After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Once outside the city, the scenery gradually became desolate. In the distance, Gu Yan saw the Zimu River.

The train finally stopped near Crescent Bay. The terrain here is slightly undulating, and the river curves into an almost perfect arc.

The rock face on the south bank was exactly as Gu Yan had imagined.

Queen Feng Si stepped down from the carriage first, followed closely by the High Priest. Gu Yan also alighted from the carriage under the close watch of Yingluo and two guards.

"This is it." Gu Yan pointed to the rock wall near the base of the riverbed. It looked like a slightly darker-colored rock, no different from the surrounding area.

The Queen and the High Priest approached, examining the object closely and even touching it. The High Priest also took out an ancient, compass-like device, but the compass needle only wobbled slightly and did not point to anything unusual.

"There's no fluctuation of spiritual energy, nor any trace of a mechanism." The high priest frowned, looking at Gu Yan with suspicion in his eyes.

Gu Yan was also a little nervous. He took a deep breath, concentrated, and activated the Investigation of the Netherworld again. This time, he focused all his attention on the base of the rock wall.

The suction returned, the faint resonance clearly discernible. In his field of vision, that area resembled a bottomless vortex. When he tried to probe the center of that vortex…

A sudden tremor came. Everyone felt their feet sway.

"An earthquake?" a priest whispered.

Only Gu Yan could see clearly that, in Cha You's field of vision, the core of that blank area rippled as he touched it.

"It's not an earthquake!" Gu Yan blurted out. "It's there! My sense of it triggered some kind of reaction. It...it needs to get closer, it needs to make contact, or it needs...some kind of specific 'key'!"

Queen Feng Si and the High Priest exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Yingluo, take him there. Be careful," the Queen ordered.

Yingluo placed one hand on the hilt of her sword, signaling the two guards to keep watch on the left and right, while she led Gu Yan slowly toward the rock wall.

The closer they got, the stronger the resonance in Gu Yan's heart became. The barrier emanating from the spirit-suppressing lock beneath their feet also weakened slightly, as if it had been affected. They stopped in front of the rock wall.

Gu Yan reached out his hand and, under Yingluo's wary gaze, slowly touched the seemingly ordinary rock wall.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the surface of the rock, a sudden change occurred.

The originally grayish-brown rock wall suddenly lit up with ancient patterns emitting a pale golden light, centered on his fingertip. These patterns instantly spread out, covering the rock wall in an area of ​​several feet, forming a huge pattern, with a groove faintly appearing in the center, directly opposite Gu Yan's palm.

Without hesitation, Gu Yan subconsciously placed his hand on it. Instantly, golden light shone brightly, and the ancient patterns flowing on the rock wall emitted a deep hum, as if a colossal beast that had been sleeping for millennia was slowly awakening.

Immediately afterwards, the rock wall silently collapsed inward from the center of the groove, revealing a dark and deep opening that could only accommodate one person at a time.

An aura emanated from the cave entrance, carrying a faint pressure that made the Queen, the High Priest, Yingluo, and the others feel a chill run down their spines, causing them to involuntarily take a half-step back.

Only Gu Yan, far from feeling oppressed, felt a strong resonance with the aura within the cave entrance. The spirit-suppressing locks on his wrists and ankles, unable to bear the weight, shattered.

"The host has touched the entrance to the 'Ancient Zhuyin Relics,' and the conditions are met. The 'Explore the Secret Realm Left by the Gods' quest is now active."

The system notification sounded abruptly in his mind.

"Only the host can enter alone. The internal time flow differs significantly from the external time flow, so please seize the opportunity."

Gu Yan didn't have time to think much; the strong attraction and the mission prompt made him subconsciously take a step forward.

"Gu Yan!" Queen Feng Si couldn't help but speak up, her tone complicated.

Yingluo's knife was half-drawn from its sheath. Her sharp eyes stared at the cave entrance, then at Gu Yan.

Gu Yan glanced back at the Queen's worried yet expectant face, gritted his teeth, and said, "It's calling me from inside. Only I can go in. I will find the answer." Without waiting for a response, he immediately slipped into the cave.

The moment he entered, the light on the patterns on the rock wall dimmed, and the cave entrance quickly closed, returning to its original smooth and hard rock appearance, as if nothing had ever happened.

Within this secret realm lies a hidden paradise.

It was a void where the starry sky was upside down.

The only source of light came from the center of the void, a flame of chaotic color. The flame was no bigger than a candle flame, yet it exuded an aura of absolute dominion.

Ancient, weathered whispers echoed in the void, not in any known language, yet they directly entered Gu Yan's mind:

"The newcomer... bears the mark of another world... and has a sliver of connection with my remaining breath..."

"I am Zhuyin, my breath is the wellspring of the people, my thoughts are the grace of the gods... Now I leave this last wisp of my breath to those who are destined to receive it... I hope you will use it wisely..."

Zhuyin? That is, the Zhulong in mythology, which is day when it is closed, night when it is closed, winter when it blows, and summer when it breathes! Gu Yan's heart skipped a beat. Instead of being overjoyed, he had a bad feeling.

As the whisper began, the flame flickered slightly, transforming into a wisp of gray mist as thin as a hair, which slowly drifted toward Gu Yan and disappeared directly into his brow.

Gu Yan's soul trembled, feeling a tearing sensation. That wisp of gray energy, like a red-hot iron rod, fiercely pierced into his brow and sea of ​​consciousness.

A searing pain exploded, and countless strands of mysterious fire spread along the meridians of his soul. Not only his soul, but Gu Yan felt every inch of his body curling up and charring in the high temperature, yet he couldn't even utter a cry of pain.

Before the burning pain could subside, the biting cold crept in like a venomous snake. It was an extreme cold capable of freezing one's soul, frantically gnawing at the heart from every limb and bone, congealing blood into ice shards, and feeling as if countless ice needles were piercing the cracks in one's bones, even the heartbeat felt like it was being shattered.

His muscles twitched uncontrollably, his fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he felt no pain in his palms, only a bone-chilling cold that made his consciousness begin to fade.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the interplay of light and shadow, day and night, clashed, the intense light piercing his soul with pain. The rhythm of the four seasons transformed into countless fine blades, repeatedly slicing through his meridians and soul.

Consciousness teetered on the edge of lucidity and unconsciousness, enduring the baptism of the remnants of ancient gods.

When the excruciating pain that tore at his soul finally subsided, Gu Yan felt an unprecedented sense of comfort welling up from the depths of his limbs and bones.

He slowly raised his hand, his palm revealing skin as white as jade, the physical pain seeming merely an illusion. His bones emitted a series of fine, crisp cracking sounds, as if every joint had been reforged, as hard as refined steel and as tough as black iron.

An even more astonishing change occurred within the sea of ​​consciousness. The once chaotic sea of ​​consciousness was now as clear as a mirror. The wisp of candlelight remnant still lingered within it, shaped like a ball of flame.

Gu Yan slowly exhaled a long breath. The power of Zhuyin was not yet usable by him; it had only transformed his body and soul, making it sufficient as a dwelling place for this power. Even so, Gu Yan was already content.

He was still shaken by the pain he had just experienced. It seemed that gaining great power came at a terrible price.

At the same time, a wealth of basic information about this power, as well as partial access to this "legacy" space, flooded into his consciousness.

Breath of Candlelight (Newborn): A remnant of the supreme divine power that governs the laws of light, darkness, and time; extremely weak.

Current ability: To faintly sense and influence light, darkness, and vitality within a localized area. With this aura, one can initially communicate with and guide the residual laws related to gestation and the Fountain of Life sealed within the "Candle Shadow Legacy" space.

"Guiding...the remaining power of the Fountain of Life..." Gu Yanfu suddenly realized that this was the source of the spiritual power of the Mother-Child River.