The sky above Heavenly Sky Sect had quieted—but not in peace.
It was the silence before politics sharpened their knives.
Two days had passed since Wang Lin destroyed the Inner Court suppression squad.
Two days of whispers, panic, and reassignments.
And now, in the highest chamber of the Grand Pavilion, cloaked in six layers of formation fog and silencing arrays—
Elder Wun Tian stood before a crystal communication mirror.
The figure on the other side wore robes of deep violet, with sleeves embroidered in symbols not of this realm.
"So," the figure said with a slight smile, "it's true."
Wun Tian nodded once.
"The egg has entered second-phase resonance. Its host is… unpredictable. But powerful."
"And dangerous?"
"Far more than we can control," Wun Tian admitted, swallowing his pride. "That's why we're calling on the pact."
The violet-robed figure tilted his head.
"The last time we activated the pact, three sects collapsed."
"This time," Wun Tian said slowly, "one will burn."
At Pavilion Seventeen
Wang Lin stood in the center of the scorched clearing.
Meditation was impossible now.
The world itself twisted around his presence.
Qi didn't flow to him—it orbited.
And deep inside, the egg trembled like a volcano about to wake.
| "They've made their move." |
"I know."
| "Voidfall Sect emissaries will arrive within the day." |
"The same sect that tried to steal Dragon Lineage relics during the war?"
| "Yes. And they never stopped looking." |
Wang Lin adjusted his robes.
"No negotiations?"
| "They'll smile. Bow. Offer gifts. And the moment you exhale..."
"...they'll stab." |
He looked out at the mountains beyond the sect.
Then up at the sky.
"I won't be the one who dies with a blade in his back this time."
| "Good. Because they're not sending diplomats." |
Later — At the Outer Gate
A single carriage appeared beyond the mountain pass.
Drawn by no beast. Floating gently.
Its arrival stirred wind, leaves, even clouds.
Disciples gathered to watch—inner sect leaders in formation, elders behind veils.
Then, from the carriage stepped four figures.
And silence swept through the crowd.
Because even their aura didn't match this world.
One of them smiled — tall, silver hair, dark purple robes embroidered with arcane rings.
"Greetings," he said gently. "I am Elder Heiyu of the Voidfall Sect."
"We come in peace."
And yet, every spirit beast in the valley below…
Began to howl.
Back at Pavilion Seventeen, Wang Lin sat calmly—eyes closed.
But the moment that elder stepped onto sect soil—
The egg screamed.
| "It knows them." |
"What do you mean?"
| "These people… their ancestors helped bind it in the Outer Cycle." |
| "They're not here for you."
"They're here to finish what they failed to do eons ago." |
Wang Lin opened his eyes.
And stood.