The sun hung low over the sect as the Voidfall emissaries stood on sacred ground — not as enemies, not as invaders…
But as guests.
At least for now.
Wang Lin watched from atop Pavilion Seventeen, arms folded, violet strands of Qi flickering around his wrist like veins of lightning.
The egg hadn't stopped pulsing since their arrival.
| "Their leader, Heiyu… he's masking his real cultivation." |
"How deep?"
| "At least three layers. Possibly half a step into Saint Ascendant realm." |
"So he came prepared."
| "He came to finish you." |
Wang Lin's eyes narrowed.
"Let him try."
Sect Hall – Ceremony Chamber
A ceremonial feast had been arranged. False smiles everywhere. Golden plates, sweet spirit wine, and elder robes straightened for presentation.
Heiyu raised a cup toward the seated core council.
"I must say, your sect has flourished. To nurture a talent like Wang Lin… rare indeed."
Elder Zhao gave a tight nod.
"His potential surprised even us."
"And yet…" Heiyu's eyes gleamed. "There are rumors."
Wun Tian sipped his wine but didn't speak.
Heiyu continued.
"Rumors that his presence disrupts leyline balance. That his cultivation causes… drainage. And that, perhaps, the object bonded to him—"
"You mean the Void Dragon Egg," Wang Lin said flatly, stepping into the chamber.
The room fell silent.
Wang Lin didn't bow.
Didn't smile.
He walked straight to the front, took an empty seat, and crossed one leg over the other.
Heiyu didn't blink.
But he smiled wider.
"So the prodigy arrives. May I?"
He motioned to pour Wang Lin a drink.
Wang Lin waved him off.
"You don't serve me."
| "That shook him." |
| "Good." |
Heiyu chuckled. "Then I'll be direct. The egg you carry—"
"Isn't yours."
"No," Heiyu said, tilting his head. "But perhaps it was… once."
The air thickened.
Qi coils stirred.
Even the low-ranking disciples felt it—like the moment before a thunderclap.
Heiyu leaned forward slightly.
"You don't understand what you're bonded to, Wang Lin. It's not just a power. It's a prisoner. A force so ancient, it was sealed outside the reincarnation wheel for a reason."
"And?" Wang Lin said coldly.
"You broke that seal."
Heiyu placed a glowing scroll onto the table.
An ancestral writ.
Signed by four ancient sects.
"By pact of cosmic balance, we are permitted to reclaim or destroy such forces before they reach third-phase awakening."
| "That scroll... it's older than your sect." |
| "And if they invoke it, they can legally attack under celestial law." |
Wang Lin didn't touch the scroll.
He stared directly at Heiyu.
"Then you've wasted your time."
"Oh?"
"Because I'm not letting it reach third-phase."
Heiyu's smile vanished for the first time.
"You'll… kill it?"
"No," Wang Lin said, rising.
"I'm going to become it."
The egg pulsed within him.
The lights in the chamber flickered.
Heiyu stood slowly, face no longer calm.
"Then we have no more need for words."
| "Incoming strike—NOW!" |
Wang Lin stepped back.
Just in time to dodge the silver thread of spiritual wire aimed directly at his throat.
It had passed through seven protective arrays without triggering a single alarm.
A Voidcut String.
One of the Voidfall Sect's assassination techniques—made to kill in silence.
Too bad Wang Lin wasn't the same as before.
Voidstep.
He vanished.
Reappeared behind Heiyu, palm raised.
Void Pulse – Phase Collapse.
He struck.
Heiyu caught the blow with a bare hand—barely.
The force blew every ceremonial torch out in one blast.
Elders screamed.
Disciples scattered.
The chamber cracked.
Wang Lin didn't flinch.
Heiyu stepped back, blood trickling from his palm.
"You've chosen the path, then."
"I never left it."
| "War has begun." |
"Yes," Wang Lin whispered. "And this time…"
"I'll burn it all."