The night winds howled across the Northern Cliff, carrying with them the fading scent of smoke and blood. The battlefield below lay quiet now, broken only by the crackle of dying fires and the occasional groan of a fallen mercenary too stubborn to die.
Chen Lu Tian stood with the Crimson Plume Roc's beast core warm in one hand and the strange rune-etched sphere in the other. The former pulsed like a heart made of molten fire; the latter thrummed with an alien rhythm that made his skin prickle.
[Item Acquired: Unknown Rune Sphere]
[Status: Incomplete Artifact. Purpose: Obscured.]
[Warning: Unstable fluctuations detected. Handle with caution.]
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor System's voice was flat, but the fact that even it couldn't clearly define the sphere made Lu Tian's instincts flare. He turned the object slowly. Strange runes crawled across its surface, glowing faintly before fading as though trying to conceal themselves from his gaze.
Beside him, Mei Xinyue sheathed her sword, her green robes torn at the sleeve, revealing a gash across her pale arm. She tied a strip of cloth around it with calm efficiency, though her breathing was uneven.
"You should let me see that wound," Lu Tian said.
She gave him a sidelong look. "It's nothing."
"Your blood says otherwise."
He reached out, catching her wrist gently. For a moment, she looked like she might pull away, pride warring with the faint flush across her cheeks. But when she felt the warmth of his qi pouring into her arm, soothing and mending the torn flesh, she said nothing.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but her eyes softened. "You heal as well as you fight."
Lu Tian smirked. "I've had practice. When you fight gods, demons, and traitors long enough, you learn a thing or two."
She tilted her head slightly, curiosity flashing in her eyes, but she didn't ask. Instead, her gaze returned to the sphere. "That is no mere artifact. I've seen fragments like it in my family's vaults. Ancient relics, older than most sects, dug out of ruins no sane man dares to enter. They are said to be keys."
"Keys to what?" Lu Tian asked.
Her voice dropped. "To gates that should never be opened."
System Intrusion
The sphere pulsed suddenly, and the System flickered violently in his vision.
[Warning: External energy attempting intrusion!]
[Artifact Attempting Link: Identified as Heavenly Origin Fragment]
[Compatibility: 67% with Host Essence]
[Recommendation: Suppress or Allow?]
A flood of cold energy shot up Lu Tian's arm, and for a heartbeat, the night blurred. He was standing on a field of shattered stars, the void around him filled with broken worlds drifting like corpses. In the distance, an enormous gate of obsidian and fire loomed, its surface engraved with countless writhing runes runes that matched those on the sphere in his hand.
A voice, ancient and cold, whispered from the gate.
"Devourer… reborn… you walk the cycle again. Open the way, and the heavens themselves shall bow…"
The vision shattered, and he staggered, his breathing sharp. The sphere had gone dark, the runes dormant again, as if nothing had happened.
Mei Xinyue's sharp eyes were on him. "What did you see?"
He considered lying but dismissed it. "A gate. One that reeks of disaster."
Her silence stretched. At last, she nodded. "Then we must tread carefully. If the Xu Clan or worse the great sects learn you hold this, they will kill without hesitation."
Lu Tian tucked the sphere into his robes. "Then let them come. I've been waiting for enemies' worthy of me."
The System chimed again, quieter this time, as though wary.
[Hidden Quest Triggered: The Gate of Fallen Stars]
[Objective: Gather fragments of the Heavenly Origin Sphere]
[Progress: 1/7]
[Warning: Host fate entangled with ancient calamity.]
Lu Tian smiled faintly. Calamity? For him, calamity was just another meal.
Parting at Dawn
By the time the first rays of dawn broke across the mountains, the battlefield had been stripped. Mei Xinyue's people arrived before sunrise, efficient and disciplined. They collected weapons, scavenged supplies, and quietly burned the dead.
She walked with him to the cliff's edge once more, the wind tugging at her dark hair. "This night will not remain hidden long. Word of the Roc's death, of the sphere, of you it will spread. The Xu will not sit idle."
Lu Tian's smile was sharp. "Good. Let them come. I'll climb higher on their corpses."
Her eyes lingered on him a moment longer than necessary. Then she bowed her head slightly. "When next we meet, Chen Lu Tian, I expect you to be stronger still."
He inclined his head in return. "And you, fiercer still."
She turned away, her figure soon swallowed by the forest.
Return to the Chen Estate
When Lu Tian returned, the Chen estate was already in uproar. News of Xu Wenqian's defeat had spread like wildfire through the city, and with whispers of a crimson-winged beast slain in the mountains, his name was on every tongue.
Disciples gathered as he passed, some bowing respectfully, others whispering in awe or envy.
In the main hall, Chen Guang awaited him, flanked by two elders. His grandfather's expression was calm, but Lu Tian saw the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
"You caused quite the storm," the patriarch said.
"Storms clear the weak branches," Lu Tian replied smoothly. "If the Xu want war, let them come. I'll give them reason to regret it."
Chen Guang chuckled, stroking his beard. "Bold words. Perhaps fitting. The Chen Clan may yet rise again with you at its spearhead."
The elders exchanged uneasy looks. Too much attention invited danger. But Lu Tian ignored their hesitation. The fire in his veins demanded more, hungered for challenge.
Cultivation Breakthrough
That night, in the seclusion of his courtyard, he devoured the Crimson Plume Roc's beast core. Fire surged through him, molten rivers of qi tearing at his meridians. He gritted his teeth, forcing it into order with the Heaven-Devouring Emperor System guiding every step.
[Absorbing High-Grade Beast Core…]
[Host cultivation base rising…]
[Breakthrough Achieved: Qi Refining Realm – Stage 3]
[Affinity Bonus: Fire Element +10%]
[Skill Gained: Crimson Wing Step (Basic)]
He exhaled slowly, flames flickering faintly across his skin before fading. His body felt lighter, faster, as though wings had sprouted in his soul.
"Planetary level… hmph," he murmured. "This world has no idea how high I'll climb."
The Xu Clan Responds
Two days later, scouts brought word: the Xu Clan had mobilized. Xu Wenqian had returned humiliated, his wound festering. Rumors said he swore blood vengeance. But more troubling was the news that the Xu Clan's young mistress Xu Lianhua herself had summoned allies from a greater sect in the north.
The air in the Chen estate grew tense. Disciples whispered of exile, of war, of doom. But Lu Tian stood calmly beneath the plum tree, watching petals drift in the breeze.
The System whispered:
[Upcoming Event: Xu Clan Counterstroke]
[Estimated Arrival: 7 days]
[Difficulty: High]
[Recommendation: Strengthen alliances. Expand power.]
Lu Tian's grin was cold and sharp. "Seven days? Then I'll carve seven more steps up the ladder before they arrive."