The sun shone brightly, bathing the Heaven Defying Sect in golden warmth.

  Yet within its walls, the air was anything but warm.

  Vast white platforms hovered high in the sky, formations engraved across their surfaces. Upon them stood ranks of disciples, their cultivation temporarily elevated to the Soul Transformation Realm—the highest level these simulation platforms could sustain with the sect’s current advancements.

  Thousands stood in disciplined formation, channeling their Qi into massive formation discs suspended above the sect grounds.

  At the Pill Hall, disciples lined before blazing cauldrons, refining pill after pill under the watchful supervision of Pill King Yao. The air grew thick with the aroma of spirit herbs and medicinal flames, spreading across the entire sect.

  In the Spirit Forging Hall, disciples worked cautiously over volatile Qi explosives, sweat soaking their robes as they assembled each construct with meticulous precision.

  Every hall operated at full capacity.

  Every disciple understood—

  War was coming.

  Outside the sect—

  Xi Li hovered above the main gates, robes fluttering in the rising wind. His spirit sense spread outward like an invisible tide, sweeping across mountains, rivers, and distant horizons in search of a single presence.

  Lu Jin.

  ‘Still no trace of him…’ Xi Li’s brows furrowed. ‘I despise this kind of chosen one the most.’

  Lu Jin had always been an enigma—appearing without warning, vanishing without a trace, yet somehow dragging calamity wherever he went.

  Xi Li exhaled slowly.

  He pushed aside every distracting thought, calming the turbulence in his heart.

  Above him, the sun climbed higher.

  Within the Heaven Defying Sect, disciples continued their preparations. Formation discs hummed. Cauldrons roared. Spirit forges glowed.

  They worked with disciplined focus.

  But beneath that discipline—

  Hands trembled.

  Breaths shortened.

  No one spoke of fear.

  And then—

  Rumble.

  The sky darkened.

  Clouds swallowed the sun in an instant. The wind died. Leaves froze mid-rustle. The earth quivered beneath an unseen weight.

  Space tore open.

  A figure stepped out of the void.

  The Immortal Ascendant.

  He stood before Xi Li as though the world itself bent around him.

  “Quite the welcome,” he said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the sect’s defenses.

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  A faint smile curved his lips.

  “But—”

  His aura spread outward like a suffocating tide.

  “Not enough to affect me.”

  “Have you decided?” the Immortal Ascendant asked, his spirit sense spreading outward like a suffocating net. “Will you hand over Lu Jin?”

  Xi Li laughed.

  “You already know the answer.”

  “Fair enough.”

  The Immortal snapped his fingers.

  The seal within Xi Li activated instantly.

  The Laws moved.

  Silent.

  Invisible.

  Deadly.

  “Agh—”

  Xi Li staggered, feigning pain.

  “So… this is how it works.”

  Then his expression calmed.

  Deep within his Dao Platform, the Laws that had been dormant began to rotate. Faster. Brighter. They converged, weaving into the shape of a colossal gate.

  Bang!

  The gate slammed open.

  Immortal Qi burst forth in a torrential surge, flooding his Dao Platform like a broken dam.

  The Qi condensed midair—forming a radiant counter-seal that slammed into the invading mark, forcing it out of Xi Li’s body.

  The Immortal’s eyes widened.

  “What?!”

  His composure cracked.

  “How can you reach the Immortal Ascendant Realm? Impossible! I saw your fate!”

  He poured more Immortal Qi into his seal, trying to crush Xi Li beneath overwhelming force.

  Crack.

  Rumble.

  The earth split.

  The sky fractured like glass, thin cracks spiderwebbing across the heavens.

  Then—

  Silence.

  Xi Li said nothing.

  From the open Gate behind him, he drew forth a single stream of Immortal Qi and willed it into form.

  Light twisted.

  An ethereal carp leapt from his body.

  Xi Li laughed—low, wild.

  Rage.

  Defiance.

  Centuries of suppressed fury.

  All of it fused into that stream of Immortal Qi.

  “Roar.”

  The carp swam against the torrent of the enemy’s Immortal Qi, growing larger with every heartbeat.

  Its fins hardened.

  Split.

  Curled into claws.

  Its tail elongated, scales forming like dark armor.

  Above them, an illusory Dragon Gate shimmered into existence.

  The carp surged upward—

  And leapt.

  It crossed the gate.

  Shattered it.

  And transformed.

  A colossal black dragon erupted into the sky, its roar shaking the clouds apart.

  The Immortal Ascendant’s expression darkened.

  He raised his hand.

  “Caw!”

  A blazing three-legged crow burst from his body, flames of divine light trailing behind it as it charged toward the rebellious dragon.

  The crow radiated celestial authority.

  The dragon radiated defiance.

  They collided.

  BOOM!

  Shockwaves rippled outward.

  Spirit trees near the sect were uprooted instantly.

  Mountains trembled.

  The sky howled.

  The sect’s protective shields rippled violently under the impact.

  White light flickered across the barrier as shockwaves crashed into it again and again.

  The disciples stationed on the floating platforms staggered, their bodies trembling as backlash surged through the formation discs.

  Blood sprayed from their mouths.

  Some collapsed to one knee.

  But no one withdrew.

  They swallowed healing pills with shaking hands, forced their meridians steady, and resumed channeling their spirit Qi into the grand array.

  The shield stabilized.

  Barely.

  “What gall!”

  The Immortal Ascendant’s voice thundered across the battlefield.

  He pulled a golden scroll from his sleeve and unfurled it.

  Runes ignited across its surface.

  “All nearby cultivators, heed the Will of the Heavenly Emperor!”

  His voice carried not just sound—

  But law.

  “The Heaven Defying Sect dares to shelter a traitorous bastard.”

  The final word echoed like divine judgment.

  Across the Central Continent—

  Mountains trembled.

  Cultivators paused mid-meditation.

  Sect Masters opened their eyes in alarm.

  An irresistible pressure pressed upon their Dao Hearts.

  A command.

  Not a request.

  The Heaven’s Mandate.

  Streams of light rose from distant sects and cities as cultivators took flight.

  Some eager for merit.

  Some fearful of divine retribution.

  Only a handful of ancient sects—those backed by true Immortals—remained unmoved.

  The rest converged like a tide.

  Xi Li’s expression hardened.

  So.

  It had come to this.

  The Heaven’s Mandate—

  He could feel them.

  Hundreds.

  Thousands.

  Powerhouses cutting through space, racing toward his sect.

  The inevitable storm.

  For a brief moment—

  The wind stilled.

  Then Xi Li laughed.

  “HAHA!”

  His laughter tore through the darkened sky.

  “Good.”

  His spirit sense expanded outward.

  “Ling Yue,” he transmitted calmly, “prepare for full-scale assault.”

  A single breath left his lips.

  “Never give up.”

  Then—

  He stepped forward.

  And charged straight at the Immortal Ascendant.

  The sky split open behind him.

  The war had begun.

  …

  Meanwhile — at the teleportation array.

  Cai Xi froze.

  The Immortal Ascendant’s decree echoed across the heavens, each word striking her heart like a hammer.

  Her blood ran cold.

  “No…”

  Before she could move—

  The teleportation formation beneath her feet ignited.

  Blue light burst outward, swallowing the platform in a blazing pillar of radiance. Ancient runes carved into the array began to shimmer violently, one after another lighting up like stars.

  The space around her distorted.

  “Stop the array!” Cai Xi screamed, tears flooding her vision. “Mom! Dad! No!”

  She lunged forward—

  But the formation had already locked.

  The air thickened, turning heavy as iron. Spiritual energy roared through the runes like a river breaking its banks.

  The other cultivators standing beside her looked at her in amusement.

  Too late.

  The array completed its cycle.

  With a deafening hum—

  The platform flashed.

  And they vanished. Teleported to a different far away continent.

  ...

  Back within the Heaven Defying Sect—

  Cai Shuang sat calmly upon a woven mat inside a quiet chamber.

  Illusory stars revolved slowly around her, orbiting her like fragments of a private cosmos.

  Outside—

  War clouds gathered.

  Inside—

  She remained still.

  “Very soon…”

  Her eyes opened.

  They were clear.

  Unwavering.

  “It’s all up to you now, Cai Xi.”

  She rose gracefully to her feet.

  The illusionary stars dissolved into motes of light and vanished into her sleeves.

  Her expression held no panic.

  Only resolve.

  She began making arrangements—quietly, methodically—preparing for the aftermath that would follow.

  Because she knew—

  Today, the Heavens would believe they had won.

  But fate had already shifted.

  And very soon—

  The Heavens were about to receive a rude awakening.