Ironbloom Valley's cliffs loomed like shattered bones beneath a starless veil, the Void Realm's fractured stars glinting like shards of a broken blade. The air was heavy with ash and despair, ley-line energy writhing like a dying beast. Xun Wei, sixteen, stood in the Ironbloom Spire's shadow, his black robes drenched in blood, the Bloodveil Fang's hunger a cold thrum against his chest. His youthful face, serene as a frozen lake, masked a god-level soul, its divine power—stolen across dimensions 300 years hence—leashed to spare his meridians, now at Immortal Shaping Stage Late, honed to Immortal Shaping Late Peak. His Void Dantian surged, a vortex of crimson and golden qi, at Heavenstage Late, Harmony Stage Late Peak, amplifying his power fivefold. 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, Flamepetal Burst, Ironclaw Rend, Skyspear Thrust, Stoneveil Ward, Windclaw Slash, Groveheart Pulse, Crimson Cascade Fang, and Bloodheart Cascade—was cloaked by his second foundation, a righteous qi veil deceiving the Celestial Mandate and Ironbloom's elders.
The Dual Path, born from his D-grade roots, wove righteous and demonic qi, its stages—Initiation, Fusion, Harmony, Transcendence, Celestial Unity—driving his ascent. At Harmony Late Peak, his soul arts were a reaper's scythe, his Immortal Shaping Late Peak body bearing 25% of his god-level soul's might, nearing Celestial Body Early to unleash its full wrath, capable of crushing Sky Immortals. His god-level soul devoured qi without deviation, outstripping Hua Ling and Kai Ren's frail mortal souls. Visions of Zhao Lin, silver-robed, her Mandate sigils aflame, seared his mind, her voice a cold lash: "Your blood stains the cosmic order." Each vision fueled his hunger: slaughter Ironbloom Valley, siphon its qi with Bloodveil Slash and Abyssal Leech, ascend to Earth Immortal, and shatter the Mandate's chains.
The sect was a dying ember, Mei Lian's death, Cang's execution, and Elder Lin's demise igniting terror. Xun Wei's forged talismans and letters had bound Wei Tao in chains of suspicion, while the First Elder's fury made him a blind pawn. Hua Ling and Kai Ren's dread marked them as prey, and Wei Tao's defiance was a spark to extinguish. The sect's hunt for Yan's allies was Xun Wei's cloak, each kill swelling his Void Dantian, his path to Earth Immortal a crimson flood.
In the Ironbloom Spire's courtyard, dawn's sickly light cast long shadows, disciples cowering behind flickering qi shields, their breaths shallow with fear. The First Elder, Heavenstage Middle, his Skyclad Vigil Technique a silver tempest, stood on a cracked jade dais, his voice a roar. "Yan's shadow devours us!" he bellowed. "Elder Lin and thirteen disciples are dust. Wei Tao's treachery festers—Xun Wei, purge the Hollow's heart, or the sect crumbles!"
Xun Wei knelt, Light of Serenity radiant, Groveheart Pulse weaving a holy aura. "I am the sect's blade," he said, voice calm, his mind a sharpened void. Wei Tao, shackled nearby, coughed blood, Ironfist dim, clutching a bloodstained rag—Xun Wei's from the Hollow. "He's the slaughterer!" Wei Tao rasped, eyes wild. "His qi taints the ashes!"
Xun Wei's gaze pierced Wei Tao's, Soulfang Bind twisting his thoughts into despair. "A dying dog howls loudest," he said, voice ice-cold. "Your lies bury you."
Kai Ren, Foundation Middle, stood stiff, Thundercoil faint, his soul chained by Soulfang Bind. "Wei Tao's the traitor," he droned, eyes dull, a puppet to Xun Wei's will. Hua Ling, Foundation Middle, her Jade Blossom wilting, clutched Kai Ren's sleeve. "This feels wrong… Xun Wei's too still."
The First Elder's qi cracked the dais. "Enough!" he roared. "Xun Wei, lead a force to the Hollow's core. Destroy Yan's altar, or face the Silent Fangs." Xun Wei nodded, his mind crafting a bloodbath. Kai Ren's leash would make him a tool, Hua Ling's fear a flame to consume.
At noon, Xun Wei led twenty disciples into the Hollow's depths, its sulfurous fog biting their skin. Kai Ren trudged beside him, Thundercoil muted, a thrall under Soulfang Bind. Hua Ling followed, Jade Blossom dim, her eyes scanning the shadows. The others, Foundation Early and Middle, clutched talismans, blind to the predator in their midst. Xun Wei's Veiled Howl masked his intent, Bloodheart Cascade poised to strike.
In a cavern where crimson runes pulsed like heartbeats, Xun Wei paused, gesturing to a shattered altar. "Yan's legacy," he said, voice hollow. "Purify it." As the disciples neared, he unleashed Bloodheart Cascade, crimson-gold waves exploding, shredding qi shields. Abyssal Leech tendrils burrowed, draining dantians, screams fading as eighteen bodies dissolved into ash. Hua Ling's Jade Blossom bloomed, deflecting a wave, but Starveil Fang slashed her shoulder, blood spraying. Kai Ren's Thundercoil flared, Soulfang Bind faltering as he lunged.
"Monster!" Hua Ling cried, qi draining. Xun Wei's eyes were black voids. "The weak feed the strong," he said, Bloodveil Slash cleaving her torso. Her body crumbled, qi surging into his Void Dantian. Memory Extraction snared Jade Blossom Veil, a floral barrier bolstering Bloodheart Cascade's defense. Kai Ren's Thundercoil grazed Xun Wei's arm, blood trickling, but Crimson Cascade Fang shattered his dantian, reducing him to ash. Memory Extraction seized Thundercoil Burst, a lightning pulse amplifying Harmonic Leech Pulse. Xun Wei's meridians thundered, qi flooding, pushing his cultivation to Heavenstage Late Peak, Transcendence Early, body at Immortal Shaping Late Peak. A shallow arm wound bled, but his god-level soul erased pain, his body unyielding.
He scattered forged talismans bearing Wei Tao's qi among the ashes, murmuring, "The flood consumes all."
At dusk, the sect was a husk, its halls silent, fear strangling the air. Xun Wei returned alone, presenting a scorched altar shard to the First Elder in the Pavilion of Iron Will. "Yan's altar is no more," he lied, Light of Serenity glowing. "Hua Ling and Kai Ren fell to demonic wards—Wei Tao's talismans littered the site."
The First Elder's qi wavered, eyes sunken. "The sect's heart bleeds," he whispered. "Wei Tao dies at dawn." Wei Tao, shackled, screamed, "Xun Wei's the devil! His qi's in the Hollow!" Soulfang Bind crushed his spirit, his voice fading to a sob.
That night, Xun Wei struck the outer dorms, Bloodheart Cascade reaping twelve Outer Disciples, their qi feeding his Void Dantian. Memory Extraction seized minor techniques—Flameclaw Strike, Ironpetal Guard—his arsenal growing. A vision burned his mind—Zhao Lin, Mandate sigils blazing, her voice a lash: "The Lord's army marches for your head." Her qi was a cosmic chasm, but Xun Wei's will was steel. "I'll carve through them," he snarled, the vision fading.
At midnight, Wei Tao broke free, Ironfist blazing, ambushing Xun Wei on the Hollow's edge. "Your qi's in the ashes!" he roared, wielding a talisman glowing with Xun Wei's blood trace. Ironfist crashed, fracturing Xun Wei's Bloodheart Cascade shield, a welt rising on his shoulder. Xun Wei countered with Thundercoil Burst, lightning shattering Wei Tao's defense, followed by Bloodveil Slash, nicking his thigh. Wei Tao's talisman flared, searing Xun Wei's palm, but Soulreap Grasp snared his soul, freezing him. "You're a flicker," Xun Wei hissed, "and I'm the abyss." He spared Wei Tao's life, planting his unconscious body near the dorms with forged evidence, sealing his dawn execution.
In his cave, Xun Wei fused Thundercoil Burst with Bloodveil Slash, forging Thunderblood Slash, a crimson-lightning arc draining qi and shredding defenses. His Void Dantian roared, meridians straining, body at Immortal Shaping Late Peak, resilience forged in blood. Another vision—Zhao Lin, her voice a knell: "The Mandate's judgment nears." Omens stirred—crimson mists swirling above the valley, a demonic howl shaking the cliffs.
In the Void Realm's temple, divine waters raged, a crimson ouroboros thrashing. A golden-robed figure snarled, "The heretic's flood rises… unnatural."
An ancient voice, cold as iron, replied, "The Lord's army gathers. The Mandate's wrath sharpens."
"Let it strike," the figure hissed. "The heretic's soul will crack."