching for treasures.
Then farther away, three auras moved separately through the ruins.
They were concealed well, but not perfectly.
They belonged to cultivators at the Middle Spirit Foundation Realm.
Fang Lin's eyes turned cold. "So it was true, there really are three Spirit Foundation cultivators based on the Aura."
The three sects had sent stronger cultivators inside.
Not to protect anyone.
To harvest. Fang Lin did not know this, but was somewhat speculated about it.
Fang Lin withdrew his perception before they noticed anything. His control over the ruins was still too weak. If he forced it, he might expose himself, which might be very dangerous for him.
He looked down at his palm. A faint white light appeared, healing a thin cut on his finger. Then he turned his palm over, and a faint black shadow emerged. The stone beneath his hand silently darkened.
Life.
Death.
Both were only seeds.
But seeds could grow.
Fang Lin slowly clenched his hand, and the white light and black shadow vanished.
He now had cultivated a little of the first layer of the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture. The Nine Nether Phantom Body had awakened a faint life force, while the darkness legacy had awakened a faint death force. His battle power had risen again, though his realm had not changed.
Against ordinary Early Spirit Foundation cultivators, he no longer needed much effort. Against ordinary Middle Spirit Foundation cultivators, he could fight with more confidence. Against Early Spirit Foundation sect geniuses, he now had a real chance to defeat them. Against Middle Spirit Foundation sect geniuses, he still might have to be careful.
Especially the three hidden hunters.
They were not the same as Huo Lan or Qin Yuesheng.
They were true Spirit Foundation disciples.
And they had come prepared.
Fang Lin put away the remaining spirit stones and spoils and stood. Then he activated Phantom Transformation. His face changed again, and his aura sank. This time, he added a trace of Shadow Breath from the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
His presence became even thinner.
Duller.
Almost forgettable. Like a Shadow.
If Lin Mo had been very ordinary before, now he was closer to a shadow cast by a person.
Fang Lin looked toward the sealed wall. With a thought, the black stone shifted slightly, opening a narrow exit.
Fang Lin's eyes deepened. "This place..."
He did not finish the sentence.
Not yet.
There were still too many secrets, and his strength was still too weak.
He stepped out of the hidden chamber, and the wall closed behind him without sound.
Far away, somewhere inside the Demon Sealing Ruins, screams echoed faintly.
The three-day deadline had not arrived.
But the killing had already begun.
Fang Lin moved into the darkness.
And this time, the darkness moved with him.
--