Chapter 52: A Saint’s Last Words
By the time you hear this, I may have long since passed away.
How long have I been here...? Five years? Twenty years?
In truth, I no longer remember.
Time has no meaning in this place. The sun does not rise, and the moon does not fall. The air itself is stagnant, thick with ancient malice. The longer one remains here, the more the mind begins to slip, and memories dissolve like mist. Even my own sense of self has grown faint.
I was not always like this.
Years ago, though how many, I can no longer say, I had just broken through to the Saintly Body Realm. My body overflowed with strength, and my heart brimmed with purpose and fire. Like a young dragon freshly awakened, I longed to test the limits of my new power.
And so, when I heard whispers of this cursed valley, of this forbidden place said to lie hidden in the mountains of the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom, I felt an irresistible pull drawing me to it, like a moth to flame.
It was said that this valley was filled with demonic energy of ancient origin, sealed by an unknown formation left behind by a figure no one dared name. Those below the Saintly Ascension Realm who entered never returned. Even those few saints who came back... did so half-mad, half-dead, unable to speak of what they had seen.
But I... I was proud. No, to be more precise, I was arrogant!
I believed that I myself was different.
After all, My Dao—the Lotus Heart of the Tranquil Dao—thrives not in peace, but in evil and chaos. I had trained it to its highest form. My mind was calm as still water, my soul like a lotus in bloom. I thought the demonic energy within the valley would pose no threat to me. But on the contrary, I thought it would help me temper my will, strengthen my body, solidify my foundation.
And so, I entered alone.