On a solitary mountain, where sunlight reached its peak and flocks of birds glided overhead in assembly lines, Vahn stood there watching the horizon in quiet contemplation.
The wind brushed passed his face, making him feel more alive.
Beside the riverbank, this was one of the places he loved to wander off alone whenever he felt alone in this foreign, unfamiliar land. Frome the time he transmigrated, he always felt terrified of people around him.
The cultivators, to be specific. They were too strong, too heartless, so he had heard. There wasn't a single moment he stopped yearning for strength to defend himself. He wanted to stay alive and make his second life useful.
But it was always out of his reach. No matter how many times he tried, he failed.
But now the chance had arrived. After knowing his golden finger had always been within him, he wasn't going to waste his time.
He would take back what is rightfully his. But this requires careful planning and execution. He didn't know exactly who these seven women are, but he knew they had to be outrageously powerful. That is why he needed to deal with them carefully.
But now that he thought about it, this is far more difficult than he originally thought.
"Grandfather said if I break the Seal, they would be able to find me no matter where I go, but how could I grow strong without letting them know where I am? Wouldn't that mean I would have to fall in their hand no matter what?" he murmured as frustration bubbled inside him.
In simple words, taking this step was equal to walking into a lion's den.
He sat down on his butt, thinking hard. But even after working his brain overdrive, he couldn't find a solution.
If there was a solution, the old man would have used it a long time ago.
That would mean that old man knew this day would come when he had to make the choice. And the last words of the old man also suggested as such.
He had no choice but to go to the enemy's den. Although it was dangerous, if he could play his cards right, he could even enjoy the privileges that come with it.
He was also curious how his seven wives looked like. If they are from the righteous faction, they shouldn't be too bad, right?
Just imagining their peerless beauty, his young virgin heart fluttered with excitement.
'But wait, I shouldn't fall for this honey trap; maybe there's another way...'
Just as he was hesitating, A dark crow suddenly swooped down, outstretched it talons, trying to steal away the jade scrolled from his hand.
Vahn instinctively tightened his grip around the scroll to protect it, but the crow's pull was too strong.
"Let it go, you damn crow! Do you really want me to die as a mortal?" Vahn shouted, cursing as though damning the crow's nine generations.
"Caww!"
The bird answered with a furious caw that rattled his ears like thunder. Its talons slashed again, and by accident one sharp claw pricked his finger.
A drop of blood splattered onto the jade scroll.
In an instant, the scroll hungrily absorbed it.
Then—
Flash!
A blinding light burst forth as the jade scroll shattered into countless fragments.
And that was how the inevitable happened. The Seal of Seven Moons broke.
Vahn stood frozen as archaic chains materialized out of his body. They stretched themselves into the shape of an Eight Trigram formation, with him bound at the very heart of it.
The chains locked him into place, each etched with glowing symbols across the ground. Yin and Yang merged in shifting balance, and the trigrams encircled him like an ancient wheel of fate. Each line burned with celestial light, forming patterns that pulsed as though alive.
It was divine, yet terrifying at the same time. The chains wriggled and twisted around him like living tentacles, sealing him within a cage that no mortal hand could break.
And yet, he understood that this prison had been his protection all these years. And now, before his eyes, that protection was crumbling.
Crack… crack… crack…
One by one, the chains snapped.
With every shatter, a burst of energy surged through the trigrams, until at seven points around the circle, silhouettes began to emerge like grey mist.
Still, they appeared graceful, beautiful, and otherworldly.
When the last chain fell, silence returned. Vahn felt an indescribable sense of freedom flood through him. The shackles that had bound his soul for so long were gone.
But when he looked at the seven silhouettes of women surrounding him, his throat went dry.
Even without seeing their faces, he could already tell they were breathtaking in their own rights. Their outlines, the soft curves of their figures, and the allure that radiated from them made his young heart pound wildly in his chest.
However, all of Vahn's excitement died the moment a cold voice reached his ears.
"Unacceptable! How could a mere mortal be my husband? Just look at that ugly expression of his. So disgusting."
The voice was cold, as though he was put inside a ice cave.
Next came a fiery roar, full of scorn and pride.
"Tch! This boy is to be my Dao Companion? He doesn't even have the strength of a outer disciple's servant! What a disgrace to my blade."
It was filled with arrogance, dripping with disdain.
Then, a sultry laugh echoed, low and intoxicating:
"Hehehe… after all these years, fate gives us a trembling lamb instead of a lion? How amusing. Tell me, little husband, will you wither at our beauty before you ever grow strong?"
Her tone wrapped around him like velvet, both alluring and mocking.
Before Vahn could respond, a serene yet distant voice followed, cold as the night sky.
"His spirit energy is faint. A candlelight in the storm. If he walks beside us as he is, he will vanish before destiny completes its course."
It was cold, logical, devoid of any warmth.
The fifth voice drifted in a playfully mocking tone,
"Look at him blush! His little heart beats like a drum just from hearing our voices. He's like an untested concoction—fragile, and ready to explode at the first touch."
"Enough! Do not belittle what you do not understand. If the heavens have decreed this bond, then he carries a purpose yet unseen. Even a fragile seed can break stone if nurtured well."
The sixth voice thundered suddenly, deep and commanding.
It was resolute, filled with holiness
Finally, a gentle but firm voice rang out:
"Enough. He is my husband. No matter how weak he may seem now, he is the one I have already been bound to. Destiny has brought us together, and I will never let him go."
Her words were warm as the morning sun, demolishing through the scorn of the others, carrying both affection and unshakable resolve.
Vahn's heart pounded wildly. Surrounded by seven unseen wives, each voice striking him differently, he could only swallow hard, caught between despair, awe, and an unfamiliar warmth.