Free Web NovelChapter 202: Ancient Forbidden Chamber
As one might expect from the heiress of the Northern Sovereign’s clan, Song Liangxue had a luxurious courtyard of her own with multi-layered security systems. That was also why she dragged Song Yanyan and Ye Jun there, as that was perhaps the second most private place in all of the North.
"So, what truly happened?" Song Yanyan asked as they sat down. "I was actually surprised when you decided to visit the Heaven Opening Chasm out of the blue. And then the weird things that happened there."
"Uhh, about that..."
Ye Jun took a deep breath and told her pretty much everything about the Convergence. He didn’t know Song Yanyan, neither did he know if he could trust her. But he trusted Song Liangxue. That was more than enough. freewebnσvel.cѳm
But he left out the matters concerning Meihui. She had decided to tell the Song Clan her identity too, but that was her matter. He didn’t want to be the one to expose her.
Throughout the entire time, Song Yanyan remained calm and serious, listening carefully to his words without any interruptions. There was no surprise, no disappointment, and no visible reaction on her face. It was as if nothing could shake her stable heart.
Only when he stopped did she nod and lean back. For a while, she stayed like that, contemplating his words, so they remained silent too.
’Wonder what she’s thinking,’ Ye Jun thought.
As the Matriarch of one of the Seven Great Clans, she must have knowledge far surpassing his or Song Liangxue’s. He had no clue about her age, but he was damn sure she was a few hundred years old. Not to mention she had also spent time within the Imperial Capital.
Now, he was curious how much she actually knew about the Monarchs and the Convergence. Her help could mean a lot to them.
"Interesting," she finally uttered in a quiet voice. "So it has finally started."
"You know about the Convergence?" Even though he had expected it, he was still surprised.
Song Yanyan nodded. "A bit. It’s basically the Primordial Age for us, so we don’t have a lot of information on it. Whatever was left behind was also erased by certain people."
"The Monarch Clans?" Song Liangxue asked.
"You..." Disbelief flickered in her eyes as she looked at both of them. Then she sighed with a smile. "You two are really extraordinary. Yes, part of it was done by them, but not entirely. Some records were erased by time, others by clans or the Heretics."
"The Heretics?"
"I guess it’s time to teach you certain things," Song Yanyan smiled and asked, "Are you ready to inherit my throne?"
"No," Song Liangxue replied without any hesitation. "I have many things to do instead of tying myself to the Song Clan. Not now, at least."
As if she had already expected the response, Song Yanyan simply smiled and turned toward Ye Jun.
"What about you? Want to become the King of the North?"
"Hard pass!" Ye Jun raised his hands. "I was actually planning to become a house husband and let Liangxue rule the North. No interest in ruling people. Too complicated for me."
"Hmm. You two would make good rulers," Song Yanyan nodded. "My father always told me that unwilling rulers often make the best ones."
"I can argue against that one," Ye Jun said. "But it is partially true."
"Correct, dear," Song Yanyan chuckled sweetly and said. "Well, I planned to let my dear daughter learn these things when she decided to take on responsibilities, but it can’t wait with the Convergence here."
She stood up and said, "Let’s go. I’ll show you around the Song Clan’s most secret chamber."
"Uhh, am I welcome there?" Ye Jun asked, a bit surprised.
"Do you plan to leave my daughter?" she asked, but her smile didn’t contain any mirth any longer. There was something dangerous in her eyes that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Still, he answered without any hesitation.
"Nope. I have no plans for that unless your daughter suddenly decides to ditch me."
"Then you’re always welcome there."
Her smile instantly turned sweeter. Even Ye Jun was surprised by the transformation.
Song Yanyan didn’t wait for them to reply. She walked toward the large frost-marble mirror hanging at the back of the chamber, her fingers tracing a complex pattern across the silver runes carved into its frame.
With a dull, heavy click that vibrated deep beneath the floorboards, the entire stone wall behind the mirror receded, sliding sideways to reveal a dark downward staircase. A blast of stale, incredibly dense air rushed out, carrying a faint scent of old parchment and raw, ancient Qi.
"Follow me," she said, stepping into the darkness.
Ye Jun and Song Liangxue exchanged a quick glance before following her down. As they descended, torches along the walls automatically ignited with pale blue flames, lighting up a path that seemed to drop straight into the heart of the mountain.
The air grew progressively heavier, but it wasn’t cold. If anything, the ambient Qi was so concentrated that Ye Jun could feel his pathways buzzing slightly just from breathing it in.
Finally, they reached the bottom, stepping into a massive subterranean vault.
Ye Jun’s eyes widened slightly as he looked around. The room was vast, lined with shelves carved directly from the dark mountain stone. On them sat items that would cause an absolute bloodbath if they ever made it to the outside world.
There were jars containing glowing, beating hearts of beasts that had long been considered extinct, weapons wrapped in heavy sealing talismans that hummed with terrifying intent, and ancient jade slips radiating powerful Dao techniques.
"This is the Absolute Forbidden Vault," Song Yanyan spoke, her voice echoing softly in the quiet space. "Only the active Matriarch or Patriarch of the main branch is permitted to step foot in here. Even the Grand Elder doesn’t have the clearance."
She walked past a shelf holding an ancient, cracked cauldron, her silk sleeves brushing against the stone.
"There are things stored here that could easily ruin entire races if they fell into the wrong hands. Forbidden techniques, dangerous artifacts, and secrets meant to keep people in check. Though, fortunately, we don’t have much use for that kind of leverage in the North."
Turning a corner, she led them toward a heavy stone table situated at the center of the vault. Atop it sat a thick, bound ledger made of dark beast hide, surrounded by dozens of scattered scrolls and handwritten notes.
"The founder of our Song Clan left behind the first set of notes regarding the Convergence," Song Yanyan said, her expression turning deeply serious. "Every clan head after him who managed to uncover a piece of the puzzle added their own findings to this pile. It is incredibly difficult to study the Ancient Era. Between the Heretics actively twisting the records and the Monarch Clans erasing anything that threatens their narrative, finding the truth is like filtering sand from a blizzard. But our ancestors managed to do it."
She looked directly at Ye Jun and Song Liangxue, her gaze heavy.
"You two did very well in keeping your findings a secret until now. If news of what the two of you had discovered leaked out, even our Song Clan wouldn’t have been able to save you from what would have come next."
Song Liangxue stepped closer to the table, her eyes scanning the ancient beast-hide ledger.
"Is all the data here?"
"Most of what we know," Song Yanyan nodded. "You have my permission to study these notes later. I’ll let the guards know you’re allowed inside. But since we are here, I will give you the core summary of what you’re dealing with."
She rested her hand on the ledger, her voice dropping into a quiet, somber tone.
"The Convergence isn’t a unique anomaly, Ye Jun. It is an event that has come repeatedly to this world, and every single time it arrives, it pushes the entire realm to the brink of utter destruction. That is why I call it the Primordial Age. When the Convergence completes its cycle, it doesn’t just destroy sects, it legitimately erases entire civilizations from existence. Everything has to start over from absolute scratch."
Ye Jun listened quietly, a small frown forming on his face.
’So the world gets a complete factory reset every time this thing triggers,’ he thought, his mind quickly mapping the implications. ’No wonder the records are a mess. There’s literally no one left to write them.’
"The ones who managed to survive the previous cycles were the ones who rebuilt our current world," Song Yanyan continued. "And historically, the Monarchs were the ones who led them, establishing their clans to maintain order over the new eras. But the last Convergence was entirely different."
"Different how?" Ye Jun asked.
"Because once that specific cycle concluded, the Monarchs completely disappeared from the face of the world," Song Yanyan explained, looking at him. "To understand this, you need to understand the realms. The Monarch Realm is a tier of existence that sits squarely above the Saint Realm. According to our ancestral records, there have only ever been seven true Monarchs in the entire history of this world. At least, that’s the absolute limit of what we’ve been able to verify."
Song Liangxue frowned, her fingers tightening slightly around her dress.
"But if the Monarchs disappeared after the last cycle, then the leaders of the current Monarch Clans..."
Before she could finish, Song Yanyan let out a soft, amused chuckle, though there was no mirth in her eyes. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"The leaders of the Monarch Clans? They aren’t in the Monarch Realm, dear. True Monarchs don’t exist in this world any longer."
Ye Jun raised an eyebrow.
"Then what are they?"
"They are half a step into the Monarch Realm," Song Yanyan revealed, her tone laced with a distinct touch of northern disdain. "And the only reason they even managed to reach that half-step is because the true Monarchs directly helped them before they vanished, leaving behind a portion of their ancestral essence to anchor their clans’ power bases. They’ve been riding on the coattails of dead gods for centuries, pretending to be the absolute rulers of reality."
She turned back to the ancient scrolls, her gaze cold.
"They are powerful, yes. A half-step Monarch can still flatten an entire continent with a wave of their hand. But they are terrified. They know they are hollow compared to the ancients. And with the Convergence accelerating ahead of schedule... they know their borrowed time is running out."
