chsdbacks Chapter 252
Chapter 252
Nie Lingfeng's gaze finally locked onto the pitch-black stone coffin. He could sense that all the anomalies, all the oppressive aura, all the danger originated from it. The "Last Guardian"...was inside this stone coffin?
He walked slowly forward, each step echoing softly on the pure, milky-white stone slabs. The power within his body flowed gently, especially the power of the Qilin, which seemed to become more active after entering the stone chamber, subtly resonating with a certain "same origin" but more ancient and profound aura emanating from the stone coffin.
Just as he reached a point about ten steps away from the stone coffin platform—
"Buzz—!!!"
The flickering dark golden runes on the stone coffin suddenly shone brightly! A terrifying will, more than ten times stronger than before, a mixture of endless ages, the earth's heavy majesty, and a trace of chaos, anger, and sorrow eroded by the long passage of time and pollution, erupted from the stone coffin like an awakened ancient giant, crashing into Nie Lingfeng's spiritual consciousness like a tangible mental storm!
At the same time, the tightly closed, pitch-black stone coffin emitted a tooth-grinding, creaking sound as if it had been rusted for millions of years. Then, slowly and heavily, it slid open a crack to one side!
A richer, purer, yet more chaotic and contradictory "aura" emanated from the coffin. That aura was like the essence of the earth that had been sedimented for millennia, or like volcanic lava about to erupt, mixed with a lingering, heart-palpitating sense of blasphemy and sorrow.
Immediately afterwards, a huge hand, covered with fine, dark gold scales like dragon scales, yet as withered as an old tree, with nails curved like eagle hooks, and flowing with dark red liquid that looked like a mixture of magma and filthy blood, slowly and stiffly emerged from the gap in the slid-open coffin lid and rested on the edge of the coffin.
Then, there was another one.
With both hands exerting force, it was as if a giant who had been asleep for countless years was trying to... get up.
"Rumble..."
The entire stone chamber, no, it seemed as if the entire solitary peak altar, trembled slightly with this "rising" movement! Fine cracks appeared on the milky-white stone floor! The oppressive force in the air surged to its peak, almost crushing one's soul!
Nie Lingfeng groaned, his face growing even paler, but he gritted his teeth, the dark gold and crimson flames in his eyes burning stubbornly like candles flickering in the wind! He stared intently at the slowly opening coffin lid, at the giant hand covered in dark gold scales that reached out. Under the unprecedented terrifying pressure and stimulation of the shared aura, the power of the Qilin and Phoenix blood within his body surged wildly, resonated, and even... generated an instinctive, extremely complex impulse—a desire to submit, to resist, and to "soothe" the chaos and sorrow!
The coffin lid slid open more than halfway.
A massive, hunched figure, covered in tattered dark gold scales and stone armor, with its head bowed and face obscured, its body flowing with dark red "magma," and exuding an aura of endless antiquity, majesty, chaos, and sorrow, slowly sat up from the pitch-black stone coffin.
It raised its head.
That face… could hardly be called a “face” anymore. It was more like an ancient rock mask carved into dark gold scales and stone armor. The mask was rough, covered with cracks eroded by time, and only the outlines of eyes, nose, and mouth could be barely discerned. And where those should have been “eyes” were two bottomless, chaotic vortexes that constantly swirled with dark gold and dark red light! At the center of the vortexes were two points of cold, lifeless light, yet filled with endless pain, anger, and a trace of bewilderment and searching…
Its gaze moved slowly, sweeping across the stone chamber, over the unconscious Jida, over the scattered "sacred relics," and finally landing on the only remaining human in the stone chamber, a tiny human with a faint but homologous flame burning on his body—Nie Lingfeng.
The four eyes (if that vortex can be called an "eye") faced each other.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Inside the stone chamber, only the ancient being sitting upright in the stone coffin, its body flowing with dark red "magma" dripping onto the ground, making a "drip-drip" sound, and its heavy, slow breathing, as if carrying the weight of the entire earth...
"Waaah..."
A deep, hoarse sigh, seemingly from the depths of the earth and carrying the dust of countless years, slowly rose from beneath the rock mask.
Then, the two points of light within the chaotic vortex locked onto Nie Lingfeng. A clearer yet still fragmented and chaotic thought, filled with indescribable complex emotions, exploded like a resounding bell deep within Nie Lingfeng's soul:
"The... aura... of the Qilin... and... the... warmth of the Phoenix..."
"Outsiders...again...outsiders..."
"Blasphemy... Slaughter... Greed..."
"To protect...I must...protect..."
"Pain... pollution... darkness..."
"Purify...everything...purify..."
"Who are you……"
"They are...the enemy..."
"I still... hope..."
The shattered will is filled with contradictions and chaos. The obsession to protect, the tainted anger, the loneliness and pain of long years, the feeling and doubt about the "common origin"... all kinds of emotions, like boiling magma, are raging wildly in the "consciousness" of this ancient being.
Nie Lingfeng could clearly sense that this "last guardian's" "mind" was indeed, as the mountain guardian had predicted, in an extremely unstable state, even on the verge of collapse. Its remaining instincts drove it to "protect" this place, to "purify" the intruders and blasphemers. Yet, it also instinctively felt a sense of "closeness" and "doubt" towards the Qilin and Phoenix aura emanating from Nie Lingfeng. This contradiction made it even more confused, and even more...dangerous.
Any slight provocation could completely shatter its fragile balance, plunging it into utter madness and destruction.
Nie Lingfeng took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and chaotic thoughts. He knew that at this moment, any rash action or wrong response could lead to annihilation. He had to try to communicate, try to soothe, try... to awaken the last vestige of clarity belonging to the "Guardian" that had been buried by the long years and pollution.
He slowly raised his right hand, palm up, carefully gathering the faint yet pure Qilin power within him, which had been infused with a trace of phoenix energy, into his palm. The power coalesced into a small, warm, dark gold-red flame. This flame carried both the majesty of the Qilin and the vitality and warmth of the phoenix.
Then, meeting the chaotic and dangerous gaze of that ancient being, he spoke slowly in a voice as calm, clear, and respectful as possible, each word seemingly uttered with all his strength and will:
My name is Nie Lingfeng.
"Blessed by the Qilin, and favored by the Phoenix."
"I did not come here for blasphemy and killing."
"Only to purify the filth, rediscover the lost heritage, and protect this wounded land."
"Senior...do you still remember who you are?"
"Do you still remember the vow you made here back then, to protect this place with your own body and fight against the 'Calamity'?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly in the eerily silent stone chamber, where only the ticking of a clock and heavy breathing could be heard.
The small, warm, dark gold-red flame in his palm swayed gently, emitting a soft yet firm light, like a faint but persistent spark in the darkness...
Nie Lingfeng's calm yet penetrating voice slowly spread through the pure yet oppressive stone chamber, reflecting the warm, dark gold and crimson flame in his palm like a pebble with a faint glow thrown into a chaotic abyss. The ancient being sitting up in the stone coffin—the "Last Guardian," covered in tattered dark gold scales, flowing with dark red "magma," and with chaotic vortexes swirling in its eye sockets—seemed to be drawn by the voice and flame, its heavy, mountain-like breathing pausing almost imperceptibly for a moment.
Its "gaze," formed by a chaotic vortex, was fixed intently and unwaveringly on the flame in Nie Lingfeng's palm. The speed of the vortex's rotation seemed to slow down slightly. The interwoven dark gold and dark red light flickered uncertainly deep within the vortex, reflecting that tiny but persistent spark.
"Qilin...Lin...Phoenix..." The ancient consciousness remained fragmented and sluggish, filled with painful bewilderment, yet the hint of "doubt" and "search" within it seemed to have become clearer. "Warm...familiar...yet...strange..."
Its massive, scale-covered hand, flowing with "magma," unconsciously rose slightly, as if wanting to touch the flame, but then stopped halfway, as if afraid of something, or resisting something. Dark red "magma" dripped down its arm, scorching white smoke and charred marks on the milky white floor, bringing a discordant, sacrilegious aura.
"Who...am I...?" The ancient being's consciousness began to fluctuate more violently, carrying a deep-seated confusion and pain. "To protect...the oath...to fight...the calamity..."
It shook its head violently, its rock-mask-like head emitting a dull grating sound. The chaotic vortexes in its eye sockets suddenly accelerated their rotation, the dark red light intensifying, and an even more violent, chaotic, and destructive emotion surged forth like a tidal wave: "No! Pain! Darkness! Corruption! Everything... is defiled! Including... myself!"
As its emotions surged violently, the entire stone chamber trembled once more! More cracks appeared on the milky-white stone slabs! The heavy pressure in the air instantly transformed into an aggression and a destructive intent! The dark red "magma" flowing over its body suddenly surged, as if it had come to life, transforming into countless tiny "tentacles" burning with evil flames, wildly waving and lashing outwards, including towards Nie Lingfeng! Several of these lashes even struck the unconscious Jida beside the stone coffin and the "sacred relics" scattered on the ground!
"Senior! Calm down!" Nie Lingfeng's heart tightened, knowing this was a critical moment! He had to stabilize the opponent and prevent it from completely descending into madness! He took a sudden step forward, no longer merely displaying the flame, but unleashing the last remaining, yet purest, power within him—a power fused with the Qilin's "guardian" will and the Phoenix's "vitality"—through that flame, transforming it into a warmer, brighter stream of light, carrying a strong sense of soothing and purification. This light actively shot towards the ancient being's raised palm and its chaotic, vortex-like "eyes"!