Julian stared at the spirit jade.The mysterious voice had disappeared.But its words remained in his mind.You're finally awake.He slowly tightened his grip around the jade.Someone had been watching him.Someone who knew about his return.And Julian intended to find out who.He placed the jade inside his drawer and locked it.Then he walked toward the window.The city outside was quiet.Streetlights illuminated the empty road while the occasional car passed through the darkness.Julian closed his eyes.He released a small amount of spiritual energy.The energy spread through the room.Nothing.He extended it farther.Still nothing.Then...His eyes opened.Someone was nearby.Julian turned toward the window.Across the street, beneath a flickering streetlight, stood a man.He wore a dark jacket and kept his face hidden beneath a hood.He wasn't moving.He was simply staring at the Carter house.Julian's expression became cold."Interesting."The man suddenly turned.Their eyes met.

The next morning, Julian left the house early.The streets were already beginning to fill with people.Cars moved through the busy roads, students hurried toward school, and shops slowly opened their doors.To everyone else, it was an ordinary morning.To Julian, the city felt different.He could sense faint traces of spiritual energy scattered throughout the streets.Most people couldn't feel it.But he could.His eyes remained calm as he walked toward the abandoned building.After several minutes, he finally reached it.The building stood between two older shops, its walls stained from years of neglect.Broken windows stared down at the street.The entrance was covered with dust.Julian stopped outside.He could feel it.The same formation.The spiritual energy beneath the building was much stronger than before."Someone doesn't want people finding this place."He pushed the door open.Creak.The sound echoed through the empty building.Dust floated through the air.Julian stepped i

Julian returned home before nightfall.The house was quiet.Sarah was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Lily sat at the dining table, scrolling through her phone.“You're back,” Sarah said.Julian nodded.“Yeah.”He forced himself to remain calm.His mind was still inside the underground chamber.The black stone.The broken chains.His father's warning.Never let him find the gate.Julian went upstairs.Once inside his room, he closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.He needed answers.His father's disappearance had always been strange.But now Julian knew it was connected to something far bigger.He looked around Ethan's room.Everything appeared ordinary.Then his eyes landed on the old wooden desk.It had belonged to Ethan's father.Julian walked toward it.He opened the drawers one by one.Nothing.He checked underneath the desk.Still nothing.Then his fingers touched something unusual.A small mark had been carved beneath the desk.Julian paused.He pressed it.Click

Julian moved through the narrow passage.The walls were old and damp, covered with faint symbols.Behind him, the footsteps of the two men echoed through the temple.They were getting closer.Julian increased his pace.The passage suddenly divided into two paths.He stopped.Both paths looked identical.Julian closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense.The left path contained nothing.The right path carried a faint trace of spiritual energy.He turned right.After several minutes, the passage opened into a small chamber.Julian stepped inside.There was a stone table in the center.On it sat several old books.Julian approached them.Most were written in a language he didn't recognize.But one book was different.Its cover carried the same symbol from his father's notebook.Julian opened it.The first page contained a simple sentence.The gate has existed for thousands of years.He turned the page.It cannot be destroyed. It can only be sealed.Julian's eyes narrowed.So that w