The air within the Grand Conclave dome thrummed with a spiritual power so dense it felt like liquid gold. Heavenly Lords, each an apex predator in their own right, sat on thrones carved from celestial jade, their auras radiating ancient might. Their delegations, composed of formidable cultivators, stood ready, pride and ambition etched on their faces. Long Hu, standing amidst Master Tian's solemn retinue, felt like a single, fragile leaf in a tempest, yet a strange, cold calm settled over him. He was a sentinel, hidden in plain sight.
Empress Xianxia, a beacon of imperial majesty on her central throne, rose. Her voice, amplified by hidden formations, resonated through the vast hall. "The Grand Conclave of Heavenly Lords commences! Let the purification of tributes begin. My humble apprentice, Long Hu, shall conduct the initial discernment."
A collective murmur rippled through the assembled powers. An apprentice? For such a sacred duty? Whispers of disdain and incredulity filled the air, thick as spiritual fog. Long Hu ignored them, his gaze fixed on the first delegation approaching the central dais: the representatives of the Verdant Abyss, a realm famed for its profound spiritual forests. Their leader, the stoic Lord Xylos, presented a crystalline casket containing a single, breathtaking **Sapphire Bloom Orchid**. Its petals shimmered with a deep, mesmerizing blue, pulsing with life force.
Long Hu stepped forward, the weight of a thousand scrutinizing gazes pressing down on him. He felt the cold scorn from some, the dismissive curiosity from others. But when his senses brushed against the Sapphire Bloom, his unique intuition screamed. It wasn't a conventional impurity. It was that insidious, cold decay, faint but unmistakable, clinging like a shroud around the orchid's vibrant core. The touch of the cosmic shadow.
He extended his hands, not reaching for the orchid directly, but hovering above the casket. His eyes closed, and he entered a state of profound concentration. To the onlookers, it looked utterly unconventional. He didn't summon Qi, didn't chant incantations, didn't even touch the item. He simply... breathed. His chest rose and fell in a slow, deliberate rhythm, and a faint, almost imperceptible silver light seemed to eman emanate from his shattered core, a beacon of purest clarity in the midst of spiritual dissonance.
Inside the casket, the Sapphire Bloom orchid, initially vibrant, began to subtly writhe. A faint, almost transparent film of grey seemed to peel away from its surface, shriveling into nothingness as it dispersed into the air, completely unseen by the cultivators but vividly clear to Long Hu. The orchid's blue deepened, becoming richer, more profound, its life force surging with startling intensity.
Gasps rippled through the hall. Lord Xylos's stoic face cracked, revealing naked astonishment. The orchid, which had been considered perfect, was now *more* perfect, radiating a spiritual purity that bordered on mythical.
Empress Xianxia's lips curved into a triumphant, yet subtle, smile. She met Lord Xylos's stunned gaze. "As you can see, Lord Xylos," her voice rang with authority, "the purity of the Azure Heaven Realm is absolute. Even the most subtle imperfections cannot escape our discernment." Her words were a veiled challenge, a warning to any who might harbor hidden intentions.
Lord Xylos, recovering his composure, bowed deeply, though his eyes darted from the purified orchid to Long Hu, a dawning suspicion warring with awe. "The Empress's apprentice... his methods are truly... unique. We are humbled." His voice was tight, betraying a deeper unease.
As Long Hu opened his eyes, a jarring memory crashed through him: *He saw Lord Xylos, a younger, more ambitious version, standing before the very same shadowy cosmic entity. The entity was not merely touching, but implanting something within Lord Xylos's cultivation base – a miniature, living seed of spiritual decay, dormant until activated. The Sapphire Bloom Orchid was merely a conduit for this insidious influence, a test of its reach.* The vision was terrifyingly clear, showing the enemy's insidious methods.
He swayed, clutching his head, the pure spiritual energy of the Conclave, coupled with the horrific clarity of the memory, overwhelming his senses. He looked at Lord Xylos, seeing not just an elder, but a pawn, unknowingly carrying a fragment of the ultimate evil.
Empress Xianxia noticed his sudden pallor, the tremor that passed through his lean frame. Her eyes narrowed, discerning the shift. He had seen something significant. Something perhaps, directly related to the Void Devourer.
"Apprentice," she commanded, her voice calm but firm, a silent anchor. "Return to your position. The next delegation awaits."
Long Hu forced himself to stand straight, his gaze sweeping over the vast, unsuspecting assembly. The cosmic shadow wasn't just influencing individuals; it was planting seeds, subtly corrupting the very fabric of cultivation across realms. Elder Theron, Lord Xylos… how many more were unknowingly ensnared? The weight of it was crushing. He was no mere cleaner. He was staring into the abyss, and the abyss, through the eyes of an unwitting pawn, was staring back. The terrifying game had only just begun.