Night settled over the Moon Reflection Sect like a silver veil.
The lakes glowed faintly beneath the moonlight, their surfaces still and flawless, reflecting the sky so perfectly that it became difficult to tell where reality ended and illusion began.
For most disciples, it was the perfect time to cultivate.
For Lin Xuan—
It was the moment something felt wrong.
He sat alone on the stone platform outside his pavilion, one leg bent, one hand resting loosely on his knee.
To an outside observer, he looked completely relaxed.
But inside—
The Devourer Star was restless.
Not hungry.
Not excited.
Alert.
It pulsed slowly in his core, sending faint ripples through his meridians.
Like a beast sensing danger in the dark.
Lin Xuan's gaze remained fixed on the lake before him.
Its reflection of the moon flickered once.
Then stabilized.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Not natural…"
The Moon Reflection Sect's formations were flawless.
Even the wind was controlled.
A distortion like that—
Was deliberate.
A soft sound echoed behind him.
Footsteps.
Light.
Controlled.
Lin Xuan didn't turn.
"You should hide your presence better."
Silence.
Then—
A quiet voice replied.
"I wasn't trying to hide from you."
Lin Xuan turned his head slightly.
Luo Meiyue stood at the edge of the pavilion, her pale blue robes catching the moonlight.
Her expression was calm as always.
But her eyes—
Sharp.
"You felt it too," she said.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"The lake."
Luo Meiyue stepped closer.
"The reflection is unstable."
She looked toward the water.
"That shouldn't happen."
Lin Xuan stood slowly.
"Unless someone is interfering with the formation."
Luo Meiyue's gaze darkened slightly.
"Exactly."
Without warning—
The lake surface rippled violently.
The perfect reflection shattered.
Not into shards—
But into darkness.
A shadow spread across the water like ink spilling into clear glass.
Lin Xuan's body tensed instantly.
The Devourer Star flared.
Luo Meiyue raised her hand.
A barrier of silver light formed around them.
"What is this?" she whispered.
Lin Xuan's voice was calm.
"Not from your sect."
The shadow on the lake began to rise.
Slowly.
Taking shape.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
Then five more.
All dressed in black robes.
All wearing masks carved with the same symbol—
A hollow circle, pierced by a vertical line.
Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed.
"Devourer hunters."
Luo Meiyue glanced at him sharply.
"You know them?"
"I was warned."
The lead figure stepped forward.
Their voice was distorted, unnatural.
"Lin Xuan."
Lin Xuan smiled faintly.
"You came all this way just for me?"
The figure tilted their head.
"You are an anomaly."
Behind them, the other masked figures spread out silently, surrounding the lake.
"The Devourer lineage should not exist."
Luo Meiyue's aura surged.
"You're trespassing in Moon Reflection Sect territory."
The figure ignored her completely.
"The target is the Devourer."
Lin Xuan chuckled.
"That's rude."
The attack came without warning.
One of the masked figures vanished.
Reappearing directly behind Lin Xuan.
A black blade pierced toward his spine.
CLANG!
Lin Xuan blocked with his arm.
The Devourer Star absorbed part of the impact instantly—
But something was different.
The energy didn't flow into him easily.
It resisted.
Lin Xuan's eyes sharpened.
"Interesting."
The attacker retreated instantly.
Luo Meiyue moved.
Her hand cut through the air.
The lake beneath them surged upward.
A wave of mirrored blades shot toward the assassins.
The masked figures dodged with unnatural precision.
One of them raised a hand.
The shadows around them condensed into a barrier.
The mirrored blades shattered on contact.
Luo Meiyue frowned.
"They're suppressing my law."
Lin Xuan grinned.
"And resisting mine."
The lead figure stepped forward again.
"Devourer techniques rely on consuming laws."
Their voice echoed coldly.
"We specialize in destroying them."
The masked figures raised their hands simultaneously.
Dark symbols ignited beneath their feet.
Formation.
Lin Xuan felt it immediately.
The space around him tightened.
The Devourer Star pulsed—
But for the first time since its awakening—
It slowed.
The lead figure spoke.
"This formation severs the connection between devourers and external laws."
Lin Xuan rolled his shoulders.
"So you came prepared."
The figure nodded.
"We always are."
Luo Meiyue stepped closer to Lin Xuan.
Her voice dropped.
"They're targeting you specifically."
Lin Xuan smirked.
"Good."
She glanced at him.
"You're enjoying this?"
"A little."
The assassins attacked together.
Six figures moved at once.
Their blades cut through the air like shadows given form.
Lin Xuan moved to meet them.
His speed matched theirs.
His strength surpassed theirs.
But—
Every time he devoured part of their energy—
The formation interfered.
The absorption slowed.
Weakened.
Luo Meiyue joined the fight.
Her reflection techniques filled the battlefield with mirrored attacks.
But the assassins adapted quickly.
They avoided her strongest techniques.
Focused on Lin Xuan.
The lead figure spoke again.
"Your growth is dangerous."
Lin Xuan blocked another strike.
"You're not the first to say that."
The figure raised their hand.
"Which is why you will die tonight."
Lin Xuan suddenly stopped moving.
Luo Meiyue glanced at him.
"What are you doing?!"
The assassins hesitated for a split second.
That moment—
Was enough.
The Devourer Star pulsed violently.
Not outward—
But inward.
Instead of devouring external energy—
It began devouring its own stored power.
Lin Xuan's aura changed instantly.
Darker.
Sharper.
More focused.
The lead assassin's voice shifted slightly.
"…What?"
Lin Xuan smiled.
"You cut me off from outside laws."
He stepped forward slowly.
"So I'll just use my own."
The Devourer Star roared.
A wave of compressed energy exploded outward.
The formation trembled.
Cracks spread across the ground.
Luo Meiyue's eyes widened.
"He's breaking it from inside…"
Lin Xuan moved.
Faster than before.
Stronger.
More precise.
His fist struck one assassin directly.
The impact shattered their defensive barrier.
The figure was sent flying across the lake.
Another assassin attacked from behind.
Lin Xuan turned.
Caught the blade.
Crushed it in his hand.
The Devourer Star consumed the fragments instantly.
The lead figure stepped back.
"Impossible…"
Lin Xuan's voice was calm.
"You rely too much on your formation."
He took another step forward.
"And not enough on strength."
Luo Meiyue moved again.
This time—
Her technique changed.
Instead of summoning reflections—
She condensed the lake beneath them into a single, massive mirror.
The entire battlefield became one reflective surface.
Her voice was soft.
"Let's see how they handle this."
Lin Xuan understood instantly.
He stepped onto the mirror.
The Devourer Star pulsed.
His reflection rose beside him.
Then another.
And another.
Luo Meiyue's eyes widened slightly.
"He's using my technique again…"
Lin Xuan smirked.
"Teamwork."
The mirrored clones attacked.
Combined with Luo Meiyue's control—
The battlefield shifted completely.
The assassins were overwhelmed.
One by one—
They were forced back.
The lead figure raised their hand suddenly.
"Retreat."
The remaining assassins vanished into shadows instantly.
The lake calmed.
The formation collapsed.
Silence returned.
Luo Meiyue lowered her hand slowly.
"They ran…"
Lin Xuan exhaled softly.
"Of course they did."
She turned to him.
"They'll come back."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"I know."
Moments later—
Elder Yue Qing appeared.
Her expression was calm.
But her eyes—
Cold.
"I felt the disturbance."
Luo Meiyue spoke first.
"Assassins."
Yue Qing nodded.
"I know who they are."
Lin Xuan looked at her.
"Then explain."
Yue Qing stepped forward.
"They are part of an ancient organization."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Known as the Void Severing Order."
Lin Xuan crossed his arms.
"Devourer hunters."
"Yes."
Her gaze met his.
"They exist for one purpose."
"To eliminate beings like you."
The moonlight reflected across the lake once more.
But now—
It felt different.
Colder.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Lin Xuan looked up at the sky.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So it begins."
Luo Meiyue stood beside him.
Her voice was calm.
"You're not getting rid of them easily."
Lin Xuan chuckled.
"I don't plan to."
The Devourer Star pulsed.
Hungry again.
Excited.
"Let them come."