The descent into the deeper layers of the imperial camp was silent and prolonged. Zhao Wen walked at the front without haste, while formations opened and closed along his path as if recognizing his authority without the need for explicit commands. Lin Ye followed at a prudent distance, observing every detail. There were no torches or visible sources of light; the corridor was illuminated by crystal veins embedded in the walls, emitting a soft, constant glow—too uniform to be natural.
"This place does not appear on any map," Zhao Wen said without turning around. "Not even the Empire's."
Lin Ye did not reply. He had already sensed as much.
The corridor opened into a vast, circular chamber with a ceiling so high it vanished into shadow. At its center floated a geometric structure composed of multiple concentric rings, each rotating at a different speed. They were not defensive formations, nor offensive artifacts. Lin Ye knew immediately. This was an observation node.
"Welcome to one of the Imperial Eyes," Zhao Wen said. "Not to be confused with the Divine Eyes of legend. This… is more modest. And more dangerous."
Around the chamber stood several figures—some upright, others leaning against pillars engraved with ancient symbols. They wore no visible uniforms or clear insignias, yet their presences were impossible to ignore. Each radiated a different kind of authority, not always tied to direct martial power. Lin Ye understood he was standing before people who could alter continents—not with swords, but with decrees, silences, and omissions.
A dark-haired woman with a cold gaze spoke first.
"So this is the boy?"
"It is," Zhao Wen replied. "Lin Ye. Origin: White Ash Martial Dominion. No registered cultivation. Confirmed anomaly."
The woman examined him without disguise.
"Is he aware of where he is?"
"More than he appears," Zhao Wen said. "Less than he believes."
A sharp-faced man seated with his arms crossed let out a low chuckle.
"It's always like this with early bearers."
Lin Ye felt a faint tremor inside.
"Bearers of what?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Several gazes turned toward him. Zhao Wen did not rebuke him. On the contrary, he seemed pleased.
"A good question," he said. "And not one that deserves a complete answer… yet."
He approached the floating structure and placed his hand on one of the rings. They slowed slightly, projecting a three-dimensional image into the air. It was the night sky of Auralis—but not as seen from the surface. It was crisscrossed with invisible lines: temporal routes, points of tension, and zones of void.
"The Aureon Empire does not rule only lands and people," Zhao Wen explained. "It rules stability. Or at least, it tries to."
The image shifted, now showing the Heaven-Stolen Hour—not as myth, but as a visible scar in the temporal flow.
"Sixteen years ago," he continued, "time was altered on a scale that should not be possible within this plane. The Empire knew almost immediately."
"But it never announced it," Lin Ye said.
"Because announcing it would have caused panic… and rebellion," the dark-haired woman interjected. "Clans do not follow an Empire that admits it cannot control the reality it governs."
Zhao Wen nodded.
"Since then, the Empire has been searching for patterns, fragments, residues. People, places, or events that react anomalously to temporal distortions."
The image shrank, revealing several bright points scattered across different continents.
"You are one of them," Zhao Wen said, looking directly at Lin Ye. "Not the only one. But one of the most… clean."
"Clean?" Lin Ye repeated.
"You're not possessed," the sharp-faced man replied. "You're not controlled by an external entity. And you haven't yet awakened a domain of your own. That makes you malleable… and dangerous."
Lin Ye understood then the real reason he had not been eliminated immediately. It was not compassion or curiosity. It was strategic utility.
"You've heard of Domains," Zhao Wen continued. "Clans, sects, empires—all use that word to refer to territories or influence. But there is another kind of domain."
The image shifted again. This time it showed an individual surrounded by distorted space, where the world seemed to obey slightly different laws.
"A Personal Domain is the external manifestation of an internal law," Zhao Wen explained. "It does not depend on traditional cultivation level, but on the coherence between will, existence, and law."
Lin Ye felt the fragmented clock respond with a faint, almost imperceptible pulse.
"Most cultivators never develop one," Zhao Wen went on. "Some do so incompletely. A few… do it too early."
"And those usually die," the woman added flatly.
Zhao Wen turned back to Lin Ye.
"You're at a dangerous point. You've interfered with time without a domain to support it. That's like opening a wound with bare hands."
"I already paid for it," Lin Ye said quietly.
"No," Zhao Wen replied. "You only paid the entry fee."
He activated another formation. This time, the projected image was different: an incomplete eye, sealed by multiple layers of runes, divided into fragments floating at different points in space-time.
Lin Ye felt a heavy удар in his chest.
"The Eye of the Throne," he whispered.
A heavy silence fell over the chamber.
"So you recognize it," Zhao Wen said slowly.
"No," Lin Ye answered. "I remember it."
The floating structure vibrated.
Several gazes sharpened.
"That's problematic," someone murmured.
Zhao Wen did not take his eyes off Lin Ye.
"Then listen carefully. The Eye of the Throne is not an artifact. It is not a god. It is a function. A supervisory mechanism from ancient eras, designed to correct deviations in the flow of time."
"And it failed?" Lin Ye asked.
"No," Zhao Wen replied. "It was fragmented."
The image showed the eye shattering into multiple pieces.
"Each fragment fell into a different point in time and space. Some were lost. Others were sealed. And a few… found bearers."
Lin Ye felt the fragmented clock throb violently.
"You do not possess the Eye," Zhao Wen continued. "You possess an anchor. An incomplete system designed to support something that has not yet awakened."
"And what does the Empire want?" Lin Ye asked.
Zhao Wen met his gaze without evasion.
"We want you to survive long enough for us to decide whether you are a solution… or a threat."
The silence stretched.
At last, Lin Ye spoke.
"If I awaken a Domain," he said, "what will happen?"
Zhao Wen answered with brutal honesty.
"The Empire will watch you more closely. The clans will try to use you. And the entities that exist outside the records… will seek you out."
The dark-haired woman added:
"And if you fail, there will be no trace of you left. Not even in time."
Lin Ye closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gaze was calm.
"Then I won't fail."
Zhao Wen nodded slowly.
"Good. Then prepare yourself. Because the next step will not be on the Southern Front."
He activated the formation one last time. The map shifted, revealing a distant point beyond Auralis, on a continent covered in forbidden symbols.
"We will send you to a place where Domains are born… or devour those who try to form them."
The fragmented clock vibrated.
For the first time, not in warning or pain—
But in anticipation.
Far away, beyond the reach of the Empire, an incomplete eye blinked.
Time, patient as ever, had begun to tilt toward Lin Ye.