Kevin remained on the Sky-Piercing Pinnacle for another full day, the conversation with Marcus echoing in the quiet chambers of his mind. The Abyssal Chronos Ruins represented an unknown, a variable he could not fully calculate. It was both a terrifying and an intoxicating prospect. His entire life had been a methodical progression, a series of logical steps leading to his current state of powerful stagnation. The ruins offered a chaotic, illogical alternative, a leap of faith he was unaccustomed to making. For now, he pushed the thought aside and returned his focus to his craft, attempting to cleave a Resonance Stone into a thousand identical, perfectly symmetrical cubes with a single, silent application of his will.
It was during this state of intense concentration that the summons arrived.
There was no messenger, no soaring bird with a scroll. Instead, a small point of pure, white light appeared in the air directly before him. It was no larger than his thumb, yet it held an authority that was absolute. It was a Council Sigil, a direct and non-negotiable command from the highest governing body in the Eternal Jade Realm. The light did not make a sound; instead, it imprinted its message directly onto his consciousness, a feeling more than a set of words: *Your presence is required. Immediately.*
Kevin's concentration shattered, not with a jarring crash, but with a smooth, controlled release. The intricate network of Sword Intent he had been weaving around the Resonance Stone dissolved without a trace. The stone remained untouched, floating silently as if nothing had happened. He opened his eyes and looked at the sigil. It glowed with a steady, constant light, a silent testament to the power of those who had sent it.
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and walked to the edge of the pinnacle. There was no questioning the summons, no consideration of refusal. Serving the Immortal Council was the foundation of his position as a Celestial Blade. It was a duty as ingrained in him as breathing. He stepped off the edge, his body dropping into the endless sea of silver clouds below.
The fall lasted only a few seconds before his descent slowed, his body automatically manipulating the spatial energy around him to cushion his momentum. He broke through the cloud layer into the breathtaking expanse of the Eternal Jade Realm. Below him was not solid ground, but an archipelago of floating continents, islands of earth and stone held aloft by unimaginable power. Glowing pathways, rivers of solidified light and energy, connected these landmasses, with cultivators of varying levels zipping along them like comets. Waterfalls flowed both up and down, connecting floating lakes to airborne rivers in defiance of conventional physics. The entire realm was a testament to the peak of mortal cultivation, a reality shaped by beings of immense power.
Kevin's destination was the heart of it all: the Eternal Jade Palace, a continent-sized structure carved from a single, impossibly large piece of celestial jade. It floated at the very center of the realm, its spires and pavilions glowing with a soft, internal green light. As he approached, his simple gray robes and focused demeanor marked him as someone of importance. Cultivators on the glowing pathways would slow as he passed, their expressions a mixture of reverence and apprehension. They would offer respectful bows, their eyes fixed on the ground until he was gone. He was not a celebrity to be mobbed, but a force of nature to be acknowledged and given a wide berth.
He landed softly on the main entrance plaza, a vast, polished expanse that could hold an entire army. Guards in shimmering jade armor bowed their heads as he passed, their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons in a gesture of respect, not defense. He walked through grand halls where the air itself was thick with potent energy, a nourishing environment that would cause a lesser cultivator to advance in their cultivation just by breathing it. Yet, Kevin felt none of it. To him, it was just air.
He did not proceed to the public audience hall but to a far more secluded and sacred location. His path led him to a simple, plain door at the base of the palace's central spire. As he approached, the door dissolved into points of light, revealing a spiraling staircase that ascended into darkness. He stepped through, and the door reformed behind him, sealing him within.
The Council Chamber was not at the top of the stairs, but was the staircase itself. As he ascended, the space around him expanded into an infinite, star-dusted void. He was walking up a flight of ethereal steps in the middle of a private galaxy. At the apex of this space floated three simple, plain thrones carved from a material that seemed to absorb all light. Seated upon them were the three beings who held ultimate authority over the realm.
On the left sat General Theron, the military commander of the Council. He was a mountain of a man, even while seated. His face was a roadmap of old scars, and he wore a suit of black, non-reflective battle armor that seemed to drink the light from the surrounding stars. His presence was one of immense, unyielding pressure, like the gravity of a collapsing star.
On the right was Matriarch Lyra, a woman whose age was impossible to guess. She wore simple, flowing white robes, and her eyes held the deep, shimmering light of distant nebulae. Her energy was not oppressive like the General's, but vast and incomprehensible, like the quiet expanse of the void itself. She was the Council's foremost expert on esoteric energies and divination.
In the center sat Elder Kai. He appeared ancient, with a long, snow-white beard that reached his lap. His eyes were closed, and his hands rested peacefully on his knees. He radiated a profound sense of calm and wisdom, an anchoring presence that held the immense power of the other two in perfect balance. He was the voice and the will of the Immortal Council.
Kevin stopped ten steps from the thrones and performed a simple, formal bow. "You summoned me, Elders."
Elder Kai's eyes opened slowly. They were a clear, gentle gray, yet they seemed to see not just Kevin, but the entire history of his existence. His voice was soft, yet it filled the infinite space without effort. "Kevin. Thank you for coming so promptly. We have a situation that requires your unique talents."
General Theron leaned forward, his armored gauntlets creaking softly. His voice was a low rumble, like grinding stones. "We've lost two scout teams in the Shadowfen Expanse. Vanished without a trace. No distress signal, no energy echo from their life-preserving sigils. Just… gone."
Matriarch Lyra's head tilted slightly, her star-filled eyes focusing on Kevin. "It is more than that," she said, her voice like the chiming of crystal bells. "There is a new anomaly in the Expanse. A patch of… silence. Where there should be the chaotic, corrosive energy native to that region, our long-range sensors detect nothing. It is a void in the world's energy field, and it is growing."
Elder Kai raised a hand, and a three-dimensional map of the Shadowfen Expanse appeared in the air between them and Kevin. It was a dark, swampy region on the western fringe of the Mortal Foundation Realm. Red icons marked the last known positions of the two scout teams. In the center of the map was a patch of absolute blackness, a hole in the colorful, energetic topography of the projection.
Kevin's analytical mind immediately began its work. He stepped forward, his eyes scanning every detail of the map. He was no longer just a cultivator; he was a strategist deconstructing a problem.
"The Shadowfen Expanse is known for its high concentration of ambient Death and Poison elements," he stated, his voice flat and factual. "The scouts were from the 17th realm, 'Causal Manipulation.' They should have been able to alter local cause-and-effect to shield themselves from the environment."
"They were," General Theron confirmed gruffly. "They were equipped with Harmonious-grade protective artifacts and a full complement of Sovereign-grade emergency Sigil Matrices. Whatever they encountered, it overwhelmed them before they could even react."
Kevin's gaze remained fixed on the black spot on the map. "What is the anomaly's rate of expansion?"
"Approximately one square kilometer per day," Matriarch Lyra answered. "It does not expand like a ripple. It simply claims the space. One moment, our sensors read normal environmental data. The next, there is only the void. The process is instantaneous at the border."
"Have you attempted to send in automated energy probes?" Kevin asked.
"They cease transmission the moment they cross the boundary," the General grumbled, his frustration evident. "It's like throwing stones into a black hole."
Kevin fell silent for a long moment, processing the information. The variables were numerous, the danger extreme. The anomaly consumed energy, matter, and even the advanced tracking methods of the Council. It defeated 17th-realm cultivators instantly. It was growing. This was not a simple mission; it was an investigation into a phenomenon that defied their current understanding of reality.
His mind constructed and discarded dozens of tactical approaches. A direct assault was illogical without knowing the nature of the target. A long-range observational approach had already failed. This required a close-range, low-impact reconnaissance. It required someone who could perceive the subtlest shifts in reality, someone who could approach the edge of the anomaly and analyze its nature without being consumed by it. It required an expert in spatial comprehension. It required him.
He saw the mission not as a heroic quest or a deadly risk, but as a complex equation he was being asked to solve. The potential for his own demise was simply one of the variables. A significant one, but a variable nonetheless.
After a full minute of silence, he looked up from the map and met Elder Kai's patient gaze.
"I accept the assignment," he said, his tone as devoid of emotion as if he were agreeing to deliver a simple message. There was no bravado, no hesitation, no fear. It was a statement of fact.
A flicker of relief passed through Elder Kai's ancient eyes. General Theron gave a curt, satisfied nod. Matriarch Lyra offered a small, sad smile, as if she could already see the potential futures awaiting him in that dark place.
"We knew we could count on you, Kevin," Elder Kai said warmly. "Your objective is not to combat this anomaly, but to understand it. Approach with extreme caution. Your life is more valuable than any information you might gather. If the risk becomes too great, you are to withdraw immediately. That is a direct order."
Kevin gave a single, sharp nod. "Understood."
"Go, then," the Elder concluded. "May your edge remain sharp and your path clear."
The starlit void of the Council Chamber faded, and he was once again standing at the bottom of the dark, spiral staircase. The door before him dissolved, and he stepped back out into the bright, energetic atmosphere of the Eternal Jade Palace.
He did not return to his sparse living quarters. He did not seek out Marcus or any of the other Blades to inform them of his mission. His duty was confidential. Instead, he made his way to a private, heavily shielded facility deep within the palace—his personal forge and armory. It was a place of sterile order, with tools and materials arranged with geometric precision.
He did not need to pack supplies. Everything he owned was stored in a small, Sovereign-grade spatial ring on his finger. But this mission required specific tools. He bypassed his collection of powerful offensive artifacts, instead moving to a cabinet filled with delicate instruments. He selected a set of ten silver spheres, 'Energy Probes,' designed to measure minute fluctuations in elemental and spatial energies. He then picked up several 'Boundary Sigils,' complex matrices designed to create small, temporary pockets of stable reality. Finally, he checked the calibration of his personal 'Spatial Anchor,' a device that, in theory, would prevent him from being forcibly displaced through space or time.
As he worked, his mind was a cold engine of calculation. The mission was dangerous, yes, but it was also a perfect test. A test of his senses, his control, his ability to analyze and survive in an environment where all known rules were breaking down. It was just another form of training, another problem to be dissected and mastered. He felt no fear, no excitement. He felt only the familiar, focused calm of a man with a clear and singular purpose. The Shadowfen Expanse awaited.
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