The skies above Azure Cloud Sect were clear again, as though the heavens had never descended. Yet none could forget the day when lightning fell, mountains split, and Long Chen stood defiant against heaven itself.
Whispers haunted every courtyard.
"He devoured tribulation lightning…"
"He walked out alive when heaven tried to erase him."
"Is he heaven's chosen… or a devil?"
Disciples bowed quickly when Long Chen passed, some out of awe, others out of fear. No one dared meet his eyes for more than a heartbeat.
Inner Sect Reactions
At the Scripture Pavilion, disciples spoke in hushed tones.
"If Elder Zhao's disciples couldn't kill him, who can?"
"Not even the heavens could. Better to never cross his path."
"But if he rises unchecked… won't he devour even the sect?"
Zhang Mu, ever bold, puffed out his chest. "Brother Long Chen isn't some devil! He's our sect's future! You should worship him, not whisper like cowards!"
Zhang Wei silenced him with a glare, but her gaze lingered on Long Chen from afar. In her heart, admiration and worry knotted together.
Elder Zhao's Fury
Inside a sealed chamber, Elder Zhao knelt before a massive jade tablet etched with sect laws. His face twisted in fury, veins bulging at his temples.
"Heaven's Observation should have destroyed him… yet he survived!" His voice was a venomous growl. "If this continues, he will one day sit above us all."
A cloaked subordinate spoke cautiously. "Elder… perhaps it is best to wait. If he draws the heavens' wrath again—"
"No!" Zhao snapped, slamming his palm into the stone floor, cracking it. "I will not watch my sect devoured. If heaven cannot kill him, then I will bring blades sharper than heaven itself."
His eyes glowed with dangerous intent. "Contact our allies in the Middle Realm. If the sect shelters him, then outsiders will not."
Sect Master's Stance
In the Jade Pavilion, Sect Master Ye Tianxing gazed at the mountain horizon, his expression unreadable.
An elder bowed behind him. "Sect Master… Zhao moves again. He courts outsiders to intervene."
Ye Tianxing stroked his beard, his ancient eyes steady. "Let him. Those who walk against fate will break before it. Long Chen is no ordinary child. If even heaven could not erase him, how will schemers succeed?"
"But Sect Master…" the elder hesitated. "What if he truly becomes… uncontrollable?"
Ye Tianxing's gaze turned sharp, like a sword hidden in fog. "Then he will either lead this sect to glory… or burn us all. Such is the gamble of dragons."
Li Qingyue's Choice
At Frostmoon Peak, Li Qingyue stood alone under moonlight, her silver hair glistening in the pale glow. Her violet eyes were cold, yet inside, they stirred with unfamiliar turbulence.
She remembered the moment Long Chen stood beneath lightning, golden eyes unyielding. The resonance of their Daos still lingered in her veins.
He defied heaven. And I… felt him.
She touched her chest lightly, feeling her qi tremble faintly. Why do I, who have never bent for anyone, feel this pull?
Her lips curved faintly, an almost imperceptible smile.
"Long Chen… if you survive what is to come, perhaps the moon will no longer watch from afar."
Multiverse Echo
That night, as Long Chen cultivated, the Origin Loom pulsed. Alongside the Devour and Creation threads, a faint silver-golden strand shimmered — the Anchor Bond linking him to Boa Hancock.
For an instant, his vision blurred. He saw her, standing on the deck of a ship sailing across stormy seas, her violet eyes turned toward the horizon, whispering his name.
The vision vanished, leaving behind only warmth in his palm.
Long Chen's lips curved faintly. "Wait for me, Empress. When the sea turns against you, I will return."
Mo Lingxi's Shadow
In the Omniverse's void, crimson eyes glimmered with wicked delight. Mo Lingxi lounged on her throne of shadows, her lips curling.
"Yes… the dragon grows stronger. The sect fears him. The heavens failed. The moon stirs. The sea awaits. All threads weave closer to my design."
Her laughter spilled through eternity, soft and deadly.
Resolve
At dawn, Long Chen stood atop the broken cliffs of Azure Spirit Peak, his robe fluttering in the wind. The sect lay below him, buzzing with fear, awe, and schemes.
His golden eyes swept the horizon.
"Heaven tried and failed. The sect trembles. Enemies sharpen knives. But none of it matters."
His aura surged, dragon qi roaring across the peak, shaking the mountain.
"Soon… I will step into the Middle Realm. And from there, no world will remain beyond my reach."
The dragon within him roared in savage joy.