Location: The Heavenly Sword Sect – The Peak of Eternal Day
The Heavenly Sword Sect was a paradise floating above the clouds. Islands of rock defied gravity, chained together by massive iron links, drifting in a sea of perpetual sunlight. It was a place of blinding purity, where the air hummed with the righteousness of the "Orthodox Path."
But today, paradise was in a state of panic.
In the Hall of the Sun, the Sect Leader, Grandmaster Xuan, paced back and forth. He was an old man, but his skin was unwrinkled, glowing with the vitality of a Level 75 (Dao Integration) cultivator. Behind him, the ten Great Elders sat in a circle, their expressions grim.
"Three days," Grandmaster Xuan growled, his voice vibrating the hall's golden pillars. "Three days since Lin Chen sent his last transmission. The Emperor's capital has gone silent. My spies report a 'purple fog' surrounding the palace."
"We should strike now," Elder Fang, a man with a beard like steel wire, slammed his hand on the table. "The Qin Emperor has clearly fallen to the Demonic Path. If they have captured our Hero, we must burn the capital to the ground to retrieve him!"
"And risk the World Tree's retaliation?" another Elder countered. "The Emperor still holds the Mandate. If we attack without cause, the Karma will destroy our cultivation."
The doors to the Great Hall burst open.
A disciple rushed in, breathless and pale. "Sect Leader! He... he has returned! Senior Brother Lin Chen has returned!"
Grandmaster Xuan vanished from his spot and reappeared at the entrance.
There, stumbling up the Thousand-Step Staircase, was Lin Chen.
The Hero looked like he had crawled out of hell. His white robes were shredded and stained with dried black blood. His copper hair was matted. He dragged his divine sword, Solstice, behind him as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"Master..." Lin Chen rasped, collapsing onto the final step.
"Chen'er!" Grandmaster Xuan rushed forward, catching his disciple before he hit the ground. He poured his own pure Yang-Qi into the boy's body.
To the Sect Leader's relief, he felt Lin Chen's familiar Solar Qi. It was weak, flickering, and traumatized—but it was there. He checked the boy's soul. It seemed intact, though scarred by immense fear.
He didn't notice the void.
Grandmaster Xuan was looking for "Demonic Qi" or "Mind Control Seals." He wasn't looking for a total rewrite of the operating system. He missed the microscopic Abyssal Code buried deep in Lin Chen's subconscious.
"What happened?" Xuan demanded, his eyes burning with rage. "Who did this to you?"
"The Alchemist..." Lin Chen whispered, clutching his master's robes with a desperate, terrified grip. "The Pale Alchemist... he controls the Emperor. He... he tried to feed me to a shadow beast."
A collective gasp went through the Elders.
"I escaped," Lin Chen lied, tears streaming from his violet-tinged (but currently disguised as gold) eyes. "I used the forbidden 'Sun-Burn' technique to break the chains. Master... the Emperor is terrified. The Alchemist has him addicted to a poison. The Emperor wants to be saved. He secretly gave me this."
Lin Chen pulled a crumpled, bloodstained scroll from his sleeve.
It was an official Imperial Edict, stamped with the Emperor's personal seal (which Aris now possessed).
To Grandmaster Xuan of the Heavenly Sword Sect,
I am a prisoner in my own home. The Pale Alchemist is a demon. I have no strength to fight him. I invite the Heavenly Sword Sect to the capital for a 'Peace Summit'. Bring your elites. Once you are inside the walls, I will disable the formations. Help me kill this monster, and I will grant you the World Tree Root.
Grandmaster Xuan read the letter. His hands shook—not with fear, but with greed.
The World Tree Root? The ultimate treasure of the continent?
"Is this real?" Elder Fang asked, reading over his shoulder.
"The seal is authentic," Xuan said, his eyes narrowing. "And Lin Chen risked his life to bring it. The Emperor is weak. He is begging for a regime change."
"It could be a trap," a cautious Elder warned.
"A trap?" Xuan scoffed. "The Pale Alchemist is a rumor. The Emperor is a junkie. And we? We are the Heavenly Sword Sect. Even if it is a trap, do you think a few political schemers can stop ten Nascent Soul Elders and a Dao Integration Grandmaster?"
He turned to the hall.
"Gather the Inner Disciples. Prepare the War-Arks. We aren't just going to a summit."
Grandmaster Xuan smiled, a cruel, arrogant smile.
"We are going to conquer an Empire."
Location: The Royal Capital – The Throne Room
Aris sat on the steps of the Golden Throne, polishing his porcelain mask with a silk cloth. The Emperor, Qin Long, sat on the throne itself—shivering, eyes wide and dilated, waiting for his morning pill.
"They are coming," Aris said softly.
[System Alert: Mass Energy Signatures Detected.]
[Incoming Hostiles: 300+ Cultivators.]
[Threat Level: World-Ending.]
"Master..." the Emperor stuttered. "If the Heavenly Sword Sect attacks... the city defenses... they can't hold..."
"I don't want them to hold," Aris said, standing up and placing the mask on his face. The Pale Alchemist returned. "I turned them off an hour ago."
The Emperor whimpered. "Off? You turned the shields off?"
"You can't trap a fly if you leave the window closed, Your Majesty," Aris replied smoothly. "We want them inside. We want them comfortable. We want them to feel like conquerors."
Aris turned his gaze to the massive banquet table set up in the center of the hall. It was laden with the finest spirit-meats and wines.
"System," Aris commanded silently. "Status of the 'Banquet of Gluttony'?"
[Formation Status: Active.]
[The Food: Infused with 'Abyssal Slow-Poison'.]
[The Wine: Infused with 'Qi-Dampening Spores'.]
[The Room: 'The Meat Grinder' Formation is primed and waiting for trigger signal.]
"Perfect."
Aris looked at the Emperor. "Sit up straight, Qin Long. Try to look like a ruler who still has a spine. When they arrive, you will offer them the surrender of the Empire. You will offer them the throne."
"And then?"
"And then," Aris's violet eyes curved into a smile behind the mask, "I will serve dessert."
The Arrival: The Golden Fleet
At noon, the sky above the capital turned gold.
Five massive War-Arks—flying ships carved from spirit-wood—descended from the clouds. They bore the insignia of the burning sun. The pressure they radiated was immense, causing the commoners in the streets below to fall to their knees in terror.
The Heavenly Sword Sect didn't knock. They landed their flagship directly in the Imperial Plaza, crushing the pristine white tiles.
Grandmaster Xuan walked down the ramp, flanked by his ten Elders and three hundred elite disciples in white robes. Leading them, looking vindicated and righteous, was Lin Chen.
"The Capital smells of rot," Elder Fang sneered, sniffing the air.
"Ignore the smell," Xuan commanded. "Focus on the prize."
They marched straight into the Palace. The guards, under Aris's orders (and the command of the Black Jade Seal), stood down, opening the massive vermilion gates without a fight.
To the Sect, this looked like surrender. It confirmed Lin Chen's story: The Empire was broken.
They entered the Throne Room.
It was a cavernous hall of gold and obsidian. At the far end, the Emperor sat on his throne, looking pale and small. Standing beside him was the tall, robed figure of the Pale Alchemist.
"Grandmaster Xuan," the Emperor's voice trembled. "You... you have come."
"We have come to collect, Qin Long," Xuan boomed, his voice echoing off the walls. He didn't bow. He walked straight to the foot of the throne stairs. "My disciple tells me you wish to abdicate the World Tree to us in exchange for protection from this... alchemist."
Xuan pointed a finger at Aris. "So this is the demon? He doesn't look like much. I can sense his cultivation... barely Core Formation. Is this the ant that scared you?"
Aris remained silent. He simply stood there, hands clasped behind his back, observing the data streaming above Xuan's head.
[Target: Grandmaster Xuan]
[Level: 75 (Dao Integration)]
[Weakness: Arrogance. Right-Side Meridian Blockage (Old Injury).]
"I am merely a servant," Aris said, his voice modulated and calm. "Please. We have prepared a feast to honor the transition of power. Let us sign the treaty over wine."
Xuan laughed. "A feast? You think we will eat your food?"
"I will eat first," Lin Chen stepped forward. "To prove it is safe."
Lin Chen walked to the table, grabbed a goblet of wine, and downed it in one gulp. He grabbed a piece of spirit-meat and ate it. He wiped his mouth, looking at his Master. "It is safe, Master. The Emperor wouldn't dare poison us while you are standing right here."
Xuan nodded. Lin Chen was the Hero. His intuition for danger was legendary. If he ate, it was safe.
"Fine," Xuan sat at the head of the table. The Elders and disciples filled the rest of the seats. "We eat. Then we execute the Alchemist. Then we take the Root."
The feast began.
For an hour, the Hall was filled with the sounds of the Sect celebrating their victory. They drank the wine. They ate the meat. They mocked the Emperor to his face.
Aris watched the timer in his vision count down.
[Saturation Level: 85%]
[Qi-Dampening Spores: Active.]
[Effect: Reaction times slowed by 40%. Qi Regeneration halted.]
Grandmaster Xuan stood up, wiping grease from his chin. "Enough. The treaty. Where is it?"
"It is right here," Aris said.
He pulled a scroll from his sleeve. But instead of handing it to the Emperor, he handed it to Lin Chen.
"Read it for them, Lin Chen."
The room went quiet. Lin Chen took the scroll. He didn't open it. Instead, he drew Solstice.
The sword didn't glow gold. For the first time, the illusion dropped. The blade erupted with a horrifying, jagged violet aura that screamed like a dying banshee.
"Lin Chen?" Xuan frowned. "What is wrong with your sword?"
Lin Chen looked up. His eyes turned black. A smile—a true, twisted, Abyssal smile—split his face.
"The treaty says," Lin Chen whispered, "that the sheep have invited themselves to the slaughter."
The Trap Springs
"Now," Aris commanded.
SNAP.
Aris snapped his fingers.
The doors to the Throne Room slammed shut. The windows were sealed by sheets of black Void-Steel that dropped from the ceiling.
The floor beneath the banquet table began to glow red.
[Formation Activated: The Meat Grinder.]
[Type: Spatial Shredding / Gravity Crush.]
"Gravity x 50!"
BOOM.
Three hundred disciples were instantly slammed face-first into their plates. The weaker ones—the Qi Foundation disciples—didn't even have time to scream. Their bones shattered under the sudden increase in gravity, turning them into paste instantly.
"Ambush!" Elder Fang roared, trying to stand up. "My Qi! It's sluggish!"
"Lin Chen! What are you doing?!" Xuan screamed, blasting his aura to resist the gravity. "Kill the Alchemist!"
Lin Chen moved. But he didn't attack Aris.
He spun around, his violet broadsword cleaving through the air in a blur of motion.
Shing.
The head of the Elder sitting next to him—Elder Liu—flew into the air, a look of pure confusion frozen on his face.
"I serve the Void now, old man," Lin Chen laughed, swinging the blade again.
Chaos.
The Throne Room turned into a blender.
The "Gravity" pinned the disciples down, making them easy targets. From the shadows of the ceiling, Black Jade Guards (Aris's controlled units) dropped down, firing crossbows loaded with armor-piercing bolts.
But the real terror was Aris.
Aris stepped off the dais. He didn't use a weapon. He activated Root-Admin: Severance.
He pointed at Elder Fang, who was charging at him with a spear of fire.
"Disconnect."
Elder Fang's fire vanished. He stumbled, his momentum lost.
"What—?"
Aris walked up to the frozen, powerless Elder. He placed his hand on the man's chest.
[Skill: Alchemical Cannibalism.]
"You have spent 200 years cultivating this fire," Aris whispered. "I'll take it."
Whoosh.
Elder Fang withered in seconds. His skin turned to dust, his muscles evaporated. A stream of pure, red energy flowed into Aris's arm, absorbed instantly by the Abyssal Sovereign Body.
[System Alert: Massive Qi Influx.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Aris moved to the next one.
It was a massacre. The Heavenly Sword Sect, the strongest power in the region, was being dismantled piece by piece. They were trapped, poisoned, betrayed by their hero, and fighting a man who could turn off their powers with a word.
Grandmaster Xuan was the only one left standing. He was fighting Lin Chen, his Dao Integration cultivation barely holding off the corrupt Shadow-Knight.
"You demon!" Xuan screamed at Aris, parrying a blow from his former student. "You corrupted him!"
"I improved him," Aris corrected.
Aris raised his hand. Nox, now a massive beast of shadow armor, formed around him.
"Lin Chen, hold him down."
The Shadow-Knight abandoned defense. He let Xuan stab him through the shoulder just to get close enough to grab the Grandmaster's arms.
"Got him," Lin Chen hissed, ignoring the hole in his chest.
Aris walked forward. He held the God-Blight Spike (retrieved from the Root) in his hand.
"A Dao Integration cultivator," Aris mused, looking at the terrified leader. "You're too big to eat whole. I think I'll make you into a Battery for the West Pavilion."
He plunged the spike into Xuan's dantian.
The Grandmaster's scream shook the foundations of the palace.
[Battle Complete.]
[Hostiles Eliminated: 312.]
[Survivors: 1 (Grandmaster Xuan - Captured).]
[Harvest Report]
Aris stood amidst the carnage, the blood on the floor flowing toward him, pulled by his physique.
[Host: Aris Thorne]
[Level Up: 38 → 45 (Late-Stage Core Formation)]
[Physique Awakening: 45% → 60%]
[New Title: Slayer of the Righteous.]
He stepped over the bodies, walking toward the open doors where the sun was setting. The Empire was his. The Sect was gone.
"Clean this up," Aris ordered the Emperor, who was cowering behind the throne. "And prepare the War-Arks. We have a Sect mountain to loot."