Ch 19: Mysterious Cave

Feng Liang's breath hitched as he took his first step toward the ominous cave. The air was thick with tension, almost suffocating, but what truly made his body tremble was the aura emanating from deep within the cavern. It was overwhelming, familiar, yet impossibly stronger than anything he had ever encountered.

His legs trembled involuntarily as the weight of the aura doubled the moment his foot touched the ground. His expression twisted with shock and confusion.

Just a few steps back, he had thought... no, Felt that it was his father inside, the legendary Heavenly Demon, the man whose mere presence could crush the spirits of even the most hardened warriors.

But now... now the aura had grown exponentially. It was almost as if it had multiplied, and with each step he took, it grew even more terrifying.

"How... how is this possible?" Feng Liang whispered to himself, his voice trembling slightly. His father was undoubtedly the strongest being in the world, a living legend whose power was unmatched.

But even the Heavenly Demon couldn't exude an aura like this. To imagine that something... or Someone... could possess such overwhelming strength... it defied logic.

Feng Liang gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm the frantic beating of his heart. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. If this wasn't his father... then who, or what, was it?

He inhaled deeply, steadying himself.

"I can't retreat now," he muttered under his breath.

"Not without knowing the truth."

Taking another cautious step forward, Feng Liang braced himself. As expected, the moment his foot touched the ground, the aura doubled again. It crashed into him like a tidal wave, pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His muscles tightened under the weight of it, and his bones creaked with the strain. His expression faltered, eyes widening in disbelief as his body trembled violently.

It was as though his very soul was being crushed by the force of the aura. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his breaths came in shallow gasps. He had withstood his father's presence before, but this... this was something else entirely.

Four times the aura of the strongest man in the world... how could this even exist?

Feng Liang grunted, forcing his legs to remain steady despite the trembling that wracked his body. If it weren't for the strengthening effects of the Heavenly Void Scripture, he knew his body would have been torn apart by now.

His father's aura alone had been enough to leave even seasoned masters on the brink of collapse, but with his new cultivation, Feng Liang had become far stronger. Yet this aura... it was as if even that power wasn't enough.

"I've already taken this path," he whispered to himself.

"There's no turning back now."

His eyes remained locked on the cave's entrance, still several paces away, though it might as well have been miles with the way the aura was affecting him. His breathing had grown ragged, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.

The pressure was overwhelming... too much for any ordinary person to handle. Even for someone like Feng Liang, the toll on his body was immense.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought against the urge to retreat.

"No..." he muttered through gritted teeth.

"I can't... go any further."

Feng Liang's muscles tensed as he prepared to take another step, but his body rebelled against him. Every fiber of his being screamed in protest. He knew instinctively that another step forward would be impossible.

Even with his newly acquired power, even with the fortifications the Heavenly Void Scripture had given him, his body wouldn't be able to withstand the strain.

"Not yet," he growled under his breath.

"I have to... I have to fall back. I can't..."

The dissatisfaction in his heart was palpable, gnawing at him like a predator waiting to pounce. He hated it... Hated the feeling of powerlessness that clawed at his mind. But he knew better than to push himself beyond his limits. To do so would be suicide.

Slowly, reluctantly, Feng Liang began to step back. As soon as his foot moved away from the cave's entrance, the crushing pressure began to ease. The suffocating aura, which had weighed down on him like an unrelenting storm, started to lift. His body, which had been on the verge of collapse, relaxed slightly. His breathing grew steadier, though the tension in his chest remained.

He let out a small, frustrated breath as he took another step backward.

"I'll come back," he promised himself.

"When I'm stronger."

But then, as his foot landed on the ground, something shifted.

A soft hum filled the air, and Feng Liang froze in place. Beneath his foot, the earth had begun to move... no, not move, but Change. He glanced down, his heart skipping a beat as he saw it: a strange pattern, etched into the ground beneath him. It hadn't been there before. The design was intricate and otherworldly, twisting and curling like ancient runes. And it was glowing.

A soft, white light began to emanate from the pattern, growing brighter by the second. The glow was tinged with dark red and black hues, swirling together in an unsettling dance of colors. It pulsed beneath Feng Liang's foot, sending shivers up his spine.

"What... what is this?" Feng Liang whispered, his voice barely audible over the sudden thrum of energy in the air.

The pattern seemed to come alive beneath him, the glow intensifying until it was blinding. Before Feng Liang could even begin to process what was happening, the ground shifted once more, and the world around him Flickered.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed.

One moment, Feng Liang was standing at the edge of the cave, surrounded by the dense forest and the cool night air. The next, the world around him Vanished. The trees, the sky, the earth... all of it disappeared in an instant. It was as though someone had flipped a switch, and reality had been torn away.

Feng Liang blinked, disoriented and confused. The scenery around him had shifted completely, replaced by something far darker and more ominous.

He found himself standing in a small, enclosed space... A Cave, but not the one he had been approaching. The walls were rough and jagged, the air heavy with an ancient energy that sent chills down his spine.

The pressure was still there, though it had lessened somewhat. It was no longer the overwhelming force that had threatened to crush him outside. Here, it was more focused, more controlled. But it was still powerful... Far Too Powerful.

Feng Liang's pulse quickened, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Where... where am I?" he muttered, his voice shaky.

"What just happened?"

The air around him was thick with tension, the silence oppressive. His senses were on high alert, his body ready to react at a moment's notice. But before he could take another step, a sound echoed through the cave... a sound that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It was a laugh. Low, cold, and mocking.

Feng Liang's blood ran cold as the laugh echoed off the stone walls, sending shivers down his spine. It was the kind of laugh that promised danger, the kind of laugh that sent fear crawling through his veins.

"You've come far... boy," a voice drawled from the shadows, smooth and deadly. It was a man's voice, sharp and cold like the edge of a blade.