The night after the battle did not bring peace.
Yunhe City lay in ruins, its streets dimly lit by scattered lanterns and dying embers. The wounded rested inside temporary shelters, and the sound of quiet weeping carried through the air like a soft echo of grief. Though the demonic forces had retreated, their shadow still lingered over the city.
Li Tian stood alone on the highest remaining tower of the southern wall.
The wind moved gently across his face, cooling the dried blood at the corner of his lips. His breathing was steady, but inside his body, chaos still remained. The First Revolution of the Heaven-Defying Nine Revolutions had forced his qi beyond its natural limits. His meridians throbbed with pain, as if they were barely holding together.
He closed his eyes and began circulating his qi slowly.
Ordinary cultivation followed the natural rhythm of heaven and earth. It was smooth and balanced. But the Heaven-Defying Art moved against that rhythm. Each cycle felt like swimming upstream in a violent river.
Suddenly—
A sharp heat flared in his chest.
Li Tian's eyes snapped open.
He gripped his robe and pulled it aside.
On the center of his chest, faint golden lines began to form. They twisted together like living threads of light, creating a strange symbol — ancient and powerful.
The Heaven-Defying Mark.
It pulsed once.
Then again.
Each pulse sent a wave of energy through his body, pushing outward into the surrounding air.
The sky above Yunhe City darkened slightly.
Clouds gathered without warning.
Li Tian frowned.
He had not activated the technique again.
Why was it reacting?
Footsteps approached from behind.
Su Yan stepped onto the tower, her white robes flowing gently in the wind. She stopped when she saw the faint golden glow beneath his clothing.
"You feel it too?" she asked quietly.
Li Tian nodded.
"It's no longer hiding."
As if responding to his words, the golden mark on his chest flared brighter. For a brief moment, a thin pillar of light shot upward into the night sky before fading again.
Far beyond Yunhe City, in a distant mountain range shrouded in darkness, an old man meditating inside a stone cave suddenly opened his eyes.
His pupils were vertical, like a serpent's.
"The aura…" he whispered.
A cold smile slowly formed on his lips.
"So the Heaven-Defying lineage truly survives."
Back in Yunhe City, Su Yan looked up at the clouds forming overhead.
"You cannot suppress that forever," she said.
"I know."
The mark pulsed again, then gradually dimmed until it became invisible beneath his skin. But Li Tian understood something had changed.
The world had sensed him.
And the world would respond.
He lowered his robe and steadied his breathing.
"I need time," he said. "If I can stabilize the Second Meridian cycle under reversal, I may be able to conceal it."
"That technique is already dangerous," Su Yan replied. "If you force it again—"
"I won't," he said calmly.
But both of them knew that was not entirely true.
The wind grew stronger.
From the northern sky, faint streaks of light appeared — three figures flying toward Yunhe City with steady, controlled speed.
Su Yan narrowed her eyes. "They are not demonic."
"No," Li Tian replied. "They carry imperial qi."
The Great Zhou Empire had finally moved.
The three figures descended into the ruined courtyard, their robes untouched by ash or dust. They stood tall, calm, and distant — as if the suffering around them did not concern them at all.
The leader stepped forward.
"You are Li Tian," he said.
"Yes."
"You are summoned to the Imperial Capital. By order of the Crown Prince."
The words were simple.
But the meaning was heavy.
Su Yan stepped forward slightly. "For what reason?"
"There are concerns," the imperial envoy replied. "Your cultivation method has disturbed the balance of heaven. Such matters must be investigated."
Li Tian almost smiled.
The Demonic Alliance attacked openly.
Yet the Empire came to question him.
So this was how power worked.
"If I refuse?" Li Tian asked.
The three imperial cultivators released a small portion of their aura at once. The air around them tightened.
"Then we will escort you by force."
Silence followed.
The survivors nearby grew nervous.
Li Tian looked around at the damaged city.
If he resisted, Yunhe City would suffer again.
If he went, he would walk directly into the heart of political danger.
The golden mark beneath his skin gave one final faint pulse — as if reminding him of the path he had chosen.
Strength without righteousness is demonic.
Righteousness without strength is suicide.
He stepped forward.
"I will go."
Su Yan looked at him with concern. "This is a trap."
"Yes," he replied calmly. "But it is one I must enter."
High above the clouds, thunder rolled faintly once more.
The heavens had marked him.
And now, so had the Empire.
The storm was no longer coming.
It had already begun.