Xianxia Online

As Xuan and Yixun descended the staircase, the torches on both sides of the dusty stone walls came to life. They seemed to be following them, illuminating the path ahead like helpful guides in the darkness. The sunlight outside couldn't reach too far in, unfortunately, so the two had to rely on these odd blue torches as their source of light.

The journey down was shorter than expected—after just a few minutes of descending, the staircase ended, and the two found themselves inside an open chamber. Up ahead was yet another set of sealed double doors, but neither Xuan nor Yuxin were eager to open it. After all, there was a terrible pressure lingering in the air that grew more profound the deeper they went, and it seemed to be coming from just beyond that passage.

Yuxin gulped. "So, uh… are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why don't you go and find out?" Xuan asked in reply, not budging an inch. "The doors are right there."

"This was your true goal in bringing me here, huh?!" Yuxin growled like a ferocious leopard. "What if it's a trap and something suddenly leaps out to kill me?!"

"Then you'll die, of course."

"Don't say that like it's no big deal! Ugh…"

Groaning, she realized that if she wanted a part of the rewards and benefits to be gained here, she'd need to show some contribution. After all, this was Xuan's artifact, so it made sense he didn't have to do anything. Yuxin could leave right now and he wouldn't do anything, but since she too was curious about what this mysterious pressure was, she steeled her resolve and stepped closer to the doors.

"I swear, I'll get back at you for this…"

Cursing under her breath, Yuxin set her hands on the double doors, and pushed them open cautiously. Instantly, she leaped back, expecting some sort of trap to trigger, but… surprisingly enough, nothing happened.

Instead, the doors simply creaked open with a screech befitting of their age, and made a loud clanking sound as they reached their limits. The entire cavern shook a little as dust fell from the ceiling, but once the debris settled, Yuxin's eyes narrowed.

"What… is that?"

There, inside the sealed chamber, was what looked like a creepy skeleton sitting on a throne. Cobwebs and dust lined both body and seat, but the clothes miraculously had not decayed yet over the years. They were dirty and far from pristine condition, but remained intact and high quality.

Xuan, stepping up beside Yuxin, narrowed his eyes as well.

"That… is a cultivator, from long ago."

It was quite easy to tell, actually. The skeleton's legs were crossed, and although it no longer had the muscles to hold its body up straight—resulting in a slightly dangling pose—it was clear that before dying, whoever this person was, they had been in the lotus position: a signature posture for cultivating.

"What the hell… but it's dead, right? I mean, I've seen plenty of bizarre things already since coming to this world, but surely this half-decomposed skeleton isn't going to come back to life."

Xuan nodded. "Relax. It's dead. I can't feel any life force coming from the skeleton."

At this, Yuxin let out a breath of relief. "Thank god… if they're able to release such an incredible pressure when they're already dead, I don't want to see them when they're alive."

'She has a fair point,' Xuan thought. 'The only entity I can think of capable of doing something like that would be…'

"… Dimension Transcender True God, huh? So this was not where your legacy lies, but your final resting place…"

"Haha… yes, quite so."

Instantly, Yuxin froze, and slowly creaked her head towards the unmoving skeleton.

"U-Uh… you said that it's dead… right?"

Just at that moment, the skeleton's mouth moved slightly, and it reared its bony head back as if to laugh. "Ahaha, it seems I have frightened this young girl."

"E-Eek!"

Terrified, Yuxin quickly leapt backwards and hid herself behind Xuan out of instinct, before drawing her bow and notching an arrow at lightning fast speed.

"D-Don't you dare get out of that throne of yours, evil ghost!"

The poor huntress's arms were trembling even as she held her bow, scared and lost. She'd faced beasts and animals before—but nothing paranormal like this. In other words, despite how she usually was, Yuxin was still a little girl at heart, and could be easily frightened by things like ghosts and monsters she'd never encountered before.

But Xuan simply sighed, and forcibly pushed her bow down.

"Don't be rude, Yuxin. He doesn't mean any harm."

In response, the skeleton nodded a few times, but it only served to heighten Yuxin's fear. Still, she did not argue, since she knew how easily Xuan could suppress her anyway. Xuan then turned back to the skeleton, and met his hands in a martial arts greeting gesture.

"My apologies about my… companion here, senior. She did not mean to be rude."

"It's quite alright, dear youngsters. I know this form of mine can be… somewhat intimidating. Her reaction is only natural. I've been watching you two since you entered this place, and know you come in peace."

Xuan paused for a moment to think, then continued.

"In that case, could you please release the barrier around the World Pond? My companion here would love to cultivate in it, if possible."

The skeleton was silent for a brief second, then gently waved its finger—a movement so small it would be unnoticeable if not for Xuan's detailed eyes.

"It has been done."

"My thanks." Xuan turned to Yuxin, and gestured for her to leave. "What are you waiting for? An invitation?"

"H-Huh? Oh, right… er, thanks."

Realizing that Xuan was giving her an opportunity to get out of this frightening situation, she gladly took it and fled from the scene, taking the same way she came in from. If only she knew… that was not his intent at all, but rather…

"We're alone now, kid. I don't have much time left, so ask what you want now."

… Right. To speak with the Dimension Transcender True God alone.

"As expected, my thoughts cannot escape senior's sharp eyes," Xuan said, shaking his head. "If I may ask… what happened, to leave you in this current state? From what I know, once one reaches the Godhood phase, they are supposed to be immortal, are they not?"

"Yes. They are… on paper, at least."

At this, Xuan frowned in confusion, but Dimension Transcender True God continued, "'Immortal' is also a cultivation rank of its own, but are the cultivators there really immortal?"

Xuan narrowed his eyes. "You mean… the so-called 'Gods' aren't really gods aren't really gods at all?"

The skeleton shook its head slowly. "No. We are Gods, through and through… it's just that, even Gods are not fully invincible."

"What…?"

"Since fate has placed my Sealed World Pearl in your hands and brought us together, then it must be in your destiny to know. After all, you are not a normal Flowing Qi stage cultivator, are you now? You've already touched upon the seam between worlds… and carry with you both the burdens and experiences from thousands of years of cultivation. If I have to guess… you fell right before reaching Godhood, did you not?"

Of course, this was a god Xuan was speaking to. It was only natural he knew about Xuan's secret, and since this True God in particular specialized in the Dao of Space and Dimensions, it was no surprise he knew about Xuan's old world either. As such, Xuan saw no reason to lie, and simply gave a nod.

"Ah… I've had many friends fall the same way. You remind me of one of them, young boy. My closest brother. And so, I will tell you the truth—the secret of Godhome, and of 'him'."

"Him…?"

At this, the skeleton paused briefly and clenched his fists. Instantly, the mood in the chamber changed, from a nice slow conversation to something far darker. Dimension Transcender True God's tone dropped dramatically as he continued, and Xuan listened in intently.

"That man… he calls himself—the Godkiller."