Atop the peak of the Southriver Sword Sect, inside the main hall, and beneath it, the underground chamber.
Dominic Ding led Evan Lin downward; the ever-burning lamps around them flickered, their candlelight cold and wavering.
"This is the underground chamber left behind by the founding patriarch. Its mechanism has never been opened before. The patriarch left a message: only those who can break the Prison-Sword Formation may come here and report to him."
Dominic Ding's voice trembled slightly; the intense pain was getting hard for him to bear.
"Honestly, I never expected the patriarch would still be alive today..."
Dominic Ding opened his mouth, his face full of bitterness.
If he'd known that even the patriarch was no match for Evan "Nine Mysteries" Lin, he never would have dared stir up trouble. Now, not only is the patriarch truly gone—banished to the Yellow Springs—but the whole sword sect has gone and provoked Evan "Nine Mysteries" Lin, a living legend.
"Mm."
Evan Lin gave a soft reply and walked inside, his steps slow. Ahead was a small, separate stone chamber.
"The patriarch spent many years here before his death. When I first came, he was kneeling inside, right in front of the stone statue..."
Dominic Ding's tone was noticeably strange.
A cold wind blew around him, making him feel even chillier.
Evan Lin let out a slow breath. With so many jumbled memories and tangled clues swirling in his mind, he simply cast them aside for now, focusing only on what lay ahead.
Evan Lin frowned slightly and murmured to himself.
"According to the autobiography left by our sect's founding patriarch, the woman carved on this statue was an otherworldly being. She personally taught the patriarch sword arts and cultivation, which allowed him to establish the Southriver Sword Sect."
Dominic Ding explained in a low voice, sharing everything he knew out of fear that Evan "Nine Mysteries" Lin might lose interest.
Listening to Dominic Ding and watching the cold, lonely candlelight, Evan Lin stepped into the stone chamber.
What met his eyes were crisscrossing iron chains, some still stained with remnants of blood and flesh. They seemed to be the very chains the black-robed man had used, piercing his collarbones to hang himself by a single breath.
And over there...
Evan Lin lifted his head slightly, staring straight at the female stone statue inside the chamber.
The craftsmanship of the statue was exquisite; its lines and details were lifelike and vivid.
When Evan Lin tried to look up and see the statue's face clearly, he found it impossible to make out.
Evan Lin gently raised his hand, and at his fingertip, a small Fire-Python Spirit appeared, slithering out. It radiated intense heat as it roamed around the chamber.
The Fire-Python Spirit's overwhelming pressure made Dominic Ding's face go pale, his body trembling violently. As soon as it appeared, the whole chamber was brightly illuminated.
Light swirled around the statue. When Evan Lin looked again, he froze in surprise.
"This... how could this be? That's impossible!"
Dominic Ding, who'd been watching Evan Lin closely, noticed the change in his expression and felt a jolt of dread. He quickly turned to look at the statue, his face growing even paler.
"Is this the statue your sect keeps?"
That warmth was like the first spring breeze after a long, frozen winter—wherever it passed, comfort followed, and even his pain and weakness faded away.
"No... it's not like this. It can't be! When I came here just now, the statue was still a woman's face. How could it have changed? Her face—her face is gone!"
With a thud, Dominic Ding dropped to his knees, trembling all over. His voice was full of panic, his eyes wide with fear as if he'd seen a ghost.
A woman's face, huh?
Evan Lin walked up to the statue, reached out, and gently stroked its smooth, cold face.
Evan Lin's gaze was cold and indifferent as he looked at Dominic Ding. "You get what I'm saying, don't you?"
"Maybe so."
Evan Lin recalled the black-robed man's final, crazed words. Maybe, before leaving, he had deliberately erased the statue's face—just to keep Evan Lin from seeing her?
"Are you... is it really you?"
"Master."
Evan Lin murmured, standing before the statue for a long time, but no answer ever came.
If this statue really was Lily Zhao, then that means she came to Earth over a hundred years ago?
But on the Immortal Martial Continent, Evan Lin had never heard anything about Earth. The two worlds seemed completely separate, like different times and spaces altogether.
"No matter what, I'll find a way back."
Evan Lin let out a long breath. With so many chaotic memories and tangled clues in his mind, he simply decided to set it all aside for now.
He took out the half-broken blade and gently placed it before the statue.
"Let's go."
Evan Lin turned around, hands behind his back, and walked out.
Dominic Ding didn't dare hesitate for a second. Staying here even a minute longer made him feel a bone-deep chill, cold to his very core.
He followed Evan Lin out to the main hall atop the Southriver Sword Sect's peak. After closing the mechanism, the grinding of gears sounded as the underground chamber's door slowly sealed shut, hiding the path below.
"Come here."
Inside the hall, Evan Lin sat down in the sect master's seat and called Dominic Ding over.
Dominic Ding didn't dare hesitate. He walked up to Evan Lin, hunched over, his face pale and weak, forcing a smile: "May I ask if you have any further instructions?"
"As long as you spare the lives of all the disciples in the Southriver Sword Sect, even if you take my life to vent your anger, I am willing."
His eyes were dull and lifeless, with no thought of resistance. Only when he spoke these words did a trace of emotion appear: "The sword masters and young disciples of the sect have done nothing wrong."
"I personally wrote that challenge letter. All the blame lies with me. I beg you to be generous—whatever you ask, I will do it, as long as you agree."
Dominic Ding looked at Evan Lin.
After speaking, he saw Evan "Nine Mysteries" Lin reach out his hand toward him.
He thought Evan Lin was going to kill him. Even so, Dominic Ding shuddered, closed his eyes, and waited for death, showing no resistance.
Unexpectedly, in the next second, he felt a warm current flow from Evan Lin's palm into his body.
That warmth was like the first breeze of spring after a long winter, bringing comfort throughout his body and easing his pain and weakness.
"What are you doing?"
Dominic Ding snapped back to his senses, shocked. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at Evan Lin.
"Killing you is pointless. From today onward, you remain the sect master, but the sword sect now answers to me."
"You are to guard the stone statue below. If anything happens to it, there will be no mercy."
Evan Lin's expression was indifferent as he glanced at Dominic Ding: "You should understand what I mean."