The rain over the city did not stop for three straight days.
Dark clouds covered the skyline constantly, giving the entire world a suffocating feeling that ordinary people couldn't explain. News stations called it unusual climate instability. Governments blamed atmospheric disturbances.
But hidden cultivators knew the truth.
The mortal world was reacting to the cracks between realms.
And every ancient force hidden beneath society had begun moving.
Deep beneath a mountain far from civilization, massive stone doors slowly opened after remaining sealed for decades. Ancient spiritual energy flooded outward into the cold night air while figures dressed in black robes knelt silently along both sides of a giant underground hall.
At the end of the hall stood an old man with silver hair and golden eyes.
His aura alone distorted the surrounding space faintly.
Void Transformation Peak.
One of the hidden monsters of the mortal world.
A younger cultivator kneeled before him with his head lowered deeply.
"Ancestor… the information has been confirmed."
The silver-haired old man remained silent.
"The heavens cracked open above the eastern region three nights ago. A Watcher descended."
The old man's eyes slowly opened.
"And?"
The kneeling cultivator hesitated slightly.
"…The Watcher retreated."
Silence crashed through the underground hall instantly.
Every kneeling disciple stiffened.
Because those words were absurd.
Watchers did not retreat.
The silver-haired old man's expression slowly changed.
"…Who forced it back?"
The younger cultivator swallowed once.
"A descendant of the Su bloodline."
The atmosphere inside the hall became terrifyingly heavy.
Several disciples began trembling uncontrollably under the pressure leaking from the old man.
"The Primordial Bloodline…"
A faint crack appeared beneath the old man's feet.
"So it survived after all."
Far away in another hidden location, an ancient woman sat alone within a frozen courtyard covered in snow. Her white robes flowed gently despite the absence of wind while countless swords floated silently around her body.
Spirit Transformation Peak.
One step away from Void Core.
Her closed eyes suddenly opened.
A disciple hurried toward her immediately before kneeling.
"Master… the Heavenly Observation Sect confirmed it."
The woman looked toward the dark sky quietly.
"The Ancient Court awakened?"
"Yes."
"And the bloodline?"
"…Alive."
The floating swords around her trembled faintly.
Then one exploded instantly.
The disciple's face paled.
The woman slowly stood.
"So destiny finally starts moving again."
Meanwhile, inside the Lin Corporation building, the atmosphere remained heavy despite the calm appearance of the office.
Several hidden arrays had already been activated throughout the building secretly by Zhao Ren's organization. Spiritual barriers invisible to ordinary humans now surrounded the tower from every direction.
But nobody truly felt safe.
Lin Yanyan sat behind her desk reviewing documents while trying to maintain normal operations for the company despite the chaos growing beneath the surface of the world.
Unfortunately—
Normal was becoming harder to maintain.
Her secretary entered nervously.
"President Lin…"
Lin Yanyan looked up calmly.
"What is it?"
"The board members are asking questions again."
"About?"
The secretary hesitated.
"About the explosions… and the rumors surrounding your husband."
Lin Yanyan's expression remained calm.
But the temperature inside the office dropped slightly.
"What rumors?"
The secretary swallowed.
"…That your husband is connected to the hidden incidents happening around the country."
Silence.
Then Lin Yanyan slowly closed the document in front of her.
"Who started it?"
"We don't know yet."
"But the rumors spread very fast."
Of course they did.
Because hidden cultivation families had already begun influencing the mortal world quietly.
Su Chen had become too visible.
Lin Yanyan dismissed the secretary calmly before leaning back in her chair quietly.
Her eyes drifted toward the massive windows overlooking the rainy city.
Then toward Su Chen standing silently nearby.
"You're becoming famous."
Su Chen looked up from the ancient black ring Xu Mingshan had given him earlier.
"That sounds annoying."
"It is."
The ring rested calmly within his palm now, faint silver symbols glowing across its surface occasionally.
Ever since the heavens cracked open—
The ring had started reacting more frequently.
Xu Mingshan stood nearby watching it carefully.
"The inheritance inside the ring is waking up."
Su Chen glanced toward him.
"You know what's inside?"
"No."
Xu Mingshan smiled bitterly.
"Only the direct descendants of the Primordial Bloodline could open it."
A pause.
"But according to ancient records… it contains the path your ancestors walked."
Lin Yanyan frowned slightly.
"What does that even mean?"
Xu Mingshan's eyes darkened.
"It means answers."
Before anyone could continue—
The office doors suddenly burst open.
Zhao Ren entered quickly, expression tense.
"Boss."
Su Chen looked toward him immediately.
"What happened?"
Zhao Ren threw several photos onto the table.
Every picture showed corpses.
Cultivators.
Some burned.
Some torn apart.
Others completely erased.
Lin Yanyan's eyes narrowed.
"Who are they?"
"Scouts from hidden cultivation families."
Zhao Ren's voice became heavier.
"They were all searching for you."
Silence followed instantly.
Then Xu Mingshan's face changed slightly.
"…Someone is killing the search teams."
Zhao Ren nodded once.
"And whoever it is… they're strong."
Su Chen's gaze lowered toward one of the pictures.
A corpse split cleanly in half.
No spiritual residue left behind.
Only a strange black mark burned into the chest.
The moment Su Chen saw the mark—
Something inside his memory stirred slightly.
Not fully.
Just enough to recognize it.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"I've seen this symbol before."
Everyone looked toward him immediately.
Xu Mingshan's expression sharpened.
"Where?"
Su Chen stayed silent for several seconds.
Then—
"In my memories."
The room went quiet.
Because every inherited memory connected to the Primordial Bloodline came from ancient times.
Meaning whoever left that mark…
Possibly existed long before the current cultivation era.
Lin Yanyan walked closer to the photos slowly.
"Friend or enemy?"
Su Chen looked at the black mark quietly.
Then answered calmly.
"…I don't know yet."
At that exact moment—
A violent pressure suddenly descended over the city again.
Every window inside the office trembled instantly.
Zhao Ren's face changed.
"Another Watcher?!"
"No," Xu Mingshan said immediately.
His expression had become extremely serious.
"That pressure belongs to a human cultivator."
The atmosphere outside shifted violently as dark clouds above the city split apart.
Then—
A giant sword descended from the heavens.
Not attacking.
Floating.
Massive silver spiritual energy surrounded it while an ancient symbol burned across its blade.
The entire city froze beneath its presence.
And standing calmly atop the sword—
Was a woman dressed in white robes.
Her long black hair moved gently in the wind while countless smaller swords floated silently behind her.
Spirit Transformation Peak.
Her cold eyes scanned the city once.
Then stopped directly on the Lin Corporation building.
On Su Chen.
And for the first time in days—
Su Chen smiled slightly.
Because the aura surrounding her…
Felt familiar to the memories awakening inside him.