Chapter 71: Echoes in the Shadows of the Central Region
Three days after leaving the Yinlian Mountains, Han Feng finally reached the edge of the Central Region.
The landscape had changed.
The mountains behind him had gradually disappeared, replaced by vast plains covered in pale mist.
The wind was dry.
The air was thinner.
Even the spiritual energy felt different.
Han Feng stopped on a rocky ridge and looked toward the horizon.
Far in the distance, a massive gorge cut through the land.
Dark clouds gathered above it.
Lightning flashed continuously between the mountains.
That was the entrance to the Central Region.
Han Feng's expression remained calm.
But beneath that calmness, he was thinking.
His cultivation had not increased during the last three days.
He was still at Qi Cultivation Rank 4.
His Gu Master cultivation remained Rank 2.
And that was exactly why he had stopped rushing forward.
His foundation had become stronger after the breakthrough, but not enough to support another major advancement.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu had also warned him repeatedly through subtle fluctuations.
His body needed time.
His spiritual sense needed time.
Even the Dual Chaos Larva was still adapting to the changes brought by his increased cultivation.
Trying to force another breakthrough now would be stupidity.
Han Feng had learned that lesson too many times to forget it.
Strength isn't just about how quickly I can advance.
It's about how much I can survive after advancing.
He looked toward the distant gorge.
The Central Region was waiting.
But before entering it, he needed one more thing.
Information.
Han Feng continued across the plains.
He didn't notice the watchers immediately.
They were careful.
Very careful.
Several kilometers away, hidden beneath a rocky slope, a small black tent had been erected.
Inside, three cultivators sat around a circular formation.
A crystal mirror floated above the formation.
Its surface showed a distant image.
Han Feng walking across the plain.
One of the cultivators narrowed his eyes.
"That's him."
The man beside him leaned closer.
"Confirm the appearance."
"White hair. Purple eyes. Black and violet clothing."
"Spiritual signature?"
"Suppressed."
The third cultivator shook his head.
"Can you determine his cultivation?"
"No."
The first cultivator smiled faintly.
"Then the rumors were accurate."
He picked up a black communication talisman.
"He's heading toward Blue Stone City."
The second cultivator frowned.
"Should we intercept him?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
The first cultivator looked at the image.
"Because the Deep Shadows Sect isn't the only faction waiting for him."
The room became silent.
He continued.
"Let him enter the city."
"And the Hidden Jade Gate?"
"Prepare the executor."
A pause.
"If he tries to cross the gate immediately, stop him."
The second cultivator hesitated.
"And if the executor isn't enough?"
The first man's expression darkened.
"Then we send the message."
"To whom?"
He looked toward the mirror.
"To the people who have been waiting for the Demon of Shadows to reach the Central Region."
Blue Stone City appeared before sunset.
The city was enormous.
Its outer walls were constructed from blue-gray stone that seemed to absorb sunlight.
Cultivators moved through the gates constantly.
Merchants.
Wandering cultivators.
Sect disciples.
Gu Masters.
Travelers from distant regions.
For the first time in weeks, Han Feng found himself surrounded by hundreds of people.
That should have made him feel safer.
Instead, he became more cautious.
Crowds created opportunities.
They also created hiding places for enemies.
Han Feng entered the city without attracting attention.
At least, not immediately.
He rented a small room in an ordinary inn.
Nothing about the building suggested it had any connection to cultivation.
That was exactly what he wanted.
He closed the door.
Then checked the room.
Walls.
Floor.
Ceiling.
Window.
Formation marks.
Nothing obvious.
Han Feng finally sat down.
He released a small amount of Qi.
The Celestial Veil activated.
His cultivation fluctuations disappeared beneath the appearance of an ordinary Rank 2 cultivator.
Then he waited.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
No one came.
Only then did he relax.
A knock sounded.
Three short taps.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
He didn't move.
Two more taps followed.
A familiar pattern.
He opened the door.
An old man stood outside.
His hair was completely white.
His back was slightly bent.
His clothing looked worn.
But his eyes were sharp.
The old man smiled.
"You're taller."
Han Feng stared at him.
"Old Mo."
"Still remember me?"
"People who know too much are difficult to forget."
Old Mo chuckled.
"Good. You've become even more suspicious."
Han Feng stepped aside.
"Come in."
Old Mo entered.
The moment the door closed, his expression changed.
"You've caused quite a disturbance."
"I expected that."
"Apparently you didn't expect this much."
Old Mo sat down.
He lowered his voice.
"The Celestial Corpse Sect has people searching for you."
"I know."
"The Deep Shadows Sect knows you're heading toward the Central Region."
"I know."
Old Mo stared at him.
"And there's something else."
Han Feng remained silent.
"The Black Lotus Sect has started investigating the ancient flame ruins again."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"We don't know."
Old Mo leaned closer.
"But there's a rumor."
"What rumor?"
"Someone found evidence that the old ruins weren't destroyed."
"They were sealed."
Han Feng's expression became serious.
"Where?"
"That's the problem."
Old Mo smiled bitterly.
"The information is being sold."
"To whom?"
"Everyone."
Han Feng sighed.
That was exactly the kind of situation he disliked.
When everyone wanted the same secret, someone was always willing to create a war over it.
Old Mo reached into his robe.
He placed a small piece of black jade on the table.
"The other reason I came."
Han Feng looked at it.
A faint golden mark was engraved on its surface.
"The Tear of the Black Sun."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
"That's a Gu?"
"Not exactly."
Old Mo shook his head.
"It's an ancient Gu."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes."
Old Mo's expression became serious.
"The Tear of the Black Sun is said to have been refined during the Primordial Era."
"It doesn't directly increase cultivation."
"It doesn't contain enough energy to push someone through a realm."
Han Feng's interest increased.
"Then what does it do?"
"It remembers."
Han Feng frowned.
Old Mo continued.
"It strengthens the connection between the mind, spiritual sense, and memories."
"It can reveal memories that have been suppressed."
"It can also allow the user to perceive traces left behind by powerful spiritual techniques."
Han Feng immediately thought of the Celestial Diagram.
Old Mo noticed his expression.
"You've heard of it before?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Old Mo smiled.
"I didn't believe you."
Han Feng smiled back.
"Then we're even."
The Temple of Whispering Roots was located beneath the eastern district of Blue Stone City.
It wasn't a place ordinary people visited.
There were no signs.
No guards.
No grand entrance.
Only an abandoned courtyard surrounded by dead trees.
Han Feng arrived shortly after midnight.
He entered alone.
The underground passage descended farther than expected.
Green crystals illuminated the walls.
Their light flickered whenever Han Feng passed.
The deeper he went, the quieter the world became.
Eventually, he reached a stone corridor.
Three figures emerged from the darkness.
They weren't alive.
At least, not completely.
Their bodies were formed from translucent spiritual energy.
Illusory guardians.
Han Feng didn't attack immediately.
He watched them.
The first guardian moved.
Han Feng stepped aside.
The second followed.
He ducked.
The third attacked from behind.
Han Feng turned and released a controlled burst of Qi.
The guardian shattered.
The other two immediately changed direction.
Han Feng understood.
They share perception.
He stopped fighting individually.
Instead, he moved toward the center of the corridor.
The three guardians followed.
Then Han Feng suddenly released a small amount of altered Qi through the Celestial Transmutation Gu.
The spiritual energy around the guardians became unstable.
For one breath—
Their movements became synchronized.
Too synchronized.
Han Feng stepped aside.
The three collided with one another.
The formation collapsed.
He walked past them.
"No need to waste energy."
At the end of the corridor stood a massive black barrier.
It pulsed slowly.
Like a heartbeat.
A woman's voice echoed through the chamber.
"To enter..."
Han Feng stopped.
"...offer a memory."
The barrier brightened.
"Not a memory you cherish."
The voice became softer.
"A memory you would rather destroy."
Han Feng stared at the barrier.
His expression remained calm.
But his mind returned to another life.
A life that had ended before this one began.
Li Tianhao.
His mother.
Her final moments.
The smell of smoke.
The sound of screaming.
A friend's betrayal.
And another memory.
One he rarely allowed himself to remember.
The day he had killed someone who was too young to understand why they were being hunted.
Han Feng closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then—
"I remember blood."
The barrier trembled.
"I remember someone begging."
The darkness around him became heavier.
"And I remember choosing to survive anyway."
His voice remained steady.
"I don't remember the exact expression on that person's face anymore."
A pause.
"But I remember what I felt afterward."
His hand tightened.
"Nothing."
The barrier stopped pulsing.
Han Feng opened his eyes.
"That's the memory I'd rather forget."
Silence.
Then the barrier cracked.
A thin line of black light appeared.
It spread across the entire surface.
Crack.
The barrier shattered.
Han Feng remained still.
The memory had not disappeared.
That was the point.
The temple had not asked him to sacrifice it.
It had asked him to acknowledge it.
The path opened.
The central chamber was small.
Much smaller than Han Feng expected.
There was no treasure vault.
No mountain of resources.
Only a single column of violet light.
Suspended above it was a tiny black crystal shaped like a tear.
The Tear of the Black Sun.
Han Feng approached carefully.
His spiritual sense touched it.
The world changed.
For an instant, he saw countless memories.
Ancient cultivators.
Battlefields.
Broken sects.
A woman standing beneath a black sun.
A formation with six points.
A seventh point hidden beneath them.
Then—
The image vanished.
Han Feng staggered backward.
His breathing became heavy.
He immediately sat down.
The Tear floated quietly before him.
It wasn't giving him power.
It was showing him traces.
Memories embedded into spiritual energy.
Information left behind by people who had touched it centuries ago.
Han Feng closed his eyes.
He sorted through the fragments.
Most were useless.
Some were incomplete.
But one image remained.
A six-point formation.
And beneath it...
A road descending into darkness.
Han Feng's eyes opened.
"The same road."
His heartbeat quickened.
The ancient network.
The black flame.
The Nine Flames sanctuary.
The Black Urn.
The six points.
The seventh.
They were all connected.
He reached out.
The Tear of the Black Sun slowly floated into his palm.
A faint warmth entered his spiritual sea.
The Celestial Diagram reacted.
Not violently.
Not greedily.
Almost cautiously.
As if it recognized the nature of the relic.
Han Feng immediately sealed it.
He wasn't going to merge with an unknown ancient object simply because it was useful.
He stored the Tear inside a jade container.
Then—
A voice came from behind him.
"Put it down."
Han Feng didn't turn.
He sighed.
"You people really need better timing."
Three figures emerged from the shadows.
Black robes.
Silver patterns.
The symbol of the Deep Shadows Sect.
The man standing in front was tall, with silver hair and a scar running from his left eye to his jaw.
His cultivation was stronger than Han Feng's.
But not overwhelmingly so.
That was enough.
Han Feng smiled.
"You waited outside the temple."
The silver-haired man frowned.
"You knew?"
"I suspected."
The man raised his hand.
"Hand over the Tear."
"No."
"You don't understand."
"I understand perfectly."
Han Feng turned around.
"You followed me because you knew I was coming here."
The man's expression hardened.
"And you followed me because you wanted the Tear."
"Yes."
"Then we're done talking."
The three attacked.
The first strike came from the left.
Han Feng raised his arm.
The Abyssal Shield Gu activated.
A dark layer of spectral armor formed over his body.
Boom!
The impact pushed him backward.
The second attacker appeared behind him.
Han Feng twisted.
A shadow blurred beside him.
For one breath, a second silhouette separated from his body.
Shadow Concealment.
The attacker struck the false position.
The shadow shattered.
Han Feng used the opening.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu converted a portion of his Qi into Gu energy.
The Dual Chaos Larva immediately responded.
The energy circulated through his body.
Han Feng's movement accelerated.
He didn't try to overpower them.
He targeted their formation.
One attacker.
Then another.
The silver-haired man immediately understood.
"He's separating us!"
"Don't let him!"
Too late.
Han Feng moved between two stone pillars.
The three cultivators followed.
That was exactly what he wanted.
He slammed his palm against the ground.
A controlled burst of Celestial Dark Flame spread across the stone.
Not enough to destroy the temple.
Enough to create a wall of black-purple fire.
The three cultivators were forced apart.
Han Feng moved.
One strike.
The first cultivator fell unconscious.
Second strike.
The other was thrown into a wall.
The silver-haired man broke through the flames.
His weapon flashed toward Han Feng's chest.
Han Feng barely avoided it.
The blade cut through his sleeve.
Blood appeared.
Han Feng's eyes became cold.
He's stronger than the others.
The silver-haired man attacked again.
Han Feng retreated.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The man's confidence increased.
Exactly as Han Feng wanted.
Han Feng suddenly stopped.
The man swung.
At the last moment, Han Feng shifted his body.
The blade passed beside him.
His hand caught the man's wrist.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu activated.
A thread of altered energy entered the man's meridians.
The man's expression changed.
"What—"
His spiritual energy became unstable.
Only for an instant.
But that was enough.
Han Feng struck his chest.
Boom!
The silver-haired man crashed into the wall.
He struggled to stand.
Han Feng approached.
The man stared at him.
"You could have killed me."
"I could have."
"Why didn't you?"
Han Feng looked at the other two unconscious cultivators.
"Because dead enemies create questions."
He turned away.
"And I already have enough."
The silver-haired man's expression changed.
Han Feng stopped.
Without turning around, he said:
"Tell whoever sent you something."
The man remained silent.
Han Feng continued.
"I'm going to the Central Region."
A pause.
"If they want to stop me..."
He glanced over his shoulder.
"...they should send someone stronger."
Then he left.
Outside the temple, the night wind was cold.
Han Feng stood on the highest roof in the eastern district.
Blue Stone City stretched beneath him.
Thousands of lights flickered.
For a moment, everything seemed peaceful.
But Han Feng knew better.
The Deep Shadows Sect had found him.
The Celestial Corpse Sect was tracking the ancient resonance.
The Black Lotus Sect was investigating the old flame ruins.
And somewhere beyond the Western Region, other factions were beginning to move.
He touched the jade container holding the Tear of the Black Sun.
It wasn't a weapon.
It wasn't a shortcut.
It was a window.
A way to perceive fragments of the past.
And perhaps...
a way to understand the ancient network before someone else did.
Han Feng looked toward the distant gorge.
The entrance to the Central Region.
Lightning illuminated the black clouds.
For the first time, he felt something strange.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
He had spent months running from stronger forces.
Hiding.
Observing.
Surviving.
Now he was approaching a region where the factions controlling the ancient secrets were concentrated.
He couldn't remain hidden forever.
But he could choose how he was discovered.
Han Feng turned away from the city.
"The Central Region..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Let's see what kind of monsters are waiting there."
He stepped into the darkness.
Behind him, Blue Stone City continued to sleep.
But beneath the Temple of Whispering Roots, the broken barrier had begun to reform.
A faint black light gathered around the place where the Tear of the Black Sun had rested.
Then a whisper emerged from the darkness.
Not a voice.
Not exactly.
More like an echo.
"One more has entered the path."
Far away, beyond the Western Region, something answered.
A single pulse.
Then another.
Six points.
One hidden seventh.
And beneath them...
The road remained closed.
For now.