NOVEL NEXT Chapter 123: Memories
Kael's silver eyes scanned the horizon, his senses sharp, attuned to the subtle shifts in the mountain's qi. His body ached from battles past—the gash on his ribs, the bruise on his shoulder—but the Lotus Flame steadied his meridians, sealing the pain with threads of purified qi.
A faint rustle broke the silence, not wind but movement. Kael ducked behind a gnarled tree, its roots curling like frozen serpents. His Silent Eclipse Dao flared, cloaking his aura in shadow, his breath barely a whisper.
Three figures darted through the mist above, their grey robes blending with the twilight, their qi sharp and refined—early Soul Flame Realm, their movements swift but not masterful.
They vanished toward the mountain's base, their purpose unclear but their presence a threat. Kael waited, his hand resting on Abyssal Fang's hilt, until their auras faded into the distance.
He pressed on, descending toward a narrow crack hidden behind pale, thorned vines, their brittle tips clawing at the stone. Broken talismans hung above, their runes faded but still pulsing with faint qi, remnants of a forgotten era's seals.
Kael touched one, and a jolt shot up his arm, the ancient energy whispering of trials long past. He slipped through the crack, the air shifting—cold, damp, heavy with the scent of decay and old incense.
Moss glowed faintly on the walls, casting a green shimmer that lit the spiraling tunnel, its path descending like the throat of a slumbering beast.
Memories stirred, not his own. The Silver Lotus Flame flared violently, and Kael's vision blurred. A silver-robed figure stood at the mountain's mouth, a lotus crest blazing on their back, surrounded by hundreds under a burning sky.
Another flash—blood-soaked earth, strewn with corpses of cultivators and spirit beasts, silver fire clashing with torrents of flame. Kael staggered, grabbing the wall, his breath ragged.
The memories faded, the Lotus Flame settling with a single pulse. "They were here," he muttered, his voice echoing in the tunnel. "This is where it happened…"
The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness. In the center, a stone platform stood, ringed by eight broken statues—warriors frozen in combat stances, one clutching a sword, another a spear, others with fists raised or hands poised for casting arts.
Dust coated their forms, their eroded eyes seeming to watch Kael's every move. At the platform's heart sat a cracked stone lotus, its faint silver lines pulsing dimly, ancient characters carved beneath it in a language older than sects.
Kael knelt, his breath steady, the scroll in his robes trembling. It flew from his chest, spinning in the air before landing on the stone lotus. The runes glowed, and a pulse of primal qi erupted, shaking the chamber.
The statues stirred, their heads turning with a grating screech, their auras surging—thick, ancient, not full spirits but remnants, echoes of warriors bound to the Lotus Path.
The first statue, wielding twin daggers, lunged, its broken feet scraping stone. Kael dodged, his Crescent Requiem footwork guiding him as Abyssal Fang flared with Silver Lotus Flame.
His blade met the statue's strike, the clash sparking in the dim light, but the remnant moved faster than its decayed form suggested, blocking his counterattack.
A second statue, its iron fist aimed at Kael's back, struck with crushing force. He twisted, catching the blow on Abyssal Fang's flat edge, but the impact sent him skidding across the chamber, slamming into the wall. Blood rose in his throat, his ribs screaming.
All eight statues moved now, encircling him, their strikes carrying flawed but potent Daos—Sword, Spear, Fist, and more, each a fragment of a lost legacy.
Kael's eyes narrowed, the Silver Lotus Flame coating his body in silver-violet light, its purifying qi a shield against their onslaught. His Crescent Requiem footwork flowed, weaving through their attacks, Abyssal Fang lashing out with precision.
One statue shattered under his slash, its corrupted qi consumed by the flame. Another fell, its spear cleaved in half, its form reduced to smoke.
The remnants grew faster, their blows relentless. A fist grazed Kael's ribs, reopening the wolf's wound. A spear cracked his shoulder, pain flaring through his arm.
He dropped to one knee, blood dripping onto the stone, but his silver eyes burned brighter, fueled by defiance. "Come," he whispered, his voice a challenge to the heavens.
He rose, Abyssal Fang glowing like a star, his Silent Eclipse Dao cloaking him in shadow. He vanished into a blur, silver trails dancing across the chamber, flame and blade merging into a single force.
With a roar, he unleashed a sweeping arc, burning lotus petals exploding outward, their purifying light shattering three statues at once, their forms dissolving into ash and smoke.
Two remained, their auras still, their stone eyes watching. Then, slowly, they knelt, their forms cracking, their qi fading into silence. Kael stood panting, bloodied but unbroken, the scroll pulsing once more.
The stone lotus shone, its cracks glowing, and a platform beneath it lowered, revealing a staircase descending into deeper darkness.
Kael stepped forward, his boots echoing on the stone steps, the air growing heavier with each descent. The Silver Lotus Flame flared against an invisible pressure, its light a beacon in the suffocating gloom.
The staircase twisted, narrowing until it opened into a smaller, circular chamber with no exits, its walls etched with faint, glowing runes.
In the center stood an altar, and upon it floated a crystal lotus, spinning slowly, its translucent petals shimmering with silver light. Beneath it, golden characters glowed: "Only those who carry the Pure Flame may claim the Lotus Seed."
Kael's chest tightened, the crimson mark pulsing in rhythm with the crystal lotus, the Silver Lotus Flame surging within his dantian. He stepped forward, his hand reaching out, fingers brushing the lotus's edge.
A storm of energy surged into him, his vision dissolving into a vast expanse of stars and void, his body weightless, floating in an endless sea.
A figure appeared, robed in silver, their face a blur but achingly familiar, their aura resonating with the Lotus Flame. "You've come far," they said, their voice echoing through the void, calm yet heavy with purpose. "Too far to turn back now."