Lin Mu closed his eyes and expanded his immortal sense downwards.
What he sensed made him narrow his gaze.
An imnse power slumbered deep under the island. Dense, concentrated, ancient. Not a leyline. Not raw immortal essence. Sothing else entirely.
Daoist Chu felt the ground too. His face tightened. "The source of the curse is certainly here."
Lin Mu nodded. "It is stronger than anything outside. Much stronger."
Cattaleya cracked her knuckles. "Do you think it will wake up when the ritual starts."
Lin Mu glanced at her. "Hopefully not."
They said no more and continued walking inland. The island was only a couple of kiloters wide, with clusters of rough rock formations that resembled hills. The path to the temple was not complicated. The clan's ancestors had likely carved a direct approach.
As they walked, the youngsters grew visibly tense. Their steps slowed. Their breathing beca uneven. The ancestral land was sacred, but it was also a place of fear and death. Their clan had not set foot here in eight hundred years.
Finally, after crossing several clusters of rocky mounds, the ancestral temple rose before them.
It looked carved from the sa stone as the rest of the island. No separate materials. No decoration. The structure appeared as if it had forced itself out of the rock, blooming like a flower made of stone.
Its edges were rough, yet its shape was symtrical. A square hall ford by pillars carved directly from the bedrock. A single staircase led into its interior, ending at open archways instead of doors.
Inside, the shrine stood in full view.
A vast open space supported by stone columns. Within it were thousands of ancestral tablets, arranged on long rows of shelves that circled the shrine in a spiral pattern. Tiny carvings and runes decorated each tablet, glowing faintly with ancestral energy.
Four massive incense burners sat at the shrine's corners, filled high with ancient ash. So ash had hardened into solid lumps, hinting at rituals long past.
SHUA
As soon as the five youngsters stepped into the shrine, a gentle wave of energy swept over them like a breeze slling faintly of the sea. It acknowledged their presence and allowed them passage.
But when Lin Mu and the others followed-
BANG BANG BANG
A wall of force slamd into them.
The impact was sudden and violent. The entire group was thrown backward several ters. Catt landed on her feet, skidding across stone. The others caught themselves with varying degrees of grace. Even Lin Mu was forced a step back, a rare occurrence.
Shanhu Ying gasped. "What is happening?!"
Shanhu Guin ran toward Lin Mu. "Are you alright."
Lin Mu dusted off his sleeve. "I am fine."
Daoist Chu adjusted his robes, expression calm. "There seems to be an invisible
barrier. One that only recognizes your clan's bloodline."
Shanhu Dian looked mortified. "We did not know the ancestral shrine would reject outsiders this violently."
Cattaleya laughed lightly. "Do not worry. That was nothing."
The youngsters still looked uneasy. The barrier that had thrown away people as strong as Lin Mu's group was no small thing.
Lin Mu stepped closer again, placing his hand against the air. He felt nothing there, yet a solid force was present that repelled any non bloodline entity.
"It is an ancestral protection array," Lin Mu said. "It is not hostile, only restrictive."
Daoist Chu nodded. "Most likely it was created to prevent outsiders from disturbing the shrine."
Shanhu Guin bowed deeply. "Please forgive this inconvenience. Looks like only our people can step inside. We did not know this as it others have not stepped here before. Once the ritual is complete, we should be able to leave quickly."
Lin Mu gave her a calm nod. "Go ahead. Do what you ca for. We will wait here."
Relief washed over the youngsters. They bowed once more before stepping into the shrine.
As soon as they were inside, the energy of the temple gently wrapped around them. The incense burners flickered with faint blue light. The ancestral tablets shimred as if welcoming their descendants.
anwhile Lin Mu and his companions stood outside the invisible barrier, keeping watch.
Little Shrubby sniffed the air and growled softly. Lin Mu could tell he sensed sothing beneath the island as well.
Lin Mu folded his arms and stared into the dark interior of the shrine. "Let them
begin the ritual. But stay alert."
Daoist Chu agreed. "I believe we are standing on the very heart of the curse."
Lin Mu nodded. "And sothing is waiting beneath us."
While Lin Mu and his companions were talking, the five Shanhu Clan
youngsters took their positions inside the ancestral shrine.
Their steps were hesitant at first, but after one last bow toward Lin Mu's group outside the barrier, their expressions fird with determination. This was
sothing their clan had not achieved in eight centuries.
The weight of that history pressed down on their shoulders, but it also pushed
them forward.
Shanhu Guin raised her hand first.
HUMM
A gentle ripple of watery blue light appeared in the air as her bloodline
empowered the shrine. The ancestral tablets glowed faintly, like stars
awakening in a night sky.
She drew out a spatial ring and tapped it. Imdiately, dozens of ritual trays floated out, each carved from coral and mother of pearl. These trays arranged themselves into a precise pattern around the shrine, locking into place as
unseen currents of energy guided them.
Next ca the sacrificial materials.
Old pearls, preserved bones of aquatic beasts, blessed salt blocks made from sacred brine wells, and vials of fragrant blue oils that shimred as if holding a drop of the sea itself. Every item carried the weight of history. Every piece had
been passed down for generations.
Finally ca the incense.
Thousands of sticks, all hand carved, each representing one ancestor. Shanhu
Ying, Shanhu Jie, Shanhu Dian and Shanhu Qing rushed about filling the four large incense burners until the containers were overflowing.
HUALA
And when the final stick was placed, a pulse of energy flowed from each of the
burners.
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