The underground chamber trembled faintly.
Dust still drifted through the air from the shattered wall Mo Chen had destroyed moments earlier. Broken stones lay scattered across the ancient floor, and faint cracks continued spreading along the sealing formation beneath their feet.
Lin Yue's breathing had yet to calm.
Everything had happened too fast.
The statue breaking.Time freezing.That impossible kiss.
And now—
Mo Chen stood a short distance away from her, no longer touching her, his gaze fixed sharply toward the tunnel entrance above.
His expression changed.
Cold.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"They're here," he said quietly.
Lin Yue blinked, still trying to steady her racing heart. "Who?"
Mo Chen did not look at her.
"The ones who sealed me."
A chill crawled down her spine.
As if responding to his words, faint footsteps echoed from above.
Not hurried.
Not careless.
Measured movements.
Professional.
Flashlights flickered through cracks in the ceiling as shadows descended slowly into the ruins.
Mo Chen narrowed his crimson eyes.
"They are weaker than before," he murmured. "Yet troublesome."
He had awakened only moments ago after a thousand years of imprisonment. His strength had returned, but incompletely — unstable, fragmented.
Fighting now would expose him.
And worse—
It would expose her.
Mo Chen finally turned toward Lin Yue.
"Come here."
She frowned. "Why?"
"If your friends are to live," he replied calmly, extending his hand toward her, "give me your hand."
Something about his tone silenced her questions.
It was not a threat.
It was certainty.
Hesitation flickered across her face before she slowly stepped closer and placed her hand into his.
The moment their skin touched, a strange warmth spread through her palm.
Then—
A sharp sting.
"Ow—!"
Mo Chen's fingertip had sliced lightly across her skin.
A thin line of blood surfaced instantly.
"What are you doing?!" she protested.
He ignored her completely.
Crimson droplets rose from her palm instead of falling, drawn toward him by invisible force.
They merged into his hand.
Absorbed.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Pressure descended upon the chamber like an invisible mountain.
Mo Chen's eyes flared open—
Deep crimson.
Brighter.
Alive.
Like twin blood moons igniting in darkness.
Power surged outward before compressing back into his body.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Temporary stabilization."
Behind them, Lin Yue's friends stared nervously at the damaged ruins, unaware of what was happening.
Mo Chen lifted his fingers.
Snap.
One by one, her teammates collapsed gently onto the stone floor, falling into peaceful unconsciousness.
Lin Yue gasped.
"What did you do to them?!"
"They sleep," Mo Chen answered calmly. "Nothing more."
Before she could argue—
Voices echoed from above.
"Energy spike confirmed!"
"Move carefully!"
Flashlights pierced the darkness as figures descended rapidly into the chamber.
Mo Chen's gaze sharpened.
"They arrived sooner than expected."
Without another word, space around them twisted violently.
Lin Yue felt reality fold inward.
Sound vanished.
Light distorted—
And the world disappeared.
Blood Moon Ruins — Moments Later
Six figures landed within the chamber.
Each wore dark tactical uniforms marked with silver insignias.
Members of the Night Watch Division (夜监司).
Elite supernatural operatives tasked with maintaining balance between humans and hidden beings.
Captain Liang Feng surveyed the destruction silently.
"…Too late."
Spiritual analyst Mei Lin knelt beside the fractured sealing array.
"The formation has completely collapsed."
Tracking specialist Xu Ren frowned. "No target presence detected."
Liang Feng's expression darkened.
"Did you truly believe the Night Sovereign could be captured again?"
Silence followed.
Combat operative Gao Wei swallowed nervously.
"He… really returned?"
Liang Feng looked toward the shattered altar.
"In ancient history, both vampires and Wardens feared him."
"If he has awakened…"
"…then something triggered it."
Mei Lin suddenly raised her hand.
"Blood trace detected."
A single crimson drop shimmered within cracked stone.
Xu Ren activated a talisman, extracting the sample carefully.
"The catalyst," he whispered.
Liang Feng stood.
"Find the owner of this blood."
His voice hardened.
"If we find them…"
"We find him."
Crimson Court — Underground Domain
Far beneath the sleeping city, crimson chandeliers illuminated a vast ancient hall.
Vampires gathered in uneasy silence.
A noble elder spoke slowly.
"The Night Sovereign has awakened."
Whispers spread instantly.
Fear.
Excitement.
Dread.
"If Mo Chen truly returns," one elder muttered, "our rule ends."
Another smiled faintly.
"Or our king returns."
Because the being they once feared most—
Had risen again.
Jiangnan University — Rooftop Garden
Cold night wind brushed Lin Yue's face.
She staggered forward, disoriented.
Concrete replaced ancient stone beneath her feet.
Familiar buildings surrounded her.
She froze.
"…My university?"
Her sleeping friends lay nearby as if nothing had happened.
Shock flooded her mind.
She spun toward Mo Chen.
"How did we get here?!"
He calmly lifted a document.
Her research proposal.
Jiangnan University — Department of Historical Research printed clearly across it.
"You carried a reference," he said. "Location becomes simple."
Her jaw dropped.
"You teleported us using a picture?!"
He did not deny it.
She rushed toward her friends, checking their breathing.
"They will awaken within an hour," Mo Chen said.
Relief came—
Followed instantly by anger.
"You erased their memories!"
"Yes."
"WHY?!"
Mo Chen stepped closer, expression calm.
"Knowledge of me invites death."
She froze.
"You alone remember," he continued quietly.
His crimson gaze locked onto hers.
"Because you belong to me."
Her heartbeat stumbled.
"I do NOT belong to anyone!"
She stepped backward—
Her heel slipped.
A startled cry escaped her.
She fell—
But never touched the ground.
Mo Chen appeared instantly before her.
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her firmly against him.
Too close.
Again.
Her heart pounded wildly as their eyes met.
"You are careless," he murmured.
She could feel his breath against her face.
Warm.
Dangerous.
For a moment—
Neither moved.
City lights shimmered below them.
And Lin Yue realized something terrifying.
The ancient monster feared by the world…
Was looking at her as though she alone existed.
Far away, unseen forces had already begun searching.
And unknowingly—
She had become the mark that would lead them all to him.
End of Chapter 3...