The silence of the Vermillion Cloud Sect's outer perimeter shattered with a scream.
Not just a cry of pain — but one soaked in madness.
Raizen stood a few meters away, his crimson eyes reflecting the flickering torchlight as another disciple thrashed in the dirt. His hands clawed at his own face, shrieking as black veins crawled beneath his skin.
> [Abyss Touch – Passive Effect Activated]
Status: Qi Corruption progressing…
Target: Mentally unstable | Cultivation: Crippling
The corrupted disciple dropped to his knees, eyes wide with horror. "No! Stay away! You're not human… you're…"
"I'm what your sect made me," Raizen whispered. "The demon you all deserve."
With a sweep of his hand, abyssal mist snaked from his fingertips and slid into the man's mouth like smoke.
The screaming stopped.
Forever.
---
> Quest Complete: [Mark of Fear]
Reward: Skill Unlocked — [Terror Echo]
Skill Description: Emits an aura that amplifies fear in all sentient beings nearby. Chance of psychological collapse.
> Trait Upgrade: [Abyss Presence – Tier I] Activated
Effect: Opponents with lower willpower suffer -30% combat ability within 10 meters
Raizen stood amidst the broken bodies of two more patrol disciples. He hadn't needed to kill them with force — fear had done the work.
Their Qi had collapsed before they ever lifted a blade.
He looked at his hands. "This is... power."
Not brute strength. Not loud explosions.
But control. Manipulation. Dread.
And dread… spreads faster than fire.
---
Within the sect, word was already leaking — rumors that a shadow stalked the outer grounds, one that could shatter a cultivator's mind with a glance.
By dawn, the outer sect would be in panic.
But Raizen wasn't done.
Not yet.
---
At the Vermillion Cloud Sect – Disciplinary Hall
Lian Fei entered with her usual grace, but her eyes were grim.
Inside, several elders stood gathered around a glowing formation stone.
"Another death?" she asked coldly.
"Three more," replied Elder Huo, his voice tight. "No signs of Qi-based attack. Their meridians were corrupted… some bit off their own tongues before dying."
Lian Fei's hands clenched. "This isn't random. It's systematic."
The orb pulsed again. A shadow flickered across its surface — a silhouette of a boy with long dark hair, and eyes like bleeding moons.
Her blood ran cold.
"…Raizen."
The elders exchanged glances.
Elder Yun scowled. "Impossible. That boy had his core shattered. Even if he lived, he would be a cripple."
Lian Fei whispered, "You don't understand. He was never ordinary. If he's returned, and if he's truly touched something... abyssal..."
She looked at the elders sharply.
"You all laughed when he was discarded. Now you should pray you're not on his list."
---
Meanwhile…
Raizen stood atop a ruined watchtower, his black sect robes flapping in the wind. The moon above was no longer pale — it bled crimson, reflected through the veil of corrupted Qi swirling around him.
His system chimed again.
> System Notice: [Fear Level – Region: Outer Sect Grounds – 63%]
Passive Boosts Active: Spiritual Suppression + Mental Disruption
> New Main Quest Unlocked: [Hearts of the Betrayers]
Objective: Slay 10 targets who directly betrayed you
First Target Identified: Disciple Lei Feng (Qi Condensation, Inner Sect)
Reward: +2 Levels | Skill: [Blood Pact: Vengeance Sigil]
Raizen's grin was a razor-thin crescent of malice.
Lei Feng.
The smug bastard who led the group that shattered his core.
Who held his arms while Lian Fei watched in silence.
"Time to return the favor."
He wrapped his cloak tighter and leapt from the tower, vanishing in
to the mist.
Not as a sect member.
Not as a rogue cultivator.
But as the heir of the abyss.
---
[End of Chapter 3]