Chapter 47 - Chapter 48: Revelation of Secrets

The passageway was cloaked in an eerie silence, broken only by the ragged breaths of the exhausted group. Chen Jiuzhang propped himself up on one elbow, his gaze fixed intently on Luna. The crystal - key in his hand pulsed faintly, as if still recovering from the intense battle with the doppelgänger. "Start talking," he said, his voice hoarse but firm. "We've faced too much to be kept in the dark any longer."​Luna let out a long sigh, her starlight - woven gown flickering like a dying flame. She paced slowly, her violet eyes avoiding the group's expectant stares. "The Gui Xu Secret Realm is not what it seems," she began. "It's not just a prison for dark forces, as I led you to believe. It's a crucible, a place where the balance between light and darkness is constantly tested and maintained."​Shen Qingluan pushed herself to her feet, wincing as she held her side. The fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal around her neck was dull, its once - bright glow dimmed by the successive battles. "What does that have to do with us? And what about that... that thing that looked like Jiuzhang?"​Luna stopped pacing and turned to face them. Her expression was grave, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. "The doppelgänger was a manifestation of the darkness that exists within all of us. In Chen Jiuzhang's case, it was drawn out by the unique power of the crystal - key and the unstable energy of this passage. But it's a warning - a sign that the balance in the realm is on the verge of shattering."​Zhang Chengying let out a bitter laugh. "Great. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. So, what's the plan? How do we fix this mess?"​Wu Laogou, his pipe long since extinguished, tapped it against his palm, sending a shower of ash to the ground. "Aye, and what about your secrets, lass? You've been hiding something from the start. What aren't you telling us?"​Luna's shoulders slumped, and for a moment, she looked every bit as tired as the rest of them. "I... I was once part of a group that sought to control the power of the Gui Xu Secret Realm. We believed that by mastering the forces of light and darkness, we could reshape the world in our image. But we were wrong. Our experiments disrupted the balance, and darkness began to seep out, endangering everything."​Su Nian's chains clinked softly as she sat up. Her face was pale, but her eyes were sharp with anger. "So, you're the reason all this is happening? You're the one who unleashed the chaos?"​"Not entirely," Luna said, shaking her head. "My group was stopped, but the damage had been done. I've spent the centuries since then trying to repair the damage, to restore the balance. That's why I tested you. I needed to find a group strong enough, pure - hearted enough, to succeed where I and my former allies failed."​Chen Jiuzhang felt a surge of anger. "You used us! Put us through all this danger just to clean up your mess?"​"I'm sorry," Luna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I had no other choice. And now, we're running out of time. The true source of the imbalance lies deeper in the Path of Eternity. There's an ancient artifact, the Heart of the Realm, that controls the flow of light and darkness. If it falls into the wrong hands, or if it's destroyed, the Gui Xu Secret Realm will be consumed by darkness, and the effects will ripple out into the world beyond."​Just then, the ground began to shake violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, and a low, ominous rumble filled the air. The passageway was bathed in a dark, crimson light, and from the depths of the Path of Eternity, a malevolent laugh echoed, sending a chill down everyone's spine.​Luna's eyes widened in horror. "They've found it. The followers of the old ways. They're after the Heart of the Realm, and if we don't stop them, it'll be the end of everything."