Threads drifting around Zhao Ming like an endless sea.Lin Chen's lips trembled.He stared at the Zhao Ming before him as though refusing to believe what he was seeing. "So..."His voice cracked. "Everything...was a lie?"Zhao Ming looked toward him."No."He quietly shook his head. "Not everything."Yan Luo's grip on his sword tightened."Then tell me..."His voice carried both anger and sorrow."Which part of you was real?" Zhao Ming hesitated.He looked at the ruined village...the glowing flowers Hei Long had left behind...then back at the three people who had once called him their companion.A smile slowly appeared on his face."The days we traveled together..."he answered softly. "Those were real."
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes."And everything else?"Zhao Ming lowered his gaze. "Everything else..."He let out a quiet sigh."...was a role I had to play." Lin Chen suddenly stepped forward."Why?! If you were never our enemy...then why hide your identity?!"Zhao Ming looked at him silently before answering,"Because the moment you knew who I truly was..."He glanced toward the Heavenly cultivators. "...they would never have allowed me to stand beside you."
One young Heavenly cultivator, Xiao Ren, could no longer suppress his fear."Grand Elder..."he whispered."Should we...attack?" Tian Xuan shook his head."No."Mu Chen frowned."If we let him act freely..."Tian Xuan interrupted him without taking his eyes off Zhao Ming."Then pray..."His voice became unusually heavy."...that he has no intention of destroying this place."Chen Yu noticed immediately.He slowly turned back toward Zhao Ming."You're making Heaven retreat..." His expression became serious."Just say who are you?"Before Zhao Ming could answer...something changed. Not Zhao Ming but Xu Yang.
XuYang,who had been surrounded by violent demonic energy the entire time, suddenly stopped walking.The crimson flames around his body flickered once before becoming strangely still.Everyone instinctively looked toward him.Lin Chen frowned."Xu Yang...?"Yan Luo immediately noticed something unusual."Look!"He pointed toward Zhao Ming.
At that exact moment,countless thin black Threads silently extended from Zhao Ming's fingertips.They were so fine they almost disappeared into the air.The Threads drifted across the village before quietly connecting to the crimson rose mark glowing on Xu Yang's wrist.The last Thread touched the mark...the rose bloomed with dazzling crimson light.ChenYu's pupils suddenly contracted."Those Threads..."His breathing became heavier."They're connected to the Heart Blossom!"
Before anyone could react...Zhao Ming slowly raised one finger and Xu Yang's right arm immediately lifted into the air.At the exact same angle.As though pulled by invisible strings.Lin Chen's face instantly turned pale."No..."Yan Luo took a step forward in disbelief."Xu Yang..."Zhao Ming moved another finger and XuYang slowly turned his head.The movement was unnaturally stiff...like a beautifully carved puppet obeying its master's hand.There was no emotion in his eyes.
The Heavenly cultivators watched in horror. Xiao Ren's face lost all color."Grand Elder..."His voice trembled."He's controlling the Heart Blossom."Shen Kai lowered his spear."No..."He shook his head."He's not controlling it...The Heart Blossom is responding to him."Huo Jin instinctively stepped backward."How is that possible?" Mu Chen's expression grew darker with every passing second."Only the original owner of a spiritual seal can awaken that kind of resonance..."His eyes widened as the realization struck him."Unless..."He slowly looked toward Zhao Ming."Unless the Heart Blossom knew him before it ever chose Xu Yang."Even Tian Xuan's calm expression faltered.He whispered almost to himself,"So the records...were true after all..."
Chen Yu's expression changed completely. "Stop!"He rushed forward before shouting, "What did you do to him?!"The Threads immediately tightened around the glowing rose mark.Zhao Ming calmly looked toward Chen Yu."Nothing.I simply reminded the rose mark..."He slowly curled his fingers. The crimson mark pulsed once more,and Xu Yang silently took a step forward."...who it belongs to."Everyone froze.Lin Chen stared blankly. "Belongs...?"He looked between Zhao Ming and Xu Yang."What do you mean... belongs?"Yan Luo placed himself between Zhao Ming and XuYang.His sword burst into crimson flames."Release him.Now." Zhao Ming merely smiled and countless Threads around him swayed like living shadows."You misunderstand."He quietly looked at Xu Yang."I didn't take control of him."
Every eyes remained fixed on Xu Yang.His empty eyes stared forward without the slightest trace of recognition.The rose mark on his wrist pulsed slowly like a living heartbeat and threads stretched from it, connecting to Zhao Ming's fingertips. Lin Chen's breathing became uneven."No..."He slowly shook his head."Xu Yang would never let anyone control him."His voice grew louder with every word."He fought the threads...Heaven and he fought everything. How could this happen?"
ChenYu's eyes never left the glowing rose mark."It's not Xu Yang responding..."he whispered."It's the mark itself."Yan Luo immediately turned toward him."What do you mean?"Chen Yu clenched his fists."The Heart Blossom..."He slowly inhaled."It's responding to something older than Xu Yang's own will."Mu Chen's face instantly changed."Impossible."He stepped forward in disbelief."No divine seal possesses its own consciousness."Tian Xuan quietly answered,"Most don't."
Everyone immediately looked toward him.The Grand Elder's eyes remained fixed on the glowing mark."The Heart Blossom was never an ordinary seal."Xiao Ren frowned."Grand Elder...what exactly is it?"Tian Xuan remained silent for a moment before replying,"A key."Lin Chen blinked."A key?"Tian Xuan nodded."A key that should never have awakened again."
Chen Yu immediately caught those words. "Awakened what?"Tian Xuan lowered his gaze."Something Heaven spent countless years trying to lock away."Before anyone could ask another question,Zhao Ming lifted one finger and Xu Yang immediately took another step forward then another.Yan Luo could no longer endure the sight."Xu Yang!" He rushed forward and grabbed Xu Yang's shoulders with both hands."Wake up! Can you hear me?We're still here!"
Xu Yang didn't blink.He didn't answer.He didn't even look at Yan Luo.He simply continued walking.Yan Luo refused to let go."Xu Yang!"His eyes became slightly red. "This isn't you!" Without warning,Xu Yang slowly raised one hand and dark crimson demonic energy gathered around his palm before exploding outward.The violent shockwave threw Yan Luo several meters through the air before he crashed into the broken remains of a wooden house.The damaged wall collapsed behind him."Yan Luo!"
Lin Chen immediately ran toward him. Chen Yu also rushed over."Are you hurt?"Yan Luo coughed several times before forcing himself back to his feet.He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.His eyes never left Xu Yang."He..."His breathing became heavy."He didn't even know I was standing there."Chen Yu slowly lowered his head. "He's not choosing his actions anymore..." he whispered."He's simply moving wherever the Heart Blossom leads him."Lin Chen suddenly turned toward ZhaoMing.His face was filled with anger."Then stop it!"He pointed directly at him."If you can control him,you can release him!"
Zhao Ming quietly looked at Lin Chen."You misunderstand.I'm not controlling Xu Yang." Lin Chen shouted,"Then what is this?!" Zhao Ming looked toward the crimson threads connected to Xu Yang's wrist."I'm only reminding the Heart Blossom..."His crimson eyes became unusually deep. "...who answered its call first."Chen Yu narrowed his eyes."First?What do you mean by first?"Zhao Ming gave a faint smile,but didn't answer.Mu Chen's expression suddenly changed."Grand Elder..."He slowly looked toward Tian Xuan."Does he mean..."
Before he could finish,Tian Xuan closed his eyes.Xiao Ren's breathing became uneven. "Grand Elder...please say something." Tian Xuan opened his eyes again."The Heart Blossom..."he whispered."Remembers every master it has ever acknowledged." Lin Chen stared blankly."Every...master?" Chen Yu's pupils slowly contracted.He looked toward Zhao Ming then toward Xu Yang and frightening possibility quietly formed inside his mind.Before he could speak,the crimson rose mark suddenly shone brighter than ever before.The Threads that connecting Zhao Ming and Xu Yang began trembling and deep heartbeat echoed beneath the earth and cracked ground shook.The nearby houses trembled. TianXuan's eyes widened as he stared at the glowing rose mark."No..." he whispered. "It's beginning..."
Back to moonlight Village The three stepped out of the Moonfall Archive together. The doors slowly closed behind them.None of them spoke immediately. Qing Li unconsciously took a deep breath before slowly lifting his head.His eyes widened almost immediately."Wait..."Hei Long and Wang Xio followed his gaze toward the sky. The brilliant blue heavens they had seen only moments earlier were quietly changing before their eyes.Soft waves of color slowly spread across the sky like ink dissolving into clear water and blue gradually melted into gentle violet.Violet slowly deepened before becoming a warm shade of pink.The colors continued flowing together without end,creating a sky more beautiful than any sunset they had ever witnessed.
None of them could find the words to describe it.They simply stood there in silence,watching the heavens transform. Then suddenly,countless glowing moon petals began drifting down from above.They floated through the village without hurry, carried by a breeze so soft it barely touched their clothes.Every petal shimmered with pale silver light before quietly dissolving into tiny specks of moonlight whenever it touched the ground.Qing Li slowly reached out his hand.One glowing petal landed gently upon his palm.Instead of feeling cold,it carried a faint comforting warmth.He stared at it for several long seconds before quietly whispering,"It's warm."
Hei Long watched another petal drift past his face before catching it between two fingers. The petal dissolved into countless tiny lights before slowly floating upward once again.He quietly smiled."It isn't falling..."Qing Li looked at him curiously."Then what's it doing?"Hei Long watched the tiny lights disappear into the colorful sky."It's going home."Qing Li stared blankly before softly laughing."Sometimes I really don't understand how your mind works."Hei Long looked toward him with a faint smile."Neither do I."
Wang Xio looked across the peaceful village.Every empty house reflected the colorful sky and every window shimmered beneath the falling petals.Every stone path glowed with gentle moonlight.His eyes slowly narrowed."The village has changed." Qing Li looked around once more."It doesn't feel abandoned anymore."Wang Xio slowly nodded."Because it isn't."Both Qing Li and Hei Long turned toward him.Wang Xio continued quietly."Before...this place felt like a memory that had been forced to stop."His gaze followed another glowing petal drifting through the air."Now..."He paused briefly before finishing,"...it feels like a memory that's finally moving again."
None of them spoke.At that exact moment,a gentle breeze passed through the village and along with it came the clear sound of countless tiny bells.The beautiful ringing drifted through every empty street,soft and peaceful,like someone quietly playing a forgotten melody.Qing Li slowly closed his eyes.His breathing gradually relaxed."Do you hear that?"Hei Long closed his eyes as well,listening for several long moments before answering,"It isn't the wind." Wang Xio remained completely still.His eyes slowly swept across the silent village.Then realization quietly appeared within them. "No." His voice was almost a whisper."It's the village."Qing Li slowly opened his eyes. "The village?"Wang Xio gave nod."It's welcoming us."Hei Long quietly looked toward the empty streets."Or thanking us."Qing Li smiled faintly."I don't know which answer I like more."
Before anyone could speak again,a deep rumbling sound echoed from the very center of Moonfall Village.The ground trembled beneath their feet and all three immediately turned toward the sound.An enormous stone gate stood silently at the center of the village,towering above every surrounding house.Moonflowers climbed across its weathered pillars.The instant the rumbling began,the pale blossoms slowly opened one after another as though awakening from a centuries-long dream.
Broken carvings covering the massive gate quietly restored themselves.Cracked stone slowly joined together and worn symbols gradually became whole once again. And Ancient patterns hidden beneath centuries of damage glowed beneath the moonlit sky. Qing Li unconsciously took one careful step forward."Was that always there?"Hei Long slowly shook his head."No."Wang Xio quietly stared at the enormous gate."It was waiting."As though answering his words,the stone doors slowly began opening by themselves.No one touched them.No spiritual energy appeared.
The gate simply...welcomed them.Ancient moonlight quietly poured through the widening entrance like a flowing silver river.It spread across the stone path until it reached their feet.Unlike ordinary moonlight,it carried a strange warmth instead of coldness.Qing Li stared into the glowing passage beyond the gate."It's inviting us inside."Hei Long's eyes never left the peaceful light."Then whoever built this place..."He quietly continued,"...expected someone to return. " Wang Xio slowly stepped forward first.He looked toward Qing Li and Hei Long."Stay close."Both of them quietly nodded. nodded.Together,the three crossed the ancient threshold.The moment they stepped inside...every sound disappeared.The wind stopped and bells fell silent.Even their own footsteps made no noise.Only endless moonlight remained,quietly illuminating the path ahead while the world behind them slowly faded into complete stillness.
Back to moutain village Threads connecting Zhao Ming and Xu Yang continued trembling as the crimson rose mark released wave after wave of scarlet light.The entire battlefield shook beneath everyone's feet. The ruined houses creaked while broken tiles rolled across the cracked streets.No one dared speak.Tian Xuan's eyes never left the Heart Blossom."No..."he whispered."It cannot awaken here."Mu Chen immediately turned toward him."Grand Elder...what is awakening?"
Tian Xuan clenched his fists, but before he could answer,Zhao Ming raised one hand and trembling threads instantly became calm.The crimson light around Xu Yang weakened until only the glowing rose mark remained.Everyone stared at Zhao Ming. With nothing more than a simple gesture... he had calmed the Heart Blossom.ChenYu's expression grew even heavier."You..."he said quietly."You can command it." Zhao Ming slowly lowered his hand."No."A faint smile appeared on his face."It simply remembers my voice."
Lin Chen looked from Xu Yang to Zhao Ming.His face was filled with confusion. "How can a mark...remember someone's voice?"Zhao Ming didn't answer.He simply looked at the glowing rose mark with an unreadable expression.Yan Luo's brows furrowed deeply."That isn't a normal spiritual mark..."His grip tightened around his sword."What exactly is the Heart Blossom?" Chen Yu slowly looked toward Tian Xuan. "Grand Elder...You've known something from the very beginning,haven't you?" Tian Xuan remained silent but his breathing had become noticeably heavier.His eyes never left Zhao Ming.
Xiao Ren noticed immediately."Grand Elder..."His voice shook."Why do you look so afraid?"Tian Xuan's sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face.Mu Chen looked toward Zhao Ming before speaking in a low voice."How many secrets...have you hidden from Heaven?"Zhao Ming calmly met his gaze."Less than Heaven has hidden from all of you."Yan Luo slowly stepped forward.His sword remained lowered,but his eyes were sharp."You keep speaking about lies.You keep talking about forgotten truths.And you keep mentioning ShouHeng."He frowned deeply."We know his story."
Zhao Ming quietly laughed.Not mockingly. Just sadly."His story?"He slowly shook his head."You know the version Heaven allowed to survive."His eyes swept across every Heavenly cultivator."And all of you believed it."Mu Chen lowered his gaze.Even Tian Xuan remained silent.Chen Yu immediately noticed."You know something."His voice became firm."Don't you?"Tian Xuan slowly closed his eyes."Yes."Everyone looked toward him.
Lin Chen stared in shock."Grand Elder...you really know?"Tian Xuan quietly answered,"I know...that Heaven's history is incomplete." Zhao Ming nodded."For the first time...we agree."He slowly turned toward the sea of threads spreading across the village.His smile gradually disappeared then he raised one hand.The countless threads instantly surged into the sky and they intertwined one after another until they formed an enormous black sphere above the battlefield.It continued growing until it covered almost the entire crimson sky.
Lin Chen swallowed nervously."What is he doing?"Chen Yu narrowed his eyes."He's not creating something..."He whispered. "He's revealing something." Zhao Ming pointed toward the enormous mass of threads."Tell me..."He paused."Do you really think..."His crimson eyes reflected the endless sea of black."...that is ShouHeng?" Yan Luo frowned."What are you talking about?"His grip tightened."We know his story.He was judged by Heaven.He became the source of the Threads.He lost himself."
Zhao Ming looked at him for several long moments then he laughed again."Story?"He shook his head."You know nothing."Lin Chen immediately stepped forward."Then stop speaking in riddles!"He pointed toward Zhao Ming."If we're wrong...show us!" Chen Yu quietly raised one hand."Wait."His instincts told him Zhao Ming had no intention of arguing with words. Zhao Ming slowly formed an unfamiliar hand seal and Threads above instantly spread apart.The crimson sky rippled like water and darkness slowly dissolved.Silver light filled the heavens.
Within moments,the entire sky transformed into a gigantic mirror.Everyone instinctively looked upward.XiaoRen whispered,"A mirror...?"Mu Chen shook his head. "No..." His expression filled with disbelief."That's an memory domain."Shen Kai stared blankly. "Only legends speak of techniques like this."The mirror rippled and scene gradually appeared.A magnificent Heavenly Court where thousands of Heavenly officials standing in silence.And in the very center...a young man kneeling before Heaven.
Yan Luo's pupils contracted."Shou Heng..." Lin Chen slowly nodded."It's the judgment." He frowned."We've already seen this memory before."Chen Yu carefully observed every detail."Everything looks exactly the same."Tian Xuan remained motionless. Zhao Ming smiled faintly."Keep watching. The truth begins after the part everyone remembers."
The vision continued.The Heavenly Court remained silent.The accusations echoed through the palace.The sentence was declared.Everything unfolded exactly as Heaven had preserved it.Lin Chen frowned more deeply."Nothing changed..."He looked toward Zhao Ming."This is the same memory." Zhao Ming slowly lifted one finger."Look carefully."The gigantic mirror immediately rippled again and vision moved.Not toward ShouHeng...but toward the Heavenly officials standing behind him.One figure slowly stepped forward.He wore magnificent white Heavenly robes embroidered with golden patterns.His posture was calm and dignified.His face remained hidden beneath brilliant light.
Xiao Ren frowned."Who is that?"Mu Chen narrowed his eyes."I've never noticed him before..."Shen Kai quietly whispered,"Why is the memory focusing on him?"Zhao Ming calmly pointed toward the mysterious Heavenly official. "Keep watching."The brilliant light covering the official's face gradually faded and his features slowly became clear.One by one,every familiar detail appeared.Lin Chen's breathing suddenly stopped.His lips trembled uncontrollably."No..."Chen Yu's calm expression completely shattered. "That's Impossible."
Yan Luo stared without blinking.Even Tian Xuan slowly lowered his head as though he had expected this moment all along. Lin Chen staggered backward."T-That's..."His voice shook."...Zhao Ming."The Heavenly official standing beside Shou Heng during the judgment...was Zhao Ming.Lin Chen's legs weakened.He instinctively took two steps backward."No..."He shook his head repeatedly."That's impossible."His voice trembled."You were there?"Yan Luo slowly bent down and picked up his fallen sword. His eyes never left the mirror."Not just there..."he whispered."He was standing beside Shou Heng."
Xiao Ren looked toward TianXuan with wide eyes."Grand Elder..."His voice shook."Why wasn't he mentioned in the records?" Shen Kai immediately added,"If he stood beside Shou Heng during the judgment...then he should be recorded among Heaven's highest officials."Mu Chen lowered his head. His expression had become unusually complicated."He was..."he murmured. "Once."Everyone immediately looked toward him.Xiao Ren frowned."Senior Mu Chen...what do you mean?"Mu Chen slowly clenched his fists."When I first entered Heaven..."he said quietly,"my master once warned me about a man whose name must never be spoken."His eyes slowly lifted toward Zhao Ming."I thought it was only an old legend."Huo Jin's face turned pale."You heard that story too?"Mu Chen gave a faint nod."But before my master could finish..."He paused."The elders arrived."His breathing became heavier."The next day...my master disappeared."
Lin Chen slowly turned toward Zhao Ming. His voice was filled with disbelief."If...if you were standing beside Shou Heng..."He swallowed hard."Then why does nobody remember you?"Zhao Ming looked at the enormous mirror overhead.A lonely smile slowly appeared."Because..."he answered softly,"someone made sure they wouldn't."
The mirror continued moving.The Heavenly Court remained exactly as before. Shou Heng remained kneeling but this time the mirror never looked away from Zhao Ming. He slowly stepped forward until he stood directly beside Shou Heng.Not behind him.Not above him.Beside him.Yan Luo frowned."Why did he move there?"Chen Yu narrowed his eyes.He carefully watched Zhao Ming's posture.Then his pupils slowly contracted."He wasn't standing beside him...He was shielding him."
Everyone immediately looked again.Only then did they notice it.Zhao Ming's body stood slightly in front of Shou Heng.If anyone attacked...he would have been struck.first.Lin Chen stared blankly. "He..." His lips trembled."He was protecting him." Mu Chen slowly whispered,"That part...was never shown in the official memory." Tian Xuan quietly lowered his eyes."It was erased."Xiao Ren looked toward the Grand Elder in disbelief."Erased?"Tian Xuan slowly nodded."The memory Heaven preserved... was incomplete."Shen Kai unconsciously stepped backward."Then...we've been watching a false judgment all these years?" Tian Xuan didn't answer.His silence itself became the answer.
Lin Chen stared at Zhao Ming with trembling eyes."Who...were you to him?"Zhao Ming didn't answer.Instead he slowly lowered his head.His eyes quietly closed.For several long moments...he simply stood there.The demonic aura around him slowly calmed and threads drifting around him also became strangely still.When ZhaoMing finally spoke...his voice was no louder than a whisper."I was the one..."He paused.His shoulders trembled ever so slightly."...who read Heaven's sentence."No one spoke.He slowly continued."I was the one..."His fists slowly tightened until blood dripped from his palms."...who declared my own brother guilty."
The entire battlefield froze.Lin Chen's eyes widened."Brother...?"Yan Luo's breathing stopped.Chen Yu slowly looked toward the image of Shou Heng in the mirror...then back toward Zhao Ming.His pupils contracted. "Shou Heng..."He whispered."...was your brother?"Zhao Ming gave a faint nod.He never opened his eyes and a single tear quietly rolled down his cheek.Then another and another.They fell onto the cracked earth below."I obeyed Heaven...I believed the judgment was righteous."He let out a trembling breath."I believed...that Heaven would show mercy if I fulfilled my duty."His lips slowly curved into a bitter smile filled with endless regret."I was wrong."Another tear fell."I obeyed Heaven..."He slowly opened his eyes."...and Heaven murdered him anyway."