The faint glow of dawn struggled to pierce the heavy veil of clouds cloaking the Jade Lotus mountains. Even as the morning stirred, silence hung like a noose over the sect. Birds that would normally greet the sunrise with song remained eerily quiet, and a cold wind drifted through the halls — not from nature, but something far more ancient.
Jin Mu-Won sat alone in the Grand Meditation Hall, surrounded by centuries-old scrolls, talismans, and incense curling like spectral threads toward the high ceiling. The recent battles had left his body aching, but his mind sharper than ever. His spear, resting across his lap, hummed faintly — a sign that something powerful approached.
He reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out the black crystal shard he had stolen from the Black Serpent Guild's fortress. It pulsed with chaotic energy, swirling like a trapped storm. He had no doubt this was part of the Red Moon Cult's grand design, but its exact purpose eluded even him.
His meditation was interrupted by the sound of swift footsteps. Lin Xue entered the hall, her dark robes fluttering behind her. Her usual composure was broken by urgency.
"They're moving," she said, skipping any pleasantries. "Our scouts reported that both the Black Serpent Guild and remnants of the Red Moon Cult are heading toward the Forgotten Vale."
Jin's brow furrowed. "The Vale? That place was sealed three centuries ago."
"Yes. But it's rumored to hold the Eternal Lotus Seal."
Jin stood immediately. "So the legends were true."
The Eternal Lotus Seal — an artifact said to control the flow of time itself. If either faction got their hands on it, they wouldn't just rewrite Murim. They could erase it altogether.
---
Hours later, in the war council chamber, tension was thick as jade steel. Master Yun, Yu Fei, Bai Yiran, and a few elite elders surrounded the ancient table carved with the sect's history.
Yu Fei glanced nervously at the map. "The Forgotten Vale lies beyond the Ghost Lotus Wastes. If we're to reach it before them, we must leave immediately. No delays."
"But it's suicide," one elder snapped. "Those lands haven't been crossed in generations. The spirits there don't distinguish between ally or enemy."
Jin slammed his hand on the table. "Which is exactly why we must go. If our enemies reach it first, they'll bring back a power no sect can contain."
Bai Yiran grinned, cracking her knuckles. "I've always wanted to punch a ghost."
Despite her bravado, everyone knew this mission would test them like never before. It wasn't just about battle. It was about will. About survival.
Master Yun stood and placed a hand on Jin's shoulder. "Then take only those you trust. Go swiftly. The fate of Murim may depend on this."
---
The group that left that evening was small but deadly: Jin, Yu Fei, Bai Yiran, Lin Xue, and two elite Jade Lotus shadow monks — masters of silent killing and arcane warding.
Their path led them through the Ghost Lotus Wastes — a barren expanse filled with cursed winds, petrified trees, and lingering souls lost in eternal torment. Even the earth there whispered.
As they walked, Lin Xue murmured, "This place remembers pain."
Bai Yiran, unfazed, kept her hand on her sword. "Then it's going to love me."
Suddenly, the wind shifted. A wailing scream pierced the silence. Ethereal figures began to form from the fog — gaunt, eyeless wraiths of martial artists who had fallen centuries ago.
Jin drew his spear and planted his feet. "Formation seven."
The group shifted immediately. Yu Fei began chanting a sealing spell while the shadow monks spread out, their talismans glowing with protective light.
The wraiths attacked with the rage of a thousand lifetimes. They moved like shadows, phasing through blades and flesh alike.
But Jin's spear glowed with spiritual fire. With each thrust, he cut not only flesh but soul. Bai Yiran swung wide, her strikes disrupting their forms long enough for Lin Xue to pierce their cores.
Yu Fei, standing at the center, released a blinding surge of light. "By the Five Sacred Seals, I banish you!"
The wraiths screeched and dissolved into dust.
Silence returned, broken only by their heavy breathing.
"That was the first wave," Jin said grimly. "The Vale won't be kind to intruders."
---
After two more days of traversal through cursed land and spiritual resistance, the group finally reached the threshold of the Forgotten Vale. A colossal archway made of jade and bone loomed ahead, covered in moss and ancient runes.
As they stepped through, a strange calm settled — time itself seemed to slow. The sky above was a swirling canvas of colors that didn't belong to this world. Trees grew upside down, and rivers flowed in reverse. The laws of nature had no hold here.
Yu Fei gasped. "This is… a place caught between time."
Jin nodded. "We're inside a temporal pocket. The Seal must be near."
But they weren't alone.
A thunderous explosion echoed through the valley. A figure emerged from the clouds of dust — tall, cloaked in snake-black robes, with glowing emerald eyes.
"The Black Serpent Emperor," Jin muttered, recognizing the aura immediately.
He was flanked by six assassins — each masked, each radiating killing intent.
"I wondered who would dare chase me into a realm of gods," the Emperor said, his voice a hiss. "But of course, it had to be you… Jin Mu-Won. The Reincarnated Ghost."
"I'm here for the Seal," Jin said, stepping forward.
The Emperor laughed. "Then die for it."
What followed was chaos.
---
The battle unfolded like a storm within a dream. Time itself bent under the pressure of their power. The assassins clashed with the shadow monks, silent blades slicing through space.
Bai Yiran lunged at two assassins, her twin blades flashing like lightning. "You boys picked the wrong woman to dance with!"
Lin Xue vanished into the fog, striking from unseen angles. "One down," she whispered as a masked foe fell to his knees, throat slashed.
Jin's focus was solely on the Emperor.
Their weapons clashed with seismic force, creating shockwaves that warped the ground. The Emperor moved like a serpent, unpredictable and fluid. His fists were covered in scales, his strikes laced with venomous chi.
"You're strong," he hissed. "But not strong enough."
Jin's eyes burned with golden flame. "I've lived a hundred lives. Let's see how long you last."
He unleashed the "Heaven-Crushing Arc," a forbidden spear art that shattered the very earth beneath them. The Emperor barely dodged, but Jin was already there — following up with a brutal elbow that cracked ribs.
Then, the Emperor grinned. "You fight well. But you're too late."
He raised a hand — and the earth split open.
Beneath them, the Eternal Lotus Seal began to rise. A lotus of silver and gold, rotating with time-bound symbols. The air turned heavier, and a pulse of power knocked everyone back.
Jin's vision blurred. He could see everything — past lives, lost battles, old faces, dead friends.
"Don't look directly at it!" Yu Fei screamed, pulling him back with a spell.
The Emperor laughed. "With this, I'll rewrite Murim — no… I will own it."
But just before he could touch the Seal, the lotus flared violently. A massive force exploded outward — time rejected him.
The Emperor screamed as the energy tore through him, hurling him into the air like a broken doll. His body convulsed before vanishing into the vortex above.
The Seal then fell still.
Everyone was silent. Jin stepped forward, breathing hard, and reached out.
His hand touched the Seal.
And the world went white.
---
When he awoke, he was back in the Jade Lotus Sect — in the same meditation hall where it began. But something was different.
He looked at his hands. Faint marks — runes from the Seal — glowed beneath his skin. Yu Fei was at his side, eyes wide.
"You've… changed," she said. "Your aura. It's not just reincarnated now. You're bound to time itself."
Jin closed his eyes and exhaled.
The war was far from over.
But now, he didn't just have strength.
He had fate itself on his side.