Aboveground – Cloudshatter Sect
The grand hall of the Cloudshatter Sect was silent—too silent.
The news of Ye Tian's possible survival had spread like an infection. Whispers slithered through corridors, curled under doors, and coiled in the ears of the guilty.
Zhao Feng stood by the celestial mirror, his gaze locked on the swirling fog within. His jaw was tight.
"Show him again," he ordered.
The elder operating the mirror hesitated. "We've already tried. The Abyss clouds any further tracking—"
Zhao Feng's hand flicked out. The elder choked, clutching his throat.
"I didn't ask if it was difficult."
The mirror flashed.
There—faintly—a blur of motion, two figures resting beside a glowing pool.
"Impossible…" Zhao Feng muttered.
"He survived the Watcher. And he's not alone."
Meanwhile – Lin Ruyan's Quarters
She sat in front of a mirror, staring into it. Not to admire herself.
To practice lying.
"I didn't know Ye Tian would be thrown down there."
Smile. Blink. Look away.
But her reflection didn't smile back.
Rumors had already begun: that Zhao Feng had used forbidden techniques, that Ye Tian had somehow awakened something inside the Abyss.
Worse yet—some disciples were starting to ask questions.
"What if he comes back?" one had dared whisper.
Lin Ruyan's fingers dug into her palms.
She couldn't afford to let that happen.
"If you're still alive, Ye Tian," she whispered, "don't come back. Or I'll be forced to destroy what's left of you."
But her heart… fluttered.
A terrible, unwelcome thing.
Below – Abyssal Edge of the Cradle
Ye Tian stirred. The sanctuary's warmth was fading.
[System Notification: Cradle of Silence timer expired. Effects nullified.]
He stood, Yue Qing stretching beside him, now more composed but quieter.
The tunnel ahead had changed. The stone had been etched with new glyphs, glowing blood-red.
"Someone marked this," Yue Qing murmured.
Ye Tian frowned. "Recently."
They took one step forward—
And the entire chamber behind them shuddered.
From the mist above the glowing pool, something massive descended.
Eyes like dying suns.
Teeth like obsidian knives.
A creature not born—but left behind.
[System Alert: Abyssal Sovereign Fragment Detected – Class: Unknown]Recommend: Run. Or die beautifully.]
Ye Tian gritted his teeth.
Yue Qing's chains surged with cursed light.
"Running isn't an option," she whispered.
He nodded.
"Then we fight. Together."