Chapter 45 - Chapter 46: The Disordered Passage of Time

The group huddled together, catching their breath after the intense battle with the Stone - Shadow Guardian. The air in the passageway was thick with the dust of the shattered guardian, and the only sound was the ragged breathing of the exhausted adventurers. Luna, her starlight - woven gown now more tattered than ever, approached the newly revealed path. A strange, iridescent mist swirled at the entrance, casting shifting colors across her face.​"Be on your guard," Luna warned, her violet eyes fixed on the mist. "This path is unlike any we've encountered. I can sense the flow of time itself is disrupted here."​Chen Jiuzhang stood up, the crystal - key still warm in his hand. He felt a strange tugging sensation, as if the key was being drawn towards something deeper within. "Let's go. We've come too far to turn back now."​As they stepped into the mist, a powerful sense of disorientation washed over them. The ground beneath their feet seemed to undulate like a sea, and the walls of the passageway flickered in and out of existence. Shen Qingluan grabbed onto Su Nian's arm to steady herself, her fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal glowing erratically.​Suddenly, Zhang Chengying let out a startled cry. "Look!" he pointed ahead, where a scene from the past was playing out before their eyes. They saw a group of warriors, dressed in ancient armor, battling a horde of shadowy creatures. Among them was a figure who looked strikingly like Chen Jiuzhang's 二叔,his expression fierce and determined.​Chen Jiuzhang's heart skipped a beat. "That's... that's my 二叔!" he exclaimed, taking a step forward. But as he reached out, the scene dissolved into a shower of golden sparks.​Wu Laogou, puffing on his pipe with trembling hands, muttered, "This place is playing tricks on our minds. We can't trust what we see."​But the illusions didn't stop there. Su Nian found herself face - face with her younger self, a scared and vulnerable child. "Why didn't you save me?" the child asked, her eyes filled with tears. Su Nian's chains fell to the ground as she sank to her knees, overcome with emotion.​Luna rushed to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's not real, Su Nian. Remember, this is a test of our resolve."​Just then, the crystal - key in Chen Jiuzhang's hand began to vibrate violently. Images flashed through his mind—snippets of a forgotten prophecy, a warning about a great darkness that threatened to consume the Gui Xu Secret Realm. And in the midst of these images, he saw Luna, but not as she was now. She was dressed in dark robes, her eyes filled with a cold, calculating light.​Chen Jiuzhang looked up at Luna, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you really? What aren't you telling us?"​Luna's expression darkened, and for a moment, her starlight - woven gown flickered, revealing a glimpse of the dark robes from Chen Jiuzhang's vision. "There are some things you're not ready to know," she said, her voice cold and distant.​But before Chen Jiuzhang could press further, the passageway shook violently. A massive, swirling portal opened up in front of them, sucking in everything around it. The group was pulled towards the portal, their screams echoing through the chaotic space. As they were on the verge of being consumed, a figure emerged from the portal—a figure that looked exactly like Chen Jiuzhang, but with eyes that glowed a menacing red.