As the seal unraveled, a low hum echoed through the trench — not from sound, but from space itself trembling under the weight of awakening power. Fragments of ancient runes dissolved into golden sparks, swirling in spiral patterns around Lin Ho's outstretched hand. The massive shell-shaped gate began to open, revealing nothingness within — not darkness, but a space untouched by time or energy.
Lin Ho stepped forward.
The Abyssal Guardian uncoiled, slowly backing away.
> "You walk willingly into chaos… May the stars not forget your name."
Then the beast vanished into the gloom.
Lin Ho crossed the threshold.
---
Inside the Primordial Vault
The world within the gate felt inverted — gravity bent, light bent, thought bent. Every step Lin Ho took felt like he was walking both forward and backward in time. Mountains floated upside-down, and rivers ran skyward, yet everything was still. Silent.
And at the center of this surreal realm hovered a flame.
It was not large. It flickered quietly, no bigger than a lantern's fire. But it radiated presence — like a sun compressed into a whisper.
> "The Forgotten Flame…"
It pulsed once — and in that instant, Lin Ho's vision was torn open.
He saw memories not his own.
Worlds burning under golden-black skies.
A war between primordial entities — chaos, order, void, and life — tearing each other apart.
He saw the first god fall, consumed by fire.
He saw his own face… or perhaps another version of him, laughing amidst cosmic ruin.
> "You are not the first."
The flame spoke. Not in words, but in emotion — regret, hunger, purpose.
> "You are the latest vessel… and perhaps the last."
Lin Ho knelt before it.
> "What do you want from me?"
The flame flared brighter.
> "To burn. To awaken. To destroy the boundaries that bind the realms. You are the key."
> "And what if I say no?"
> "Then I sleep again. Until another comes. But they won't have your will."
A long silence followed.
Then Lin Ho reached forward — and touched the flame.
---
Qingye Sect – Outer Formation Breach
Suddenly, from the Eastern Trench, a column of spiraling flame erupted into the sky. Not red, not gold — but pure chaos fire, swirling with every element. The sea boiled around it. The clouds above parted.
Elder Qiu, Bai Qing, and even the Sect Master shot to their feet.
> "He's done it…" Elder Mo whispered. "He's truly awakened it."
The Sect Master's face darkened.
> "Issue the lockdown. Send word to the Alliance. And to the Upper Realm…"
> "We may have found him."
---
Back in the Vault
Lin Ho stood within a ring of burning symbols, his body floating in mid-air. The flame had merged into his chest, branding a spiral sigil upon his sternum. His aura no longer resembled a cultivator's — it resembled something… untethered.
He looked at his palm. Fire flickered around it.
But it wasn't destruction.
It was creation.
> "Balance amidst entropy…" he murmured.
> "This is the true face of Chaos."
---
End of Chapter 65