Chapter 6: The Road to Dawnriver City
Dawn broke over the Dawnriver Kingdom, golden light filtering through the forest canopy, casting patterns on the dirt road. Lin Xuan led Liu Yue, Luo Shuang, and Liu Yang toward Dawnriver City, a hub to hide and gather resources. His gray robes fluttered, jet-black hair tied back, revealing sharp features. Liu Yue walked beside him, her sapphire robes torn, her beauty undimmed. Luo Shuang, silver hair gleaming, held Liu Yang's hand, the boy resolute.
The Hei Clan's involvement weighed on Lin Xuan. They sought the Scriptures of Severed Unity, unaware of its Human Emperor ties, seeing only power. Liu Yue's golden coin, etched with the Celestial Unity Crest—a crown wreathed in yin-yang swirls, twin phoenixes (fiery gold and icy silver), a lotus with a void core, orbiting stars, and subtle sword patterns, marked her as key to the Scriptures. The boy's emotions bound him to her, a curse he couldn't shake.
Luo Shuang spoke, her voice heavy. "Xuan'Er, you've risked much. My husband, Liu Ren, left this for such times." She handed him a scroll, its qi aura faint but potent. "The Scriptures of Severed Unity. It could save or destroy our clan. I entrust it to you."
Lin Xuan's heart pounded, the runes matching his memories of the Records. Liu Ren… Emperor Ren? He pushed the thought aside. "I'll protect it," he said.
That night, in a secluded grove, Lin Xuan unrolled the scroll, its runes pulsing. He practiced the Scriptures' basic forms, his demonic qi resonating. A searing pain struck his back as the dark coin fused with him, etching the Celestial Unity Crest—a crown wreathed in yin-yang swirls, twin phoenixes (fiery gold and icy silver), a lotus with a void core, orbiting stars, and subtle sword patterns. His qi surged, breaking to the 4th Layer of Qi Gathering, but the art's depth left him trembling. This power… it's beyond this realm, he thought, sealing the scroll.
Liu Yue approached, her coin's sigil glowing faintly. "You're practicing it?" she asked. "Father said it was dangerous."
"It is," Lin Xuan said, handing her a pill refined in secret. "But it's our weapon." Her gratitude—"Thank you"—stirred that ache, and he turned away.
Nearing Dawnriver City, Crimson Claw Sect cultivators—Zhi Clan allies—blocked the road, harassing a caravan. Their leader, at the 6th Layer of Qi Gathering, sneered. "Scram, kid." Lin Xuan lunged with Tooth Dagger, dodging a qi spear with Celestial Glide. He tore the leader's arm, blood spraying. Their qi blades flashed, but Iron Body Art deflected blows. Energy Devour weakened their attacks, and Tooth Dagger felled them. He devoured their qi, stabilizing his cultivation.
The merchant, Wei Chen, gave spirit stones as thanks. Liu Yue's admiration—"You're incredible"—sparked that ache, but Lin Xuan led them onward.