The forest swallowed them whole.
Tall, ancient trees loomed overhead, their roots twisting like the bones of forgotten beasts. Mist hung low between the trunks, curling like fingers through the underbrush. Each breath Luo Yun took felt heavier—laden with the scent of damp leaves, old blood, and tension.
He winced as he walked. The strike from the Foundation cultivator had fractured his ribs. His torso was tightly wrapped in makeshift bandages, but every step sent pain flaring up his spine.
The woman—still silent, still nameless—led the way through the forest.
They had traveled for four days without pause. They slept in caves, drank from hidden streams, and moved only by moonlight. No towns. No roads. No witnesses.
They were no longer travelers.
They were prey.
Bounties had gone out.
One hundred spirit stones for Luo Yun's head. Two hundred for the scroll.
The cultivator clans of the Southern Wilds wanted the legacy erased.
Dead or captured—either would do.
But the woman knew where to go.
"There's a place," she had said days earlier. "A ruin deep in the forest. What's left of his sect."
His—the Fallen Star.
The one whose legacy now pulsed within Luo Yun's body like a hidden flame.
On the fifth night, they found it.
A narrow cliff path, concealed by hanging moss and broken rock. A stone gate, cracked and covered in vines. Runes lined its surface, too faded to read—except for three words carved above the arch:
Starcloud Pavilion.
"This place hasn't been seen in decades," the woman murmured. "Maybe longer."
They stepped through the arch.
And entered the past.
The ruins were hauntingly quiet.
Collapsed towers lay buried beneath earth and roots. Stone statues stood headless. The remnants of shattered formations buzzed faintly in the air, like the dying breath of something once divine.
But beneath the decay, Luo Yun felt it.
A presence.
Lingering.
Watching.
In the center of the ruins stood a circular platform, half-covered by soil and weeds. Seven broken pillars surrounded it like silent sentinels.
As soon as Luo Yun stepped onto the platform, the scroll on his chest shuddered.
A low hum rippled through the stone.
Old runes lit up—one by one.
Then, above the platform, a projection appeared.
A man in silver robes. Face obscured. Voice clear.
"If you've reached this place," the projection said,
"Then the seal has accepted you."
"The tomb has opened."
"And the heavens have begun to stir."
The woman bowed slightly. Even she looked surprised.
Luo Yun remained still, eyes locked on the flickering image.
The voice continued:
"This was the Starcloud Pavilion—home to rebels, seekers, and those who questioned fate."
"We were not destroyed by demons."
"Not by war."
"We were destroyed because we dared to walk beyond the path carved by the heavens."
"Because we believed there was more."
Luo Yun clenched his fists.
The projection turned its head—its face still blurred, but the weight of its gaze undeniable.
"You, heir of the shard, must choose."
"Hide. Live quietly. Let this legacy fade."
"Or walk forward—and carry the fire we left behind."
"But know this: power alone will not save you."
"The world does not fear power."
"It fears the one who wields it differently."
The light faded.
The runes dimmed.
Silence returned.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Wind rustled through the broken pillars. The air smelled of moss and memory.
Then the woman turned to him.
"You can still walk away."
Luo Yun looked at his hands—scarred, bruised, steady.
He looked at the ruin around them.
Then back at her.
"No," he said.
"I didn't fight through fire and illusions just to hide."
"I want to know what he saw. Why he was cast down."
"And if the path leads beyond fate… then I'll walk it."
She gave him a rare smile.
Then handed him something small—a bone needle carved with a star.
"This was his," she said. "It opens the next gate. Or what's left of it."
"The next gate?"
She nodded. "The Fallen Star didn't leave just a manual. He left a path. And this… is only the beginning."
Far to the north, in the heart of the Sky-Flame Sect—
A tall man in red and gold stood before a glowing crystal.
Inside the crystal, a single name pulsed:
Luo Yun.
The man narrowed his eyes.
"He lives," he said. "And the seal has chosen."
He turned to his inner circle.
"Send word to the Five Peaks. Triple the bounty. I want him found before the first phase of the legacy activates."
The sky outside darkened.
The hunt had begun.