The fourth heartbeat shook the mountain.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
The stone floor beneath their feet trembled as though something enormous had awakened deep underground.
Lin Xue held his brother upright.
“Who created you?”
Lin Yue didn’t answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the cracked ceiling.
Mo Yuan stepped closer.
“Lin Yue.”
The ancient man finally looked at him.
“You aren’t ready to meet him.”
“Who?”
“The Creator.”
The word seemed to carry its own weight.
Lin Xue frowned.
“You said he created you.”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me his name.”
Lin Yue’s expression became complicated.
“I don’t know it.”
Mo Yuan’s eyes narrowed.
“Impossible.”
“Not impossible.”
Lin Yue shook his head.
“He existed before names.”
Lin Xue felt a chill.
“Before Heaven?”
“Before the Heavenly Dao.”
Silence filled the chamber.
His brother slowly opened his eyes.
“Then why is he coming now?”
Lin Yue looked at him.
“Because the seals are breaking.”
He turned toward Lin Xue.
“And because you have awakened the tenth petal.”
Lin Xue looked at his wrist.
The golden tenth petal glowed softly.
“What does he want?”
Lin Yue answered immediately.
“You.”
Lin Xue’s heart sank.
“Why?”
“Because the Soul Lotus isn’t merely a weapon.”
Lin Yue’s eyes darkened.
“It is a key.”
“A key to what?”
“The door between worlds.”
Mo Yuan stepped forward.
“And what’s behind the door?”
Lin Yue looked at him.
“Everything Heaven buried.”
Before anyone could ask another question—
The mountain shook violently.
A crack split across the ceiling.
Elder Shen shouted from the corridor.
“Young Master!”
Lin Xue turned.
“The disciples are evacuating!”
“The entire mountain is collapsing!”
Lin Yue’s expression changed.
“It’s begun.”
Mo Yuan immediately grabbed Lin Xue’s brother.
“Can he walk?”
“Yes.”
Lin Xue helped his brother stand.
“Where do we go?”
Lin Yue pointed toward the western corridor.
“There’s an ancient passage beneath the sect.”
“It leads outside the formation.”
Mo Yuan nodded.
“Move.”
They rushed through the corridor.
Behind them, stone pillars collapsed one after another.
The ancient chamber was breaking apart.
Lin Xue ran beside Mo Yuan.
“Do you trust him?”
“No.”
Lin Xue glanced at Lin Yue.
“Neither do I.”
“Then why are we following him?”
“Because he’s afraid.”
Lin Xue looked at Mo Yuan.
“And?”
“The person he’s afraid of…”
Mo Yuan’s expression darkened.
“…is probably more dangerous than all of us combined.”
They reached the western passage.
Lin Yue pressed his palm against the wall.
A hidden door opened.
Beyond it was a narrow staircase leading upward.
“Go.”
Lin Xue helped his brother through.
Mo Yuan followed.
Lin Yue remained behind.
Lin Xue stopped.
“You’re not coming?”
Lin Yue shook his head.
“Someone needs to hold the formation.”
“You’ll die.”
“I’ve died before.”
Lin Xue stared at him.
“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself.”
Lin Yue smiled faintly.
“Perhaps.”
Then his gaze softened.
“But this time, I want to choose.”
Lin Xue understood.
He nodded.
“Then choose to survive.”
For the first time, Lin Yue looked genuinely surprised.
Then he smiled.
“I’ll try.”
The door closed between them.
They emerged from the mountain just before dawn.
Qingyun Sect was in chaos.
Disciples crowded the lower courtyards.
Elders shouted orders.
Spiritual barriers covered the mountain.
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A strange red moon had appeared in the morning sky.
Lin Xue stared at it.
“That’s impossible.”
Mo Yuan looked upward.
“The sun hasn’t risen yet.”
His brother whispered,
“It’s not the moon.”
“What is it?”
“The third seal.”
Lin Xue’s expression changed.
The red circle in the sky slowly cracked.
A thin line of darkness appeared across its center.
Then—
A voice descended from the heavens.
“The vessel has awakened.”
Every cultivator on the mountain froze.
Lin Xue felt the Soul Lotus burn.
The voice continued.
“Return the Soul Lotus.”
“And the world will be spared.”
Mo Yuan stepped in front of Lin Xue.
“No.”
The sky became darker.
“Then the world will burn with you.”
The red moon shattered.
Thousands of crimson fragments fell from the sky.
But before they could reach the mountain—
Golden light erupted.
A gigantic formation appeared above Qingyun Sect.
Someone had activated the ancient protective barrier.
The fragments struck it.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The entire mountain shook.
Lin Xue looked toward the highest peak.
A lone figure stood there.
White robes.
Silver hair.
A sword in his hand.
Bai Yue.
She looked down at them.
Then she raised her sword toward the sky.
“Run!”
Her voice echoed across the mountain.
“The Creator has arrived.”
Lin Xue’s heart stopped.
“Where?”
Bai Yue looked directly at him.
“Everywhere.”
The clouds above them split apart.
A vast black eye opened in the heavens.
And for the first time since his rebirth…
Lin Xue felt genuine terror.
Because the eye was looking directly at him.
Then a familiar voice whispered inside his mind.
“Found you.”
The Soul Lotus went completely dark.
And Lin Xue collapsed.