Part 1: The Dragon's Cocoon
The days passed in a blur in the Valley of Mist.
Ever since Kael had brought Samael's body, the main cave had become an oven. Samael did not sleep: he was wrapped in a solid cocoon of golden and violet energy that pulsed like an enormous heart. The heat was so intense that nearby rocks melted, turning into pools of magma.
As the cocoon throbbed, it could be seen devouring the spiritual energy from its surroundings. The nearby herbs withered, the air trembled, and even the insects fled. It was as if the valley itself exhaled life and offered it to the being being reborn.
Day 3.
"His skin… it's falling off," whispered Elder Livia, keeping her distance from the invisible fire.
Inside the translucent cocoon, Samael's human skin flaked away into burnt ashes, revealing beneath a new skin, spotless, harder than spiritual steel and with a faint metallic sheen. His bones creaked and rearranged, becoming denser, prepared to withstand an ancient power.
Seraphina sat in front of the cocoon, unfazed by the suffocating heat. "It's not falling off," she said with a calm that chilled those present. "He's molting. Like a snake… or something greater."
At that moment, Lilith, the Great Elder and Samael's aunt, kept to the shadows, observing the process with a mix of awe and fear. "Is that still my nephew?" she thought. The creature in the cocoon was an heir of the blood, but what was emerging was something more. Something the clan hadn't seen in centuries.
Kael burst in, armor dented from constant training. "Lady Seraphina. The Shadow scouts report movement in the northern sky. They've arrived."
Part 2: The Northern Shadow
Day 7. Dawn.
They did not arrive on foot. The sky over the Golden City darkened when a Spiritual Warship broke through the clouds. It was a floating fortress of black wood and iron, the sails marked with the emblem of the Valois Family: a silver hawk clutching a skull.
City Lord Duan watched from his tower, sipping tea indifferently. "They've sent the Iron Hawk. Alaric didn't come personally, but he sent his attack dog, General Silas. As long as they don't touch the city, it's not my problem."
The ship did not stop at the city. It went straight toward the forest, to the coordinates that the Liu spies had sold before dying. Toward the Valley of Mist.
Inside the valley, the alarm sounded. "FORMATION!" Elder Marcus shouted.
The 37 disciples and 4 elders poured all their Qi into the control disk. The "Dark Nebula Veil" Formation was activated at maximum, covering the valley with an impenetrable dome of darkness.
The warship stopped right above the dome. A magically amplified voice echoed from the deck, making the disciples' teeth chatter below.
"Samael Morningstar. We know you have the Pure Constitution Twins. Hand them over to Young Master Alaric and your death will be swift. Refuse, and we'll burn this mountain to its foundations."
Part 3: The Bombardment
No one answered. The clan remained silent, defiant. On the ship's deck, General Silas—a two-meter-tall man, face crossed with scars, silver beard, and a deep, metallic voice—snorted with disdain.
"Hiding rats. You think an incomplete Heaven-Grade formation can stop us. Load the Qi Cannons! Fire!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ten beams of concentrated light struck the dark dome. The entire valley shook violently. In the cave, stalactites fell, and the weaker disciples coughed up blood trying to maintain the formation.
For an instant, after the first bombardment, there was absolute sonic silence. No one dared breathe. Only the rapid pulse of spiritual energy filled the air.
"Hold on!" commanded Seraphina from the cave entrance. She didn't have a high cultivation yet, but her voice had a natural imperial command that compelled obedience. "If the barrier falls, we all die!"
The bombardment continued for hours. The spirit stones were consumed at a terrifying rate.
"We have fewer than 100 stones left," reported Elder Sela, pale. "At this rate, the barrier will fall in an hour."
Kael drew his Northern Whisper sword, his knuckles white from the pressure. "When it falls, I'll go first. Buy time for the Patriarch to awaken."
Part 4: The Crack in the Sky
An hour later, a sharp sound, like glass shattering, echoed throughout the valley. The dark dome fractured and collapsed. General Silas grinned cruelly from the sky. "Descent!"
Fifty Valois elite warriors, all experts in the Qi Sea Realm and led by three Transcendent captains, leapt from the ship like a plague of locusts.
"Kill them all, but leave the girls alive!" Silas roared, leaping himself. His impact created a crater in the clan's plaza.
Kael launched himself at him without hesitation. "You shall not pass!"
Kael activated his Sword Intent Seed. An invisible slash, charged with all his will, flew toward Silas's neck.
Silas didn't even draw his weapon. He simply raised his gauntlet, covered in Origin Qi. CLANG! He stopped the Intent like it was a toy. "Sword Intent at your age?" Silas clicked his tongue. "What a waste."
With a kick, he sent Kael flying into the mountain, ribs cracked. "Kael!" Lilith shouted, launching fireballs that Silas dispersed with a casual swipe.
The Valois surrounded the disciples. It was a massacre about to unfold. Silas walked toward the main cave, where Seraphina blocked the entrance, dagger in hand.
"You must be the nanny," Silas murmured, licking his lips at the sight of her. "Master Alaric will be pleased if I bring him an extra. Move."
Seraphina did not flinch. Her blue eyes shone with the contempt of a sovereign looking at an insect. "A dog should not bark before a throne."
Silas frowned, annoyed. "Throne? You're delusional, woman."
He raised his sword to cut her in two.
Part 5: The Sovereign's Rebirth
Silas's sword came whistling down. But it never touched Seraphina.
From the depths of the cave came a cracking sound, like a giant egg shattering.
It wasn't a bone. It was the cocoon breaking apart.
[ASSIMILATION PROCESS: 100% COMPLETED.]
[Body Reconstructed: Void Dragon Physique (Incomplete – Stage 1).]
[Cultivation Updated: Transcendence Stage 9 (Peak).]
[Status: AWAKE.]
A pale hand, black nails sharp, golden veins pulsing, emerged from the darkness and caught Silas's sword in midair.
Silas's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to push or free the sword, but it didn't move. It was like striking a mountain of divine iron. "Who…?"
Out of the shadows emerged Samael. Bare-chested, his new skin shining, muscles like marble, white hair floating with its own energy. His eyes were two violet abysses with a vertical golden slit: pure terror.
Samael looked at Silas, then at the wounded Kael, then at Seraphina… and finally his gaze met Lilith's.
For an instant, Lilith felt a pang of nostalgia, pain, and pride all at once. "He's my nephew… but also something else. Something no one could ever cage."
"General of the Valois," Samael said. His voice was deeper, polyphonic, as if two beings spoke at once. "Thank you for waiting."
He clenched his hand. CRACK! Silas's Earth-Grade sword shattered.
"Now," Samael smiled, and the air became crushing, saturated with bloodlust. The Valois fell to their knees, suffocated by the pressure. "…let's try my new toys."
[Opening Mental Inventory…]
[Available Chests: 2.]
[Detecting Origin Realm Threat…]
Samael raised his hand toward the sky. "System. Open the Superior Heaven-Grade Chest."
Author's Notes (VoidScribe):
The Dragon has awakened and the Valley will never be the same.
Lilith, as aunt and Great Elder, witnesses a rebirth that defies all known limits.
The Chest is about to reveal a weapon, technique, or beast that will decide everyone's fate.
Are you ready for the Harvest of the Hawk?