The moon hung like a pale jade disk over the Feilun Sect's sprawling compound, its silver light weaving through ancient pines and dancing across jade statues that guarded the sect's sacred grounds.
A soft breeze carried the scent of night jasmine and distant incense, wrapping the night in quiet serenity.
Tian Shen sat cross-legged atop the Viewing Boulder, the same spot where he had watched the scouts depart days before. Tonight, however, the boulder hold nothing but him—and the silence felt heavier.
His eyes scanned the horizon, where the faintest shimmer flickered like a mirage between mountain peaks.
The rumor was no longer just whispered in taverns or carried by wandering merchants. The Hidden Sky Vault had become an unspoken presence—an enigma casting its shadow far beyond the borderlands.
The disciples below moved about their evening duties, unaware of the growing tension threading through the veins of the cultivation world.
...
