Ironbloom Valley's cliffs loomed like broken skulls under a crimson dawn, the Void Realm's fractured stars flickering like fading embers. The air reeked of blood and decay, ley-line energy twisting like a wounded beast. Xun Wei, sixteen, stood atop the Abyssal Hollow's rim, his black robes tattered, the Bloodveil Fang's hunger pulsing against his chest. His boyish face, serene as a frozen void, masked a god-level soul, its divine power—stolen in a past life 300 years hence—suppressed to protect his meridians, now at Immortal Shaping Stage Late, hardened at Celestial Ascension Middle. His Void Dantian roared, a vortex of crimson and golden qi, at Heavenstage Middle Peak, Harmony Stage Late Peak, quadrupling his power. His arsenal—Light of Serenity, Crimson Fang, Blood Thorn, Soulfang Bind, Mindveil Clarity, Soulreap Grasp, Memory Extraction, Abyssal Leech, Celestial Harmony, Harmonic Leech Pulse, Ironfang Slash, Abyssal Fang Strike, Starveil Fang, Moonpetal Glow, Stonefist Strike, Windpetal Step, Veiled Howl, Jadespear Thrust, Ironvine Bind, Skyclaw Slash, Rockshield Aura, Windfang Strike, and Crimson Cascade Fang—was cloaked by his second foundation, a righteous qi reservoir deceiving the Celestial Mandate and Ironbloom's elders.
The Dual Path, forged as a talentless D-grade cultivator, blended righteous and demonic qi, its stages—Initiation, Fusion, Harmony, Transcendence—driving his ascent. At Harmony Late Peak, his soul arts were lethal, his Immortal Shaping Late body held 25% of his god-level soul's might, aiming for Celestial Ascension Middle Peak to unleash its full power, soloing Sky Immortals. His god-level soul negated qi deviation, absorbing qi effortlessly, unlike Hua Ling and Kai Ren's mortal souls, which faltered under fear. Visions of Zhao Lin, silver-robed and Mandate-bound, haunted him, her qi a cosmic storm, her voice hissing, "Your slaughter defies the heavens." Each vision fueled his plan: drain Ironbloom Valley's cultivators with Bloodveil Slash and Abyssal Leech, ascend to Earth Immortal, and shatter the Mandate's laws.
The sect was a pyre of panic, Mei Lian's death and Cang's execution sparking terror. Xun Wei's forged talismans and letters had framed Wei Tao, isolating him, while the First Elder's grief made him a puppet. Hua Ling and Kai Ren's suspicion marked them for death, and Wei Tao's defiance was a spark to crush. The sect's hunt for Yan's allies was Xun Wei's veil, each kill feeding his Void Dantian, his path to Earth Immortal soaked in blood.
In the Hall of Eternal Roots, morning light bled through cracked windows, casting shadows like clawing ghosts. The First Elder, Heavenstage Middle, his Skyclad Vigil Technique a silver storm, addressed the Inner Disciples, his voice heavy with rage. "Cang's treachery cost Mei Lian and eight others," he rumbled. "Wei Tao's talismans mark him as Yan's pawn. Xun Wei, lead the purge—root out the rot."
Xun Wei bowed, Light of Serenity radiant, Moonpetal Glow enhancing his aura. "I serve the sect," he said, voice flat, his mind a cold abyss. Wei Tao, restrained nearby, glared, Ironfist dim, his qi flickering under Soulfang Bind's leash. "You're the killer, Xun Wei," he growled, voice low. "I found blood in the Hollow—your scent."
Xun Wei's smile was ice, Soulfang Bind tightening, sowing paranoia. "Delusion blinds you, Wei Tao," he said, voice cold. "The guilty fall first."
Hua Ling, Foundation Middle, her Jade Blossom trembling, whispered to Kai Ren, Foundation Middle, his Thundercoil crackling. "The Hollow's cursed… Xun Wei's too calm." Kai Ren's eyes narrowed, but Soulfang Bind pulsed, coiling his soul, dulling his resolve. "He's untouchable," he muttered, unaware of the leash.
The First Elder's qi surged, silencing murmurs. "Xun Wei, hunt Yan's remnants in the Hollow. Bring proof of their demise, or face scrutiny." Xun Wei bowed, eyes glinting, plotting to turn the hunt into a massacre.
At noon, Xun Wei struck in the Hollow's depths, Veiled Howl muffling screams, Phantom Wisp cloaking his qi. Seven Outer Disciples, Foundation Early, scoured the chasm for Yan's relics, unaware of the predator. Crimson Cascade Fang slashed, crimson-gold waves shattering qi barriers, Abyssal Leech draining their dantians. Their bodies withered into ash, qi flooding Xun Wei's Void Dantian, pushing his cultivation to Heavenstage Late, Harmony Stage Late Peak, his body at Celestial Ascension Middle. Memory Extraction seized their techniques—Flamepetal Burst, Ironclaw Rend, Skyspear Thrust—bolstering his arsenal. A stray spear grazed his shoulder, blood trickling, but his Immortal Shaping Late body endured, pain a fleeting shadow.
He planted forged talismans with Wei Tao's qi near the ashes, deepening his frame-up. That evening, Xun Wei targeted Elder Lin, Foundation Late, a minor overseer patrolling the outer groves. Veiled Howl cloaked his approach, Starveil Fang slashing Lin's chest, Abyssal Leech draining his qi. Lin's scream choked, body crumbling, qi surging into Xun Wei's Void Dantian. Memory Extraction seized Groveheart Pulse, a righteous qi shield amplifying Ironbloom Veil. His meridians warmed, a shallow cut on his thigh bleeding, but his god-level soul negated pain, his body unyielding.
Xun Wei planted a forged letter in Lin's robes, implicating Wei Tao in Yan's demonic rites. "The sect burns," he murmured, "and I rise."
At dusk, panic gripped the sect, whispers of missing disciples and Elder Lin's death spreading like wildfire. Wei Tao, under guard, broke free, Ironfist flaring, confronting Xun Wei in the Pavilion of Iron Will. "I found your blood in the Hollow!" he roared, holding a bloodied cloth from Xun Wei's shoulder wound. "You're the butcher!"
Xun Wei's serene mask held, Light of Serenity radiant. "You weave lies, Wei Tao," he said, voice ice, Soulfang Bind tightening, sowing doubt. The First Elder's silver qi lashed out, pinning Wei Tao. "You'll face the Silent Fangs," he growled, eyes dark with suspicion.
Hua Ling and Kai Ren watched, their qi flickering. "Wei Tao's desperate," Hua Ling whispered, Jade Blossom dim. Kai Ren, under Soulfang Bind's leash, muttered, "Xun Wei's a demon…" Xun Wei marked them, their deaths set for the next harvest.
That night, Xun Wei struck again, luring five Inner Disciples to the Hollow with rumors of a demonic altar. Crimson Cascade Fang cleaved them, Abyssal Leech draining their qi, their husks crumbling. His Void Dantian roared, qi surging, meridians straining but holding. Memory Extraction seized minor techniques—Stoneveil Ward, Windclaw Slash—his arsenal growing. A vision struck—Zhao Lin, Mandate sigils blazing, her voice a hiss: "Your blood wakes the Lord's army." Her qi dwarfed his, a cosmic storm he'd crush with Ironbloom's blood.
In his dorm, Xun Wei meditated, merging Groveheart Pulse with Crimson Cascade Fang, forging Bloodheart Cascade, a crimson-gold wave slashing qi barriers, draining vitality, and shielding his qi. His Void Dantian pulsed, meridians warm, body at Celestial Ascension Middle, resilience surging. Another vision—Zhao Lin, silver-robed, her voice cold: "The Mandate's gaze falls on you, heretic." His fist clenched, resolve hardening: Ironbloom's blood would fuel his ascent to Earth Immortal, defying her and the Mandate.
Kai Ren confronted Xun Wei at dawn, Thundercoil crackling, eyes wild under Soulfang Bind's leash. "You're behind the deaths," he growled, qi flickering. "I'll prove it."
Xun Wei's smile was a blade. "Prove what you can't see," he said, voice ice, tightening Soulfang Bind, turning Kai Ren into a pawn. "Hunt Yan's allies with me, or die." Kai Ren's eyes glazed, nodding, unaware of the leash.
In the Void Realm's temple, divine waters churned, a crimson ouroboros coiling tighter. A golden-robed being hissed, "The heretic's slaughter spreads… unnatural."
An ancient voice, cold as iron, replied, "The Lord's army marches. The Mandate's wrath awakens."
"Let them come," the being intoned. "The heretic's soul will break."