The Mountain of Three Echoes wasn't high.
Not when compared to the immense mountain ranges of the Western Region, where ancient peaks pierced the clouds and eternal snow covered the rocks like a blanket of bones. Still, there was something about it that made cultivators avoid the place as if it were cursed. Perhaps it was the strange silence, perhaps it was the way the wind always seemed to change direction as it approached, or perhaps it was the fact that even the spirit beasts, creatures guided by instinct and hunger, kept their distance as if they sensed a danger that human reason couldn't explain.
Han Feng walked alone along the stone path, slowly climbing. The night had passed, but the dawn seemed weak, as if the sun were tired. The shadows of the trees stretched abnormally, too long, as if the light wasn't hitting at the right angle. As he ascended, the vegetation thinned out, and the surrounding stones began to acquire a metallic sheen, as if the ore within them had been forced to emerge.
The air was dry, but not in an ordinary way. There was a bitter taste at the back of his throat, like ashes mixed with spiritual energy. Han Feng breathed calmly, but each breath brought with it an uncomfortable sensation, as if something invisible were entering his body along with the air.
It was similar to what he had felt at the Lake of Ashes.
Similar to what he had felt inside the submerged temple.
Similar to what he had felt when the crack in the sky opened and that colossal shadow watched him.
Han Feng clenched his fists and continued.
The red flame within him remained contained, but restless, like a caged beast. It reacted to every step he took, as if the place called to him, as if that place had a natural affinity with the foreign energy he now carried. This was dangerous. Very dangerous. But it also confirmed that he was on the right track.
If that ruin truly didn't belong to the Gu World, then there was a real chance that treasures and cultivation methods existed there that surpassed the normal limits of this world.
And if he could seize that chance…
Then the fusion, which to everyone else would be just a calamity, could become a ladder.
A ladder to a power that no one here imagined.
He reached a wide plateau in the middle of the mountain. The wind there was almost nonexistent, and the silence seemed so heavy it pressed against his ears. In the center of the plateau, broken stones formed an irregular circle, as if someone had ripped part of the mountain away with a giant blade. And right in the middle of that circle…
…there was a gate.
Not a common wooden or stone gate, like those used by sects and clans.
It was a dark metal gate.
Smooth.
Cold.
Tall enough for a giant to pass through.
The edges were inscribed with golden inscriptions etched in perfect lines, with symbols unlike any writing from the Gu World. Some lines were straight like swords, others curved like serpents, and all carried a strange feeling—as if they were alive, as if the metal itself breathed.
Han Feng stood still for a moment, observing.
His mind raced.
It wasn't just a ruin.
It was an entire structure ripped from another universe.
The gate was perfectly intact, as if it had been placed there yesterday.
And the worst part…
It was open.
A narrow crack existed in the center, as if someone had already passed through.
Or as if the gate were waiting.
Han Feng took a step forward.
The air shifted.
The temperature dropped.
And for an instant, he heard something.
A very distant sound, almost impossible to capture, like the echo of a sword cutting through the void.
He frowned.
The mountain's name made sense.
Three Echoes.
That place seemed to hold sounds that didn't belong to the present.
Han Feng slowly reached out and touched the metal surface.
The instant his fingers touched…
The red flame within him exploded in reaction.
A pain coursed through his meridians as if an electric current had been poured into his veins. His vision darkened, and for a brief moment he saw a scene not of this world: a red sky, an endless desert, and a figure walking alone carrying a broken sword.
Han Feng took a step back, breathing heavily.
He clenched his teeth and forced his mind to stabilize.
— So it's a real gate… a direct link.
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the energy of the place.
It wasn't just spiritual energy.
It was a mixture.
As if the world were trying to unite two types of "breath."
One type was the qi of the Gu World.
The other was something purer, more aggressive, like a superior force that didn't submit to normal rules.
Han Feng opened his eyes and stepped forward.
He entered through the gate.
The sensation was immediate.
His body was pulled.
His stomach churned.
Space folded around him as if it were water.
For a moment, he felt he was being crushed from all sides, as if he were crossing a narrow rift between realities. His blood seemed to boil. His soul seemed to be pulled out of his body. If it weren't for the stability of his cultivation and the support of the defensive Gu, he would have died right there.
Then, everything stabilized.
Han Feng took another step.
And realized he was no longer on the mountain.
He was inside another world.
Or rather… inside a fragment of a world.
The sky above was closed, as if that place existed under an invisible dome. The light was red and gold, and the surrounding walls seemed made of smooth black stone, so perfect it looked like glass. The ground was marked by deep lines, like scars, and in some places there were craters, as if violent battles had taken place there.
The air was suffocating.
Not because there was a lack of oxygen.
But because the energy present was too heavy.
Han Feng breathed slowly, feeling his primordial essence react as if he were facing an unknown sea.
He perceived something frightening.
Here, within this fragment, the qi was "higher."
It was as if the laws of cultivation were purer.
This meant that anything that lived here would be extremely dangerous.
Han Feng advanced cautiously.
The silence was total.
There were no insects.
There was no wind.
There was no sound at all.
But then…
He heard.
A footstep.
Not him.
Another step.
A faint sound, but perfectly real.
Han Feng froze.
His hand slid to the side, ready to activate his offensive Gu.
He looked ahead.
A figure appeared in the distance.
It was a man.
He wore long, gray robes with gold details. His hair was simply tied back, but his posture was firm, like someone who had been through countless battles. On his back was a sword, but it wasn't an ordinary sword. It seemed broken in the middle, as if it had been destroyed and yet still carried a terrifying aura.
The man walked slowly, and with each step the ground vibrated slightly, as if reality itself curved around him.
Han Feng felt his throat dry up.
That man's aura…
It was absurdly deep.
It was like an ocean.
No.
It was like an entire sky compressed into a human body.
Even without harboring murderous intent, he was oppressive.
Han Feng instinctively sensed that this being was far beyond Rank 5 or Rank 6.
He wasn't a Gu Master.
He was a cultivator from another universe.
And his presence was so vast that Han Feng almost felt like kneeling.
The man stopped a few meters away.
His eyes were cold, but not malicious. It was an empty gaze, as if he were used to seeing lives extinguished and no longer cared.
He observed Han Feng for a long time.
Then he spoke.
The language was strange, but Han Feng understood.
Not through knowledge.
But through resonance.
"You carry a flame that shouldn't exist here."
Han Feng remained motionless, his body tense like a blade about to cut.
He replied cautiously.
— And you… shouldn't be in my world.
The man showed no surprise. He only slightly inclined his head, as if accepting.
"The sky is cracking. When the sky cracks, even things that shouldn't touch end up meeting."
Han Feng narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
The man looked at the ground for a moment, as if remembering something distant.
"A survivor."
He looked up again.
"And you… are a seed."
Han Feng felt a chill run down his spine.
Seed.
That word again.
The same idea that had surfaced in the submerged temple.
The same feeling the voice of the void had given him.
That man knew more than he should.
Han Feng clenched his teeth.
"What's happening? The merging… why now?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
He walked to the side, passing near a wall marked by deep cracks. He touched the stone with his fingers, and for an instant, the crack shone with golden light. The energy around it trembled.
Then he spoke.
"Two worlds are drawing closer because someone pulled the strings."
Han Feng felt his heart clench.
"Someone?"
The man let out a soft sigh, as if tired.
"You're not at the level to understand this yet."
The response was like a blade.
Han Feng felt anger.
But he didn't show it.
He knew that if that man wanted to, he could kill him with a single thought.
The difference was absurd.
Han Feng clenched his fist, feeling the red flame react within him as if it were also irritated. It was as if the flame refused to accept being inferior.
The man observed that reaction and narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting."
He slowly raised his hand.
Han Feng prepared to attack.
But the man didn't attack.
He merely extended two fingers and touched the air.
The space before them opened like a broken mirror.
A small crack appeared.
And inside it…
Han Feng saw his own world.
He saw the Western Region.
He saw the mountains.
He saw the sky with the three stars.
And he saw something even more disturbing.
He saw thousands of black dots sprouting like insects in the sky.
As if smaller fissures were appearing everywhere.
Han Feng felt his breath catch.
"This…"
The man spoke, with the same cold calm.
"This is only the beginning."
Han Feng felt a crushing weight on his chest.
The man closed the fissure with a gesture and looked directly at Han Feng.
"You have a choice."
Han Feng didn't answer.
The man continued:
"You can run away and die like everyone else… or you can grow fast enough to survive when the sky finally falls."
Han Feng clenched his fists.
"And how do I do that?"
The man looked at the broken sword on his back.
"You don't."
He took a step forward.
His aura intensified.
Han Feng felt his whole body tremble.
Then the man said:
"You steal."
Han Feng froze.
The man raised his hand.
A golden glow appeared.
And in the next instant…
A seal appeared on Han Feng's chest.
It wasn't a Gu seal.
It was a different seal.
A small, golden symbol, but heavy as a mountain.
Han Feng felt his soul being marked.
His mind became clear and terrified at the same time.
He felt as if he had been connected to something greater.
The man spoke:
"This seal will allow you to absorb part of the energy of this fragment without dying. Consider it a gift… or a curse."
Han Feng felt his blood boil.
—Why would you do this?
The man was silent for a moment.
Then he replied:
"Because when the sky falls, I need to see who will have the courage to climb on top of the rubble."
He turned.
He began to walk away.
Han Feng took a step forward.
—Wait!
The man stopped, without looking back.
"If you want to live… trust no one. Not even me."
And then he disappeared.
He didn't move fast.
He didn't use any technique.
He simply… vanished.
As if he had dissolved into space.
Han Feng stood still, breathing heavily.
The golden seal on his chest pulsed slowly.
The red flame inside him seemed calmer now… as if it had accepted it.
Han Feng looked around.
The fragment of the world was still there.
The foreign energy was still suffocating.
But now…
He could breathe.
He could absorb it.
Han Feng closed his eyes and began to cultivate.
The fragment's energy entered his body like a wild current. His meridians trembled, but the golden seal filtered it, transforming it into something bearable. His primordial essence began to expand, becoming denser, more refined.
Power grew.
And, along with power…
Understanding.
Han Feng slowly opened his eyes.
His purple pupils seemed deeper.
He raised his hand and saw small golden particles forming at his fingertips.
He didn't know what they were.
But he knew they didn't belong to the Gu World.
He smiled.
A slow, dangerous smile.
—So… I really can steal.
In the distance, the sky within the fragment trembled.
And for a brief instant, a thunderous echo resounded.
As if the universe were responding.
Han Feng took a deep breath. He knew he had entered a path of no return.
But this path…
Was exactly what he wanted.