The private jet sliced through the night sky like a silent predator. Below, the city of Beijing stretched endlessly, neon veins illuminating the vast concrete jungle. From this height, the world seemed insignificant, a mere collection of mortals scrambling in the shadows, oblivious to the titans that dictated their fate.
Inside the jet, Vincent von Casserio Cassan Virkel Vasco sat in quiet contemplation, one leg crossed over the other, his fingers lightly tapping against the armrest. His crimson eyes reflected the distant glow of civilization, but his mind was elsewhere.
The artifact.
Lucien had reported its existence, but details were scarce. Something in Beijing had caused a power fluctuation—an anomaly significant enough for the Sang Family to mobilize. And where power gathered, so did the vultures.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. The cabin door slid open, revealing Lucien's ever-composed figure. "My Lord, we'll be landing in ten minutes. The arrangements have been made."
Vincent nodded slightly. "Any updates on the Sang Family?"
"They've doubled their security around the core district," Lucien said, stepping closer. "It's no longer just their cultivators—government forces have been pulled in as well. It seems they want to ensure no… outside interference."
Vincent chuckled. "They think they can keep me out?"
Lucien hesitated. "They think they can keep everyone out."
Vincent's fingers stopped tapping. The air around him became still—too still. Lucien swallowed, feeling a strange weight press against his chest.
The mere shift in Vincent's mood had altered the flow of the world around them.
The jet began its descent, slicing through layers of clouds as Beijing's skyline came into full view. Vincent exhaled slowly, his power retracting.
For now.
Beijing, Core District
The streets of Beijing thrummed with life, but beneath the surface, unseen forces were at play. Vincent walked with measured steps, his presence concealed beneath a tailored black coat, his long white hair cascading behind him. Beside him, Lucien kept pace, eyes scanning the surroundings.
"The artifact is being held in Sang Tower," Lucien murmured. "Fourth basement level. Heavy protection."
Vincent smirked. "How quaint."
As they crossed an intersection, a presence flickered at the edge of his senses. Eyes were watching.
Vincent's gaze drifted to a nearby rooftop, where a lone figure stood against the city lights. A Sang Family enforcer—a cultivator trained in the ways of concealment. To most, he would be invisible.
But Vincent was not most.
Without breaking stride, Vincent flicked his fingers subtly in the enforcer's direction.
A sudden, invisible force lashed out. The enforcer's body contorted violently—his ribs cracked, his breath caught in his throat. In an instant, his existence was rejected by the world itself.
No scream. No struggle.
Just vanished.
Lucien let out a low breath. "That was unnecessary."
Vincent's smirk remained. "He was in my way."
Lucien didn't argue. This was who Vincent was—a force beyond understanding, beyond mercy.
Sang Tower – The Gathering Storm
The entrance to Sang Tower loomed ahead, a modern fortress bathed in white light. Standing guard were two dozen cultivators, their auras radiating barely restrained hostility. Vincent barely spared them a glance as he strode forward.
A man in a gray suit stepped forward, his expression forced into neutrality. "This is restricted property. State your business."
Vincent stopped a few feet away. His red eyes gleamed like the first light of an eclipse. "I suggest you move."
The man's lips parted, about to issue another warning—
Then he felt it.
A sudden drop in existence itself. As if the universe had just acknowledged something greater than itself. The streetlights flickered. A distant car alarm glitched before falling silent. The wind, which had been blowing moments ago, ceased completely.
The guards stiffened, their instincts screaming at them to retreat.
But there was no escape from his presence.
Vincent took another step forward. The air vibrated, unseen forces weaving into the very fabric of reality. The clouds above shifted, twisting into ominous black and red formations, swirling as if the heavens themselves were preparing to kneel.
The leader of the guards collapsed first.
His knees struck the pavement, his breath shallow, eyes wide with pure horror.
Then the next fell. And the next.
One by one, they all crumbled.
They weren't kneeling because they wanted to.
They were kneeling because the universe had no other choice.
Vincent exhaled slowly. "I will be entering now."
No one dared to stop him.
Lucien followed, shaking his head slightly. "You really enjoy making an entrance, don't you?"
Vincent didn't answer. His eyes were already fixed on the artifact deep within the tower.
And on whoever thought they could keep it from him.
Sang Tower – The Descent
As Vincent stepped through the grand entrance, the Sang Family's cultivators remained frozen in place. Some still trembled, their bodies unable to withstand the residual pressure of his existence. Others simply refused to move, their instincts screaming that any further action might erase them from reality.
Lucien adjusted his tie. "Fourth basement level, heavily guarded."
Vincent's lips curled slightly. "Then we go down."
They moved through the lavish lobby, the marble floors reflecting the ominous glow of the city lights outside. The receptionist at the front desk—utterly oblivious to the silent battle that had just occurred—began to greet them before her voice died in her throat.
Her instincts kicked in too late. She wasn't trained like the cultivators outside, but she felt it—something unnatural had entered the tower. Her body shuddered involuntarily, as though the very air had turned against her.
Vincent walked past without a glance. She was irrelevant.
The elevator was locked, of course. A biometric security system designed to restrict access beyond the first few floors. Lucien reached out to override the panel, but before his fingers could touch the interface—
Crack.
The screen shattered.
No force had touched it. No wires had been tampered with. It simply ceased to function, as if the very concept of security had been rendered meaningless in Vincent's presence.
Lucien raised a brow. "Impatient?"
Vincent didn't answer. He simply stepped forward, placing a single finger against the sealed elevator doors.
Boom.
A whisper of power surged forward. The heavy metal doors crumpled inward like mere paper, the reinforced structure buckling beneath his touch. Beyond, the shaft yawned open, a bottomless void stretching downward into the heart of Sang Tower.
Vincent took a step forward and fell.
Lucien sighed before following, his coat billowing as he dropped into the darkness.
Their descent into the abyss had begun.