Liu Yun moved cautiously among the ancient pillars, each step raising dust that had lain undisturbed for centuries. The Earth Shattering Sword's tracking sigil provided unwanted illumination, its pulsing glow revealing elaborate carvings that spiraled up the stone columns and across a vaulted ceiling.
This was no natural formation, nor was it the work of the Earth Vein bloodline. The architecture spoke of an older civilization—one that had mastered stone in ways that even Jiang Tao's techniques couldn't replicate.
"What is this place?" Liu Yun whispered, his voice echoing strangely in the cavernous space.
To his surprise, the Earth Shattering Sword vibrated in response, the tracking sigil's glow momentarily overwhelmed by a deeper, greener light that emanated from the blade itself. Liu Yun felt a sensation similar to what he had experienced during the Trial of Endurance—a consciousness not his own, trying to communicate.
He held the sword before him, studying it with new understanding. "You're more than just a weapon, aren't you?"
The blade pulsed once, as if in affirmation.
Liu Yun approached one of the pillars, drawn to a particular series of symbols that seemed vaguely familiar despite their alien design. When he raised the sword near them, the carvings began to glow with the same green light.
Recognition dawned. These weren't merely decorative patterns—they were a form of cultivation script, but far more complex than any Liu Yun had encountered. They reminded him of the foundational diagrams in his family's most ancient manuscripts, but with layers of additional complexity.
"Pre-Protocol," he realized. "Perhaps even pre-calamity."
The sword pulsed again, more urgently this time. Liu Yun felt it pulling him deeper into the underground complex, away from the direction the Administrators would likely follow if they managed to break through the stone barrier above.
He followed the sword's guidance, moving through a series of increasingly elaborate chambers. Each room featured different architectural elements—some with perfectly balanced acoustic properties that amplified his footsteps into melodic tones, others with precisely angled walls that created optical illusions as he passed.
"This was a cultivation academy," Liu Yun murmured as understanding pieced together. "Before the restrictions. Before the bloodlines were separated."
The sword led him to a circular chamber at what appeared to be the complex's heart. At its center stood a stone dais, and upon it rested a simple pedestal made of the same material as the Earth Shattering Sword.
Liu Yun approached cautiously, the tracking sigil on his blade now flickering erratically as it interfered with the ancient energies permeating the chamber. When he reached the pedestal, he saw it contained a sword-shaped depression—a perfect fit for the Earth Shattering Sword.
He hesitated, weighing his options. The tracking sigil was still active, still potentially leading the Administrators to his location. But placing the sword in what was clearly its original resting place might activate unknown forces in this ancient complex.
The decision was made for him when distant rumblings echoed through the complex. The Administrators had broken through and were searching the underground ruin.
Liu Yun aligned the Earth Shattering Sword with the depression and slowly lowered it into place. The moment the blade connected with the pedestal, the tracking sigil flared violently before abruptly going dark. In its place, green energy spiraled up from the pedestal, enveloping the sword and, by extension, Liu Yun himself.
Knowledge flooded his mind—not in words but in sensations, images, understandings. He saw the complex as it once was, filled with students of all seven bloodlines, training together without Protocol restrictions. He witnessed cultivation techniques that seamlessly blended different elemental affinities, impossible under current regulations.
And he glimpsed the calamity itself—a battle between rival factions that had weaponized these integrated techniques to catastrophic effect. Reality itself had begun to fracture under the strain of unregulated power, rifts opening between dimensions as cultivators pushed beyond natural limitations.
The vision shifted to the aftermath—seven bloodline leaders standing amid the devastation, making a solemn pact. The Protocol would limit, separate, regulate. But they had also created the covenant for when the time was right, when balance could be restored without risking another calamity.
Liu Yun gasped as the vision released him, staggering back from the pedestal. The Earth Shattering Sword remained in place, but it had changed. The tracking sigil was gone, replaced by seven small characters etched along the blade—one for each founding bloodline.
"They never intended permanent separation," Liu Yun said aloud, understanding the covenant's purpose with new clarity. "The Protocol was meant to heal, not imprison."
A thunderous crash from nearby chambers announced the Administrators' approach. Liu Yun reached for the sword, but hesitated when he saw green energy still circulating between it and the pedestal.
"Not yet," came a voice—not audible but felt, resonating through the stone itself. "There is more."
The chamber floor began to reconfigure, sections shifting to reveal a hidden passage leading downward. At the same time, several of the pillars moved to block the chamber entrances, sealing Liu Yun in while denying access to the approaching Administrators.
Liu Yun looked between the sword and the newly revealed passage. The Earth Shattering Sword pulsed one final time before detaching itself from the pedestal and floating to his hand.
"Protocol breach in sector seven!" The Administrators' voices penetrated the stone barriers. "Unknown energy signature detected!"
Liu Yun sheathed the transformed sword and descended into the revealed passage. Unlike the grand architecture above, this tunnel was rough-hewn and narrow, clearly meant for emergency escape rather than daily use.
As he moved deeper, the sounds of pursuit faded behind him. The tunnel sloped steadily downward, taking him far below the ancient academy. Occasionally, crystalline formations in the walls provided dim illumination, suggesting this path had been created by Earth Vein practitioners.
After nearly an hour of descent, the tunnel began to level out. The air grew noticeably humid, carrying an unfamiliar organic scent. The stone walls gave way to packed earth reinforced with twisted roots.
Liu Yun paused, reaching out with his senses. The mountain's presence was fading, replaced by something different—still elemental, but more fluid, more changeable.
He had reached the boundary of the Western Mountains. Ahead lay the domain of the Southern Marshlands and the Water Weaver bloodline. Whether Lin Fei and Jiang Tao had made it safely remained to be seen, but Liu Yun now carried new knowledge that could prove critical to their mission.
The Earth Shattering Sword hummed softly at his side, its transformation representing a small victory against the Protocol's control. As Liu Yun continued forward into increasingly marshy terrain, he wondered what other secrets the remaining bloodlines might hold—and whether the Administrators themselves knew the truth about the covenant they so desperately sought to prevent.