The wind blowing from the north was different.
It wasn't just cold, nor just dry.
It carried a strange smell… like burnt metal mixed with ancient dust, as if a sky had been reduced to ashes and scattered across the earth.
Han Feng advanced alone, silent, like a shadow gliding between mountains and valleys. His body no longer tired as before. The newly consolidated Rank 5 had transformed his vitality into something superior, and the spiritual energy of the Central Region nourished him like an inexhaustible source.
But still, he felt it.
Nature was wrong.
The trees no longer sang with the wind. The insects didn't move. Even the spirit beasts seemed to have disappeared.
The world was slowly becoming… quiet.
As if awaiting the impact.
Han Feng stopped atop a hill and observed the horizon.
There it was.
The Lake of Ashes.
A gigantic expanse of dark, almost solid water, like a mixture of mud and metal. The surface reflected the sky, but the reflection wasn't accurate: some stars appeared duplicated, and others seemed to move independently, as if the lake were a mirror for another firmament.
In certain places, the water bubbled, and smoke rose slowly.
To the eyes of an ordinary cultivator, it would be just a cursed lake.
But Han Feng knew.
That region was becoming a point of convergence.
He took a deep breath and felt the spiritual energy there.
It wasn't stable.
It pulsed like a sick heart, alternating between emptiness and excess. For a moment, the world seemed to suck all the qi around it. The next instant, it returned double, as if trying to compensate.
Han Feng narrowed his eyes.
"This is dangerous… but it's also an opportunity."
He walked towards the shore.
The ground near the lake was covered in gray sand, as fine as dust. Each step raised small clouds of ash that seemed to shimmer faintly.
Then he saw.
Bodies.
There were three dead cultivators near the shore. Their eyes were open, but completely white. There were no visible wounds, no blood, no signs of battle.
They had died… as if their souls had been ripped away.
Han Feng knelt and touched one of them.
The body was cold.
But it wasn't normal cold.
It was spiritual cold.
A cold that penetrated to the sea of primordial essence.
Han Feng stepped back, his expression hardening.
"This wasn't done by Gu… this was done by laws."
He slowly stood up and looked at the center of the lake.
And then he saw the reason.
In the middle of the Ash Lake, there was something that shouldn't exist.
A structure.
A temple.
A dark stone temple, partially submerged, as if it had sprung up there overnight. It wasn't covered in moss or wear, like normal ruins of the Gu World.
It was… intact.
The walls had unknown inscriptions. The columns seemed to have been carved with a completely different technique.
And most importantly…
The temple's aura wasn't from the Gu World.
It was another.
Han Feng felt his heart race.
"So the rumors were true."
He didn't hesitate.
He jumped into the dark water.
The lake's surface was viscous, but it supported his weight because of the dense spiritual energy. He walked across it, step by step, drawing closer to the temple.
The closer he got, the stronger the pressure became.
The air around him began to vibrate.
The sky above darkened.
And then, a crack appeared again.
Not as small as before.
This time, it was a large crack, cutting across the firmament like a scar.
Light leaked through her.
And for a brief instant, Han Feng saw beyond.
He saw a red sky.
He saw floating mountains.
He saw rivers of energy that seemed to snake through the void.
And he saw something even more disturbing:
A human figure standing in the middle of that distant landscape.
It was looking directly down.
At him.
Even at an impossible distance, Han Feng felt it.
That presence was overwhelming.
It was as if a mountain had fallen on his soul.
The man on the other side had long hair, cold eyes, and an indifferent face. His aura was so vast it seemed endless.
He wasn't trying to cross over.
He was just observing.
Han Feng felt his throat dry up.
"Who… are you…?"
The figure slowly raised his hand.
And pointed.
The gesture was simple.
But in that instant, Han Feng felt the whole world tremble.
The crack suddenly closed, as if the sky had been startled and forcibly healed itself.
Han Feng took a deep breath, trying to regain control.
"So someone on the other side has already noticed me…"
He clenched his fists.
It wasn't good news.
If such beings existed in the approaching universe… then the Rank 5 and Rank 6 of the Gu World might be nothing but dust before them.
Still, Han Feng didn't back down.
He continued.
Finally, he reached the temple.
When he set foot on the stone staircase, the air around him changed completely.
The spiritual energy became purer… but at the same time, more aggressive.
It was as if it had a will of its own.
Han Feng climbed the steps.
At the top, there was a black stone gate, covered in golden inscriptions.
And in the center of the gate…
A symbol.
Han Feng froze.
He knew that symbol. He didn't know how, but he recognized it.
It was the same pattern that had appeared in his dreams.
It was the same symbol that had appeared in the previous ruin.
It was a symbol that didn't belong to the Gu World.
And as soon as he touched the gate…
The symbol glowed.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"The gate opens for the one who carries the seed of emptiness."
Han Feng felt the purple-black crystal vibrate within its storage ring.
The gate began to move.
Slowly.
With a heavy sound, like mountains dragging themselves along.
And then, the entrance opened.
Inside, there was no darkness.
There was light.
A red and gold light.
Han Feng entered.
The inner corridor of the temple was wide and clean. The walls had markings of something that looked like energy engraved in the stone.
But the strangest thing was that the air there didn't smell like the Gu World.
It smelled like… a different world.
It smelled like dried blood and stardust.
Han Feng advanced cautiously.
Then he saw something even more disturbing.
The spiritual energy within the temple wasn't spiritual energy.
It was a mixture.
There was primordial essence from the Gu World…
But there was also a completely different energy.
A more aggressive, purer energy, as if above normal laws.
Han Feng felt his body react.
His meridians trembled.
His soul vibrated.
It was as if that energy was trying to finance its own cultivation.
He clenched his teeth and forced his mind to maintain control.
"This is dangerous… but if I understand…"
He continued.
The corridor ended in a hall.
A giant hall.
And in its center was a floating sphere, made of golden crystal.
Inside the sphere, there was a flame.
A red flame.
And around this flame, symbols swirled, like orbits.
Han Feng stood motionless.
He had learned. Not through knowledge of the Gu World, but through instinct.
That was a treasure from another universe.
But before you could get closer…
The ground trembled.
A side door opened.
Then, voices arose.
Han Feng turned around.
Three cultivators entered.
But they weren't cultivators from the Gu World.
They wore long robes, similar to those of cultivators from the Renegade Immortal universe. Their bodies emanated a different aura, deeper, more ancient, as if they carried the essence of heaven and earth in another form.
The leader had black hair tied back, sharp eyes, and a sword floating behind him.
He looked at Han Feng.
And spoke.
But not in the Gu World language.
Still…
Han Feng understood.
"You shouldn't be here."
Han Feng felt a chill.
He replied naturally, without realizing how.
— I could say the same.
The three cultivators were surprised.
— He understands our language…?
The leader narrowed his eyes.
— Are you a native of this world?
Han Feng didn't answer.
He observed carefully.
Their aura was strong.
Very strong.
If he compared them to the Gu World, they would be equivalent to a Rank 5 or Rank 6… but with a much more solid base.
They were dangerous.
The leader stepped forward.
"This place belongs to our domain. You have already touched the dimensional seal. That means you have a key… or a connection fragment."
Han Feng clenched his fist.
The purple-black crystal inside the ring pulsed.
He knew.
The "seed of emptiness" that the voice had mentioned… was that crystal.
The leader raised his hand.
The sword behind him vibrated.
"Hand over the fragment. And perhaps I will allow you to leave alive."
Han Feng smiled coldly.
"I will not hand over anything."
The air grew heavy.
The energy within the temple exploded.
The red flame inside the sphere pulsed violently.
And then…
The crack in the sky appeared again.
This time, inside the temple.
As if reality there were more fragile.
Space opened.
A black wind blew from within the dimensional tear.
And an ancient voice echoed.
A voice that wasn't from the Gu World.
Nor from the world of those cultivators.
It was something deeper.
More ancient.
More monstrous.
"The fusion… has begun."
The three cultivators paled.
The leader took a step back.
—No… it wasn't supposed to happen so soon!
Han Feng felt his heart clench.
The dimensional tear widened.
And something began to emerge from within.
It wasn't a man.
It wasn't a beast.
It was a colossal shadow, with dozens of eyes gleaming in the void.
Han Feng felt his soul scream.
Even with his defensive Gu, he almost fell to his knees.
The presence was overwhelming.
It was as if a true being from the void was trying to break through.
The cultivator leader shouted:
— Retreat! This is an entity from broken space!
But it was too late.
The shadow opened its "mouth."
And the air was sucked in.
The entire temple began to collapse.
The sphere with the red flame trembled.
Han Feng clenched his teeth.
He knew.
If he stayed there, he would die.
But if he fled empty-handed…
He would lose a unique opportunity.
He looked at the sphere.
And made his decision.
— I will not leave empty-handed.
He activated the Crimson Whirlwind Gu.
A storm of blood and energy swirled around him.
At the same time, he activated the Blue Star Flame.
Blue flames engulfed his body.
He rushed toward the sphere.
The three cultivators tried to stop him, but the void entity forced them to retreat.
Han Feng leaped.
His hand touched the sphere.
The instant he touched it…
The red flame entered his body.
His sea of primordial essence exploded.
An indescribable pain coursed through his meridians.
He almost fainted.
But he managed to hold on.
The flame merged with the purple-black crystal.
And something happened.
For an instant…
Han Feng saw the entire universe.
He saw two worlds colliding.
He saw Wang Lin looking at the sky, sensing the change.
And he saw Fang Yuan smiling, as if he had been waiting for this for ages.
Han Feng fell to the ground, gasping for air.
The temple crumbled.
The void entity roared.
The three cultivators fled.
Han Feng had no time.
He stood up, even with his body burning from the inside.
And he ran.
When he left the temple and jumped over the Lake of Ashes…
The sky finally cracked open.
A massive crack opened above the lake.
Red and purple lightning streaked across the world.
The lake's water partially evaporated.
And a sound echoed.
Not an ordinary sound.
A sound like breaking glass.
The sound of the world shattering.
Han Feng collapsed on the opposite bank, coughing up blood.
He turned and saw the temple disappear, swallowed by the dimensional rift.
The tear slowly closed.
But before it closed completely…
A huge eye appeared in the sky.
A red eye.
Looking directly at Han Feng.
And a voice whispered in his mind:
"You will carry the key… to the end."
Then the eye disappeared.
The sky returned to normal.
But nothing was normal.
Han Feng knelt, breathing heavily.
His entire body trembled.
The red flame inside him burned like a sun.
The purple-black crystal now pulsed even more intensely.
He knew.
He had just touched something he shouldn't have.
Something that would change his destiny.
Han Feng slowly raised his face.
His purple eyes shone intensely, as if they had absorbed a different light.
And then he smiled.
A cold smile.
The smile of someone who has just stepped onto a path of no return.
—So… this is how it begins.
He stood up.
And walked into the night.
Behind him, the Lake of Ashes continued to smoke.
And above, in the sky, the red and purple stars shone more intensely than ever.
The merging of universes was no longer a distant omen.
It had begun.
For real.