The gates of the Celestial Dawn Sect opened beneath a curtain of golden sunlight, but the air was heavy—not with celebration, but with unease.
Lu Xuan stepped through first, bloodied but unbowed. The long hem of his cloak fluttered in the wind, torn but unmistakably regal. He had returned not as the same disciple who had left—but as something else entirely.
Behind him walked Su Xue—cold, radiant, her eyes veiled in snow. Yao Lin followed, weary but sharp, her eyes drifting to the serpent curled around her shoulder—the Ancient Snake with golden eyes and a bloodline older than the current era.
They had dismantled a sect.
They had returned alive.
But not unchanged.
Lu Xuan had broken through.
Now, at the First Stage of Nascent Soul, his presence alone bent the spiritual pressure around him. At under twenty years of age, he had surpassed nearly every elder in the outer ranks. And everyone knew it.
Even those who didn't want to believe.
Whispers in the Wind
The first whispers began before they reached the inner courtyard.
"Nascent Soul? Impossible."
"I heard he killed Elder Shui Feng with a single strike."
"He didn't even draw his sword."
"That snake… it spoke."
"He's… under twenty."
Su Xue heard every whisper but said nothing. Her eyes remained fixed ahead, and when she glanced at Lu Xuan, a flicker of something unreadable—conflict, fear, bitterness—passed through her gaze.
They had fought side by side.
But hatred had grown like weeds beneath the roots.
Council of Elders – Celestial Dawn Sect
As the Council of Elders dispersed from the Jade Sky Pavilion, not all returned to their peaks.
Three elders — Zhen Mu, Lan Yue, and Hu Guang — moved in silence, following a narrow corridor hidden behind a spiritual veil. Their robes whispered along ancient stone, descending into a forgotten sanctum beneath the Celestial Dawn Sect.
At the end of the passage stood a sealed door, etched with a nine-petaled lotus surrounded by celestial runes. Elder Zhen Mu placed his palm on the center, channeling a sliver of spiritual essence. The runes vanished like mist.
Inside waited Sect Master Bai Yujing, seated cross-legged on a platform of obsidian crystal. A brazier burned smokeless flame beside him. His eyes opened as they entered — ancient, patient, and heavy with memory.
"You have come because of Lu Xuan," Bai Yujing said, even before they bowed.
Lan Yue stepped forward. "He returned from the Blood Lotus Sect with the power of the Immortal Demon God Body. And now—he's already at the Nascent Soul Realm. Under twenty. No one has ever advanced this fast."
Zhen Mu added, "His aura… it darkens with every breath."
Hu Guang's voice was tight. "And worse, he's begun rejecting our sect techniques. Modifying them. Subconsciously. I fear we're losing control."
There was a fourth presence in the chamber.
A shadow stirred near the brazier. Quiet. Cloaked. His face half-veiled. He leaned against the wall with arms folded, silent until now.
"You're not losing control," the figure said. "You never had it."
The elders tensed. Lan Yue narrowed her eyes. "Shi Qiran…"
Elder Shi Qiran. Keeper of the Outer Archives. A man known more for his silence than his sword.
And Lu Xuan's personal teacher.
Sect Master Bai raised a hand to still the tension. "Let him speak."
Shi Qiran stepped forward, his voice calm but sharp. "You all worry about power. What you fail to see is purpose."
Zhen Mu's tone turned cold. "And what purpose justifies grooming the reincarnation of a Demon God?"
"Survival," Shi Qiran said simply. "The world is shifting. The Immortal Realms are stirring. The Demon World grows bolder. Would you rather trust a prophecy… or forge the weapon yourself?"
The room fell silent.
Sect Master Bai finally rose. "Shi Qiran is right. We did not draw him in. The heavens did."
Hu Guang asked, "Then what is our plan?"
Bai Yujing turned to the wall behind him — upon which glowed an ancient map of realms: Mortal, Immortal, and Demon.
"Let him grow. Let him believe he is free. But place chains he does not see."
Lan Yue frowned. "And Su Xue?"
Bai's voice dropped. "She was never sent here for Lu Xuan. But she is the only one who might stand equal to him when the second level of his body awakens."
Shi Qiran stepped forward. "And if she fails?"
The Sect Master looked straight into the brazier.
"Then may the heavens forgive us all."
Beneath the Banyan
Lu Xuan stood beneath the ancient banyan tree in the inner courtyard. The roots of the tree were as old as the sect itself—or so the legends said. He had trained here once, with bruised knuckles and calloused hands. Now, the earth bent slightly beneath his presence.
Su Xue stood across from him, arms crossed, hair catching the breeze.
"You're different," she said finally.
Lu Xuan's eyes remained fixed on the clouds above. "You've said that before."
"You didn't even blink when Elder Bai Xun tried to poison you."
"His venom was weak," Lu Xuan said coldly. "I've devoured worse."
She took a step closer. "What are you turning into?"
Lu Xuan looked at her now—really looked. "The world made me a monster. I've just stopped pretending to be human."
Su Xue's expression darkened. "You think power makes you right?"
"No," Lu Xuan replied. "It just means no one else gets to tell me I'm wrong."
She slapped him.
Hard.
The air went still.
Lu Xuan didn't flinch. He only looked at her, as if seeing something from a past life he no longer recognized.
"I don't need you to like me, Su Xue."
"Good," she said, voice like ice. "Because I don't."
The Competition Approaches
Later that evening, bells tolled from the Skyfire Spire.
The Annual Sect Competition had been announced.
For most disciples, it was a once-a-year chance to rise in rank, gain favor, and win resources. For Lu Xuan, it was a cage. A farce.
"Meaningless," he muttered to Yao Lin as they walked the terrace. "What's the point of fighting for sect favor when they already fear me?"
Yao Lin gave a tired smile. "Maybe they're hoping someone will kill you in the arena."
"They can try."
She studied him carefully. "You're colder now."
He didn't deny it.
Beneath the Temple
That night, deep in the hidden chambers beneath the Celestial Dawn Sect, the Ancient Snake uncoiled from its slumber.
Its voice was barely a whisper, but the stones heard it.
"He is close. The seal on the Demon God's memory is splintering. His power… already cracks the laws of this realm."
It slithered forward, golden eyes shimmering.
"He has awakened the first level of the Immortal Demon God Body. No weapon forged in mortal hands can kill him now. Only sealing remains."
In the darkness, a second presence stirred.
Distant.
Watching.
Waiting.
End of Chapter 34