The whispers of the Hollow Grove died as Yun Jian stepped out of the portal once more, his body trembling from the power still surging through him. He stood at the edge of a desolate canyon, the portal vanishing behind him with a ripple of shadow and air. The Key of the Beastheart pulsed faintly beneath his robes, its dark energy settling into his spirit like a second heartbeat.
His first trial was complete—but the true journey had only begun.
Across the canyon stretched a ragged land known as the Whispering Steppes, where ancient wind spirits once roamed and the bones of forgotten titans lay beneath the soil. The sky was veiled in dim clouds, casting a constant twilight glow over the earth.
Yun Jian took a breath. The shadows danced around his feet, eager to serve, more responsive than before. His control had improved; the shadows no longer resisted—they listened. Obeyed. Fused with him.
He could feel it now. His connection to the Realm of No Light was awakening.
"With each key, the bond deepens," he remembered Shi Luo saying."But so too will the weight of that power."
The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. They were soft, careful, measured—but not concealed.
Someone was approaching.
He turned slowly, shadows already coiling around his arms. A cloaked figure emerged from the mist—a tall man, lean and composed, with jet-black hair tied neatly behind him. His eyes were grey like steel, sharp and calculating.
He carried no visible weapon, but Yun Jian could sense it—the man radiated danger.
"You move quickly for someone just beginning his path," the man said, voice smooth. "Most fail to even find the First Key."
Yun Jian didn't respond.
The man smiled faintly. "No words? Good. That means you're not arrogant. That will make what comes next easier."
Yun Jian's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The man bowed with mocking politeness. "I am called Feng Zhiren, a disciple of the Eclipse Sect, and… hunter of shadows."
Yun Jian felt the shadows around him recoil slightly. "The Eclipse Sect. You're one of them."
Feng Zhiren nodded. "One of the many. But unlike my brothers, I volunteered for this hunt. It's not every day the world births another Shadow Sovereign."
His hand moved slightly, and in an instant, a curved blade of silver light formed in his palm. It flickered with spiritual runes—light-based glyphs, the natural enemy of Yun Jian's darkness.
"Why hunt me?" Yun Jian asked. "You don't even know who I am."
"I don't need to. The Shadow Arts are a cancer to this world. You were born with it. That's enough."
Without another word, Feng Zhiren vanished.
Yun Jian ducked instinctively, and a blade of light sliced through the air where his neck had been. He flipped back, shadows forming a barrier around him just as a second strike landed.
Fast.
Feng Zhiren moved like lightning, each strike deliberate and deadly. Yun Jian retaliated with a wave of shadows, sending tendrils to bind his foe, but the Eclipse Sect disciple countered with a burst of radiant light, burning through the darkness.
Their clash lit up the canyon, shadows and light twisting in a deadly dance.
Yun Jian gritted his teeth. He wasn't yet at full strength. The Key's power was still settling inside him. But Feng Zhiren… was holding back nothing.
"You rely too much on your instinct," Feng Zhiren called out mid-attack. "Power alone won't save you!"
Yun Jian's shadow dagger clashed with Feng Zhiren's blade. Sparks flew. For a moment, their eyes locked—steel and shadow, hatred and purpose.
"I don't care what you believe," Yun Jian growled. "I didn't ask for this power, but I'll use it to protect others from people like you."
Feng Zhiren smirked. "We'll see how long that resolve lasts."
He raised his hand.
"Solar Break!"
A wave of golden light erupted from his palm, engulfing the battlefield. Yun Jian had no time to think. He crossed his arms, summoning every ounce of shadow he could. His form vanished into the darkness just as the wave consumed the canyon floor.
When the light cleared, Feng Zhiren stood alone, his eyes scanning the dust.
Then—
A whisper behind him.
"Shadow Fang."
Yun Jian emerged from his own shadow, plunging a blade of pure darkness into Feng Zhiren's side. The man stumbled back, blood dripping from the wound, eyes wide in surprise.
"You… you teleported through your own shadow?"
Yun Jian didn't answer. The shadows around him surged like a storm. He had figured it out during the battle—how to step through himself, using his own body as the anchor point for a dimensional fold.
Feng Zhiren clutched his side, but he wasn't done. With a roar, he unleashed another burst of light, forcing Yun Jian back. The canyon shook under the force.
"Impressive," Feng Zhiren said, breathing heavily. "You might survive longer than the last one."
Yun Jian frowned. "The last one?"
"The last Sovereign. Ten years ago. He was stronger than you. I killed him too."
The words hit like a hammer.
A surge of fury rose inside Yun Jian—but he didn't let it explode. He let it burn—quietly, focused.
"Then I'll be the one to avenge him."
The two warriors charged again. Light and shadow clashed with deafening intensity. The earth split beneath their feet. Cracks spread across the canyon.
Finally, with a shout, Yun Jian released his ultimate move.
"Dimensional Slash!"
His blade of shadow cut through the air, splitting the very fabric of space. Feng Zhiren's eyes widened. He raised his blade, but it was too late. The rift passed through him.
A second of silence.
Then blood sprayed from Feng Zhiren's chest. He dropped to his knees.
"You… really are… the next one…" he whispered, before falling face-forward into the dust.
The shadows around Yun Jian pulsed. They weren't cheering. They were warning.
Because something else was watching.
Somewhere Far Away
Upon a grand floating palace high above the clouds, Li Xuan meditated within a lotus-shaped chamber, suspended between light and dark. His aura pulsed with radiant serenity, yet the corners of the room were draped in eerie, shifting shadows.
A messenger approached, kneeling.
"My lord," he said softly. "Feng Zhiren has failed."
Li Xuan opened his eyes. Pale gold, calm. Unshaken.
"So the Sovereign grows."
He stood, the floor glowing beneath his feet with celestial sigils. He turned toward the open balcony where the wind howled with divine energy.
"It doesn't matter," he murmured. "Let him gather the keys. Let him walk the path. I will be there… at the end of it."
Back at the Canyon
Yun Jian knelt by Feng Zhiren's body. He didn't know what he had expected—vengeance? Justice? All he felt was… silence.
He had won. But not without cost.
He rose slowly. The shadows had changed again—deeper, quieter. They whispered secrets to him now. Offered glimpses of the Second Key.
It was time to move on.
In the distance, a storm brewed. The path ahead would only grow darker.
But Yun Jian no longer walked alone.
He was the Sovereign of Shadows.
And his legend was only beginning.