Jade Wind Hall was unlike any other division in the Searing Cloud Sect.
Its buildings were suspended between cliffside bridges and spiraling towers of jade-veined stone.
Disciples walked in perfect silence, dressed in windweave robes, eyes half-lidded as if dreaming.
Liu Shen watched from a distant ridge, Yu Meixing at his side.
> "They say Jade Wind disciples never speak unless ordered," she whispered.
> "That's because they're not taught to think," Liu Shen replied.
"They're programmed. Conditioned. Like forged weapons."
He narrowed his eyes.
> "One of the architects of the Celestial Pact hides here. And we'll drag him into the light."
---
Entering the Hall
They stepped through the jade-etched gates without resistance.
The wind flowed around them, strangely soundless.
No guards challenged them. No talismans flared.
Only the central statue of Elder Mo Chenshui stood watching—a serene, wind-robed figure with a closed fan and eyes that seemed almost… aware.
Yu Meixing tensed.
> "Something's wrong. This place feels hollow."
> "It is," Liu Shen murmured. "It was never built to teach."
He flicked his finger—black flame surged into the statue.
The wind howled.
Suddenly, the halls shifted.
Illusions shattered.
What had appeared as jade halls now revealed forges, soul-brands, spirit cages.
Hundreds of dormant talismans pulsed like veins in a sleeping body.
---
The Awakened Disciples
A low hum echoed through the air.
Then—one by one—the disciples stopped moving.
Their eyes snapped open—glowing with the emerald mark.
> "Protocol Awakening: Sovereign Flame Detected."
> "Defensive Measure Activated."
Yu Meixing raised her sword.
> "They're not disciples… they're sleeper agents!"
Liu Shen's flame erupted around them in a full spiral, forming a protective dome.
> "No. They're the Veiled Legion."
> "Heaven's Will's buried weapon. Grown in secret for a war that hasn't yet begun."
---
Battle in the Wind Cages
Dozens of jade-robed puppets moved with deadly coordination.
Their movements were silent—but lethal.
Wind blades carved the air, converging on Liu Shen and Yu Meixing from all angles.
> "I'll handle the right wing!" Meixing shouted.
She dashed forward, sword gleaming with frostfire, slicing into one puppet's core.
Liu Shen moved like a storm.
Shadow Serpent Step blinked him from target to target—each blow burning a disciple's soul-sigil.
But they weren't trying to kill.
They were trying to capture.
> "They were told not to destroy me…" Liu Shen realized.
"They need my soul intact—for something."
Then a new voice echoed through the chamber.
---
The Architect Appears
A ripple of jade energy parted the wind.
From the central stair descended a man with emerald robes, long white hair tied in a simple knot, and eyes like polished mirrors.
Elder Mo Chenshui.
But his presence felt wrong—too clean. Too ageless.
> "You are not Mo Chenshui," Liu Shen said coldly.
The man smiled.
> "Mo Chenshui died a decade ago."
"I wear his body. As I wore others before him."
He held up a sigil—identical to the one burned into Han Suien's vault.
> "I am the last living architect of the Celestial Pact."
"And I am here to offer you… a seat at the table."
---
The Offer
Time slowed. The disciples stopped moving.
Only Liu Shen and the architect stood surrounded by the silent Veiled Legion.
> "You were betrayed once," the man said.
"Crushed by heaven and earth, abandoned by your own sect."
> "Join us. The Pact is not about obedience. It's about survival. About building a world that can endure Heaven's wrath."
Liu Shen stared at him, expression unreadable.
> "You built a legion by sacrificing children."
> "You buried sovereigns like me to hide your sins."
He took a step forward, flames licking at his feet.
> "You don't want a world that endures."
"You want a world that kneels."
His eyes flared.
> "And I've never knelt in my life."
---
The Flames Answer
The Flame Serpent sigil on his back ignited.
The ground split beneath his feet.
Demonic Art: Serpent King's Judgment.
The flame roared through the wind—consuming illusions, brands, and puppets alike.
Mo Chenshui's body trembled. His form flickered.
> "You fool—if you kill me, the seal breaks—!"
Liu Shen struck.
The wind screamed. The jade cracked.
The architect's body exploded into dust and ash.
Only silence remained.