Part 1: The All-Seeing Eye
In the highest tower of the Golden City, where Qi gathered in artificial clouds, the City Lord, Duan, opened his eyes.
He was neither old nor young. His appearance was timeless, with jade-like skin and eyes that seemed to contain electric storms. As an expert of the Sacred Origin Realm (Stage 3), his connection to the city was absolute. He felt every fluctuation of energy as if it were a nerve in his own body.
"Strange…" Duan murmured, setting his teacup down on the table.
One of the three "spiritual lights" representing the great families had gone out. The Chen Family… had simply ceased to exist on his sensory radar. There were no massive explosions, no war cries to wake the commoners. Only a sudden and absolute silence.
"Shadow," Duan called.
A hooded figure appeared from nothing, kneeling. "Master."
"The Chen Mansion is silent. Go and investigate. If you find Samael Morningstar… do not interfere yet. I want to see how sharp his teeth are before deciding whether I should break them."
Part 2: The Solar Coincidence
Miles away, in front of the Liu Family Mansion, the situation was tense. The Lius didn't know how the Chens had died, but their survival instinct screamed that danger was imminent.
The mansion was wrapped in a radiant energy dome: the "Great Solar Scale Formation." Golden runes floated in the air, emitting a light so intense that it turned night into day within a hundred-meter radius.
Samael, hidden in the treeline along with Kael and Malak, clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Damn. They have a Light attribute formation. It's pure coincidence, but it's the worst possible scenario for us."
Malak, leader of the Legion of Shadows, hissed in disgust, covering his face with his smoky hood.
"Pure light… weakens my form, Master. My specters can enter, but they'll be visible and 30% slower. It won't be a clean massacre like before."
Samael looked at the System panel. [Time Remaining: 38 Hours.] [Obstacle: Light Formation (Weakens Shadow Summons).]
"We don't need it to be clean," Samael said, his eyes shining coldly. "Kael, your turn. You're a Morningstar, not just a general. Show them that our blood cuts deeper than their light."
Kael nodded, gripping the hilt of his Northern Whisper sword.
"My intent is only a seed, Patriarch. I can't hold it long."
"You only need one strike. Find the crack."
Part 3: The Seed of the Sword
Kael stepped forward, leaving the protection of the forest. The formation's light illuminated him instantly, revealing his white hair and light armor.
"There they are!" a Liu guard yelled from the wall. "Fire the crossbows!"
Hundreds of Qi-charged arrows rained down on Kael. Samael's young cousin did not run. He closed his eyes. In his mind, he visualized the concept of "cutting." It wasn't brute force, it was the will to separate what was united.
[Sword Intent Seed: Activated.]
The air around Kael vibrated. The arrows approaching him split in the air by an invisible force before touching him. Kael drew his sword. There was no great energy flare. Just a simple, almost imperceptible movement. But the Sword Intent Seed imbued in the Earth-Grade sword projected an invisible cut that warped reality.
ZMMMM.
The golden dome, designed to withstand hammer blows, could not resist the concept of cutting. A vertical fissure two meters wide opened in the barrier, hissing like hot glass.
"NOW!" Samael roared.
Samael shot toward the crack, activating Shadow Step. Malak and a hundred specters followed, becoming a black tide that slipped through the wound in the light, ready to devour despite the pain the brightness caused them.
Part 4: War Inside
Inside the barrier, chaos erupted. The Liu elite guards, seeing black figures entering, attacked in desperation.
"They're demons! Use fire!" the Liu Patriarch shouted.
For the first time, the Legion of Shadows met resistance. The light made them tangible. But Malak was furious at the annoyance. His scythe swept the courtyard, harvesting souls without touching bodies.
Samael ignored the battle and ran toward the main hall. His target was the Liu Ancestor.
"You brat!" The Liu Ancestor (Transcendence Stage 7 – Peak) came out to meet him. He knew nothing of the shadows; he saw only Samael. He held a pulsating red orb.
"I knew you would come! That's why I prepared this!"
The Ancestor crushed the orb. A crimson shockwave exploded. [ALERT! Forbidden Art Detected: Blood Sacrifice.]
The Ancestor's aura surged, breaking the Stage 7 barrier and reaching Transcendence Stage 8.
"Die!" The Ancestor struck with a giant blood palm.
Samael was thrown back, crashing into a statue. He coughed black blood; his Qi was low after using Dimensional Slash against the Chens.
"You think you can defeat me?" Liu laughed. "The Valois will arrive tomorrow!"
Samael stood up. "I didn't come alone."
Samael snapped his fingers. Behind the Liu Ancestor, a shadow cast by a pillar came to life. Malak had infiltrated using the chaos.
"Sentence." The scythe fell. The Liu Ancestor, with heightened senses, managed to partially block, but the blade severed both his hands. "AAAAHH!"
Samael took advantage of the opening. He burned the last 20% of his remaining Qi.
"Dimensional Slash."
The black line cut through the Liu Ancestor's lower abdomen, destroying his cultivation core. The old man fell to the ground, crippled and agonizing.
Part 5: Divine Intervention
Samael walked toward the fallen Ancestor, raising his sword for the final blow.
But before the blade fell, the world stopped. The atmospheric pressure increased so much that Samael was immobilized, his knees creaking. Malak was forced to dissipate into smoke.
A figure descended from the sky, in white robes and hands behind his back. The City Lord, Duan.
[CRITICAL ALERT!] [Entity Detected: Sacred Origin Realm (Stage 3).]
Duan landed softly. His stormy eyes looked at Samael with a mix of curiosity and warning.
"You erased the Chens. You crippled the Lius. You've turned my city into a slaughterhouse," Duan said, his voice soft but absolute. "You have talent, Morningstar. But the chaos ends now. I won't allow you to kill the last leader. I need stability."
The Liu Ancestor screamed from the ground:
"Lord Duan! Save me! He's a demon!"
"Silence," Duan silenced him with a glance and turned back to Samael.
"Leave. Let the old man live and withdraw. If you take another step, I will consider you an enemy of the State."
Samael trembled. His body screamed to flee. But the System flashed red.
[Obligatory Mission: THE PURGE.] [If you withdraw, the penalty is the DEATH of the Host.]
Samael looked at the City Lord, then at the Liu Ancestor. If he left, the system would kill him. If he attacked, Duan would kill him. Samael smiled, showing teeth stained with blood.
"Lord Duan… with all due respect," Samael said, his voice breaking through the pressure with sheer force of will. "I don't leave jobs unfinished."
📝 Author's Notes (VoidScribe)
Impossible situation! Samael is trapped between a System Mission demanding death and a City Lord of Origin Realm demanding peace. Kael has proven his worth by opening the formation with his Intent Seed, but now everything depends on Samael's suicidal decision.
What will happen in Chapter 8? Samael is about to attack the Liu Ancestor in front of the City Lord. How will he survive the wrath of an Origin expert?
A) Will he use a hidden object from the Roulette? B) Will the Unknown Lineage (Dragon) react to the pressure of the Origin? C) Will something happen with the Twins from the clan's headquarters?
Leave your Power Stones! The next chapter will be the clash between the Pride of the Void and the Law of the City.