Deep beneath the Thousand Lotus Sect, sealed under layers of spirit formations and forbidden talismans, something ancient moved.
A heartbeat.
Slow. Thunderous.
Boom... boom...
Inside a dark cavern lined with bones and glowing sigils, a monstrous eye opened—yellow, slit-pupiled, filled with hunger.
The Sky-Eater, sealed for centuries, had begun to awaken.
Its slumber was disturbed not by time... but by fear.
Above, on the surface, Han Li poured water into the courtyard basin, watching the reflection of the moon. His broom leaned beside him like a silent companion.
A disciple passed hurriedly, paused, and looked at him oddly. "You're calm, even with the sect in chaos."
Han Li smiled. "Chaos is peace, just louder."
Suddenly, the ground trembled—just slightly, but enough for the birds to cry and take flight.
The disciple looked around. "What was that?"
"An old friend stretching," Han Li murmured.
The disciple blinked. "Huh?"
But Han Li was already walking away.
Far across the mountain range, in a forbidden library hidden in the Temple of Nine Evils, a blind monk stood up suddenly, clutching his chest.
"He's moved..." the monk whispered.
A scroll fell from his hands, unfolding midair. Upon it, a name burned itself into existence:
Han Li.
Meanwhile, back in the cavern, the Sky-Eater licked its fangs.
"The devourer of stars... the one who swept me beneath stone... he lives."
Chains rattled.
The mountain groaned.
And Han Li paused in the hallway, glancing downward.
"Not yet," he said softly. "Sleep a little longer."
But deep below, the monster laughed.