The Gate of Eternity Curse of Heaven

ICE MIRROR VALLEY

The air grew thinner and colder as Zhao Lingyun and Lin Fengtian climbed the steep path to the Valley of Ice Mirrors. All around them, snowy mountain peaks towered, covered in mist that was occasionally parted by strange flashes of light. The journey from the Forest of Whispers had taken five full days, with numerous obstacles and several near-captures by Purity Guard patrols.

“They're getting more and more organized,” Lin Fengtian commented while observing the trail of the patrol they had just evaded. “Zhang Qingxuan must have mobilized his entire network to look for us.”

Zhao Lingyun checked the badge in his hand. “Three dots are glowing, and the fourth is blinking faster and faster. We're almost there.”

As they neared the top, the sight before them left them both transfixed. The Ice Mirror Valley sprawled out-a giant basin whose entire surface was covered in perfectly clear ice, creating a natural mirror that reflected the sky and mountains around it. But even more amazing was what was visible within the ice: moving silhouettes, alien landscapes, as if the ice were a window into another dimension.

“Amazing,” Zhao Lingyun whispered. “This ice... holds visions from different times and places.”

Lin Fengtian nodded. “And look at the center of that valley.”

At the center point of the valley, an ice tower towered-a complex crystalline structure that seemed to grow from within the ice. At the top of the tower, an ice-blue pillar glistened weakly, waiting to be activated.

“We'll have to cross the valley to reach it,” Lin Fengtian pointed out. “But I suspect it won't be that easy.”

Sure enough, once they stepped onto the icy surface, the world around them seemed to change. Their reflections in the ice no longer followed their movements, but rather moved on their own-creating alternate versions of themselves that stared back with various expressions: some were frightened, angry, some even smiled mockingly.

“Don't be influenced,” warned Lin Fengtian, his voice calm despite the obvious tension. “This is part of the test. This ice reflects the possibilities of who we are-versions of us on different paths of destiny.”

They continued walking, trying to ignore the whispers that began to sound from their reflections-voices that revealed deep fears, regrets, even hidden ambitions that they themselves might not be aware of.

“You can become the ruler of both realms,” Lin Fengtian's reflection whispered to him. “With your mixed blood, you could force unification under your rule. Isn't that what you secretly want?”

Lin Fengtian clenched his hands into fists. “No, it's not. I want balance, not domination.”

“Really?” whispered the reflection again. “After all the betrayal and suffering you've endured, you don't want revenge? Don't want to see those who have degraded you kneel before you?”

On the other hand, Zhao Lingyun faced his own temptation. His reflections displayed a stronger, colder version of himself-a version that had abandoned his humanity in favor of absolute power.

“You've always come second,” the reflection whispered. “Always standing in your brother's shadow. With true power, you could come first-be the true leader of both realms.”

“I don't want power,” Zhao Lingyun replied firmly. “I just want a world that's fair for everyone.”

“Justice?” the reflection laughed mockingly. “Justice can only be achieved through power. Without power, you'll just be another victim of the rulers' games.”

The closer they got to the ice tower in the center of the valley, the more intense the temptation became. The ice beneath their feet began to crack, creating a trap that threatened to swallow them into the bottomless abyss below.

“Don't lose your focus,” Lin Fengtian warned, looking at Zhao Lingyun who was starting to falter. “Remember our goal. Remember what we've learned.”

But the toughest challenge came when they almost reached the tower. From within the ice, familiar figures emerged-people they knew, who were gone, who they loved. There was their mother-Xiao Yingmei-in her prime, full of vitality.

“My child,” the illusion whispered softly. “You have fought too hard. Why not stay with me here? Here, there is no suffering, no separation. We can be together forever.”

Tears rolled down Zhao Lingyun's cheeks. “Mom...”

Lin Fengtian, seeing that his younger brother was almost trapped, immediately acted. He shook Zhao Lingyun's shoulder vigorously. “That's not mom! It's just an illusion made to trap us!”

Zhao Lingyun blinked, trying to refocus his mind. “But... she looks so real...”

“That's the power of the Ice Mirror,” Lin Fengtian explained. “It draws illusions from our deepest longings and regrets. But if we give in to that illusion, we'll be trapped forever-becoming part of the collection of consciousness trapped in this ice.”

With renewed determination, the two continued their steps towards the tower, ignoring the illusory calls and temptations of their own reflections. When they finally arrived at the foot of the tower, they were greeted by an amazing sight-a crystal structure that turned out to be composed of millions of tiny mirrors, each displaying a different fragment of reality.

“This...” Zhao Lingyun observed in amazement. “It's like a dimensional library. Storing visions from different corners of reality.”

Lin Fengtian pointed towards the open entrance at the base of the tower. “We should go in. The fourth pillar is waiting at the top.”

They stepped inside the tower, greeted by a seemingly endless spiral staircase, twisting upwards through layers of mirrors. Every step they took triggered changes in the mirrors around them-revealing pieces of the realm's history that they had never known before.

“Big brother, look,” Zhao Lingyun pointed at one of the large mirrors. “That's... Xuanyuan Zi? But the situation is different from the one shown to us in the Forest of Whispers

Zhao Lingyun observed the mirror that displayed the figure of Xuanyuan Zi. Not the Xuanyuan Zi they knew-the great leader who founded the Xuanyuan Dynasty-but a younger-looking figure, with a different expression. That figure stood before an inter-dimensional portal that was almost identical to the one they were looking at now.

“This isn't the history I've heard,” whispered Lin Fengtian, approaching the mirror. “Look at his clothes-it's the era before the Great Realm War.”

In the mirror, the young Xuanyuan Zi appeared to be arguing with an unfamiliar-looking man-wearing a robe filled with symbols they didn't recognize. The man's face was indistinct, as if deliberately obscured by time or by a higher power.

“Don't fixate on him,” Lin Fengtian reminded. “Remember Elder Wu's warning-this tower could trap you in endless visions if you let your curiosity overpower your main goal.”

They continued climbing, passing mirrors that displayed fragments of various eras-familiar events but with different details, as if showing alternative possibilities to the history they knew.

When they reached the seventh floor of the tower, Lin Fengtian suddenly stopped. Before them now lay a vast hall with a high arched ceiling. Unlike the previous floors, this hall was not filled with mirrors but crystal pillars that emitted a soft bluish light.

“We're not alone,” whispered Lin Fengtian, sharpening his sense of smell. “There's a familiar scent... and it's dangerous.”

Before Zhao Lingyun could ask, from behind one of the pillars emerged a figure that made both of them hold their breath-Zhang Minghao, the Supreme Overseer of the Purity Guard, stood proudly followed by two white-robed bodyguards.

“Finally,” Zhang Minghao smiled coldly. “I was almost worried that you guys would never get here.”

Lin Fengtian quickly took a defensive stance, while Zhao Lingyun fingered the sword at his waist. “How did you manage to reach this place before us?” demanded Lin Fengtian.

Zhang Minghao laughed lightly. “You think your movements aren't monitored? Ever since the incident in the Forest of Whispers, we've been following your trail.” He raised his hand that held a shiny object-a small lantern with a blue flame inside. “With the help of the Soul Tracking Flame, of course.”

Zhao Lingyun felt his blood boil. “The Soul Tracker Flame can only be made by extracting one's soul essence-who did you sacrifice, Zhang Minghao?”

Zhang Minghao's face remained calm, yet his eyes revealed an alarming glint. “Sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. And some... volunteers... are happy to make their contributions.”

“You're a monster,” Lin Fengtian hissed.

“Monster?” Zhang Minghao shook his head. “We're protectors. Protectors of the purity of the human realm from the contamination of beings like you, Lin Fengtian.” He turned to Zhao Lingyun. “And you, Zhao Lingyun, a descendant of honorable nobility-why are you in cahoots with this half-demon? Have you forgotten that mixed-bloods like him were the cause of the previous Dynasty's collapse?”

“You're wrong,” Zhao Lingyun retorted firmly. “It's not the mixed blood that's the problem, but the hatred and prejudice spread by people like you. History has been twisted to justify your policies.”

Zhang Minghao smiled scornfully. “So quickly swayed by the propaganda of the rebels? What a pity. Whereas your elder brother really expected you to get back on track.”

“My brother, don't listen to him,” Lin Fengtian warned. “He's just trying to divide us.”

“Oh, but I'm not lying,” Zhang Minghao continued. “Zhao Liangyu is very worried about you. He's even offered a full pardon if you're willing to give up this half-demon traitor and return to the arms of your family.”

For a split second, Zhao Lingyun looked doubtful. Seeing this, Zhang Minghao took a step forward. “Think carefully, Zhao Lingyun. What do you expect from this futile struggle? Chaos? A new civil war? How many lives must be sacrificed for the sake of a naive dream about the unification of two realms that were never destined to come together?”

Lin Fengtian was silent, not trying to influence Zhao Lingyun's decision. He understood that this was a test for Zhao Lingyun-a choice point that he had to face himself.

Zhao Lingyun closed his eyes for a moment, remembering everything he had learned and experienced so far. When he opened his eyes again, a strong determination radiated from his gaze.

“My brother was wrong,” he said firmly. “And you were wrong too, Zhang Minghao. The two realms once coexisted in harmony-the mirrors below have shown me that truth. The hatred you spread is based on lies and manipulation of history.”

Zhang Minghao sighed heavily. “I see.” He signaled to his two bodyguards. “It's a pity we have to settle it this way.”

Without warning, the two bodyguards darted forward, breaking formation and attacking from two different directions. Lin Fengtian swiftly parried the first attack, while Zhao Lingyun dodged the sword slash aiming for his neck.

A great battle broke out in the crystal hall. Sword clashed against sword, spiritual energy clashed creating shockwaves that made the crystal pillars tremble. Lin Fengtian fought with the grace of a master-every move was efficient and deadly. On the other hand, Zhao Lingyun deployed the famous Zhao Family sword techniques, keeping up with his much more experienced opponent.

Zhang Minghao himself was not directly involved in the fight. He chose to retreat to a corner of the hall, watching closely while occasionally muttering strange incantations.

“Don't let him finish the ritual!” shouted Lin Fengtian in between his fights, realizing a greater danger was being prepared.

Zhao Lingyun was trying to break through to reach Zhang Minghao, but the bodyguard he was fighting against was blocking him tenaciously. As the fight intensified, the crystal floor beneath their feet began to react-emitting rays that changed color according to the intensity of the clashing spiritual energies.

“You're too late,” Zhang Minghao finally said, raising his hands high. The Soul Tracer Flame Lantern in his hand was now shining brightly, emitting blue flames that blazed ever larger. “This tower has awakened, and the secrets within will belong to the Purity Guard!”

The crystal floor beneath them shook violently, followed by a deafening cracking sound. Lin Fengtian, with swift movements that were barely caught by the eye, managed to immobilize his opponent with a precise stab at a vital point that shut off the flow of qi. Without wasting any time, he immediately ran towards the still fighting Zhao Lingyun.

“Back off, little brother!” he shouted, leaping high and landing between Zhao Lingyun and the bodyguard he was fighting. With a single palm strike filled with spiritual energy, Lin Fengtian sent the bodyguard crashing into the crystal pillar.

The floor beneath their feet was now completely shattered, creating a huge hole that led into bottomless darkness. Zhang Minghao, instead of looking panicked, smiled with satisfaction.

“Perfect,” he muttered, then jumped-not backwards away from danger, but rather deliberately jumped into the gaping hole.

“He's crazy!” exclaimed Zhao Lingyun in surprise.

“No,” Lin Fengtian shook his head seriously. “He knows something we don't. We have to go after him!”

Without hesitation, Lin Fengtian pulled Zhao Lingyun with him, jumping into the darkness after Zhang Minghao. The two of them fell through layers of reality, passing through mirrors that flashed rapidly around them. The sensation they felt was hard to describe-it was as if their bodies were unraveling and re-forming over and over again in the blink of an eye.

Finally, they landed in a large, dome-shaped room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made entirely of translucent pure ice crystals. In the center of the room, stood a lotus-shaped altar-and above it floated a pillar of softly glowing blue ice.

Zhang Minghao was already there, his hand almost touching the pillar.

“Stop!” shouted Lin Fengtian, throwing out a runic knife that shot through the air at incredible speed.

Zhang Minghao dodged at the last second, but the knife managed to scratch his arm, making the Soul Tracker Flame lantern slip out of his grasp and fall to the crystal floor.

“You guys are late,” Zhang Minghao said, though his tone of voice was no longer as confident as before. Blood dripped from his injured arm, falling on the crystal floor and creating a strange phenomenon-the crystal around the blood droplets began to turn a reddish color and spread like poison.

“What are you doing?” demanded Zhao Lingyun, sword drawn towards Zhang Minghao.

“The thing that should have been done from the start,” Zhang Minghao replied. “Destroying the bridge between realms forever. With my blood that's been blessed by a special ritual, this pillar won't activate the portal-it'll destroy it from within.”

Lin Fengtian observed the changes to the crystal floor with obvious concern. “It's not just about destroying the portal.” His eyes widened as he realized something. “You intend to completely destroy the balance between realms!”

“Sacrifices are necessary to achieve true purity,” snapped Zhang Minghao, now leaning against the altar, exhausted from blood loss. “It's better to sacrifice a part of the realm than to let the contamination spread.”

Zhao Lingyun gazed at the blue ice pillar that was now beginning to change color-the lower half of which was slowly being stained with red as it spread upwards. “How do I stop it?”

Lin Fengtian shook his head, confusion radiating from his face. “I don't know. This kind of ritual has never been mentioned in any of the ancient scrolls I've read.”

Zhang Minghao laughed weakly. “Of course there isn't. This ritual is a top secret of the Purity Guard, passed down directly from our founder, Elder Bai Suzhen.”

At the mention of that name, Zhao Lingyun remembered something. “Bai Suzhen... wait. Isn't she the...”

“...a traitor from the demon realm,” Lin Fengtian continued, his eyes widening in surprise. “He's a half-demon who turned against his own people, creating a purification dogma to cover up his own past.”

This information clearly shocked Zhang Minghao. “That's slander! Elder Bai is a holy man who-”

“Who created the Purity Guard to hide his true identity,” Lin Fengtian cut in. “I saw it in one of the mirrors when we descended. The truth that was hidden for centuries.”

Confusion and anger radiated from Zhang Minghao's face. “No way... that can't be true...”

“That explains why this ritual uses blood,” Zhao Lingyun turned to Lin Fengtian. “And that means we can also use blood to neutralize it.”

Lin Fengtian nodded in understanding. “Half-demon blood-my blood.”

“No!” Zhang Minghao tried to get up, but fell back down due to exhaustion. “That will only accelerate the destruction!”

Ignoring Zhang Minghao's warning, Lin Fengtian approached the altar. With one swift movement, he scratched his palm with his dagger, letting the blood drip onto the altar's surface.

At first, nothing happened. Then, something shocking happened-Lin Fengtian's blood seemed to “fight” with Zhang Minghao's blood that had spread on the crystal floor. Two different shades of red met, creating a chemical reaction that produced a silvery-white light.

“What's going on?” asked Zhao Lingyun, taking a few steps back because of the growing intensity of the light.

“Balance,” Lin Fengtian replied calmly. “This crystal resonates with both realms. It needs balance, not one-sided domination.”

The blue ice pillar was now completely enveloped in a silvery-white light. Slowly, the pillar lifted higher, piercing through the ceiling of the crystal dome and disappearing into an invisible dimension.

“You failed, Zhang Minghao,” said Lin Fengtian. “The fourth pillar has activated. The portal will be fully open soon.”

Zhang Minghao, now sitting limply leaning against the crystal wall, laughed tastelessly. “You think things will just end like that? The Purity Guard still has another ace up its sleeve...” He coughed, fresh blood flowing from the corner of his lips. “And Zhao Liangyu won't stay silent. He has his own plans that even I don't fully know about.”

Zhao Lingyun frowned at the mention of his brother's name. “What do you mean, what is my brother planning?”

However, before Zhang Minghao could answer, the crystal floor beneath them began to shake violently. Cracks appeared, rapidly spreading throughout the room.

“This tower is about to collapse!” shouted Lin Fengtian. “We have to get out immediately!”

Lin Fengtian pulled Zhao Lingyun towards the hole where they had entered before. Zhang Minghao didn't move from his spot-either because he was too weak or because he chose to stay.

“What about him?” asked Zhao Lingyun, pointing at Zhang Minghao.

Lin Fengtian stared at the figure for a moment, then shook his head. “His own decision. We don't have time.”

Just as they were about to jump back up, Zhang Minghao let out a weak cry: “Zhao Lingyun! You don't know what you're doing! That portal isn't for unification... it's for invasion! Ask your brother about your Xiwang Black Script!”

Before Zhao Lingyun could digest those words, Lin Fengtian had pulled him up. They again floated through the layers of reality, this time at a much higher speed due to the energy boost from the collapsing tower.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them were catapulted out of the ice tower, landing hard on the surface of the ice valley that was now starting to crack and melt. Behind them, the crystal tower slowly collapsed-not in a violent explosion, but rather melted and sank into the valley ice, as if returning to its original dimension.

Zhao Lingyun and Lin Fengtian lay panting on the still intact ice, looking up at the sky that was now filled with colorful auroras-a sign that the fourth pillar had fully activated.

“We did it,” Zhao Lingyun whispered, although his tone of voice wasn't entirely confident.

Lin Fengtian rose slowly, his eyes not leaving the celestial phenomenon above them. “Yes, the fourth pillar has activated. But...”

“But Zhang Minghao's words bothered you, didn't they?” Zhao Lingyun continued, also getting up and straightening his dirty clothes. “Your Xiwang Black Script... I've never heard of it.”

“I have,” Lin Fengtian said quietly, his face showing a rarely seen worry. “It's just a rumor among demon elders. It's said that the manuscript contains an ancient ritual that can force open dimensional portals-not for communication or unification, but for the total absorption of energy from one realm to another.”

Zhao Lingyun stared at Lin Fengtian in disbelief. “And my brother... could he be...”

“We can't make conclusions too quickly,” Lin Fengtian soothed. “But we need to be vigilant. If Zhao Liangyu does have that manuscript and intends to use it...”

“...then one of the realms will be completely wiped out,” Zhao Lingyun finished the sentence, shuddering at the thought of the consequences.

Lin Fengtian nodded seriously. “And given his position as the Human Clan Alliance Leader, it's easy to guess which realm will be sacrificed.”

The two of them fell silent, pondering the implications of such a possibility. Under the increasingly intense auroral light, the Valley of the Ice Mirror continued to melt, revealing a layer of black soil beneath it covered in ancient symbols.

“The fourth pillar has activated, but our journey isn't over yet,” said Lin Fengtian finally. “We must hurry to the location of the main portal-the Peak of the Five Lightning.”

“But it's in the heart of Zhao Clan territory,” Zhao Lingyun reminded. “It's practically impossible to enter without being detected.”

Lin Fengtian smiled slightly. “Then it's time we stopped hiding. If it's true that your brother has a hidden agenda, we need to gather as many allies as possible.”

“Allies? Who will believe us without any real evidence?”

“There's one group that might listen,” Lin Fengtian replied. “The Balance Keepers-a secret group made up of humans and demons who still hold true to an ancient treaty. They've been in hiding for centuries, waiting for the right moment to reappear.”

Zhao Lingyun recalled the snippets of information he had heard about the mysterious group. “But how to find them? It's said that they don't even have a fixed base.”

“I know how,” Lin Fengtian patted Zhao Lingyun on the shoulder. “But we need to move now. With the activation of the fourth pillar, all parties will move quickly-including your brother.”

Without wasting any more time, the two of them immediately left the Ice Mirror Valley that had now almost completely turned into a small lake. Behind them, the aurora in the sky continued to glow, sending signals to all corners of the realm-announcing that a new chapter in the eternal conflict had begun.