"Can't you come in?"

"Interesting." Ethan narrowed his eyes, immediately sensing something amiss.

The Twelve Golden Eyes Dragon Leviathan Fish hovered outside the invisible boundary, its massive body coiled. No matter how it struggled, it could not cross that final step.

Yet Ethan had passed through effortlessly.

That alone was enough to raise alarms.

So it ignores me… but rejects it completely?

"Is it a barrier that only allows humans to pass?" Ethan mused inwardly, his gaze sharpening.

If that was the case, then this ruin was no ordinary relic. Any place that deliberately excluded high-grade demonic beasts was almost certainly concealing something far more valuable than common treasures.

Golden light surged across the Dragon Leviathan Fish's scales. Ancient inscriptions flickered into existence, flowing along its enormous body like living runes. A suppressive force descended from the air itself, locking onto the beast and pinning it firmly outside the spatial barrier.

No matter how violently it struggled, it could not take even half a step forward.

"I see."

Understanding dawned in Ethan's eyes.

Emperor Sage had clearly planned this long ago.

He cultivated the Twelve Golden-Eyed Dragon Leviathan Fish to guard this place, but he never trusted it completely. A demon beast, once it gained intelligence, would inevitably develop greed.

So he restricted them.

A spatial ban. Restriction inscriptions. A perfect cage.

The Dragon Leviathan Fish would protect the ruins—but never touch its true inheritance.

Ethan folded his arms and smiled faintly.

That single expression was enough to ignite the Dragon Leviathan Fish's fury.

It opened its colossal mouth and released a deafening roar, the sound waves rolling forward like a collapsing sea. Yet the instant they touched the barrier, they vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by nothingness.

Enraged, the beast slammed its massive tail against the space barrier.

Boom!

The shock rippled through the cavern, but the barrier didn't even tremble.

Again.

Boom!

Still nothing.

Watching this, Ethan casually took out the Nine-Colored Soul-Living Bottle.

With a flick of his wrist, he released its contents.

Phew~

Three figures emerged, their bodies stabilizing as they returned to the physical world.

It was Risa and Elara's first time inside the Soul-Living Bottle. The soul-nourishing energy within had been so pure that both of them had instinctively fallen into cultivation, completely unaware of the outside world.

"What happened?"

"Are we… coming out?" Elara asked, confusion written across her face.

Then she saw it.

The towering Dragon Leviathan Fish not far away snapped her fully awake. Her body moved on instinct, retreating a step as defensive energy gathered.

"It's the Dragon Leviathan Fish—what is it doing here?!"

"Miss," Risa said quickly, eyes sharp despite his earlier daze, "it seems to be blocked by a spatial barrier."

"A spatial barrier?"

Elara followed Risa's gaze and finally noticed the invisible wall in front of the beast.

"I see…"

Her breathing steadied. Once she confirmed that the Dragon Leviathan Fish posed no immediate threat, the tension in her shoulders eased.

She turned back instinctively. "Mr. Ethan, where are we?"

"This should be the ruins recorded on your Sky family's map," Ethan replied calmly.

The three of them looked around.

And were stunned.

Towering stone walls, ancient bronze structures, and an underground space vast enough to swallow a city—none of them had imagined such a magnificent ruin hidden beneath the earth.

Elara quickly unfolded the ancient map.

"The area marked here should be aboveground," she said slowly.

"This… this underground section doesn't seem to have been explored by my Sky family ancestor at all."

"Oh?" Ethan's interest deepened. "So there's more than one ruin?"

"According to our inheritance records, when our ancestor entered this place, the Training Trial Secret Realm was about to close. He only explored a small portion and had no time to go deeper."

She glanced around. "I believe this underground ruin is part of the same structure—but one he never reached."

"From surface to underground…" Ethan scanned the surroundings. "That makes this ruin enormous."

"With this scale," he continued evenly, "it's very possible that the true inheritance of Emperor Sage is here."

The inheritance of Emperor Sage.

The words alone carried terrifying weight.

The three exchanged glances and inhaled sharply. None of them spoke rashly—this was still speculation—but the possibility alone was enough to make one's heart race.

"Don't stand there daydreaming," Ethan said flatly.

"Look for a mechanism to open the door."

He returned to the massive bronze door and examined it closely.

Kara and the others followed suit.

The carvings were exquisite, ancient patterns etched with a refinement that defied time itself. Yet no matter how carefully they searched, they found no hidden compartments, no switches.

The bronze lamp hanging beside the door was bulged, sealed shut, and immovable.

"Could it be a bloodline door?" Kara suggested.

"Some ancient ruins require bloodline resonance to open."

"That's unlikely," Elara replied.

"Emperor Sage was recorded as a solitary cultivator—no family, no clan, no descendants. There shouldn't be any bloodline inheritance."

"Then how does it open?" Kara frowned.

"This door hasn't decayed at all. It must have been specially refined. There could be forbidden formations inside."

"If all else fails, brute force?" Kara offered.

"I already tried," Ethan said, shaking his head.

"Didn't work."

He stroked his chin, eyes narrowing.

"Then the key might not be on the door."

He turned around.

Behind them lay a perfectly arranged plaza. Two rows of thick pillars stood in solemn silence, each one carved with lifelike reliefs.

Dragons. Phoenixes. Black Tortoise. White Tiger. the Eight Strange beasts.

Ethan moved slowly, examining them one by one.

"These carvings…" he murmured.

He stopped at the second-to-last pillar on the left.

Carved upon it was a humanoid figure—six wings unfurled behind its back.

Ethan's eyes flickered.

This looks familiar.

Then memory struck.

When he had imprinted his mental mark onto the Sage Token, he had entered Emperor Sage's memories.

A figure standing in the void.

Purple light.

Six wings.

Ethan turned sharply.

The penultimate pillar on the opposite side bore the exact same carving.

"Is it possible…" His expression shifted. "That these two pillars are the key?"

He placed his palm against the pillar.

Mental energy surged forth, probing its structure.

Jade at the base. Bronze along the body.

His eyes opened.

With a steady push, the massive pillar loosened—and began to rotate clockwise.

Rumble—

A deep vibration echoed through the ground.

Click.

A crisp mechanical sound rang out, followed by the unmistakable hum of an ancient mechanism awakening beneath the ground.

When Kara and the other two saw the scene, their faces lit up with joy.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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