Chapter 59: More Runes

He remembered what he had seen inside the Ancient Qi Lock Mechanism. The Runes weren’t isolated. They were connected through complex Qi pathways.

If I can reproduce that connection...

Lothe’s eyes gleamed.

He took another sheet of Spirit Paper. He carefully drew the Locking Rune.

PING!

[Locking Rune successfully inscribed!]

But Lothe didn’t stop. He shifted the brush slightly and began drawing the second Rune: the Binding Rune.

Unlike the first, he couldn’t simply place it anywhere. He recalled how the Qi had flowed inside the ancient mechanism. One Rune connected to another through a specific pathway—the Qi entered the first Rune, flowed through the connecting channel, then entered the second.

Lothe stared intensely at the faint patterns. He didn’t completely understand why the connection worked, but he understood how it worked. That was enough.

His brush moved.

Ssshhk!

The first connecting stroke appeared. Then another. Lothe’s breathing slowed, his hand remaining steady. One mistake would ruin the entire inscription. He adjusted the angle of the brush and made the final stroke.

The pathway connected.

For a moment—nothing happened.

Then—FWOOM!

The two Runes simultaneously lit up with a faint purple glow. The Spirit Paper trembled between his fingers.

PING!

[Two compatible Runes detected!]

[Qi connection established!]

[Locking Rune + Binding Rune successfully combined!]

[Locking-Binding Talisman created!]

[Function: When activated and attached to a target, the Locking Rune interferes with the target’s Qi circulation, while the Binding Rune generates a restraining force that temporarily binds the target’s body.]

[Limitation: Effectiveness depends on the cultivation gap. Targets significantly stronger than the creator can break the binding through overwhelming physical strength.]

[Reward: +5 Earth Spirit Paper.]

Lothe’s eyes widened slightly.

He looked down at the Talisman in his hand. "So that’s how it works..."

He hadn’t created an Array, but he had successfully connected two compatible Runes, allowing them to cooperate through the Spirit Paper. Yet even this simple result made his heart beat faster.

If two Runes can cooperate like this... what happens when I can control ten? A hundred?

A faint smile appeared on his face. He had only just stepped onto the path of Array and Talisman Mastery, and an entire world was waiting for him to explore.

Lothe glanced at the remaining nine sheets of Spirit Paper.

He carefully stored them away; he wouldn’t waste a single one.

Within the next few minutes, he created several more basic Talismans, carefully studying every stroke and connection. But eventually, he felt his soul beginning to ache. His Soul Energy was being consumed far faster than his physical Qi.

That’s enough for now.

He had gained the knowledge. The rest could be practiced later.

Lothe closed his eyes, then opened them again. Immediately, he noticed something different.

Normally, with his [Spatial Perception], he could perceive the movement of objects around him.

He could sense subtle changes in space, detect Qi fluctuations, and perceive movements within his range.

But now, his vision had changed.

It was as if another layer had been added over reality. Thin purple streams flowed through the darkness around him. Some moved slowly, others rapidly. They twisted around objects, seeped through cracks in the stone, and flowed naturally through the surrounding space.

Qi.

Lothe’s eyes widened. So this is Qi Sight...

He raised his hand. One of the purple streams drifted toward him. Instinctively, he reached out, and his fingers closed around it.

The purple strand immediately coiled around his fingers like a ribbon.

Lothe couldn’t help but smile. He twisted his wrist slightly, and the Qi followed his movement. When he released it, the strand returned to its original path.

"Why are you smiling like a fool?"

Seana’s voice pulled him back. Lothe turned toward her, but Seana immediately looked away, she had forgotten how devilishly handsome he looked now.

"Well, I gained something out of this." Lothe pointed toward the ancient mechanism.

"Oh." Seana regained her composure. "Congratulations, then."

Yet beneath her calm expression, a faint competitive spirit had begun to burn. If he could gain something new, she couldn’t afford to fall behind.

"If you’re done, let’s go."

Lothe nodded. He stood up, his purple robes swaying gently with the movement.

His gaze shifted toward the triangular opening. He sighed. Another darkness.

He stepped through, and Seana followed closely beside him.

But now, the darkness no longer appeared completely empty to Lothe. His newly awakened Qi Sight illuminated the world differently. Purple streams of Qi flowed through the passage, winding around them like countless invisible rivers.

Lothe’s eyes shone faintly in the darkness. Then, he stopped.

"Wait."

Seana halted. "What is it?"

Lothe stared toward the wall. "There."

Several strange symbols had been carved into the stone beside the passage. Seana approached, staring at the symbols. To her, they were nothing more than incomprehensible ancient writing.

But to Lothe—for some strange reason—he understood them.

His eyes slowly widened as he began to read:

"When Heaven and Earth align,

When the stars illuminate the ancient path,

All things shall awaken.

Blood shall remember its origin.

Beasts shall walk upon the path of men.

Mortals shall reach for the heavens.

And when the Ancient Ones return...

The Great Era shall begin."

The moment Lothe finished reading

BOOM!

Light suddenly erupted throughout the passage. The darkness vanished instantly.

Both Lothe and Seana instinctively raised their guards. The light spread across the enormous chamber ahead, revealing a scene that caused both of them to freeze.

A massive black coffin hung suspended in the center of the chamber.

It was enormous. Ancient.

Four gigantic beast statues surrounded it. At the front left stood a massive lion with enormous wings spread behind its back.

At the front right was a gigantic bird, its stone wings stretched toward the ceiling.

Behind them stood a colossal tortoise, its shell covered in ancient markings.

And at the rear right—a coiling dragon.

Its stone body wrapped around itself, its enormous head staring directly toward the black coffin.

Lothe’s forehead immediately became covered in cold sweat. Neither he nor Seana had to say anything. They both had the same thought: they had entered a place they were never supposed to find.

Lothe’s gaze slowly shifted toward the coffin. His newly awakened Qi Sight immediately caught something strange.

Runes.

Countless ancient Runes covered the surface of the black coffin. They were connected to one another through intricate Qi pathways. Lothe’s expression gradually became serious. He could see the Qi flowing through them—the four beast statues, the coffin, the surrounding walls. Everything was connected.

His eyes narrowed.

"It seems..." Lothe swallowed. "It seems they’re suppressing something."

A chill traveled down his spine. Whatever was inside that coffin was something the people who built this place had considered dangerous enough to seal away.

Lothe immediately made a mental note: Do not approach the coffin.

Beside him, Seana stared at the ancient inscription with disbelief.

"What does that mean?" she said, not wanting to believe what her mind was already telling her.

Lothe remained silent for several seconds. He stared at the coffin, then at the four ancient beast statues, and finally back at Seana.

"Yeah."

His expression became solemn.

"You’re right. It seems whoever built this place knew this apocalypse was going to happen."​