# Chapter 15 â Beneath the Mountain
# Sun City â Xu Family Main Hall
The broken crystal fragment still rested on the stone table.
No one touched it anymore.
Even the elders kept their distance now.
---
The atmosphere inside the hall remained heavy after the crimson eye disappeared.
Several younger disciples already looked frightened.
Others tried pretending they werenât.
Poorly.
---
Third Elder Xu Jian finally broke the silence.
âFrom this moment onwardâŠâ
His voice sounded colder than usual.
ââŠthe eastern forest becomes forbidden territory.â
Several disciples immediately nodded.
No one wanted to enter that place anymore anyway.
---
One elder suddenly spoke quietly:
âThe city lord plans sending investigation teams underground.â
Silence spread again.
Underground.
That word alone now felt dangerous.
---
Lin Hao looked horrified beside Xu Yuan.
âWhy would anyone willingly go down there?â
Xu Yuan calmly answered:
âBecause cultivators lose survival instincts after reaching certain realms.â
âThat keeps becoming more believable.â
---
Meanwhileâ
Xu Yuan still stared toward the black crystal fragments silently.
The resonance inside his chest gradually weakened again.
But not completely.
It almost feltâŠ
connected.
---
Then suddenlyâ
a sharp pain flashed through his mind.
Xu Yuan froze instantly.
Darkness swallowed his vision for one brief second.
---
He saw underground stone halls.
Ancient formations carved across endless walls.
Black crystals growing like roots throughout the ruins.
Andâ
countless dried corpses kneeling toward a massive sealed gate.
---
Thenâ
a womanâs gentle voice echoed faintly again.
> âMy sonâŠâ
The vision violently shattered afterward.
---
Xu Yuan staggered backward slightly.
Xia Yu immediately supported him.
âYou saw something again.â
Her voice remained calm.
But Xu Yuan noticed her grip tightened slightly.
---
Several elders instantly looked toward him.
Third Elder frowned deeply.
âWhat did you see?â
Xu Yuan hesitated briefly.
Then answered honestly.
ââŠUnderground ruins.â
The hall instantly became quieter.
---
One elder narrowed his eyes.
âYouâve never entered the eastern forest before.â
Xu Yuan nodded.
âThatâs why Iâm also concerned.â
---
Suddenlyâ
BOOM!
A violent tremor shook the hall again.
Much stronger than before.
Dust fell from the ceiling instantly.
Several disciples nearly lost balance.
---
Thenâ
outside the Xu Family groundsâ
alarm bells erupted across the entire city.
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
Not once.
Not twice.
Continuously.
---
A Xu Family guard immediately rushed inside.
âElders!â
Everyone turned instantly.
The guardâs face looked pale.
âThe eastern mountainsâŠâ
He swallowed heavily.
ââŠthey opened.â
Silence.
Absolute silence.
---
Several elders instantly rushed outside afterward.
Xu Yuan and the younger disciples followed quickly behind.
The moment they reached the outer courtyardâ
everyone froze.
---
Far beyond Sun Cityâ
the eastern mountains glowed crimson beneath the dark sky.
Massive red cracks spread across the mountainside endlessly while spiritual energy surged upward violently.
And at the centerâ
an enormous ancient stone gate slowly emerged from beneath the earth itself.
---
The entire city stared toward the mountains in horror.
Civilians flooded the streets.
Cultivators gathered atop rooftops.
Fear spread instantly.
---
Then suddenlyâ
the resonance inside Xu Yuanâs chest exploded again.
BOOM!
His vision blurred violently.
And this timeâ
deep within the distant crimson lightâ
he saw countless red eyes opening one after another inside the gate.
Watching him.
Only him.