Inside the Council Hall, as the voice of the Clan Head fell, a commotion broke out among the crowd. Everyone knew very well what the loosening of the seal to another world meant.
That desolate and mysterious world was by no means a benevolent place; once the seal completely collapsed, the consequences would be unimaginable. I gazed at the images emerging on the stone platform, a myriad of complex emotions churning in my heart. It turned out that this world was far more complex and much more dangerous than I had imagined.
I had originally been just an ordinary person single-mindedly determined to defy the heavens and change my fate, yet I had been swept into this massive whirlpool. "Mengli, do you know anything about this?" I turned my head to look at Wu Mengli beside me. Her complexion was somewhat pale, and she was clearly shocked by this news as well. Mengli shook her head gently and said in a low voice, "This is the first time I've heard of this matter as well; Father has never mentioned it to me."
I grasped her hand, giving her a reassuring look, and then cast my gaze back toward the stone platform. Within the images, the scene of the other world had grown even clearer, and I could make out some massive dark shadows roaming across the wilderness, emanating an aura that chilled the heart.
"What are those?" I pointed at the dark shadows and asked Kong Fang beside me. Kong Fang shook his head with a grave expression. "I don't know, but they are definitely no good." At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly caught sight of something flashing beneath the stone platform. I bent down and looked closely, discovering a small jade pendant pressed into a corner of the stone platform, half-hidden from view. I reached out and picked up the jade pendant; it felt warm to the touch. Upon closer inspection, strange symbols were carved upon it, resembling some kind of script, but I had never seen them before.
"What is this?" Mengli had also noticed the jade pendant in my hand and asked with curiosity. I shook my head, just preparing to study it carefully, when suddenly, I felt a wave of scorching heat transmit from the jade pendant. Immediately following that, a deep voice rang out in my mind: "Find... the key... stop..."
The voice was intermittent and blurry, but I could feel the immense fear and despair contained within it. I abruptly raised my head, looking toward the stone platform as tumultuous waves surged in my heart. Could this jade pendant share some connection with the other world? Before I could ponder further, the jade pendant suddenly erupted with a brilliant light, and right after that, my vision went black and I lost consciousness.
When I woke up once more, I found myself lying in an unfamiliar room. The room was completely empty, with only a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs lingering in the air. I struggled to sit up, my head feeling groggy and heavy. At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Mengli walked in anxiously. Seeing that I had woken up, a look of joyful surprise instantly appeared on her face. "You're finally awake!"
"What happened to me?" I rubbed my still-aching head and asked. "You've been unconscious for a day and a night," Mengli said as she helped me lie back down. "While you were unconscious, you kept muttering about some key and stopping things. Did you discover something?"
I took a deep breath and recounted everything that happened before I lost consciousness, as well as the voice that had echoed in my mind, telling Mengli everything in detail. After listening to my narrative, Mengli's expression also turned grave. "It seems this jade pendant is truly the key."
I nodded, gripping the jade pendant tightly in my hand as my heart filled with doubt and unease. What on earth was this jade pendant? What connection did it have with the other world? Who was the owner of that voice? What was he trying to make me stop? All of this felt like a fog shrouding my heart, making me feel incomparably oppressed and uneasy. Yet I vaguely sensed that a massive crisis was quietly approaching...
Mengli's words were like a bolt of lightning, illuminating my chaotic thoughts. Indeed, this jade pendant, this voice, all of this could not simply be a coincidence; it foretold that a massive storm was about to descend, and I had been pushed by fate to the forefront of the tempest. I gripped the jade pendant in my hand, feeling the bursts of warmth it emitted, yet my heart grew increasingly heavy.
"Mengli, I must tell the Clan Head about this. The crisis of the other world is imminent, and we must make preparations early." I looked at Mengli, my tone resolute.
A trace of worry flashed across Mengli's eyes. She gently clasped my hand and said softly, "I know, but you must be careful. This matter is of great consequence, and with so many elders in the clan, not everyone may believe you."
I understood Mengli's worries, but my mind was already made up. There are some things that must be done even when one knows the path ahead is fraught with thorns.
"Rest assured, I will act with caution." I tucked the jade pendant securely against my chest and, accompanied by Mengli, arrived at the Council Hall where the Clan Head was located. By this time, quite a few people had already gathered inside, and it appeared the Clan Head had received advance word of my coming.
I took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened after I lost consciousness, along with the jade pendant and the voice, telling the Clan Head the whole truth. My narrative was calm yet powerful, and the urgency and steadfastness contained within it made everyone present feel the gravity of the situation.
After listening to my account, the Clan Head remained silent for a long time. His brow was furrowed tight, and the teacup in his hand stopped spinning as the entire Council Hall plunged into a suffocating silence. Finally, the Clan Head raised his head, his gaze sweeping across every person present, and said in a deep voice, "This matter concerns the life and death of the Wu Family. I will immediately summon all the elders to discuss countermeasures."
The Clan Head's decision meant he chose to believe me, and it also meant the Wu Family would go all out to meet this unknown challenge. A flicker of hope ignited in my heart, but at the same time, I became even more acutely aware that the greater test still lay ahead.
Over the next few days, the entire Wu Family was shrouded in a tense atmosphere as the Clan Head summoned all the elders to discuss countermeasures day and night. As for me, together with Mengli, I assisted the clansmen in reinforcing the formations and preparing to face the impending crisis.
However, just as we were making intensive preparations for defense, I unexpectedly discovered something amiss. I inadvertently overheard a few of Elder Li's former subordinates whispering about something in secret; their tone was furtive, as if they were plotting some unspeakable secret.
Alarm bells instantly went off in my heart. Could there still be someone within the Wu Family colluding with the invading forces? This thought gnawed at my heart like a venomous snake, making my hair stand on end.
In recent days, everyone up and down the Wu Family had been preparing for the approaching crisis, and every face was written with gravity. Mengli and I had also joined the ranks of those reinforcing the defensive arrays; although I knew nothing about formations, under Mengli's patient guidance, I managed to qualify as a passable helper.
"Brother Chen, what are you thinking about?" Seeing me periodically zoning out, Mengli asked with concern. I snapped back to my senses and forced a smile. "It's nothing, just wondering what background those invaders actually have to make the Clan Head so deeply worried."
Mengli sighed and shook her head gently. "Who knows? Perhaps only when they truly appear will the mystery be unsealed."
I nodded, yet my heart remained unable to calm down. That jade pendant, that voice, and Mengli's words were like heavy stones pressing down upon my chest, making it hard to breathe.
At that moment, a commotion broke out in the distance. Mengli and I exchanged glances, instantly sensing that something was wrong.
"Let's go and take a look!" Following the direction of the sound, we hurried over to find a crowd gathered around, seemingly arguing over something. I squeezed into the crowd and discovered that the two opposing sides consisted of patrolling disciples on one hand, and a few of Elder Li's former subordinates on the other!
"What are you guys sneaking around here for?" a disciple demanded sternly.
"What business is it of yours?! We're just chatting here, does that break family rules?" one of Elder Li's former subordinates retorted stubbornly, sticking out his neck.
"Chatting? You look to me like you're passing messages!" another disciple pointed at a slip of paper in one of their hands and shouted harshly.
The expression of that former subordinate of Elder Li changed abruptly as he frantically shoved the slip of paper into his mouth, trying to swallow it.
"Audacious! How dare you destroy evidence!" Seeing this, I immediately moved, striking the man's back with a palm strike to force him to spit the paper out. I picked up the paper and unfolded it to take a look, only to see some strange symbols written upon it. Though I didn't recognize them, my intuition told me this was definitely no good thing!
"Speak! Who on earth are you people? Why are you colluding with the invading forces?" I demanded sternly.
"I don't know what you're talking about! We don't know anything!" Those former subordinates of Elder Li refused to admit it and struggled desperately, trying to flee.
"Want to leave? Not that easy!" I was about to make a move when Mengli stopped me.
"Brother Chen, don't act rashly just yet. This matter is of great importance; we'd better subdue them first and hand them over to the Clan Head to deal with," Mengli said calmly. I nodded, agreeing with Mengli's proposal. We bound those former subordinates of Elder Li hand and foot and escorted them to the Council Hall.
After listening to our report, the Clan Head turned ashen-faced. He carefully examined the slip of paper and said in a deep voice, "These symbols are the script of the other world. It seems the invading forces have already infiltrated our ranks!"
Hearing these words, my heart instantly sank.
"Father, let me go! I will go personally to sound out these invaders!" Kong Fang, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly stepped forward, a resolute light flashing in his eyes.
"No! You cannot go!" Mengli and I shouted in unison to stop him.
"Chen'er, Mengli, rest assured, my mind is made up! To protect the Wu Family, to protect you both, I must go!" Kong Fang's tone was resolute and allowed for no argument.
I knew my father's personality all too well; once he made up his mind, he would never easily change it. I opened my mouth, wanting to persuade him further, but in the end, I said nothing.
I knew that an even greater storm was about to arrive... Father ultimately set out, going alone to investigate the true strength and reality of those invaders.
Although neither Mengli nor I could set our minds at ease, we also knew this was Father's responsibility as the head of the family. After Father left, the entire Wu Family was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. To cope with a crisis that could strike at any moment, we increased patrols and vigilance, reinforced the defensive arrays, and everyone kept their nerves taut, not daring to relax even slightly.
Yet what was bound to come arrived in the end.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Late one night, a sharp alarm pierced the night sky, startling everyone awake from their sleep. I abruptly opened my eyes, grabbed the longsword resting at the head of my bed, and rushed out of the room.
"What is it? What happened?" Mengli also threw on an outer robe and ran to my side with a flustered expression.
"There's an enemy invasion!" I grabbed her hand and ran toward the direction of the sound.
By the time we reached the scene, the battle had already begun. The disciples of the Wu Family were locked in fierce combat with a group of figures in black. Swords flashed, shadows danced, battle cries shook the heavens, and the scene was utter chaos.
"Mengli, protect yourself well, I'm going to help!" I gave Mengli a word of caution before charging into the battlefield with my sword in hand. The strength of these figures in black far exceeded my imagination; they moved swiftly, executed vicious techniques, and coordinated seamlessly, clearly being well-trained individuals.
Although the Wu Family disciples were numerous in number, under the attacks of these figures in black, they were steadily pushed back and suffered heavy casualties. After joining the combat, relying on my agile footwork and sharp swordsmanship, I was barely able to protect myself, but turning the tide of battle was beyond my power.
"What on earth are these fellows? How can they possess such formidable strength?" I thought in secret shock. At that moment, I noticed that among those figures in black, a particular figure stood out conspicuously. He wore a black cloak and a mask, wielding a pitch-black longsword. Every strike he made carried a fierce killing intent, akin to the descent of the Grim Reaper, harvesting lives.
"Who is he? Could he be the mastermind behind this invasion?" My gaze locked tightly onto that dark shadow, my heart filled with suspicion and vigilance.
The battle continued, and the defense line of the Wu Family was gradually torn apart by the figures in black, on the verge of collapsing. At this critical juncture, a dazzling beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Wu Family within it. I looked up to see a massive golden light barrier appear above the Wu Family, blocking all the figures in black on the outside.
"That is... the Clan Protection Array?" Joy surged in my heart as I knew the Wu Family's ultimate trump card had been activated. However, my joy did not last long, for I saw that mysterious person in the black cloak slowly raise his head, looking toward the golden light barrier in the sky with a bizarre smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"With just this thing, you think you can stop me?" He slowly raised the black longsword in his hand, and a heart-palpitating, powerful aura erupted from within his body...