Kaelan shifts back into his human form, flames fading as he descends through the smoky air.
Below, Yu Lian stands atop the river surface, her scaled fins folding into sleeves of flowing silk.
She looks up, eyes narrowed at the gleaming walls that encircle the battlefield.
"Brother Kaelan, is this the humans' doing?" she asks, her voice tense as the golden barrier seals them in from all sides.
Kaelan lands beside her, his boots touching the cold river water without sinking.
He lifts his gaze to the shimmering dome, tracing the runes flickering within its light.
The energy feels ancient, sanctified—and painfully familiar.
From the void inheritance sleeping within him, recognition blooms like venom.
His blood stirs, and with it, a wave of killing intent.
The eternal foes of the void monsters—Faith-based Gods.
They stand on opposite ends of creation itself.
In the endless void, if worlds are the sheep, then void monsters are the wolves that devour them, while Faith Gods are the herders guarding their flocks.
Void monsters consume worlds to grow, tearing through reality for power.
Faith Gods feed on belief, drawing strength from the prayers of living beings.
To the void race, where even kin are enemies, those who thrive on faith sit at the very top of the hatred chain.
Kaelan watches the golden barrier pulse once more, then glances toward the humans gathering on the riverbank.
Their postures are cautious, uncertain, as they too stare at the cage around them.
"I think it's not them," Kaelan murmurs.
A massive crocodile demon rises from the river, water streaming down its scaly back.
"Lords, let's kill the humans first, then find a way to break the barrier!" it growls, its voice echoing across the enclosed river.
Other demons emerge in response, their eyes glinting with hunger.
Being only at the first stage, they crave human flesh—it's the fastest path to advancing to the second stage.
Kaelan senses Yu Lian's gaze on him.
She may have reached the second stage, but her foundation is fragile, her aura still flickering.
Devouring that lone cultivator or one of the martial artists would be enough to steady her realm.
Kaelan stares at the humans, weighing his choices—attack them now or uncover who controls the golden barrier.
He doesn't have to think long.
The shimmering wall of light ripples like disturbed water, and from its shifting surface, massive spider-shaped constructs crawl forth.
From all four directions, they enter—two distinct types.
The larger ones, towering seven to eight meters tall, radiate the aura of the Core Formation Realm, ten in total.
The smaller ones, about five meters tall, carry Refining Realm energy, a swarm of hundreds flooding into the barrier.
Their bodies are entirely wooden, their joints creaking as green runes pulse beneath their bark-like shells.
Zhu Mingjin's voice breaks the tense silence. "Divine Puppet Sect!" he cries, face pale with terror.
Kaelan's and the demons' attention snaps toward the humans.
A wolfturtle demon snarls, "Humans, tell us—who are they?"
Before the humans answer. The puppets don't wait. They lunge—attacking both demons and humans alike.
Six of the towering spiders turn their many glowing eyes toward Kaelan and charge.
Six of the towering spiders rush at Kaelan, their jointed limbs pounding the river surface with metallic thuds.
Their wooden bodies are wrapped in golden light that hardens like armour, every strike glancing off their gleaming shells.
Kaelan's claws burst into flame.
He dives between two spiders, slashing one's legs apart and twisting midair as another's limb cuts through the air beside him.
The fire spreads through the wound, blackening the wood before it explodes from within.
The spider collapses, twitching, its body crumbling into ash.
The other five close in.
Their golden glow brightens, beams of light slashing outward like blades.
Kaelan spins, his wings sweeping wide, forming a ring of fire around him.
He channels his fire claw spell—his entire body blazing as he tears through another spider's chest, ripping its core apart.
The wooden carcass splinters and falls into the river, burning as it sinks.
But even as that one falls, four more leap from all sides.
Kaelan roars, but he cannot guard everywhere.
A limb strikes his back, sending him crashing through the water before he bursts out again, dripping steam.
Around him, the battle collapses.
Yu Lian, wounded and exhausted, tries to summon another surge of spirit energy but is struck down by a spider's leg.
She crashes into the riverbank, unconscious, golden energy ropes binding her limbs.
The same happens to the human martial artists—battered and drained, one after another, they fall, captured by the tireless puppets.
The first-stage demons fare no better; their screams echo before fading beneath the relentless assault.
Kaelan becomes the last one standing, his flaming wings cutting arcs through the storm of golden light.
He dives and burns, crashes and strikes, until a fifth spider explodes under his assault—its molten fragments raining down like embers.
Before he can breathe, a surge of killing intent flares above. His eyes snap upward. A golden arrow flashes down from the sky.
Kaelan twists, fire bursting from his wings, dodging the strike by a hair.
The arrow pierces the river, detonating in a flash of gold that turns the water to mist.
Kaelan ascends, transforming fully into his crow form.
He beats his wings once, twice, climbing until he touches the golden barrier sealing the heavens.
Beyond it, five humans step through the air as if walking on solid ground.
Each radiates the faint, unmistakable aura of faith energy.
The air thickens around them, divine and oppressive.
At their centre stands an old man robed in gold and white, eyes cold with authority—his power that of a second-stage Transcendent.
He gazes down at Kaelan and speaks, his voice resonating through the barrier.
"Surrender, Crow Demon," the old man declares, voice steady as the air trembles with divine weight.
Lou Xing's eyes gleam with excitement as he studies the burning figure before him.
His plan has succeeded.
Now, all that remains is the offering.
The captured humans and demons below—perfect sacrifices for his god.
Their deaths will earn him divine favour, the blessing that will stretch his waning life.
A smile creeps across his wrinkled face.
If he can also subdue the Crow Demon as a war beast, he will no longer be the weakest of the high priests.
He imagines returning to his youth, the Li family's daughter flashing in his mind—her face, her body, his unfulfilled desire.
Soon, he thinks, soon he'll have both youth and power.
And perhaps even the seat of the chief priest itself.
But his dream fractures.
The Crow Demon's aura surges, the air shaking with rising heat.
Orange flames bloom across Kaelan's feathers, burning so fiercely they turn transparent.
Lou Xing's confidence falters. The divine power flowing through his veins begins to waver.
His eyes widen. His god's power—suppressed.
The barrier above the Crow Demon shatters like glass.
A heartbeat later, the four surrounding barriers collapse, scattering into golden dust.
The divine cage breaks, and Lou Xing's certainty turns to terror.
He hesitates.
If he flees now, the plan fails—no blessing, no youth, only a few more years of decay before death.
But if he stays, he will die here.
His decision comes too late.
Kaelan's killing intent sweeps over him like a storm. His body stiffens, his breath caught in his throat.
The last thing Lou Xing sees is the blinding blaze in the Crow Demon's eyes.
Then the crow lets out a shriek that splits the sky.
Lou Xing's consciousness fades to black.
---------
Kaelan feels it first—a violent tremor inside his veins.
The urge to destroy everything around him swells like a tide, whispering promises of endless power.
The corpses of the five humans, each carrying the faint remnants of divine energy, burn away under his aura.
In his inherited memories, he recognises their kind—Faith Warriors, vessels for gods.
He exhales, forcing the fury down. His feathers recede, his form twisting back into that of a man.
Landing on the riverbank, he glances toward Yu Lian lying unconscious on the water's surface.
"Wake up," he says, voice low but sharp. "Tie up the humans."
Without waiting for her reply, Kaelan walks to the river's edge and sits cross-legged, his reflection rippling in the dark water.
The air hums around him as he begins to meditate, his focus turning inward.
He must suppress it—the blood of the Void Monster pulsing within.
If the world senses that blood, it will move to erase him.
To every living world, Void Monsters are the ultimate enemy.
They consume worlds to grow stronger, feeding on existence itself.
And for that, the will of any world will crush them on sight.
He feels the pressure building inside, the destructive law clawing at his spirit.
If he fails now, the world will strike him down—or worse, he will lose his mind and become a mindless beast of ruin.
The blood tempts him with visions—himself standing atop broken worlds, eternal and unchallenged.
Power without limit.
But then comes the whisper of his true self: What is the price?
The illusion answers—servitude.
A slave bound to destruction itself, stripped of will.
His eyes snap open, golden-red light flaring within. "No," he mutters, voice trembling but firm. "I will not be a slave."
Spirit power surges through his body, clashing against the void blood.
His veins feel like molten chains, every breath a storm.
Slowly, inch by inch, the frenzy weakens.
The black veins under his skin fade, and the crimson glow in his eyes dulls.
The blood of the Void Monster sinks into slumber once more.
Kaelan exhales, the last ripple of destructive aura fading from his body. His eyes open when he hears Yu Lian's voice.
"Brother Kaelan, are you alright?"
He turns to her.
Her face holds fear, worry, and awe all at once.
"I'm fine," he answers quietly, though his voice carries the weight of exhaustion.
His gaze drifts across the river, where the surviving humans lie bound.
Yu Lian follows his eyes. "Brother, what should we do with them?"
Kaelan studies the captives in silence.
Of the four second-stage Transcendents, two lie dead—slain by the puppets.
The other two, Liu Kong and Feng Ming, breathe shallowly, both on the edge of death.
He rubs his chin, unable to decide their fate.
"What's your opinion?" he finally asks.
Yu Lian hesitates before answering. "I only need one of the dead ultimate realm martial artists' bodies. The rest can be divided among the demons. As for the living, we can sell them in the Demon City."
Kaelan nods slightly, deep in thought—until a faint, hoarse voice breaks the stillness.
"Lord… you promised to free my son…"
A woman among the captives struggles to lift her head, blood dripping from her lip.
Before she can say more, the crocodile demon strikes her with the butt of his spear. "Shut up!" he snarls.
Kaelan's eyes narrow. He studies the woman's face—pale, bruised, but unmistakable. Wang Xian's mother.
He could pretend not to know her, but a promise is a promise.
"Release her," Kaelan says, his tone calm but heavy with command. Every demon falls silent.
The crocodile demon bows and unbinds the woman. Kaelan turns his gaze upward to the circling crows. "Bring the boy and his guards."
Two crows take flight at once, vanishing toward the Cliff.
Meanwhile, Kaelan begins distributing rewards—the corpses of fallen humans to the demons who fought, while Yu Lian receives both Ultimate Martial Artists' bodies as agreed.
Her expression softens with gratitude, though fatigue still clouds her aura.
Moments later, the crows return carrying the boy and his guard.
From across the river, a cry pierces the air. "Son!"
The guard lifts the weak child and dashes through the shallow water. The boy stumbles into his mother's arms, and the two collapse together, sobbing.
The guard, however, stands still, his face void of expression. His eyes drift toward the old woman's corpse lying near Yu Lian. He lowers his head slightly but says nothing.
Kaelan follows his gaze, then looks back at the surviving captives. The decision forms in his mind.
He points toward Zhu Mingjin. "Free him."
The demon obeys, untying the battered human. Zhu Mingjin struggles to his feet, confusion and fear mixing in his eyes.
Kaelan's voice cuts through the river wind. "You four—return to your forces. Tell those behind this attack to come to my cliff if they want the rest of their people back."
His command leaves no room for refusal.
The demons drag the remaining captives toward the cliff while Kaelan thanks Yu Lian for her aid.
Then, with a beat of his wings, he soars into the darkening sky, heading home.
By the time he lands on his cliff, dusk has fallen.
The river gleams faintly below, carrying whispers of battle away.
Kaelan sits cross-legged, waiting for the demons to arrive with the prisoners.
His eyes burn with focus—not for vengeance, but for understanding.
The Divine Puppet Sect… a Faith-based god lurks behind them.
And that god may become his rival for the world itself.