The Immortal Realm rarely slept.
Even in the deepest hours of the night, spiritual energy continued flowing through the skies like invisible rivers,
and cultivators practiced their Dao among the floating mountains. The Veyrion Clan was no different.
Yet tonight, something had changed.
Across the immense territory of the clan, whispers traveled silently through hidden halls and sealed chambers.
Servants moved carefully. Formation masters inspected ancient arrays. Elders communicated through jade slips
that carried messages faster than sound.
The Awakening Stone had been destroyed.
And worse than that…
It had been destroyed by one of their own.
Inside a quiet pavilion carved into the side of a floating mountain, three elders sat around a circular stone table.
A glowing array projected faint images of the earlier ceremony into the air between them.
Again and again, the scene replayed.
Zaiheli Veyrion placing his hand on the crystal.
The fracture spreading across the stone.
The dark vortex appearing.
And finally…
The golden threads dissolving into nothing.
One elder rubbed his chin slowly.
"That vortex absorbed the fate threads."
Another elder shook his head.
"No Dao should be capable of doing that. Fate threads exist outside normal cultivation laws."
The third elder watched silently for a moment before speaking.
"Unless that Dao does not belong to the cultivation system."
The other two looked at him sharply.
"That is a dangerous speculation," the first elder said.
"Perhaps," the third elder replied calmly. "But it explains what we witnessed."
Silence filled the pavilion.
Because if the Dao awakened by Zaiheli truly existed outside the Heavenly Laws…
Then its implications were enormous.
---
Meanwhile, Zaiheli walked through the outer gardens of his residence.
Moonlight reflected across the lakes and stone pathways. Spirit flowers glowed softly in the darkness while
ancient trees rustled gently in the night wind.
To most people, the gardens would appear peaceful.
But Zaiheli could feel the subtle presence of observers.
Two hidden guards watched from the rooftops.
Another presence lingered near the entrance to the courtyard.
They were not trying to hide particularly well.
Which meant their purpose was obvious.
Observation.
Zaiheli smiled faintly.
"So the investigation begins already."
He continued walking calmly along the path, pretending not to notice them.
In truth, he had expected this reaction from the moment the Awakening Stone shattered.
No ancient clan would ignore a phenomenon like that.
Especially not the Veyrion Clan.
Yet Zaiheli was not worried.
He had spent an entire lifetime navigating complex systems of power and influence in his previous world.
Compared to corporate politics and global financial manipulation…
Clan politics felt familiar.
If anything, the rules were simpler.
Strength.
Secrecy.
Control of information.
Zaiheli stopped near the edge of the garden where a small waterfall flowed into a jade pool.
The sound of running water masked nearby footsteps.
Perfect.
He extended his hand slowly.
A faint ripple appeared in the air.
Darkness gathered quietly above his palm.
The Hollow Dao.
Unlike earlier, the vortex remained stable this time.
Zaiheli observed it carefully.
The vortex absorbed spiritual energy drifting through the air. Tiny fragments of Qi vanished into its center
without resistance.
But something else happened as well.
Thin strands of invisible energy also drifted toward the vortex.
Zaiheli narrowed his eyes.
Even though they were difficult to see, he recognized them instantly.
Fate threads.
The same phenomenon that had appeared during the ceremony.
The Hollow Dao consumed them effortlessly.
And each time it did…
Zaiheli felt a strange sensation.
Not power.
Not cultivation growth.
But clarity.
Almost like fragments of understanding were settling inside his mind.
He frowned thoughtfully.
"That means this Dao does more than consume…"
It was absorbing information.
Understanding.
Fragments of destiny itself.
If that process continued…
Then eventually the Hollow Dao might allow him to perceive fate directly.
The implications of that were staggering.
Zaiheli closed his hand and the vortex vanished.
Better not to experiment too openly for now.
After all…
He was certain the elders were already watching him carefully.
---
Deep within the clan's central palace, Patriarch Veyrion Kael stood before an enormous window overlooking the
floating mountains.
The night sky stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
Behind him, several elders waited respectfully.
One finally spoke.
"The surveillance teams have been placed around the boy's residence."
The patriarch nodded slightly.
"And?"
"So far, nothing unusual. His behavior is calm. He seems unaware of our observation."
A faint smile touched the patriarch's lips.
"He is aware."
The elders looked surprised.
"He simply chooses not to react."
Another elder frowned.
"That level of composure is unusual for a child."
"Exactly," the patriarch replied quietly.
His gaze returned to the stars.
"That boy's mind is far older than his body."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
Because they had sensed the same thing during the ceremony.
Zaiheli had shown no fear.
No excitement.
Only observation.
As if he were studying the situation rather than participating in it.
Finally one elder spoke.
"What are your orders, Patriarch?"
The patriarch remained silent for a long moment.
Then he said softly,
"Continue observing him."
"No interference."
"If his Dao truly devours fate…"
His voice grew quieter.
"…then forcing the matter may create consequences we do not yet understand."
---
Elsewhere in the Immortal Realm, the Heavenly Observation Array flickered again.
The same celestial official from earlier returned to the mirror of fate.
This time, the distortion had grown slightly.
Several more fate threads had vanished.
The official frowned deeply.
"That is unusual…"
He summoned a scroll containing ancient records of fate anomalies.
Most disturbances were caused by powerful cultivators interfering with destiny.
But those disturbances always left traces.
This phenomenon did not.
The threads simply ended.
As if something had erased them completely.
The official hesitated before writing a brief report.
"Minor anomaly detected within the Immortal Realm. Cause unknown."
He sealed the report with a celestial rune.
For now, it was only a small irregularity.
But if the anomaly continued growing…
The Heavenly Tribunal would eventually intervene.
---
Back in the Veyrion Clan gardens, Zaiheli looked up toward the sky.
He could feel something faint.
Like distant attention brushing across the heavens.
The sensation disappeared quickly.
But it confirmed one thing.
The universe had begun noticing the Hollow Dao.
Zaiheli smiled.
"Good."
Because attention meant opportunity.
And if fate itself had become unstable…
Then the future might belong to the one capable of devouring it.