The skies didn't change.
Still red. Still torn. Still cursed.
Lin Xian walked through the husk of a forest where the trees had long died but refused to fall—blackened trunks stretched like twisted fingers toward a dying sun. Ash floated through the air like ghostly snow.
Each step was heavier than the last, not from exhaustion but from the shifting gravity of the ruined realm. Time here moved like syrup—sluggish, distorted.
And yet, he smiled.
> [System: Vital Signs Stable. Adaptation increased to 31%.]
[Pathfinding: Nearby Divine Echo Detected.]
→ Location: Shadow Vale – Forbidden Zone
"'Forbidden' only matters to those who still ask for permission," Lin Xian muttered.
He advanced.
—
Shadow Vale was a canyon carved into black rock, the walls covered in strange markings—ancient script, long lost even to the gods. A soft humming echoed in the silence, vibrating deep into his bones.
Then he saw it.
A sword, stabbed into a stone pedestal at the canyon's heart.
It wasn't glowing. It wasn't grand. It was… ordinary.
But Lin Xian knew better.
> [System Alert: Forsaken Armament Detected]
[Name: "Whisperfang"]
[Attribute: Shadow, Time Residue]
[Bond Requirement: Complete Will Resistance Trial]
Will resistance?
Before he could question further, the canyon trembled.
The shadows moved.
Not from light, but from thought.
A figure stepped out of the darkness, shaped like a man, cloaked in rippling shadow, eyes glowing faint white.
> [Trial Guardian Engaged: Echo of the First Betrayer]
Level: Unknown
Status: Soul Construct
Danger: Very High
"You seek power you once mocked," the Echo spoke, its voice layered—male, female, child, elder. "Are you worthy of this blade… Sword God?"
Lin Xian did not draw his weapon. He merely stared, unblinking.
"I am not here to prove my worth," he said. "I am here to take back what belongs to me."
The Echo smiled with teeth it didn't have.
"Then resist."
---
The shadows struck.
Whispers flooded Lin Xian's mind.
> "You failed your disciples…"
"You begged for mercy in the final hour…"
"You were never a god—only a child playing with stolen fire…"
Each voice stabbed deeper than any blade.
His knees buckled.
Blood trickled from his eyes.
The system didn't speak. No advice. No stats. This was a war of will—and he was alone.
Alone, like before.
Alone, like always.
And yet…
He laughed.
Not a gentle chuckle—but a sharp, defiant cackle.
"Do you think shame can kill me?" he snarled. "I buried gods and dragged their corpses across heaven's gate. What are your voices to me?"
He stood.
Straightened.
Stepped forward through the storm of shadows—one step, two, then five.
Until the darkness shattered like glass.
---
> [Trial Passed.]
[Whisperfang Acquired.]
[Skill Gained: Shadowstep (B-Rank)]
[Bonus Trait: +20% Resistance to Mental Attacks]
The sword appeared in his hand.
Thin. Black. Silent.
Not heavy. Not sharp.
But deadly.
"Good," he said, turning away.
Then he paused.
Because something was watching.
From the cliffs above, cloaked in illusion and moonlight—eyes locked with his.
A girl.
Silver hair. Pale eyes. Dressed in ancient robes, holding a frozen lotus.
And in her presence, the system whispered something it had never said before.
> [Warning: Unknown Entity Detected.]
[Power Level: …Error. Unable to Analyze.]
She said nothing.
Just smiled.
Then vanished.
And for the first time since his return—
Lin Xian's fingers tightened around his blade.