Above the Abyss
Somewhere far above the shattered ruins of the ancient trial chamber, in a realm where the sunlight never reached, a crimson banner stirred.
Atop a jagged outcropping of obsidian rock sat a figure cloaked in flowing, tattered robes—black edged with blood-red flame. His face was hidden beneath a horned crimson mask shaped like a grinning oni, the eyes glowing like burning coals.
He was meditating.
Until the glyph-flare pierced through the silence.
BOOM!
A pulse of Abyssal flame rippled through the lower levels—a trial had been completed.
[Abyssal Trial #346 – Blade of the Abyss: Claimed]Bearer: Unauthorized Entity – Ye TianSystem Error: Intrusion Detected.
The masked figure opened his eyes.
The silence shattered.
"Ye Tian...?"
The name echoed like a curse in the void.
He stood.
And the red mist around him thickened.
Who is the Red Herald?
Name: Mo WuxianTitle: The Red Herald of BalanceFaction: Abyssal Arbitration Sect (Rogue enforcers who maintain 'balance' between invaders and the Abyss)Rank: Abyssal King-Tier (far beyond Ye Tian's current level)
Traits:
Uses fire-based forbidden martial arts, fueled by corrupted system cores
Wields a sentient spear made from a fallen Shardbeast's soul
Hates "climbers" from above who break the Abyssal Laws
He gazed down into the swirling fog of levels below.
"You shouldn't be alive, boy."
"I was the one who executed the last heir to that cursed bloodline. You… are just a stain."
With a flex of his fingers, a fractured system core lit up in his palm.
[Target Locked: Ye Tian]Mission Override: Terminate Before AscentReward: System Core Stabilization + Flame Monarch Fragment
He turned—and the fog itself parted before him as he began his descent.
Meanwhile: In the Resting Hollow
Ye Tian sat by a flickering violet flame, recovering beside Yue Qing, who was asleep, head resting on his shoulder.
He stared at the Blade of the Abyss, which now pulsed with a heartbeat of its own.
"This power… feels incomplete."
He didn't know why, but something in his soul felt tight, like a storm was coming.
Suddenly, his system pinged.
[Warning: Anomalous Entity Detected. High-level System User Descending.]Designation: Red Herald – Mo WuxianSystem Tier: Suppressed, but still dominant.]
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed.
"So it begins. The true Abyss sends its own now."
Last Scene: The Blood-Lit Descent
Mo Wuxian stopped halfway through his descent and reached out.
From the mist, a dozen chained creatures—failed trial-takers twisted by time—crawled toward him.
"Go. Bleed him. Delay him. Make him understand."
With a wave of his arm, the creatures shrieked and launched downward like shadows with wings, toward the depths of Ye Tian's current sanctuary.
Behind them, the Red Herald stepped through an ancient teleportation gate.
"Let's see what kind of insect dares awaken the blade we buried."