I was a mineral prospector in Chengdu, who transmigrated into the body of a mortal sword immortal.

Duan Qiniang pushed open the side door of the temple, and a rich golden spiritual light mixed with the scent of sandalwood wafted out. Inside the temple, the High Priest stood with her back to the door, her white robes fluttering in the spiritual light without wind. The purple crystal at the top of her scepter resonated with the core of the array on the temple ceiling, emitting a deep hum. She seemed to have known of someone's arrival all along, and without turning her head, she spoke, her voice echoing in the empty hall: "Anomaly, you've finally come."

As Li Bai stepped into the hall, the array patterns on the bluestone slabs beneath his feet were slightly warm. He could feel that the entire temple was like a huge living entity, wrestling with some being deep within the earth's veins.

"High Priest," Li Bai said, bowing respectfully.

The high priest slowly turned around.

Her face looked more haggard than when they last met, and the fine lines around her eyes were deeper, but her eyes were still clear and sharp, as if they could see through people's hearts. She looked Li Bai up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on the Green Lotus Sword at his waist before moving to his face.

"You smell of blood," the high priest said calmly. "Though it's faint, it doesn't fool me."

Li Bai felt a chill run down his spine.

He had clearly cleaned himself thoroughly during the fight when he infiltrated last night, even using a cleansing spell on his clothes. Yet the High Priest's senses were so sharp.

"Things aren't peaceful outside," Li Bai didn't deny. "The Imperial Observatory is searching for the entrance to the secret realm."

"I know." The high priest walked to a stone platform on one side of the hall, tapping his scepter lightly on the ground. "Since three days ago, the fluctuations of the earth's ley lines have become unusually chaotic. External interference, internal changes... all have come at once."

She raised her hand, and a map of light and shadow appeared on the stone platform.

That was the entirety of the Xiling Divine Kingdom's secret realm—mountains and rivers, architectural complexes, array nodes, and the enormous, ever-expanding red light cluster deep within the earth's veins.

"The seal on the ancient demon has already loosened by 30%." The high priest pointed to the red ball of light. "At the current rate, the seal will be completely broken in at most half a month."

Li Bai stared at the map, his brows furrowed.

He could see that there were dozens of array nodes around the seal, seven or eight of which had dimmed and lost their light, clearly indicating that they had been deliberately damaged. The intact nodes were also under immense pressure, their light flickering.

"Have you found the inside man?" Li Bai asked.

The high priest shook his head: "No. The sabotage was very subtle, leaving no trace. The other party is very familiar with the array system of the secret realm, perhaps even... more familiar than some elders."

Her voice carried a hint of weariness.

Li Bai was silent for a moment, then asked, "What can I do?"

The high priest looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "Are you sure you want to interfere? This isn't your responsibility."

"I need the inheritance of the secret realm," Li Bai said frankly. "Besides, if demons are unleashed, I won't be able to escape either."

"That's true." The high priest's lips curled into a faint smile. "Come with me."

She turned and walked out of the hall.

Li Bai followed.

Stepping out of the temple, it was already broad daylight. The purple light above the secret realm was even more intense than the night before, like a thin veil shrouding the entire space. A tense atmosphere permeated the air, and deep rumbling sounds could be heard from afar—the sounds of the seal being breached.

Instead of heading towards the residential area, the high priest walked along a blue stone path into the depths of the secret realm.

Li Bai followed cautiously behind.

The sights along the way made him wary.

On both sides of the road, the ancient stone sculptures that had stood quietly were now faintly glowing with runes, as if some kind of defensive mechanism had been activated. Some hidden array nodes were also revealed, with energy fluctuations several times stronger than usual. Occasionally, charred marks could be seen in the cracks of the bluestone slabs on the ground, as if they had been scorched by high temperatures.

In addition to the sandalwood and spiritual energy, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible, burnt smell in the air.

"These mechanisms and formations are all automatically activated," the high priest said without turning his head. "The seal has loosened, triggering the highest alert level for the secret realm. Now, apart from the core area, no other place is safe."

Li Bai nodded, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

He could sense at least seven or eight hidden divine senses scanning them from the shadows. The owners of those divine senses were all quite powerful, at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and some might even be at the Golden Core stage.

The security in the secret realm was more stringent than he had imagined.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a vast plaza, paved with a single piece of white jade, its surface engraved with intricate array patterns. In the center of the plaza stood a massive bronze cauldron, ten zhang tall, its body covered with ancient patterns, now radiating a soft golden light.

But Li Bai's attention was completely drawn to the scene on the other side of the square.

There, it was as if space itself had been torn open.

A circular portal, about three zhang in diameter, floated in mid-air. Its edges were surrounded by an unstable silver halo, while the interior revealed a distorted and constantly shifting scene. Around the portal, intense spatial fluctuations spread like ripples on water, causing the surrounding air to appear visually distorted.

What shocked Li Bai even more was the scene on the other side of the light gate.

Through that distorted space, he saw a strange bronze tree—its trunk was thick, its branches stretched in all directions, and each branch had a bell-shaped bronze object hanging from its end. Around the tree, dozens of huge bronze masks floated, their shapes bizarre, with hollow diamond-shaped eyes and exaggeratedly wide-open mouths.

Bronze giant tree, bronze mask...

Sanxingdui!

Li Bai's heart began to pound.

Those were scenes he had seen countless times in archaeological documents and museums in his previous life—the iconic artifacts of the Sanxingdui civilization. But now, they were not quiet exhibits, but creations that truly existed in some secret realm, exuding an ancient aura.

Five people stood in front of the gate of light.

Besides the high priest, there were four elderly men and women dressed in different colored robes. Each of them possessed a profound aura and their cultivation was at least at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. They formed a semicircle, each holding a magical artifact, and were doing their best to maintain a barrier that enveloped the portal.

Even so, the spatial fluctuations emanating from the light gate were still so intense that they made one's heart tremble.

"You saw it." The high priest walked to the four elders, his voice solemn. "Three days ago, the 'Guardian Spirit' at the core of the secret realm suddenly became unusually restless, triggering the ancient connection with the 'Sanxingdui Secret Realm.' This passage... just appeared like that."

Li Bai took a few steps closer.

He could sense a familiar aura mixed in with the spatial fluctuations emanating from the portal.

That was the resonance of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent.

And... deep within his soul, there was a faint echo from that "otherworldly soul" from the 21st century.

"It is calling me," Li Bai murmured.

The high priest turned to look at him, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "You sensed it?"

"Yes." Li Bai nodded. "It's very faint, but it definitely exists."

An elder dressed in a blue sacrificial robe, with a gaunt face, sneered: "An anomaly is an anomaly; wherever it goes, it brings about change."

"Elder Aoki," the High Priest said calmly, "now is not the time to assign blame."

The old man, known as Elder Aoki, glared at Li Bai but said nothing more.

Another elderly man, dressed in a crimson priestly robe and with white hair and beard, spoke up: "High Priest, this passage is extremely unstable. Even with the four of us working together, we can only barely keep it from expanding further. But this can't go on—our spiritual energy is being consumed too much, and we can't hold on for more than a few days."

"I know." The high priest looked at the portal, his brow furrowed. "But hastily closing the passage could trigger an even more severe spatial collapse. The connection between the two realms is stronger than we imagined."

Li Bai stared at the portal, his mind racing.

Geological knowledge from his past life, understanding of formations in this life, and the sensations transmitted by the Azure Lotus Sword... all the information intertwined.

"This passage wasn't formed naturally," he suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him.

"What did you say?" Elder Aoki narrowed his eyes.

Li Bai pointed to the silver halo around the portal: "Look at the diffusion pattern of those spatial ripples—they're not uniform concentric circles, but rather regular spirals. This indicates that the opening of the channel was guided by some kind of directional energy."

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, the spatial connection between the two secret realms requires extremely precise coordinate positioning. If it's just the 'Guardian Spirit' causing agitation, it will at most trigger spatial tremors, but it's impossible to accurately open the passage to the Sanxingdui secret realm."

The square was silent.

The four elders exchanged glances, while the high priest's gaze sharpened.

"You mean..." she said slowly, "that someone deliberately opened this passage?"

"Very likely," Li Bai nodded. "Moreover, this person has a very deep understanding of both secret realms. He knows how to exploit the agitation of the 'Guardian Spirits,' how to locate the Sanxingdui secret realm, and how to stabilize the passage..."

He looked at the high priest: "There may be more than one inside man. Or rather, there may be a deeper force behind the inside man."

The high priest's face darkened.

Elder Qingmu angrily retorted, "Nonsense! The existence of the Xiling Divine Kingdom's secret realm is known only to us guardians. The Sanxingdui secret realm is even more legendary; we don't even know its exact location. How could outsiders possibly know such details?"

"What if the other party isn't an 'outsider'?" Li Bai countered.

Elder Aoki was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Li Bai didn't answer directly, but instead looked at the High Priest: "High Priest, you said before that the method of destroying the sealing array nodes was very professional, and that the other party was very familiar with the array system of the secret realm. So, is it possible... that the other party is not only familiar with the arrays of the Xiling Divine Kingdom, but also with those of Sanxingdui?"

The high priest's pupils contracted slightly.

"You mean...an ancient tradition?"

"I'm just speculating," Li Bai said, "but both secret realms belong to ancient civilizations, and there might be some kind of connection between them. If someone obtained a part of the ancient inheritance and knew about the existence of both secret realms, then they would have the ability to do all this."

The atmosphere in the square became even more somber.

The red-robed elder pondered, "High Priest, if what he says is true, then things are more complicated than we imagined. Their goal might not just be to release the demons..."

"Instead, they control two secret realms simultaneously," the high priest replied, his voice icy.

She looked at the portal, a resolute glint in her eyes: "This passage must be dealt with, no matter what. But before that, we need more information."

She turned to Li Bai: "Oddity, since you can sense the call of the passage, it means you have a connection with the Sanxingdui Mystery. I need you... to go in and take a look."

"What?!" Elder Aoki exclaimed, "High Priest, this is too dangerous! The passage is extremely unstable; entering rashly could result in being torn apart by spatial turbulence!"

"I know it's dangerous," the high priest said calmly, "but we have no choice now. The situation on the other side of the passage is completely unknown, and if we don't figure out their intentions, we'll always be at a disadvantage."

She looked at Li Bai: "Of course, you can refuse. This is not an order, but a request."

Li Bai stared at the distorted gate of light.

The Azure Lotus Sword hummed excitedly within his dantian, its tip pointing directly towards the passage. Deep within his soul, the call grew clearer, as if something awaited him.

Past life and present life, memories of two lifetimes.

The geologist's rationality told him that this was dangerous; the instability of the spatial passage was far beyond imagination, and once entered, life or death was uncertain.

But the poet's romance, the swordsman's sharpness, and the deep-seated desire to seek the truth and change fate urged him forward.

"I'll go," Li Bai said calmly.

The high priest looked at him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Alright." She nodded. "I will have the four elders do their utmost to maintain the stability of the passage and buy you some time. But remember—the passage can only be maintained for a maximum of half an hour. Within half an hour, regardless of whether you have gained anything or not, you must return."

"Understood," Li Bai replied.

The high priest took out a purple jade pendant from his robes and handed it to Li Bai: "This is the 'Space-Stabilizing Pendant,' which can stabilize the space around you to a certain extent. However, its effect is limited, so don't rely on it too much."

Li Bai accepted the jade pendant.

The jade pendant felt warm and smooth to the touch, its surface engraved with intricate spatial runes, emitting a faint purple halo.

"And this too." The old man in the red robe took out a red silk thread from his sleeve, with a small copper bell tied to the end. "This is the 'Guiding Bell.' After you enter the passage, the thread will connect the two ends. If you encounter danger, shake the bell, and we will do our best to pull you back."

Li Bai took the silk thread and tied it around his wrist.

The copper bell rang softly, its sound clear and crisp.

"Are you ready?" the high priest asked.

Li Bai took a deep breath and nodded.

He walked to the gate of light.

The closer they got, the stronger the spatial fluctuations became. The air seemed to turn into a viscous liquid, and every step required immense effort. A low, humming sound reached their ears—the mournful cry of space being torn apart.

Through the distorted light curtain, the outline of the bronze tree became even clearer.

The hanging bronze bells swayed gently under the influence of some unseen force, emitting ancient and melodious sounds.

Li Bai looked back.

The high priest and the four elders had already taken their positions, their magical artifacts shining brightly as they did their utmost to maintain the barrier. Duan Qiniang had also arrived at the edge of the plaza at some point, watching him from afar with worry in her eyes.

He nodded to her.

Then, he turned around and stepped into the portal of light.

-

The sensation of space being torn apart came instantly.

It wasn't pain, but a more fundamental tearing—as if every cell in my body was being forcibly stretched, twisted, and reorganized. Before my eyes was a dazzling silvery white, in my ears were sharp screeching sounds, and my nostrils were filled with a strange smell of burnt metal.

The Dingkong Pendant emitted a purple halo, barely managing to create a stable space with a diameter of three feet around him.

Even so, Li Bai could still sense that the turbulent currents in the outside world were like a raging ocean, ready to swallow him up at any moment.

He gritted his teeth and focused all his energy on circulating his internal energy.

The Azure Lotus Sword flew out from his dantian and hovered in front of him. The sword emitted a blue sword light, which merged with the purple light of the Dingkong Pendant to form a more solid layer of protection.

I don't know how much time passed—it could be a moment, or it could be a year—but the silvery white in front of me finally began to fade.

The scene gradually became clear.

Li Bai found himself standing in a vast underground space.

Above them was a towering dome of rock, hundreds of feet high, its surface inlaid with countless luminous crystals, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime. Under their feet were smooth black stone slabs, covered with ancient, undecipherable characters and patterns.

And directly in front...

It was a real bronze tree.

Standing thirty zhang tall, its trunk required ten people to encircle it, its branches stretching in all directions, each as thick as a beam. At the ends of its branches hung bronze bells, each the size of a millstone, their surfaces engraved with intricate patterns.

Hundreds of bronze masks floated around the giant tree.

The masks varied in size, the smallest being only the size of a palm, while the largest was the size of a house. They slowly rotated in the air, their empty eyes seemingly watching over each intruder.

An ancient, desolate, and mysterious atmosphere permeated the air.

Li Bai could sense that the concentration of spiritual energy here was several times higher than that of the Xiling Divine Kingdom Secret Realm, and it was also purer and more pristine. With each breath, a large amount of spiritual energy surged into his body, causing his cultivation to show faint signs of a breakthrough.

But he didn't have time to cultivate.

Because he saw something even more amazing.

At the base of the bronze tree, there is a circular altar.

On the altar lay a corpse.

No, it's not a corpse.

It was a perfectly preserved body, as if it had just fallen asleep. Clad in magnificent bronze armor, wearing a bird-shaped crown, its face was dignified and sacred. What shocked Li Bai most was the body's appearance…

She actually looks about 70% like him.

No, it's not similar to him.

It resembles "Li Bai"—the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, not the appearance of the geological engineer Li Bai from his previous life.

The Azure Lotus Sword suddenly began to vibrate violently.

The sword emitted a high-pitched ringing sound, as if it had encountered its long-lost master. The tip of the sword pointed directly at the body on the altar, its sword intent surging like a tide.

At the same time, the call from the depths of Li Bai's soul reached its peak.

An aged yet authoritative voice resounded directly in his mind:

"You've finally arrived... the successor who transcends time and space."

Li Bai was startled.

He looked toward the altar.

The eyes of that body had opened at some point.

Those were golden eyes, with stars seemingly swirling deep within their pupils. Their gaze fell upon Li Bai, filled with scrutiny, expectation, and a hint of…relief.

"I am 'Qi'." The voice continued to echo in Li Bai's mind, "The last guardian of the Sanxingdui Secret Realm, and also... the previous owner of the Azure Lotus Sword."

Li Bai gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and the hum of the Azure Lotus Sword became even more intense.

"The Azure Lotus Sword...is it yours?"

"It used to be." Qi's voice carried a hint of vicissitude, "But now, it's yours. I've waited for 3,700 years, and finally, I've found an inheritor capable of bearing the 'Mandate of Heaven'."

"Destiny?" Li Bai frowned.

"The destiny that changes your fate," Qi said slowly. "You come from the future, carrying memories and knowledge that do not belong to this era. You are entangled with certain people across three lifetimes of karma, destined to break the established trajectory. All of this is the choice of 'destiny'."

Li Bai's heart was churning.

He recalled his death in his past life, his rebirth as Li Bai, his obsession with Yang Guifei, and all that had happened in this life…

Is all of this not a coincidence?

"The Xiling Divine Kingdom and Sanxingdui both belong to the ancient 'Xiahou Clan' civilization," Qi continued. "We are the guardians of civilization and the executors of 'Destiny.' The Azure Lotus Sword is the key that connects the two secret realms and possesses some 'judgment' authority."

"A key?" Li Bai looked at the sword in his hand.

"That's right," Qi said. "To complete the inheritance, you need to pass the 'Trial of the Sword Heart.' And the trial grounds... are right beneath this altar."

The altar suddenly roared.

A crack appeared in the ground, revealing a downward staircase. Deep within the staircase, a chilling aura of sword intent emanated.

"The trial is a perilous one, with a slim chance of survival." Qi's voice turned serious. "Entering it may trigger unpredictable ripples in spacetime. Are you willing to go?"

Li Bai looked at the steps.

The Azure Lotus Sword trembled in his hand, not from fear, but from excitement.

The call from the depths of the soul has become a clear guide.

Past lives and present lives, memories of two lifetimes, karma across three lifetimes...

All the clues point to this place.

He took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his sword.

"I am willing to go."

As the words fell, the body on the altar slowly closed its eyes. The golden gaze vanished, but the voice lingered:

"Remember... the true heart of a sword lies not in what it cuts, but in what it protects."

Li Bai nodded.

He stepped onto the downward stairs.

Behind them, the portal began to fluctuate violently.

The half-hour deadline is almost up.