The stranger's sword hung above her chest, its silver edge trembling, catching the dim light of the moon. His eyes were steady, but his knuckles whitened from the grip, as if he battled himself more than the monster before him. Li Yan's breath came ragged and shallow. The crimson fire inside her had not faded—it writhed, coiling like a serpent begging to strike.
Her tears blurred the world. She saw only his silhouette and the blade pointed at her heart.
"Better one life than a thousand," he had said.
Her body shook violently. Somewhere deep inside, her blood screamed in protest—not against him, not against death, but against weakness.
Then the ground split.
A roar, not from the shadow this time, but from her very veins, burst into the valley. Crimson flames erupted outward in a violent sphere, shattering stone, uprooting trees. The stranger was hurled back, his barrier crushed as if made of paper. The shadow reeled as well, its colossal form twisting in pain, its laughter cut short.
Li Yan stood at the eye of the storm.
Her hair lifted, whipped by invisible winds. Her eyes glowed faint red, like embers buried in snow. The flames danced along her arms and legs, yet they did not burn her. Instead, they shaped themselves—serpents of fire, claws of light, wings of smoke.
The stranger coughed blood and forced himself upright. "No… it's too soon. She shouldn't be able to wield this much…"
The shadow growled from the mist, its form reassembling."Yes. At last. The seal breaks. Our blood sings once more."
Li Yan clutched her head. She felt herself splitting into two beings—the frightened girl who had been mocked all her life, and the creature who now tasted heaven's fire.
"Stop it!" she screamed at herself, at the world. "I don't want this!"
But the fire did not listen.
It surged outward, devouring the river's crimson waters until steam rose like a veil. The phantoms shrieked, burned into ash. Even the shadow staggered back, its massive form dripping away.
Then—suddenly—another voice cut through the storm.
Calm. Cold. Ancient.
"Found her."
The valley silenced.
From above, the clouds split as a streak of azure light descended. It was not lightning—it was qi condensed so purely that it hummed with authority. The ground trembled as a figure emerged from within: tall, robed in flowing blue silks embroidered with silver lotuses. His hair was bound high with a jade pin, and his eyes—icy, piercing—swept across the scene with contempt.
Both the stranger and Li Yan froze. Even the shadow's laughter stilled, shrinking slightly under the man's presence.
The newcomer raised a slender hand, and the air itself bent to his will. "The cursed blood awakens, just as the elders foresaw." His gaze landed squarely on Li Yan, as though nothing else existed. "You will come with me."
Li Yan's knees nearly buckled. His presence was suffocating, heavier than the shadow's malice, sharper than the stranger's sword. She wanted to resist, to shout, but her voice died in her throat.
The stranger spat blood and staggered forward, sword raised though his arm trembled. "You… from the Azure Lotus Sect."
The newcomer smirked faintly. "So, even a wandering dog knows the name of heaven's garden." His gaze flicked to the stranger's blade. "And still clutching that relic? I should have known."
Li Yan's heart pounded. She had heard the name before—in whispers, in fearful mutterings. The Azure Lotus Sect was one of the great sects that ruled beyond the mountains, their influence stretching across kingdoms. They were said to cultivate qi so pure it could bend rivers, command storms. They were untouchable.
And yet… why would one of their emissaries stand in a forgotten valley, seeking her?
The shadow roared, gathering its strength once more. "She is mine!" it bellowed, surging forward in a wave of darkness.
The emissary's expression didn't change. He flicked his wrist.
A lotus of pure azure light bloomed in the air before him. Petals of qi drifted outward, delicate yet devastating. They struck the shadow like a thousand blades, tearing its form apart in shrieks of agony. For the first time, the monstrous presence faltered, retreating into the mist.
The emissary exhaled softly, as if the act cost him nothing. His cold eyes returned to Li Yan. "Your blood calls too loudly now. If left unchecked, you will drown villages in flame. That is why the sect will claim you."
"I'm not—" Li Yan tried to protest, but her voice cracked.
The stranger shouted hoarsely, stepping between them. "She won't go with you!"
The emissary's smile was thin, cruel. "You would oppose a sect? A lone exile wielding a dying blade?"
"I swore to protect her," the stranger hissed, his sword trembling with light.
Li Yan's mind swirled. Every word twisted her fate tighter. She wanted to scream that she wasn't some cursed heir, not a weapon for sects, not a shadow's daughter—but the flames licking her arms told another truth.
And then the emissary's words cut deeper.
"Li Yan of the Crimson Vein… daughter of the forsaken line. Do you even know what you are?"
Her heart froze. "What… did you say?"
The flames flared violently, reacting to the name.
The emissary stepped closer, his aura pressing against her chest like a mountain. "You carry the blood of the Fifth Heaven's Betrayer. The enemy of all sects. Your very existence is an abomination."
Li Yan's knees gave way. The world spun. She remembered the taunts of her village, the way elders whispered curses under their breath when she passed. Abomination. Cursed. Tainted. And now… confirmation from one of the heavens themselves.
The stranger growled, lifting his sword in defiance. "Enough! She is not her blood. She is not a tool for your sect!"
Azure light and silver steel clashed as both cultivators surged forward. The valley erupted in a storm of qi—blue petals colliding with silver arcs, fire clashing against frost. Trees disintegrated to ash. Stones split apart.
Li Yan stumbled back, the fire within her raging. She wanted to help, to fight, but every step made the flames hungrier.
The emissary's voice echoed through the chaos. "If she resists the sect, then she dies here!"
The stranger shouted back. "Over my dead body!"
Their battle shook the heavens.
Li Yan clutched her chest, torn between terror and fury. Why me? Why this fate? The fire whispered its answer. Because you are more. Because they fear you.
Her eyes burned crimson as the battle reached its peak. The emissary's lotus petals swarmed, cutting through the stranger's defenses. His silver sword cracked under the strain.
And then the emissary raised his hand, a lotus forming directly above Li Yan's head.
"Now, cursed child… return to nothing."
The lotus descended.
Li Yan screamed—whether in fear, rage, or surrender, even she didn't know. The fire inside her surged upward, answering the attack. Flames coiled around her body, forming a blazing serpent that lunged at the lotus.
The collision split the night sky in two.