Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Exclusive! An exclusive interview with Mayday and behind-the-scenes look at the creation of "Stuck in the Abandoned Gate, Weaving Myths," available only to those who wish to participate.

Su Xiao didn't speak, but her figure moved forward a few steps silently. Her cold eyes swept over every inch of the ground and every crack around the altar, trying to find more traces.

A-Yuan, however, seemed unaffected by the hem of clothing. Her attention remained largely drawn to the strange crystal atop the altar, radiating a warm white light. Her face was a mixture of longing, sorrow, and fear as she murmured, "It's bleeding...it hurts so much...I can't hold on much longer..."

The cold, decaying air calmed Shen Mo slightly. He raised his hand to signal everyone to be patient, and then slowly stepped forward towards the altar.

He took each step with extreme caution, raising his spiritual awareness to its limit to guard against any potential dangers.

The closer he got to the altar, the more intense and terrifying death energy of reincarnation emanating from the dark vortex became, like a tangible black tide that constantly assaulted his protective aura, emitting a hissing sound of erosion.

The Myriad Laws Source Pearl spun rapidly in the sea of ​​consciousness, its radiant glow desperately resisting the intrusion of death energy.

Even so, Shen Mo still felt a sharp pain in his soul, as if countless cold needles were pricking him.

He finally reached the bottom of the altar, where the hem of the garment was within reach.

He didn't rashly reach out to pick it up, but instead used his divine sense to carefully examine it.

A faint, almost completely dissipated spiritual energy fluctuation remained on the hem of the garment. It was indeed the unique aura of the Qingyun Sect's techniques, but it was mixed and disordered, clearly indicating that the owner had experienced immense pain and struggle before death.

There is no other information.

Shen Mo's gaze slowly moved upwards from where the hem of his clothes was, sweeping over the cold, rough altar base, which was engraved with painful reliefs, and over the thick, heavy, rusty, broken chains.

Finally, the image freezes once more at the top of the altar, above the suspended crystal and the swirling black vortex below.

The white light emitted by the crystal appears even softer and purer at this close range, carrying a wondrous power of purification, soothing, and even... nourishing the soul.

Shen Mo could feel that the stinging pain caused by the impact of death energy in his sea of ​​consciousness was relieved slightly under the illumination of the white light.

And the feeling of "fragrant and warm" that A-Yuan mentioned probably comes from this.

This crystal seems to be some kind of extremely powerful treasure that can suppress or purify the death energy of reincarnation? Is it floating here to suppress that dark vortex?

As for that vortex... Shen Mo stared intently at it, feeling an even greater chill in his heart.

The center of the vortex was bottomless, seemingly connected to the deepest part of the Netherworld. A continuous stream of deathly energy of reincarnation surged from it, mixed with even more chaotic and violent fragments of will, as if countless tormented souls were screaming and colliding within it.

Even more terrifying, Shen Mo vaguely sensed that the space at the edge of the vortex was extremely unstable, with tiny, black cracks appearing and closing intermittently, as if something even more terrifying might emerge from it at any moment.

Recalling the monster's slime and carapace fragments that "leaked" from the spatial rift in the basin, could it be that... that monster came from the world beyond this vortex?

This place is far from benevolent! This altar, this vortex, this crystal—they form an extremely dangerous and fragile balance.

The crystal is suppressing the vortex, slowing the surge of death energy, and may even be purifying something.

However, the crystal's luster appeared slightly dim, and its rotation seemed somewhat sluggish. A-Yuan said it was "bleeding," "tired," and "about to give up," so this balance probably wouldn't last much longer!

Was the hem of that Qingyun Sect senior's robe accidentally caught up in this place? Or... is it related to maintaining this balance?

Shen Mo was filled with doubts, but could find no answers. He slowly took a few steps back, returning to the group, his expression extremely grave.

"Sect Leader, this place is far too dangerous and eerie," Zhao Qingyan said with worry. "The deathly aura in that vortex is far denser than we imagined. Although the crystal can purify, it's still in grave danger. And this hem of clothing...we..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: this place is not safe to stay any longer, and we should find a way out and leave as soon as possible.

As for the whereabouts of the owner of that garment and the secrets of this place, we'll have to wait and see.

Shen Mo also wanted to leave immediately, but he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Along their journey, they had long since lost their way in the chaotic palace maze, with no way out.

Moreover, the figure and magical artifacts on the mural that closely resembled the founder, the suddenly appearing hem of the Qingyun Sect's robe, and the strange crystal that seemed to have a subtle resonance with the Myriad Laws Source Pearl...

All of this seemed like invisible hands pulling him toward the center of the vortex.

He had a premonition that if he left now, he might miss crucial clues, and might even never be able to unravel the mysteries surrounding Qingyun Sect and himself.

"Let's rest here for a while," Shen Mo decided. "The area enveloped by the white light of the crystal has a relatively thinner aura of death, which has a calming effect on the soul."

"Yes!" the crowd responded. Zhao Qingyan immediately took out the array plate and array flags, and began to carefully set up the array at the edge of the white light emitted by the crystal.

The energy here is disordered, making it much more difficult to set up an array; she must concentrate fully.

Shen Mo then turned his gaze back to the altar, and the outline of the even larger palace ruins shrouded in darkness behind it.

He needed more clues. His intuition told him that the answer might lie in the deeper darkness.

Just as Zhao Qingyan was focused on setting up the formation, Su Xiao's figure blended into the surrounding shadows on guard, and Shi Tie helped the weak A Yuan sit down to rest, Shen Mo's gaze unconsciously swept over an inconspicuous corner of the wall on the side of the altar, half-hidden by dust and broken bones.

There also seemed to be a small, broken trace of a mural there, even more blurred than the ones seen before, almost blending into the mottled wall.

If the white light from the crystal hadn't been slightly off-center, illuminating a sliver of that corner, probably no one would have noticed it at all.

As if guided by fate, Shen Mo stepped forward. He brushed away the accumulated dust and a few small pieces of bone, revealing the complete picture of the dilapidated mural.

The mural is very small, only about a foot square, and is extremely damaged. The colors have almost completely faded, leaving only some dim and blurry lines and outlines.

It looks like scraps from a grand mural, or perhaps a casual doodle by some insignificant nobody.

The description above is very simple, even sloppy: it seems to be a back view, a figure wearing a wide robe with an indistinct face, standing with his back to the viewer in a blurry environment that resembles a sea of ​​clouds or water.

The figure's posture was somewhat desolate, yet resolute, as if it were about to step into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds.

Such damaged murals are common in this area and would not normally warrant attention.

Shen Mo only glanced at it casually before looking away.