"We won't be going to any of these inheritance grounds," Max said evenly, his voice carrying quiet authority. "Our goal is only the Celestial Beast Temple, and so we are moving forward."
The others behind him nodded without hesitation. The inheritance grounds were powerful, but without the corresponding bloodlines, any gains would be limited at best and dangerous at worst. There was no reason to waste ti here when their true objective lay ahead.
With that decision made, the elder once again took charge, stepping forward and leading them onward. The final stretch of the journey tested everyone's endurance. The terrain grew increasingly unstable, the pressure more intense, and the threats more frequent.
The elder's familiarity with the flow of this world allowed him to sense subtle changes in the air and shifts in spatial pressure that would have gone unnoticed by those who had never walked these routes before.
Because of this, their progress was steady and controlled, and although the domain itself remained oppressive and unsettling, they did not fall into any lethal traps or sealed killing zones that had claid countless lives in the past.
That did not an their journey was without resistance. As they advanced deeper into the domain, several flocks of flying beasts descended upon them from the violet skies above. These creatures resembled warped birds forged from hardened energy, their wings sharp enough to tear through stone and their cries capable of disrupting one's concentration. Each ti they attacked, Max and the others responded imdiately.
Max's sword flashes tore through the air with clean precision, while Lucien and the squad leaders unleashed coordinated attacks that wiped out the beasts before they could surround the group. The battles were brief and decisive, serving more as reminders that the domain itself was alive and hostile rather than genuine threats to their progress.
Using this approach, they continued onward, advancing layer by layer through the ancient region. Soon, the inheritance ground of the Phoenix ca into view. Vast fields of scorched earth stretched endlessly, with traces of crimson flas still dancing faintly in the air, as if the fire of the Phoenix refused to die even after countless years.
The oppressive heat weighed heavily on everyone, forcing sweat to bead on brows and spiritual energy to circulate faster just to endure the environnt. They did not stop. The elder guided them around the core of the inheritance ground, avoiding zones where the pressure surged violently, and they passed through without incident.
Not long after, the inheritance ground of the Azure Dragon appeared ahead. Towering mountain ridges coiled across the land like the body of a sleeping dragon, and streaks of azure lightning crawled along the sky and ground alike.
The roar of thunder never ceased here, shaking the bones of those who heard it. Several tis, arcs of lightning struck dangerously close to the group, forcing everyone to remain alert and responsive.
Max took the lead in dispersing the more violent surges of lightning, slicing through them with controlled precision so the group could move safely. Though exhausting, they pushed through, step by step, leaving the draconic domain behind them.
Later still, they skirted the Black Tortoise Inheritance Ground, a place of overwhelming heaviness where the pressure alone could crush the unprepared. Each of these regions radiated imnse power, yet the group did not slow down, nor did they allow curiosity to sway them.
Despite the elder's guidance, the journey remained exhausting. The constant vigilance required to maintain balance on the stone paths, the oppressive aura pressing against their bodies, and the occasional attacks from lurking beasts slowly drained their stamina. Yet step by step, they advanced, refusing to falter.
At last, after what felt like an endless march through hostile space, the environnt began to change. The violet sky above darkened, the stone paths converged into a single wide bridge, and an ancient pressure heavier than anything they had felt before descended upon them.
At the end of that bridge stood a colossal structure shrouded in dim, shifting light. Its outline alone was enough to silence the group. This was not an inheritance ground. This was the final destination of every path within the secret domain.
They had reached the Celestial Beast Temple.
The Celestial Beast Temple stood before them like a monunt carved out of legend itself, imnse and solemn, radiating an authority that pressed directly against the soul. It was not built upon the ground but seed to grow out of space itself, as though the Four Divine Beasts had shaped reality to serve as its foundation.
The temple's walls were ford from an unknown celestial stone that shifted subtly in color, sotis reflecting silver like moonlight, sotis deep jade, sotis crimson, sotis azure, mirroring the essence of the four divine beasts who created it.
Ancient runes flowed across its surface like slow-moving currents, alive yet restrained, each rune carrying laws so profound that even looking at them for too long made one's mind ache.
At the front of the temple rose four colossal statues, each representing one of the Divine Beasts in their true and complete forms.
The Azure Dragon coiled upward along a towering pillar, its scales etched with lightning patterns that flickered faintly as if thunder slept within them.
The Golden Phoenix spread its wings above the entrance, frozen in a mont of eternal rebirth, its feathers carved so delicately that they seed ready to ignite at any second.
The White Tiger crouched to one side, muscles tense and fangs bared, embodying pure battle intent and rciless judgnt.
Opposite it stood the Black Tortoise, vast and immovable, its shell engraved with symbols of ti, defense, and endurance, giving off a pressure that felt like the weight of mountains and oceans combined.
The entrance itself was a massive gate ford from interwoven energies rather than physical material, a threshold where space, bloodline, and will intersected. The air before it was unnaturally still, yet every breath drawn near it felt heavy, as though the temple demanded acknowledgnt before allowing entry.
This was not a place ant for exploration or greed. It was a sanctuary and a trial ground, created by the Four Divine Beasts to preserve their final will, their ultimate inheritance, and perhaps sothing even more ancient than themselves.
Standing before it, one could feel a single unmistakable truth. This temple was not built to be conquered. It was built to decide who was worthy to walk beyond it.
Looking at this majestic temple, everyone here was surprised. It was simply too unique.
"I wonder how the supre being who sealed Mark's soul knew of this place?" Max murmured out loud. "Did he have so relations with the Four Divine Beasts?"
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