Zhichen had placed his hand on Lixuan's shoulder. That one small reassurance seemed to calm the storm inside him, if only for a few moments.
Inside the sacred site, a deep silence prevailed — so deep it felt as if even the air was moving slowly. In the center, before the burning fire, all the clan leaders sat in a circle. The echo of the chants was gradually fading, but the restlessness in their hearts was still alive.
Zhiyun opened his eyes and looked at everyone one by one.
"The attack on Shenqi… was no ordinary battle," he said in a heavy voice.
"The way the soldiers died — it doesn't seem like the work of a single clan."
Chen Yun, the leader of the Lianyu clan, spoke immediately,
"But the whistle that sounded at night… it means someone was warning us."
The leader of Shenmei nodded slowly.
"Or someone was pulling us into their own trap."
A slight stir passed through the sacred site. Gazes began colliding with each other.
Xiangu, who had been silent until now, looked at everyone with calm yet sharp eyes.
"Whoever it was, understood Qingyu clan's intentions before even we did."
As soon as the name Qingyu was spoken, the flame of the fire suddenly rose higher — as if even the air had sensed the truth.
Zhiyun took a deep breath.
"We will have to decide together. Moyan has two fragments of the Yinmoji stone… and if he starts a war, stepping back this time will mean losing everything."
Mingzhao said quietly,
"But what happened last night… its truth is still incomplete."
Chen Yu let out a cold laugh.
"Sometimes it's not necessary to know the truth… it's only necessary to win."
Some leaders fell silent, unrest visible on a few faces — but no one spoke in opposition.
Finally, Zhiyun said,
"Before dawn, we will prepare our army. The war against Qingyu can no longer be avoided."
Everyone placed their hands near the fire.
This was not an oath — it was compulsion.
The First Light of Morning
The night slowly passed. The sacred fire had gone out, but the heat of the decisions taken that night still burned in everyone's hearts.
No one had sleep in their eyes. Everyone was waiting for morning… and for the war that had now been written.
The first light spread across the sky. Soft colors descended upon the land of the Yuzhen clan — but the sound of war was already echoing in the air.
Soldiers rose one by one. Swords were being cleaned. Armor was tightened. Amid the neighing of horses and hushed conversations, one thing was clear —
today was not an ordinary day.
Zhiyun stood among the army. There was no sleep in his eyes, only responsibility.
"Qingyu's border is near," he said,
"and this time we are not going only to defend."
Soldiers of Shenmei, Lianyu, Shenqi, and Zhilan clans stood ready with their emblems.
These were not just clans —
they were fragments of fate standing together.
Mingzhao adjusted his armor and looked ahead. His gaze unknowingly drifted to where Lixuan stood silently.
He had picked up no weapon.
He wore no armor.
He was simply there —
alone even within the crowd.
Then Chen Yu came to him.
"You will not come to the battlefield," his voice was stern.
Lixuan looked at him immediately.
"Father… I will go with you."
Chen Yu's face hardened further.
"And what will you do there? Not help… you will create trouble."
Lixuan's fingers slowly clenched, but he did not raise his voice.
"You will stay here," Chen Yu ordered.
"Warriors fight… the weak only watch."
For a moment, even the air seemed to stop.
Mingzhao saw everything but could not speak before his father.
Zhichen's gaze rested on Lixuan. He saw that pain which is born not from words, but from enduring.
Lixuan only said,
"As you command."
And he remained standing there…
while the army moved forward.
Dust rose into the air. The sound of hooves gradually faded away.
For him, everything became hazy — as if he was part of this moment and yet separate from it.
The Inner Voice
The wind was cold, but Lixuan's restlessness kept growing.
Then the voice came again — this time closer, harsher.
"Today you will go save them…"
He turned, but there was no one around.
The voice echoed again,
"But it may be… the ones you go to save will be the ones who kill you."
His breathing grew heavy. He shut his eyes tightly — as if trying to block the voice.
But when he opened them, his gaze was fixed in the direction the army had gone.
And this time…
he couldn't stop himself.
His steps moved on their own toward the forest.
The First Clash in the Forest
Inside the forest, the army advanced cautiously. Swords were drawn, and the tension in the air was so dense it felt like even the trees were holding their breath.
Suddenly —
enemy soldiers burst out from behind the trees like lightning.
"BE ALERT!" Mingzhao shouted.
And the battle began in the next instant.
Swords clashed.
The forest echoed with screams and the sound of impacts.
Fengli charged forward with his sword.
Xiangu pushed several soldiers back with her power.
Zhichen moved ahead blocking every strike —
but he could feel…
this was only the beginning.
Then a little ahead, black smoke began rising from the ground — first faint, then thick.
The soldiers stopped immediately.
"Be alert," Zhiyun said.
The smoke gathered slowly in one place, and from within it, Zhi Yan emerged.
Behind him stood the Qingyu clan army.
A faint smile rested on his lips, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
This time he said softly,
"No whistle will come to save you."
Silence spread through the forest.
And at that same moment, in the shadows of the trees behind, Lixuan had arrived.
But this time he was not part of the army.
He stood hidden behind dense trees at the edge of the forest.
The battlefield was now fully ablaze.
The clash of swords, flashes of energy, and galloping horses turned the forest into a war ground.
At the front, Chenyu drove his sword into the ground.
Burning vines burst out and began binding Qingyu soldiers.
Mingzhao spun his fire disc and hurled it forward.
A wall of flames shattered the enemy line.
On the other side, Zhiyun's water disc roared forward and swallowed Qingyu's fire energy.
Lightning flashed in the sky — Liyuan tore through the battlefield like a streak of electricity.
A gentle radiant light spread behind the battlefield.
Fengli was no longer just a prince — he was the new leader.
He placed both hands on the ground, and golden light spread.
The wounds of falling soldiers began to heal, broken armor reformed.
One soldier regained balance mid-fall — Fengli's power lifted him back up.
But not just healing — when a Qingyu warrior struck at him,
Fengli's light formed a shield before him.
Fengli shouted with passion,
"If this light can save, it can also destroy!"
Behind him, Jinhai's water spear pierced enemies.
Lanxin's ice line bound them.
Yuhuan's sound-light shattered their dark techniques.
Xiangu's moonlight brought soldiers back to their senses,
while Zhichen's blade cut through Qingyu warriors.
But for a moment — Zhichen's gaze shifted toward the forest.
Between the trees stood Lixuan.
Hidden.
Silent.
He recognized him…
but said nothing.
Now Zhiyun and Zhi Yan stood face to face.
This time not techniques — swords spoke.
Zhiyun's blue blade and Zhi Yan's black blade clashed repeatedly.
Sparks scattered in the air.
Zhi Yan was fast — but Zhiyun's strikes were heavier.
A powerful blow landed.
Zhi Yan fell to his knees.
Zhiyun brought his sword to his neck.
The final strike was a moment away —
Then Moyan arrived.
In his hands, the two Yinmoji fragments glowed.
Using their power, he controlled the nearby villagers.
They began moving toward the forest.
Then screams echoed from behind.
The villagers charged straight at the soldiers.
Some attacked with swords,
some pushed their own allies.
The leaders raised their swords — and stopped.
They couldn't strike.
"Stop! They are innocent!" Fengli shouted.
But the battlefield had broken apart.
A woman ran toward Mingzhao with a sword.
Mingzhao did not attack — he only blocked.
Even Xiangu's light couldn't stop them.
Everything fell into chaos.
And at that moment — a fierce spiral of wind rose from the forest's direction.
All eyes lifted at once.
From the sky, an unseen figure descended straight into the battlefield.
Lixuan.
His eyes burned with fury.
Black smoke swirled around him.
The ground beneath his feet began to crack slowly.
He looked directly at Moyan.
And in that moment everyone understood —
Today's decision would not be of clans alone…
but of darkness.