The spiritual boat sliced through the clouds like a silent arrow, powered by wind talismans and guided by Elder Qiu's command seal. Below, the landscape shifted from dense forests to sheer cliffs before giving way to the endless blue of the Eastern Sea.
None of the four disciples aboard spoke for a long while.
Bai Qing leaned against the railing, arms folded, eyes fixed on the shifting currents below. The other two — a quiet boy with a dark jade flute strapped to his back, and a tall girl with silver hair braided into coils — sat cross-legged, meditating in silence.
Lin Ho stood at the front, arms clasped behind his back. His mind was sharp, focused, but a whisper echoed deep within.
> Closer… closer… the chains are thinning…
The voice of the abyss.
He pushed it away.
---
Three Hours Later – The Forbidden Shore
The boat descended slowly onto a narrow strip of black sand — a place not marked on any known map. Towering cliffs loomed behind, and in front stretched ocean darker than night. But it was not the sea that demanded attention.
It was the altar.
Half-submerged and carved from obsidian stone, it rose like a drowned shrine. Around it, shattered pillars jutted from the sand, each etched with runes so old even Lin Ho's Chaos senses couldn't fully decipher them.
Bai Qing whistled low. "This isn't just a remnant site. This is… pre-human."
One of the disciples stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "No Qi signature. It's dead."
Lin Ho shook his head. "No. It's sleeping."
A chill swept through the group.
---
Moments Later – The Binding Circle
Following Elder Qiu's instructions, the four formed a square around the altar. Each was to place a drop of blood into the binding circle — a ritual meant to awaken the hidden formation beneath the ruin.
As Lin Ho cut his finger and let a drop fall onto the altar, the entire island shuddered.
Not trembled — shuddered.
Black mist exploded from the ruins, curling upward into a jagged spiral. A single tone rang out, low and full of pressure.
The air turned thick. Water began to surge unnaturally around the shore.
Then, a massive sigil appeared — one only Lin Ho could see clearly. A twelve-pointed spiral, exactly matching the core of his Chaos Bloodline.
> "It… recognizes you," Bai Qing whispered.
He didn't respond.
Because now he remembered something.
This was not the first time he had stood here.
---
Flashback – Distant Echoes
A temple. Golden waters. A throne of infinity. A figure seated upon it — shrouded in stars.
> "The cycle ends when the sea kneels," the figure had said.
Then the memory shattered like glass.
---
Back to the Present
The altar glowed brightly now. And from beneath the sand, an arm erupted — covered in seaweed and scales, its fingers tipped with talons.
The other three disciples jumped back, weapons drawn.
Lin Ho stepped forward instead.
> "No. It's not hostile… not yet."
A voice rose from the earth, rasping and deep:
> "Heir… of… chaos…"
---
End of Chapter 52