The palace of Lotus Valley stood like a silent monarch among the mountains.
White jade towers rose through drifting clouds, their roofs curved like blooming lotus petals. Water streams flowed through carved stone channels, feeding tranquil pools filled with glowing lotus flowers.
But tonight, the palace was not peaceful.
Inside the Grand Hall of the Yun Clan, tension hung heavy in the air.
At the center of the chamber stood Yun Lianhua.
Her crimson ruqun brushed the polished marble floor as she stood facing the throne at the far end of the hall.
Upon that throne sat the ruler of Lotus Valley.
Her mother.
Yun Xueying.
The woman's beauty carried the cold elegance of winter itself. Her long silver-black hair flowed down her back like falling snow, and her gaze held the quiet authority of someone who had ruled the clan for decades.
Around them stood elders of the clan.
Warriors.
Scholars.
Every one of them silent.
Waiting.
Yun Lianhua spoke first.
"Mother."
Her voice was steady, but her eyes revealed the urgency she was trying to hide.
"I need your permission."
Yun Xueying did not answer immediately.
She simply watched her daughter quietly.
"What kind of permission?"
Yun Lianhua stepped forward.
"To summon Grandfather."
Murmurs spread through the hall instantly.
Even the elders shifted uncomfortably.
The Supreme Master of Lotus Valley…
Yun Tianzhao.
The founder of their clan.
The man who had not left the Celestial Lotus Sanctuary in over thirty years.
Yun Xueying's expression did not change.
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Final.
Yun Lianhua clenched her fists.
"Mother, please listen—"
"No."
The word came sharper this time.
"The Celestial Lotus Sanctuary is not to be disturbed."
Yun Lianhua took another step forward.
"A man's life is at stake!"
Yun Xueying's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And?"
The hall went silent.
Her voice carried no cruelty.
Only cold logic.
"Warriors die every day, Lianhua."
"That is the nature of this world."
Yun Lianhua's heart tightened.
"He isn't just any warrior."
"He helped defeat a Demandre High Commander."
That statement caused visible shock among the elders.
Even Yun Xueying's expression shifted slightly.
"…Vorathrael?"
Zhen Guanyu, standing quietly behind Yun Lianhua, finally spoke.
"Yes."
"The Devourer of Silent Souls."
The hall erupted in whispers.
That name was infamous.
Even among powerful clans.
Yun Xueying leaned forward slightly.
"And you're telling me…"
"…a stranger helped defeat it?"
Yun Lianhua nodded firmly.
"He nearly died doing it."
Her voice grew softer.
"If we don't act… he will die."
Yun Xueying's gaze hardened again.
"That still does not justify disturbing the Supreme Master."
Yun Lianhua's voice cracked slightly.
"He saved our lives!"
"He saved Lotus Valley!"
The ruler of the clan remained unmoved.
"Emotional arguments do not change rules."
Yun Lianhua lowered her head.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
For the first time since she had returned—
She felt helpless.
Zhen Guanyu stepped forward.
The sound of his staff striking the floor echoed softly.
"Clan Leader Yun."
His voice was calm.
Respectful.
But firm.
"There is something you should see."
Yun Xueying looked at him.
"Master Zhen, I respect you greatly."
"But the rules of this clan are not negotiable."
The old man sighed quietly.
"I know."
"Which is why I have remained silent until now."
Zhen Guanyu slowly reached into the folds of his robe.
The entire hall watched in silence.
Then he pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth.
He carefully unfolded the fabric.
Inside was a metal emblem.
Old.
Ancient.
The metal carried faint engravings worn down by centuries.
But the symbol at its center remained clear.
A black lotus surrounded by three shattered rings.
The moment Yun Xueying saw it—
Her body froze.
Her calm expression shattered instantly.
"…Where…"
Her voice suddenly felt distant.
"…did you get that?"
The elders leaned forward in confusion.
They had never seen their ruler react like this.
Zhen Guanyu spoke calmly.
"This belongs to the wounded man."
The room fell silent.
Yun Lianhua looked confused.
"This… came from Lin?"
Zhen Guanyu nodded.
"I found it hanging around his neck when the physicians began treating him."
"I believed it was important."
Yun Xueying slowly stood from her throne.
Her eyes never left the emblem.
"That symbol…"
Her breathing grew slightly heavier.
"…should not exist."
The elders exchanged worried glances.
One of them spoke.
"Clan Leader… what is that emblem?"
But Yun Xueying ignored the question.
She stepped down from the throne and approached Zhen Guanyu slowly.
Her gaze was filled with disbelief.
"You are absolutely certain… this belongs to the boy?"
Zhen Guanyu nodded again.
"Yes."
Yun Xueying reached out and took the emblem carefully.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
A ruler who had faced wars and political storms without blinking…
Now looked shaken.
Without another word—
She turned immediately.
"Take me to him."
The command echoed through the hall.
Servants rushed forward instantly.
Yun Lianhua blinked in surprise.
"Mother…?"
But Yun Xueying was already moving toward the door.
Halfway across the chamber she stopped and spoke sharply to a messenger.
"Send word to the Celestial Lotus Sanctuary immediately."
The servant bowed deeply.
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Yun Xueying's voice became firm.
"Tell the Supreme Master…"
"…that Yun Xueying requests his presence."
She paused.
Then added something that shocked everyone present.
"Tell him it concerns the Black Lotus Emblem."
The messenger's eyes widened.
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
He rushed out of the hall.
The elders erupted in whispers.
Even Yun Lianhua looked stunned.
Her mother had refused the request just moments ago.
Yet now she was summoning the Supreme Master herself.
They quickly reached the medical chamber.
Lin lay unconscious on the bed.
His breathing was faint.
The physicians stepped aside immediately when Yun Xueying entered.
She walked toward him slowly.
The emblem remained clenched in her hand.
When she stood beside the bed—
Her eyes widened again.
The faint pulsing of the ancient seal inside Lin's heart could be felt even through the air.
A dangerous power.
One that should not exist inside a human body.
Yun Xueying whispered softly.
"…Impossible."
Behind her, Yun Lianhua turned toward Zhen Guanyu.
Her confusion had only grown.
"Master…"
She pointed toward the emblem in her mother's hand.
"Why did Mother change her mind the moment she saw that badge?"
"To me it just looks like an old emblem."
Zhen Guanyu smiled faintly.
His voice carried a strange weight.
"Young Lady…"
"…that is not just an emblem."
He looked toward Lin.
"The boy carries something far older than any clan in this valley."
Yun Lianhua frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The old master's eyes reflected the lantern light.
"That symbol…"
"…is tied to a legend that even your grandfather fears."
Yun Lianhua's eyes widened.
"Fears?"
Zhen Guanyu nodded slowly.
"Yes."
He lowered his voice.
"That emblem once belonged to a power that disappeared centuries ago."
"A power that shaped the balance of the entire continent."
He looked at Lin again.
"And now…"
"…it has appeared again around the neck of an unconscious boy."
Outside the palace walls, the messenger rode through the mountains under the pale moonlight.
Racing toward the Celestial Lotus Sanctuary.
Toward the man known as the Supreme Master of Lotus Valley.
A man who had not stepped outside his sanctuary in thirty years.
Unaware—
That the emblem he thought lost to history…
Had just returned to the world.