If the dark entity was like a giant serpent, then this golden-eyed entity was like an ancient dragon. Such an all-powerful being was sleeping and he was unlucky enough to actually wake it up. Its power was so intense that it affected him outside of the room. Dozens of high-grade Heaven-tier defensive talisman completely shattered from the golden-eyed entity's shout alone.

 

"Excuse me for disturbing your sleep, Senior. I will leave immediately." Yan Xiaolong clasped his hand and hurriedly retreated. However, the golden-eyed entity glared at him and his body was immobilized. 

 

"Wait right there, junior. I smell something familiar on you. No, many familiar things on you..." The golden-eyed entity took in a breath, but Yan Xiaolong felt as though he was about to be sucked into a vacuum. After some time, six more golden eyes appeared in the distance, totaling to eight massive eyes staring at him. They were each widen with shock. 

 

"The blood of Dugu Tie, the blood of a magister, the aura of the Immovable King, and several more. What a hot mess!" Those four pairs of eyes looked at him up and down. There were no longer any traces of anger in its eyes, only curiosity and clarity. However, magical waves of charm rippled from its eyes. "Junior, why are you here?" 

 

"I am here to return an item, Senior." Yan Xiaolong did not dare lie and took out the pocketwatch. "Senior, I wonder if you know where I can find the room with a red alter in it?" 

 

“Golden Salvation! Golden Salvation!" The golden-eyed entity repeated, ringing Yan Xiaolong's ears and making him squint his eyes in pain. "I knew it! You had that on you!" 

 

"Senior, I-"

 

"Go find, room '1.' That's where you want to be. After that, if you make it out alive, go to room '64.'" The golden-eyed entity closed all of its eyes and retracted its presence. "Make sure you act quickly at all time if you want to make it out of here alive and don't casually open these doors anymore. Understood? You may go." 

 

"T-Thank you, Senior." Yan Xiaolong closed the door and left. Silence and darkness returned to room '49,' but the golden-eyed entity was still very much awake. 

 

"What an interesting little guest we have. He even brought friends with him!" It chuckled to itself, sending off vibrations that could summon cataclysmic earthquakes and collapse mountain ranges if ever brought outside. "But he's weak. Weaker than I expected. Why hasn't he conquered the will of Ancient Flame? How troublesome..." 

 

.......

 

Yan Xiaolong ran with all strength. Now that he knew where the red alter was located, there was no need to recklessly open these doors. "Go to room '1' and then go to room '64?' if I make it out alive?" 

 

He took out the offensive talisman and hid it in his sleeve. The lower the number, the more dangerous these rooms were. If his guesses were correct, then room '1' was the most hazardous of the rooms. However, he was contemplating more on why the entity wanted him to go to room '64.' 

 

"Judging on its tone and action, it seemed kind enough. But Uncle Tie said to focus on the mission and not go to anything that calls out for me..." 

 

[Will you listen to your uncle? Or an eldritch entity that existed in this cursed castle? Listen to the lesser of two evils.] 

 

It took Yan Xiaolong two hours to find room '1.' Truth to be told, he had located this room thrice, but the room would quickly disappear as soon as he arrived. It was as if it was avoiding him. He quickly placed his hand on the number and opened the room. 

 

The room was not very large and entirely built from stone. At the very center of the room was a red alter in the shape of a cauldron with nine legs that stood a short, but wide, pillar. 

 

Yan Xiaolong burst into motion and lifted up the lid to drop the pocketwatch in. However, he once again slammed by raging energy. 

 

"How dare you intrude Her Imperial Highness' chamber, Junior!" The voice from the cauldron was sharp and steely, each syllable sounding like the sharpening of a blade, and it painfully vibrated in his ears.  

 

"I'm just here for delivery, Senior!" Yan Xiaolong tossed the pocketwatch into the cauldron. His hand gripped onto the offensive talisman and booked it. 

 

"You think you can just come in whenever you want!? Get back here!" The lid exploded off the cauldron and hundreds of threads slithered out of the opening to capture him. The threads moved as quickly as hungry snakes and immobilized him as soon as they touched him. 

 

But, the talisman was already cast. 

 

The high-grade Void-tier offensive talisman floated in the air, shimmering in a red brilliance like the rising sun. 

 

A terrified will ejected from the cauldron and covered the entire stone room. A heavy pressure descended and all natural laws were stuck in place. The threads congregated and formed a palm that knocked into the offensive talisman and Yan Xiaolong. 

 

He let out a mouthful of blood and was knocked unconscious, while the offensive talisman was sealed, perpetually in the state of almost unleashing a full power Ascendant attack. At the same time, two lights of blue and gold was ousted from Yan Xiaolong's body and landed outside the room. 

 

The palm arrived at the room's entrance and floated there. It seemed to want to reach out and grab those two lights, but decided to retreat instead. As the door to room '1' closed, the threads dragged the sealed talisman and Yan Xiaolong into the cauldron. The pieces of the lid were collected and placed again onto the top. 

 

The will returned to the cauldron and silence returned to the room. 

 

......

 

Outside of room '1,' the two lights died off and revealed two items: an ice hoop and a golden amulet. 

 

The ice hoop exploded into a tempest of icicle shards and reformed into the figure of a young woman in a white-blue dress. A thin blue veil covered the bottom half of her face which accentuated her blue-green eyes. Her aura was cold and graceful, like a snow fairy, and as she kneeled down from fatigue, it was like an angel falling from the heavens. 

 

On the other hand, the dragon’s eyes of the golden amulet flashed with a purple light and summoned a spacetime vortex. A golden figure stepped out of that vortex, filled with awe-inspiring majesty, but also fell to the ground just like the young woman. The layer of golden light around him did not fade, but dwindled in intensity. 

 

They both gasped for air, struggling to circulate their spiritual qi or cultivation bases. After some time, they both rose to their feet and then stared at each other.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

Her blue aura matched his golden aura. Her green eyes against his purple eyes. Her grace versus his majesty. Although their cultivation bases were restricted, at any given moment, these two would fight to the death like two tigers on a hill. 

 

The young woman took out a white halberd and pointed it at the golden figure. A direct challenge. To take or not to take? 

 

Sigh...

 

The golden figure shook his head and pointed at her and then at the hallway behind her. The golden figure pointed at himself and then at the hallway behind him. Although he was sure that he could kill her, in these condition, he could be seriously injured and may even die as a result from their battle. It was a risky bet to take. 

 

The young woman lowered her halberd and nodded. After establishing a silent truce, the two turned around and went their separate paths. 

 

Five hours passed. 

 

She arrived in front of room '29.' A cube of frozen sweat appeared in her hands and it contained Yan Xiaolong's aura. She squeezed the cube, melted the sweat in her hand, and pressed the number. 

 

The room opened and she stepped in. 

 

......

 

Atop a snowy hill was a tree of white bark and white leaves. The branches were decorated by blue flowers and blue fruits. The temperature of this region was immensely cold, and yet, a human figure could be seen resting below the tree. 

 

She was an elderly woman with thin arms and legs, white hair and robes, and icy blue eyes. Her wrists and ankles were chained to the tree with platinum shackles. Occasionally, a fruit would fall from the tree and the old woman would pick it up to eat it. 

 

Swish! 

 

A white shadow blurred onto the hill and kneeled before the old woman. 

 

"Greetings, Founding Ancestor." The young woman said. 

 

Slightly taken back, the old woman asked, "You are...?" 

 

"This descendant is Han Xiaoling." An icy aura of mystical properties wrapped around her. To others, it was the aura of a member of the Han Clan, but to the old woman, there was something distinct and unique about that aura that only she would notice. 

 

"Hah... To think the members of my Yin Witch Clan survived the hunt from the Fairy Goddess Clan. Not only that, but they managed to produce someone as capable as you to enter this damnable place. Why have you come here, child?" The old woman’s eyes glistened with approval and love. 

 

"As a member of the clan, it is naturally my duty to help the Founding Ancestor. However, I am too weak at the moment. My foundation could not sustain my obsession. I am limited by very own Dao so I am here to borrow your power, Founding Ancestor.” 

 

“Obsession? Why not cast it away? Such things would lead to heart-devils.” 

 

“Looking at it as I am now, it is a foolish obsession. Nevertheless, it is a part of who I am, something that I carried with me since I was a child. I can not give up on it now, nor ever will. It is my Dao. And to me, heart-devils can simply be eaten and become fuel for my Dao.” Han Xiaoling kowtowed to the old woman. “Please help me, Founding Ancestor!”