The night hung heavy with silence.
The sect grounds still bore scars from the branded soul's explosion—cracked stone, charred bloodstains, disciples whispering in hushed tones as though afraid the shadows might answer back.
In his secluded chamber, Feng Xieyun sat cross-legged, black lotus flame coiling faintly around his form. His crimson eyes glowed in the dark as he sank into meditation.
The System's chime echoed in his mind.
> [System Update: Functions unlocked due to Hidden Mission clearance.]
[New Functions Available:]
– Mission Path: Branching objectives based on Host's choices.
– Demon Lotus Codex: Detailed evolution chart for Heavenly Demon Dao Bone.
– Tracking Interference: Limited cloaking of Lin Clan pursuit. Duration: 6 hours per activation.
[Warning: Energy reserves insufficient. Treasures or souls required for recharge.]
Xieyun opened his eyes slowly, a flicker of cold amusement in them.
"So, you demand sacrifices now, do you?" he murmured.
The System pulsed in response.
> [Host walks the path of blood. To grow, sacrifices must be made.]
He closed his eyes again, listening to the faint cries of the branded disciple echoing in his memory. The reminder cut deep.
"I have sacrificed before. I will again. But this time…" His fingers curled into fists. "This time it will be them who burn."
---
At dawn, the sect gathered in uneasy silence. The arena had been repaired overnight with spirit arrays, but no one dared step into its center.
It was not the Sect Master who spoke first, but Lian Zhi.
She stepped forward, violet robes trailing, chains of starlight faintly shimmering around her like fragments of constellations. Her presence silenced the murmurs, drawing eyes without effort.
Her gaze swept the disciples, sharp and distant. "What occurred yesterday was not a trial. It was an execution attempt."
Elders shifted uncomfortably. The Sect Master remained impassive, but his eyes glimmered with interest.
Lian Zhi turned toward Xieyun, who stood silent at the edge of the gathering. For an instant, her expression softened—a fleeting crack in her immortal mask.
She addressed the sect. "Do you not see? The Lin Clan has already pierced this sanctuary. Their runes marked a disciple's very soul. This is not mere rivalry—it is war."
Her words hung like thunder. Some disciples nodded, others trembled, while elders whispered angrily among themselves.
The Sect Master raised a hand. "Enough, girl. Your bloodline grants you insight, but do not presume to lecture this hall."
But Lian Zhi did not flinch. She stepped closer to Xieyun, her chains flaring faintly as if shielding him. "Then answer me, Sect Master: will you protect him, or feed him to the wolves?"
The silence was sharp enough to cut.
Xieyun's lips curled faintly. He admired her courage, even as he knew the danger it brought.
---
That night, as the moon rose, Xieyun sought her out. He found her by the sect's ancient pond, where lotus blossoms floated on mirrored waters.
"You risked too much," he said quietly.
She turned, her violet eyes reflecting moonlight. "Do you think silence will save you? The Lin Clan will not relent. If the sect turns its back on you, what will you do then?"
His gaze hardened. "What I always do. Survive. Burn a path forward."
For a long moment, they simply stood in silence, the air thick with unspoken weight.
Then Lian Zhi lifted her hand. A single chain of light unfurled from her palm, wrapping gently around his wrist.
"This is not just my power," she whispered. "It is a seal… one that binds me to the Immortal Plane. You should know the truth, Xieyun. My family did not send me here to train. They sent me to watch. To hunt."
His crimson eyes narrowed. "Hunt what?"
Her lips curved in a bitter smile. "You."
---
Before he could speak, the air split.
A spatial rift tore open above the pond, spilling light like liquid silver. From it descended figures in gleaming immortal robes, their eyes cold, their presence suffocating.
At their head stood a woman draped in starlit silk, her gaze like a blade of frost. The resemblance to Lian Zhi was unmistakable.
"Daughter," the woman's voice rang clear, laced with immortal pressure. "Your mission is over. Return."
Lian Zhi's chains trembled violently, drawn toward the woman's command. She staggered, clutching her chest as if torn in two.
"No—!" she cried. "I… I will not abandon—"
The woman's eyes narrowed. "Do not disgrace your bloodline."
Chains of starlight shot from the rift, coiling around Lian Zhi's body. She screamed as they bound her, dragging her toward the portal.
Xieyun moved instantly, black lotus flame roaring to life. His hand seized one of the chains, burning it to ash.
The immortal woman's gaze fell upon him. For the first time, her mask cracked—surprise flickered in her cold eyes.
"You… the Demon Bone child."
Xieyun's eyes burned crimson. "If you think I'll let you take her—"
But the System's chime cut him short.
> [Warning: Host's current cultivation insufficient to challenge Immortal Entities.]
[New Mission Unlocked: Path of the Unbroken Chain — Survive Lian Zhi's capture. Reward: Lotus Flame Third Bloom.]
The chains surged with renewed force. Despite his fire, Xieyun felt his arm snap under the pressure, bones grinding as starlight coiled tighter.
Lian Zhi cried out, reaching for him. "Xieyun—!"
But the next moment, the portal swallowed her. The immortal figures vanished into the rift, leaving only silence.
Xieyun fell to his knees, blood dripping from his arm, crimson eyes blazing with fury.
The pond was still again, the lotus blossoms drifting as if nothing had happened.
The System pulsed.
> [Mission Failure Imminent. Lian Zhi captured.]
[Time Limit for Recovery: 1 year.]
[Warning: Her bloodline seal is unraveling. If not retrieved, she will be bound forever to the Immortal Plane.]
Xieyun's fists clenched, black flames devouring the grass around him.
"Immortal Plane…" he growled, his voice low and deadly. "Then I will tear open the skies themselves if I must. No chain forged by Heaven will keep her from me."
Above, the blood moon flared brighter than ever.
And somewhere far beyond mortal reach, the Lian Clan began to whisper of the crimson child who dared defy the heavens.
---
✨ End of Chapter Twenty-Seven ✨
-