Chapter 21 – The Whisper of the Abyss
The air in Qinghe City had not yet calmed when the first omen appeared.A ripple passed through the night sky — faint, but unnatural. It wasn't thunder, nor was it wind. It was a pulse, like the heartbeat of something enormous beneath the surface of the world.
Ren Yu stood atop the northern cliffs, his aura dim but steady, staring into the horizon. The twin suns within his soul burned faintly behind his eyes, casting pale light on the dark valley below.
Lira joined him, silent for a long time before speaking. "It hasn't stopped, has it? The heavens' power… it's still moving."
Ren Yu shook his head. "No. This isn't the heavens anymore."
He turned his gaze downward — toward the earth itself, where faint cracks glowed with dark crimson light. "Something older is stirring."
The Breath Beneath the World
For centuries, the scholars of the Eastern Continent spoke of the Abyssal Layer — a mythic realm buried below even the deepest spiritual veins. It was said to be the cradle of the first beasts, where the chaos before creation still lingered.
Now, that myth was waking.
In the far distance, across the sea of clouds, the mountains trembled. A single note echoed through the air — a low, haunting tone, like a song sung through stone and bone. Every cultivator across the land froze, their spirits quivering.
Lira gripped her sword. "What is that sound?"
Ren Yu's expression darkened. "A call. But not for us."
Suddenly, the ground split open beneath them. Darkness surged upward — not shadow, but a liquid mist, thicker than smoke and colder than death. From within it, whispers emerged — countless voices overlapping, each one half-formed.
"Return... the balance... restore... the blood of dragons..."
Ren Yu's pulse quickened. "They know me."
The Abyssal Messenger
The mist coalesced into a form — tall, slender, vaguely human but entirely wrong. Its body was made of shifting darkness, eyes glimmering like shards of obsidian. It bowed — slowly, reverently.
"Bearer of the Horizon," it rasped, its voice like wind through broken glass. "The abyss remembers the betrayal of light."
Lira stepped forward, blade ready. "You're not welcome here."
The creature ignored her. Its gaze never left Ren Yu. "The heavens judge. The abyss observes. You have torn open the balance between both. The old gate stirs."
Ren Yu frowned. "What gate?"
"The Abyssal Gate, forged before gods and suns," the creature said. "It sealed the first dragons — the creators of both heaven and hell. When you awakened the Divine Vein, their dream shuddered."
Ren Yu's blood ran cold. "You mean… my power broke that seal?"
The creature tilted its head. "Not yet. But soon."
It extended a clawed hand, and from the darkness rose an orb of black flame — pulsing in rhythm with Ren Yu's heartbeat. "This fragment calls to you. Accept it, and you will remember the first breath of creation."
Lira's eyes widened. "Ren, don't! That's abyssal qi — it'll corrupt you!"
Ren Yu hesitated. He could feel the darkness singing to him — not as an enemy, but as a mirror. Just like the golden and silver qi before, this too was part of the forgotten balance.
He whispered, almost to himself. "Light, shadow… and void."
Then he reached out — and grasped the flame.
The Third Pulse
Pain exploded through him.The world fractured. His body convulsed as black veins crawled across his skin, searing like molten iron. He saw visions — not of heaven or earth, but of before.
A vast ocean of nothing.A whisper of thought.Two suns born from emptiness — one of creation, one of destruction.And beneath them, a third light — silent, endless, watching.
Ren Yu screamed as the abyssal flame merged with the twin suns within him. Gold, silver, and now black light swirled together — chaotic, violent, but not yet consuming.
Lira grabbed his shoulders, shouting, "Ren! Don't lose yourself!"
He opened his eyes — and the world went still.
His pupils had changed. Within them burned not two suns, but three — gold, silver, and a faint dark ring, like the shadow between dawn and dusk.
He exhaled slowly. When he spoke, his voice was calm, almost serene."I see now. The abyss isn't chaos. It's silence. The moment before creation… and after death."
The creature knelt before him. "You have taken the Third Pulse. When the suns and shadow align, the true horizon will awaken."
Then, without another word, it dissolved into mist and vanished.
Echoes of the Abyss
Lira stared at him, both terrified and awed. "You… merged it. You actually merged abyssal energy with divine qi. That shouldn't even be possible."
Ren Yu smiled faintly. "Neither should balance. Yet here we are."
But beneath his calm, he could feel it — a deep vibration within his soul. The abyssal pulse wasn't content to rest. It wanted to spread. It wanted to awaken something else.
He looked to the horizon, where black clouds were forming — not of storm, but of shadow.
"The gate's waking," he said quietly.
Lira looked at him. "What happens when it opens?"
Ren Yu's gaze hardened. "The heavens will fall first. Then the abyss will rise to claim what's left."
He turned, the wind catching his cloak. The faint light of dawn struggled to pierce the growing gloom.His next words were almost a whisper — to himself, to fate, to whatever was listening.
"If I must walk between gods and monsters to stop the world from devouring itself... then so be it."
Elsewhere — The Sky Palace
The Supreme Elder stood before the Celestial Mirror again, his reflection flickering violently.
Lightning cracked across the sky. "He's taken the abyss into himself…"
The younger elders fell to their knees, trembling. "That's impossible! No mortal body can contain it!"
The Supreme Elder's eyes burned with something between fear and admiration. "He's no longer mortal. The path he's walking — it was never meant for heaven's eyes."
He turned toward the horizon, voice a whisper."Ren Yu… what have you become?"