The peace lasted for nearly a year. A year of growth, and of love. Kael was now Level 7, his
[Iron Will] and [Aura of Protection] maxed out for his current Path. He felt indestructible. Lin Yue
was on the cusp of breaking through to the Golden Core stage, a feat almost unheard of for a
"rogue" cultivator without a sect's resources.
Then, he came.
It was not a "knock." It was a presence. An ancient, impossibly vast power that settled over their
courtyard, so immense that the very air crystallized into falling snow. It was not hostile. It was... Kael and Lin Yue were on their feet in an instant. Kael was in front, his Vow active, his [Sacred
Shield] ready on his arm. Lin Yue stood beside him, her flute glowing, her new "Will-Ice" aura
making the air crackle.
An old man in the simple, grey robes of a traveler stood in their gate. Lin Yue gasped. Her
ice-aura vanished. "Master..." she whispered.
She bowed deeply. Kael, seeing her respect, lowered his shield, though his Vow remained
active, a silent, bronze hum. Elder Jian looked... old. He studied them both. His gaze lingered
on Kael, his eyes wide with a profound, academic bafflement. He could feel the pressure of his
own Golden-Core-Peak Qi bending around the mortal, as if the man were a black hole for
spiritual energy.
"So," Elder Jian said, his voice a dry rasp. "It is true. He is a void. And yet... he is a wall. What
an... astonishing paradox." He looked at his student. "Lin Yue. You are not corrupted." "No,
Master." "You are... stronger. Your Dao... it has a spine it lacked. It is... complete." He sighed, a
sound like a mountain shifting. "I came to retrieve a lost student. I find... a Master."
Lin Yue's eyes welled with tears. "Master... I..." "Do not apologize," he said, raising a hand. "It is
the Sect that should apologize. I am... ashamed." His face hardened. "I am not here on the
Sect's behalf. I am here as your old teacher. And I bring a warning."
A cold dread settled on Kael. "Yan Fei," the Elder said. Lin Yue's face went cold. "He was not...
well, after you defeated him. His family's 'appeasement' from my sect was not enough. His pride
was shattered. He... he sought another Path." The Elder looked at the sky. "He found the
'Asura-Blood' tomb in the southern wastes. He entered. And... he emerged. He has broken
through to the Golden Core. But it is a wrong breakthrough, Kael. It is a path of madness, a
'demonic' fusion. His power is vast, but unstable. And he has only one thought in his twisted
mind." The Elder met their gaze. "Revenge. He is hunting you. He has already destroyed a
Raging Sky Sect outpost just for mistaking their commander for me. He is leaving a trail of
death, and he is coming here."
Kael felt the chill. This wasn't a suitor. This was a monster. "We will fight him," Kael said. "You
do not understand, boy," the Elder said, his voice full of pity. "He is not a
Foundation-Establishment fool. He is a Golden Core demon. He wields the 'Asura-Bloodflame.'
It devours Qi. Even your... 'will'... I do not know if it can stand. And Yue'er, your ice... it will be
fuel for his flame."
Lin Yue was pale, but her hand found Kael's. "We will not run. Not again." Elder Jian nodded
slowly. "I knew you would say that." He tossed a small, jade token to Lin Yue. "This will not save
you. It is not a weapon. It is... a signal. If your life-force is extinguished... it will break. And I will
know. And I promise you, little Yue... I will spend the last of my days hunting him to the ends of
the realms. That, I Vow." He turned. "Do not die." And, like a wisp of snow, he was gone.