The deeper Kael Varyn walked into Ironbone Forest, the quieter the world became.
At first, the forest had been alive with sound. Birds had chirped from the twisted branches overhead, insects had hummed beneath the dense undergrowth, and distant beasts had roared from the mountains beyond the horizon.
But now…
Silence.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to move through this part of the forest.
Kael stopped walking.
His sharp gaze slowly swept across the towering trees surrounding him.
Each tree was ancient, their trunks thick and twisted like coiled serpents frozen in place. The bark was dark gray, cracked with age, and faint veins of dull crimson ran across their surfaces.
Ironbone trees.
The forest was named after them.
Most cultivators avoided this place.
Not because of its beasts—but because of the strange spiritual disturbances that lingered here.
Kael crouched and touched the soil.
Cold.
Too cold for normal earth.
Then he felt it again.
A pulse.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
It came from somewhere deeper within the forest.
The Hollow Abyss inside Kael stirred.
The shadow core in his dantian pulsed slowly, like a second heartbeat responding to the unseen signal.
Kael frowned slightly.
"Something's calling."
He rose slowly.
Whatever it was, it wasn't ordinary spiritual energy.
It felt… ancient.
Hungry.
And strangely familiar.
Kael turned his gaze toward the dark center of the forest.
Then he began walking again.
High Above the Trees
Several hundred meters away, Seris Vale watched him from the branches of a massive ironbone tree.
She moved silently, her body balanced effortlessly among the branches like a shadow drifting between leaves.
Her eyes remained locked on Kael.
He had been walking in the same direction for nearly an hour now.
Deliberately.
Purposefully.
Not like someone wandering through the forest.
Seris crossed her arms.
How does he know where he's going?
She had studied Kael Varyn's background carefully after receiving her assignment.
A former outer disciple.
Considered talentless.
Quiet.
Forgettable.
And yet the man she was watching now was nothing like the reports described.
His movements were efficient.
Alert.
Strategic.
Even now, as he walked alone through one of the most dangerous forests in the region, his posture showed no hesitation.
Seris narrowed her eyes slightly.
Either the sect reports were wrong…
Or this man has been hiding his true strength for a very long time.
Kael suddenly stopped again.
Seris froze instantly.
Her breathing slowed until it was nearly imperceptible.
Had he sensed her?
Kael stood perfectly still for several seconds.
Then he slowly turned his head—scanning the forest behind him.
Seris remained motionless.
Her concealment technique was among the Empire's best. Even Spirit Core cultivators rarely noticed her presence.
But Kael's gaze lingered longer than she expected.
Almost as if he suspected something.
Then he turned away again and continued walking.
Seris exhaled slowly.
Strange man…
Signs of Death
As Kael advanced deeper into Ironbone Forest, the terrain began to change.
The trees grew farther apart.
The ground became uneven, covered with cracked stone and scattered bones.
Animal bones.
Some were massive—belonging to creatures far larger than anything Kael had seen in the outer regions of the forest.
Many of them were broken.
Shattered.
As if crushed by overwhelming force.
Kael examined one of the skulls carefully.
A massive beast—perhaps a Stoneback Bear.
Yet the skull had been split cleanly down the middle.
Not by claws.
Not by teeth.
Something else.
Something stronger.
Kael stood slowly.
"So that's how it is."
Whatever power was hidden deeper in the forest…
It had been killing the creatures that wandered too close.
Yet strangely, the Hollow Abyss inside him wasn't warning him to leave.
Instead—
It was urging him forward.
The Stalking Beast
The forest suddenly shifted.
A faint rustling echoed behind the trees.
Kael stopped walking.
His senses sharpened instantly.
Something was moving.
Heavy footsteps pressed against the soil.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Predatory.
Kael didn't turn around.
He simply spoke calmly.
"You've been following me for ten minutes."
Silence.
Then the bushes behind him exploded outward.
A massive beast leaped from the shadows.
It was a Black Fang Wolf, nearly the size of a horse. Its dark fur bristled with spiritual energy, and its long fangs glowed faintly under the dim forest light.
The wolf snarled, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Its golden eyes locked onto Kael.
Kael sighed.
"Of course."
The wolf lunged.
Kael moved instantly.
His body twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding the beast's jaws as they snapped shut inches from his shoulder.
He countered immediately.
Shadow energy surged along his arm as his fist struck the wolf's ribs.
The impact sent the creature sliding across the ground.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, it rose slowly, its eyes burning with fury.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Still standing?"
The wolf growled again.
Then it charged once more.
Kael stepped forward this time.
The moment the wolf lunged, he grabbed its neck fur and slammed his knee into its chest with brutal force.
A crack echoed through the forest.
The wolf collapsed instantly.
Its body twitched once before going still.
Kael released his grip and stepped back.
The forest returned to silence.
High above the trees, Seris stared in surprise.
He killed a Black Fang Wolf in two moves…
That beast was at least equivalent to a Peak Body Tempering cultivator.
Yet Kael had eliminated it without hesitation.
Her expression grew more serious.
This man is far stronger than he appears.
The Signal
Kael continued walking.
But now the pulse inside his chest was stronger.
Each step seemed to bring him closer to the source.
The Hollow Abyss reacted violently.
The shadow core rotated slowly inside his dantian, absorbing the faint traces of dark energy drifting through the air.
Kael felt it clearly now.
The energy wasn't natural spiritual power.
It was something older.
Something buried.
Then suddenly—
The forest ended.
Kael stopped at the edge of a massive clearing.
The ground ahead had collapsed into a deep ravine.
Ancient roots from enormous ironbone trees stretched down into the darkness below like the ribs of a giant skeleton.
Cold mist drifted upward from the depths.
And from somewhere far below…
The pulse echoed again.
Slow.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"So this is where you've been hiding."
Behind him, Seris Vale arrived silently at the edge of the clearing.
When she saw the ravine, her expression changed immediately.
Her breath caught.
Because she recognized the structure half-hidden within the depths.
Ancient black stone.
Runes carved into pillars.
A structure that should not exist in this forest.
Her heart began to race.
An ancient ruin…
Below, Kael stepped closer to the ravine's edge.
The Hollow Abyss within him roared in excitement.
The pulse from the depths grew stronger.
Something was calling him.
Waiting for him.
Kael gazed into the darkness below.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Well…"
He rolled his shoulders slowly.
"Let's see what secrets you're hiding."
And without hesitation—
Kael Varyn stepped off the edge of the ravine.
Falling into the darkness below.
Behind him, Seris Vale's eyes widened.
"Wait—!"
But it was too late.
Kael disappeared into the shadows beneath the roots.
Seris rushed forward to the edge of the ravine.
Cold mist rose from the depths, hiding everything below.
Her heart pounded.
Is he insane…?
But then something strange happened.
The ravine trembled.
Faint blue lights flickered deep below.
Ancient runes began glowing in the darkness.
Seris stared down into the abyss.
And for the first time since receiving her mission…
She felt fear.
Because whatever Kael had just awakened—
Was something that had been sleeping beneath Ironbone Forest for centuries.