As the villagers bowed in quiet gratitude, Lin Xuanji's calm exterior betrayed little of his true thoughts. The dust settled, the mist receded, but he felt a faint tremor underfoot—an echo from his battle below.
He closed his eyes briefly, touching the Abyss Spear's ring on his finger. A soft system prompt appeared only he could see
[SYSTEM QUEST – URGENT]
Quest: The Seal Has Been Broken
Objective: A hidden seal beneath Yinling Village has cracked. Investigate the seal site and prevent a full awakening.
OptionalObjective: Defeat the Guardian Beast of the Abyss to reseal the rift before the third incense stick burns.
Reward:
Heavenly Void Locking Array (Forbidden Technique)
+50 Mental Fortitude
+1 Soul Fragment of the Nether Abyss Lord
Warning: Failure may lead to demonic corruption of the region.
Xuanji's ocean eyes narrowed. A cracked seal meant danger far greater than roaming spirits or beasts. Without hesitation, he opened the sealed scroll strapped to his belt, accepting the quest.
"Very well," he whispered. "Let's see what lies beneath." and start walking with villagers following him.
———
Night deepened, and despite the recent carnage, village life had quietly resumed. Lamps remained off, but candlelit offerings still flickered on doorsteps—silent prayers for the dead. Ling Xi's small figure appeared by her parents' side as they returned home, offering clasped hands in gratitude to Xuanji.
Xuanji nodded to her. "Stay indoors," he murmured. "This is my task."
He followed the father to a hidden trapdoor beneath a large, cracked stone at the village center—a place where twisted moonlight barely touched. The man whispered directions: "Beneath this stone lies a spiral staircase to the old shrine. It was thought sealed after the ritual… but the quake cracked it open."
Xuanji knelt by the stone, exhaling a long breath. With a single push of his spear handle, the stone slid aside, revealing steep, narrow stairs descending into darkness.
"Guard this opening," Xuanji instructed the family. "No one passes without my orders."
He descended alone, his heart steady, grasping the Abyss Spear. The temperature dropped with every step; the faint scent of sulfur and rotten earth stung his nostrils.
———
The spiral staircase opened into an abandoned shrine with walls carved from black jade. Ancient runes—the old seals—cracked, leaking a faint, pulsing energy like a wounded heartbeat. In the center, earth had collapsed into a deep pit that glowed with smoky black mist.
A soft growl echoed from below.
Xuanji felt Qi surge—this was no empty tomb. He knelt, pressing his fingers against the runes, speaking softly: "Old gods… what was your intention with this seal?"
No answer came. Instead, the pit's glow intensified, and shattered pieces of the seal crumbled underfoot.
Suddenly, a massive creature lunged upward: six-legged, scaled like midnight, eyes aflame—The Abyss Guardian, the seal's protector from another world.
It roared. "Trespasser! Seal-breaker!" Voice distant yet thunderous.
Xuanji stood, spear already drifting into his hand. "I said I'd stop its awakening."
In a blink, he closed the distance. The Guardian snapped at him, jaws brimming with black flame. Xuanji lunged forward, blades met with a powerful clang as the beast hurled itself sideways.
.
.
.
.
They clashed in brutal, swift strikes. The Guardian's limbs were thick and fast, its tail whipping cracks into the shrine's floor. But Xuanji moved with impossible speed—doubling back, spinning upward, slicing claws from its forelegs.
The beast roared and summoned ethereal chains that whipped out, trying to bind Xuanji's arms and legs—souls barreled across the shrine floor. Xuanji clenched his spear, qi glowing red-black around him, and snapped the chains.
Blood sprayed from the Guardian's wounds—streams of ichor hissing as they hit the stone.
"You were built to guard, yet you failed," Xuanji said coldly. "Seal broken, guardian destroyed."
He channeled Devil Qi into the Abyss Spear: a dark tornado of wind and lightning erupted, tearing into the beast with furious speed. The chain-bound monster shuddered, then collapsed—ashen and vaporizing.
A heart-shaped black fragment fell from the beast's chest: the Soul Fragment of the Nether Abyss Lord.
Xuanji retrieved it, the piece pulsing with dark energy, and placed it in his storage ring. His ocean eyes cooled with focus.
—
Silence filled the shrine. The cracked runes glowed weakly but still pulsed.
Xuanji knelt before them, eyes half-closed. He reached into the scroll at his waist and retrieved a jade talisman etched with celestial arrays.
As his voice chanted, the talisman glowed with pure white light—the Heavenly VoidLocking Array he had just unlocked. The white light pulsed outward, rewiring the cracked runes one by one until the last line glowed steady and clean.
The pit's glowing mist withdrew into the cracks, the opening sealed shut with a final crack. The shrine's air lightened, warmth returning to the stone.
Xuanji rose, bowing his head slightly to the shrine. "The old gods are at rest once more."
.
.
.
By the time Xuanji climbed back up the spiral stairs, dawn was breaking in pale pink along the valley rim.
Villagers watched anxiously as he re-emerged. Ling Xi ran up, tugging gently at his robe.
"It's done," Xuanji said softly, kneeling to her height. "This village is safe... fornow."
Her father and mother bowed deeply.
Villagers gathered, quietly gazing at him. They saw not a fearsome warlord, but their savior—albeit one shrouded in shadows.
Xuanji took a step back, his figure small yet resolute in the morning light.
A final system message glowed visible only to him:
[SYSTEMNOTIFICATION]
QuestComplete: *The Seal Has Been Broken*
NewTechnique: Heavenly Void Locking Array
+50 Mental Fortitude
+1 Soul Fragment: Nether Abyss Lord
TitleUnlocked: "Protector of Yinling"
His expression softened.
———
As the sun rose fully over Yinling, golden light touched each dusty roof. The villagers stirred with hope for the first time in decades. Children stepped into the street. Lanterns were lit again—but gently, in celebration, not fear.
Xuanji stepped aside and let them walk past him.
Ling Xi approached one last time, offering him a small bouquet of mountain blossoms.
"Thank you, Protector of Yinling," she said shyly.
He looked at the flowers, then back at her, offering a small nod.
"For Yinling," he said softly.
And with a final glance, Lin Xuanji(Mo Tianzun)—the Demon Lord reborn as protector—began walking away down the valley path, his figure blending with mist and sunlight as the next journey awaited.