Part 1
Half a month had passed since the expedition to Fusang Valley, and life on Azure Cloud Sect's central peak had resumed its deceptively peaceful rhythm.
Deep in the night, Su Yan sat cross-legged in the meditation chamber within his cultivation cave. The luminous pearls embedded in the walls cast a soft glow, but their light could not penetrate the rolling black mist surging around him.
Six months. From a refugee without even spiritual roots to someone whose demonic cultivation had quietly reached the threshold of Foundation Building—if this speed were ever exposed, it would send chills through the entire cultivation world of Kyushu.
"System, begin Foundation Building breakthrough," Su Yan commanded silently.
[Command received. Detected Host's demonic cultivation has reached early Foundation Building threshold. Initiating breakthrough guidance.]
[Warning: Demonic energy fluctuations may leak during breakthrough. Recommend activating maximum-grade isolation array!]
Su Yan opened his eyes, his hands forming seals at lightning speed. Several black runes shot from his fingertips into the surrounding walls. An invisible barrier rose silently, completely sealing the meditation chamber from the outside world. He closed his eyes again, sinking his consciousness into his dantian.
Deep within, a vortex of pitch-black demonic qi spun wildly. Like a primordial beast caged, each of its roars greedily devoured the surrounding spiritual energy, crushing and grinding it into the purest, most overbearing demonic essence.
"Break!" Su Yan commanded inwardly.
The demonic essence surged like a flood of black water, carrying excruciating pain as it slammed against the final barrier of his twelve primary meridians.
His bones creaked with a sound that set teeth on edge. Cold sweat soaked his robes instantly. The moment the last meridian shattered, Su Yan's entire body convulsed—a thunderous crack of broken shackles echoed within him.
Foundation Building. Achieved.
But the changes did not stop. The System's emotionless mechanical voice resounded in his sea of consciousness:
[Congratulations, Host has broken through to Foundation Building Stage (Demonic Path).]
[Detected special constitution "Devouring Demon Body" has completed its first awakening.]
[Exclusive innate demonic technique generating... Generation complete!]
[Technique Name: Formless Imitation.]
[Technique Effect: Can perfectly replicate an opponent's techniques and their associated energy signature, powered by the Host's own demonic essence. The replication captures both form and spirit, with effectiveness reaching sixty percent of the original technique's power.]
Su Yan's eyes snapped open. A terrifying dark gleam flickered deep within his pupils.
Perfectly replicate a technique's energy signature?
He raised his right hand, focusing his intent. A cluster of pale green spiritual energy slowly coalesced in his palm—unmistakably the purest Azure Cloud True Art signature, the very same technique cultivated by Lin Yue! Righteous, balanced, and utterly undetectable!
Although the System rated the replicated technique at only sixty percent of the original's power, Su Yan cultivated the supreme Nine Abyssal Heaven-Devouring Art from another realm. His internal energy was condensed beyond measure, his demonic essence ten times more formidable than that of any cultivator at his level. With ten times the raw power driving a sixty-percent replica, the destructive force would be enough to crush any Azure Cloud Sect personal disciple of the same rank!
Most terrifying of all, this layer of "Azure Cloud True Energy" acted like a perfect mask, sealing his abyssal demonic qi beneath an impenetrable facade. From now on, when he fought in front of others, he no longer needed to hold back as he had during the Outer Sect Tournament.
Su Yan slowly closed his fingers, crushing the green energy into nothing. A cold smile curved his lips. He rose to his feet, his gaze piercing through the window lattice toward the highest point of the central peak—the region perpetually shrouded in thick mist.
The fifth World Pillar. It was time to investigate.
Part 2
The central peak was silent under the cover of night.
Su Yan had changed into dark night clothes, suppressing his demonic aura completely back to his disguised "Qi Condensation Stage Six" level. His figure moved like a ghost through the shadows along the mountain path.
Half an hour later, having evaded every patrolling disciple, he reached the edge of the central peak's forbidden core zone.
Before him lay a churning sea of dense fog. The mist appeared ordinary, but the moment Su Yan approached within three zhang, a pressure that made his very soul tremble crashed down upon him.
[Warning: Ancient formation "Nine Turns Soul-Bewildering Array" detected ahead.]
[Formation Grade: Profound Rank, Upper Tier. At Host's current strength, forced entry will result in instant annihilation and alert the entire sect!]
Su Yan halted, making no reckless moves. He took out the "World Pillar Fragment" he had obtained from Fusang Valley. The moment the fragment touched the edge of the mist, it emitted a faint hum. A strange resonance of shared origin rippled outward, and the dense fog before him parted like boiling water, slowly opening a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to pass.
Su Yan took a deep breath and slipped sideways into the gap.
Beyond the mist lay a hidden realm.
This was a secluded valley surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs. There were no plants or flowers within—only spiritual energy so thick it had become almost viscous. At the center of the valley stood a towering stone pillar, dozens of zhang high, its entire surface a deep, dark gold.
The pillar was covered in ancient, cryptic totems. It stood silently as if connecting heaven and earth itself. With each pulse of light, it carried the heavy rhythm of the entire world breathing.
This was the ultimate secret guarded by Azure Cloud Sect for generations. The fifth World Pillar!
Su Yan stepped forward slowly, reaching out to touch the pillar's surface with his fingertips.
In that instant, countless phantoms of living beings flashed before his eyes. He felt the weight of this land—its vitality, its joys and sorrows—the vast and boundless will of Kyushu's Heavenly Dao.
But on Su Yan's retina, only cold red text appeared:
[Target Confirmed: Fifth World Pillar.]
[Fortune Purity: Supreme Grade. Status: Intact.]
[Investigation Mission Progress: 2/8.]
[Execution Notice: Host's current strength insufficient. Destruction of this pillar and installation of the Fortune-Sealing Nail requires Host to reach the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.]
Tribulation Transcendence Stage.
Su Yan withdrew his hand. That was a realm that ordinary cultivators could not reach even after exhausting a thousand years of lifespan. But he had no time. He seared the terrain and formation nodes into his memory, then turned and walked back toward the gap in the mist.
Just as he was about to step out of the fog, the System's alarm blared at maximum volume in his mind!
[Extreme Danger! Extreme Danger!]
[High-level life form detected outside the formation! Locking on—Target: Lin Yue!]
Part 3
Su Yan's feet rooted to the spot.
Before his body could even react, cold sweat had already soaked his back. Through the churning mist, he could vaguely make out a tall silhouette standing silently outside the formation.
It was Lin Yue.
He carried no disciple's lantern. His footsteps made no sound. He stood like a statue, facing the mist at the entrance to the forbidden zone, utterly silent.
Between them lay less than three meters and a single layer of ancient formation fog.
Su Yan stopped breathing entirely. He slowed his heartbeat to its absolute minimum, compressing the demonic qi in his dantian into a single pinpoint.
This was impossible! He had clearly avoided every patrol route. Why was Lin Yue here in the dead of night?!
Outside the mist, Lin Yue did not move.
Not only did he not leave, but he slowly raised his right hand and gripped his sword hilt.
Shing—
An almost imperceptible whisper of steel. Lin Yue's sword had been drawn half an inch.
A surge of overwhelming Azure Cloud sword intent, pure and absolute, slipped silently into the mist along that half-inch of exposed blade! The sword intent moved like a serpent through the fog, weaving its way forward until it came to a halt—less than three inches from Su Yan's forehead!
In that moment, Su Yan's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
The razor-sharp sword energy had already pricked the skin between his brows. If Lin Yue pushed forward even a fraction, this sword intent would pierce straight through his skull!
[Warning! Host's life under immediate threat! Initiate emergency seal release and enter combat mode?!]
The System flashed red frantically.
He could not move.
Su Yan clenched his jaw until his tongue bled. The moment he fought back, demonic qi would leak, and the entire Azure Cloud Sect's mountain-protecting array would activate instantly. He would be obliterated without a trace.
He was gambling. Gambling that this was merely Lin Yue's instinctual probing. Gambling that Lin Yue had not truly seen him.
Time stretched into eternity.
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.
Outside the mist, Lin Yue's brow furrowed slightly. His fingers, calloused from years of sword practice, lingered on the hilt for a moment.
"Just my imagination...?" A whisper so faint it was barely audible drifted through the fog.
Click.
The sword slid back into its sheath. The deadly sword intent hovering before Su Yan's forehead dissolved into nothing.
Lin Yue cast one last deep look at the churning mist, then finally turned and began walking down the mountain path. His tall silhouette gradually faded into the night.
Only when Lin Yue's presence had completely vanished from Su Yan's spiritual perception did his legs give way beneath him. He nearly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently.
That had been too close. If not for the Nine Turns Soul-Bewildering Array obscuring sight and aura, Lin Yue's strike would have left him dead.
This senior brother's instincts were monstrously sharp.
Part 4
Back in his cultivation cave, Su Yan immediately activated every protective array at his disposal.
He did not meditate. Instead, he called up the System interface in his mind and opened the Exchange.
His gaze locked onto an option worth 500 points—the [Azure Cloud Sect Core Intelligence (Personal Disciple Privilege Edition)] he had previously passed over to save points.
"Exchange," Su Yan commanded without hesitation.
[Deducting 500 points. Current remaining points: 890.]
A flood of information surged into Su Yan's mind. He closed his eyes, rapidly extracting all classified files related to Lin Yue.
[Confidential File: Lin Yue.]
[Identity: Senior personal disciple of Sect Leader Chu Xiong. Internally designated as the next Azure Cloud Sect Sect Leader successor.]
[Special Status: Has been granted access to certain sect forbidden zone secrets. Recently detected unknown energy fluctuations in the central peak's rear mountains (analysis indicates these are demonic qi traces occasionally leaking from Host).]
[Behavioral Analysis: Target possesses exceptionally meticulous thinking. Frequently abandons meditation late at night to patrol around the forbidden zone while concealing his presence, attempting to identify latent threats. While no concrete evidence has been obtained, his suspicion has reached its peak.]
Su Yan opened his eyes. Gone was any trace of previous complacency, replaced by a chilling, suffocating coldness.
He finally understood.
Lin Yue had not been there by accident. He had come hunting for a "ghost"!
That gentle, kind senior brother who always smiled and said "I will help you"—in the darkness of night, he was a top-tier hunter, blade in hand, always ready to slay demons and protect his sect.
And now, he had set his sights on Su Yan.
With Lin Yue's perception and determination, uncovering evidence was only a matter of time. Once he found anything suspicious, Chu Xiong and the entire Azure Cloud Sect would crush Su Yan like an insect.
Su Yan walked to the window and pushed it open.
Moonlight poured in like water, falling on his pale face. In the distance, toward the direction of Medicine King Peak, Lin Yue's cultivation cave remained dark. That man was perhaps still concealed in the shadows, standing guard over this mountain.
"Senior Brother..." Su Yan murmured softly, his voice as gentle as a sigh.
The sliver of respect and hesitation he had once felt toward Lin Yue beneath the setting sun was now crushed into dust by his instinct for survival and the System's cold directives.
Since you stand in my way, it can only be your misfortune.
Su Yan raised his right hand. A mass of demonic qi, black as ink, coalesced in his palm, then transformed under Formless Imitation into a cluster of the purest Azure Cloud True Energy.
"I'm sorry," he said, his expression blank as he gazed at the energy as if it were Lin Yue's throat. "I can't let you keep investigating."
Under the moonlight, the young man's gaze sank into the abyss.
In the silence of this deep night, the deadly trap targeting Azure Cloud Sect's senior disciple had begun to close.