The explosion shook Heavenly Cloud Sect from one mountain peak to another.
Windows shattered. Roof tiles slid from buildings. Spiritual lamps flickered out, and the defensive formations surrounding the inner sect flashed red before fading into darkness.
Li Tian stood beside his window, staring at the column of black light rising above the western mountain.
The voice still echoed in his mind.
Come to me, Silent One.
He had heard those words in his dreams. He had heard them inside the ancient chamber. Now the voice was calling him openly, as if the entire sect were nothing more than a stage prepared for his arrival.
Li Tian slowly closed the window.
“No.”
Bao Bao looked up from his bowl.
“No what?”
“No matter what that thing says, I'm not going anywhere near the mountain.”
The fox considered this answer.
Then he nodded approvingly.
“Excellent. You are finally developing survival instincts.”
A second explosion shook the courtyard.
A notification appeared before Li Tian's eyes.
[Hidden Cultivation System]
[Critical Warning: Defensive network compromised.]
[Secondary formation activated.]
[Location: Inner Sect Main Hall.]
[Target: Sect Master Yun Dao.]
[Host resonance detected.]
[Recommended action: Avoid direct contact with the Ninth Seal.]
Li Tian stared at the final message.
“That's helpful. At least one of us has a sensible plan.”
Bao Bao's ears twitched.
“Who are you talking about?”
“The system.”
“Tell it to send us somewhere safe.”
“I don't think it handles travel arrangements.”
“Then it is a poorly designed system.”
Before Li Tian could answer, someone began pounding on his door.
“Li Tian! Open up!”
Chen Wei's voice.
Li Tian opened the door.
Chen Wei rushed inside, breathing heavily. His robe was crooked, his hair was disheveled, and he was carrying a wooden shield that looked suspiciously like a serving tray.
Li Tian stared at it.
“What's that?”
“Armor.”
“That's a tray.”
“Armor can be made from many materials.”
“Where did you get it?”
“The dining hall.”
Bao Bao examined the tray.
“Excellent craftsmanship. Terrible spiritual defense.”
Chen Wei hugged it protectively.
“I didn't ask for your professional opinion.”
Li Tian turned toward his friend.
“What happened?”
“The inner sect is in chaos! The protective barrier collapsed near the main hall, several elders have gone to the western mountain, and everyone is saying a demonic army has attacked!”
“Who told you that?”
Chen Wei hesitated.
“Someone running in the opposite direction.”
“So you don't know.”
“I know he was very convincing.”
Another bell rang across the sect.
This time, the sound was deeper and more urgent.
Chen Wei swallowed.
“Brother Li, I have a proposal.”
“Let me guess. We run away.”
“Not immediately.”
Li Tian raised an eyebrow.
Chen Wei held up the tray.
“First, we find out whether the eastern gate is still open. Then we run away.”
Bao Bao nodded thoughtfully.
“A remarkable improvement. Your plan now contains two stages.”
Chen Wei looked pleased.
“I have been learning from experience.”
Li Tian was about to respond when the system flashed again.
[Emergency event detected.]
[A group of outer disciples is trapped near the collapsed eastern corridor.]
[Threat level: Moderate and increasing.]
[Optional objective: Assist endangered disciples.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
Li Tian frowned.
The eastern corridor connected the guest courtyard to the main defensive grounds. If the barrier had collapsed there, the trapped disciples could be exposed to whatever was attacking the sect.
He looked toward the door.
Chen Wei immediately noticed.
“No.”
Li Tian glanced at him.
“I haven't said anything.”
“You have that expression.”
“What expression?”
“The expression you get when you are about to do something that makes my life shorter.”
Bao Bao jumped onto Li Tian's shoulder.
“He is correct. It is a very distinctive expression.”
Li Tian sighed.
“I'm going to check the eastern corridor.”
Chen Wei slowly lowered the tray.
“I knew it.”
“You don't have to come.”
Chen Wei looked offended.
“Of course I'm coming.”
Li Tian blinked.
“Really?”
“Yes. Someone has to make sure you don't do something stupid.”
Bao Bao chuckled.
“And who will make sure you don't do something stupid?”
Chen Wei lifted the tray.
“This.”
For the first time that evening, Li Tian genuinely smiled.
“Stay behind me.”
“Gladly.”
The eastern corridor was in terrible condition.
Part of the stone walkway had collapsed, leaving a deep crack that exposed the spiritual channels running beneath the sect. The protective barrier above the passage flickered like a dying candle.
Several disciples were gathered near the broken section.
Three were injured. Another had fallen beneath a collapsed wooden beam, while two younger disciples struggled to hold the beam high enough for him to breathe.
A dark creature prowled at the far end of the corridor.
It resembled a wolf, but its body was made of smoke and broken shadows. Black markings covered its limbs, and its eyes glowed with a dull crimson light.
A disciple swung a sword at it.
The blade passed through the creature's body.
The beast turned and struck him with one claw.
He flew backward and crashed against a pillar.
“Shadow beast!” someone shouted. “Ordinary weapons cannot hurt it!”
Li Tian's expression changed.
The creature's body was not entirely physical. It seemed to be formed from the same dark energy used by the intruders.
The system responded.
[Unknown entity detected.]
[Classification: Void Shade.]
[Origin: External spatial distortion.]
[Warning: Physical attacks may be ineffective.]
[Weakness analysis: Incomplete.]
The creature turned toward the trapped disciples.
It lowered its body.
Then it lunged.
Li Tian moved before he had time to think.
He crossed the broken walkway in three steps and caught the creature's claw with his bare hand.
The impact sent a shock wave through the corridor.
Stone cracked beneath his feet.
For one brief moment, the Void Shade stopped moving.
Li Tian stared at his hand.
That was stronger than I intended.
He immediately reduced the spiritual energy circulating through his arm.
The creature twisted, attempting to tear itself free.
Li Tian pushed it away.
The Void Shade flew backward and struck the corridor wall. Its smoky body dispersed, then gathered again several paces away.
Every disciple stared at Li Tian.
Chen Wei stared at Li Tian.
Bao Bao stared at Li Tian.
Li Tian slowly lowered his hand.
“Lucky.”
Chen Wei's mouth fell open.
“Lucky?”
Li Tian nodded.
“The creature slipped.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“It is made of smoke!”
“Then it slipped through my fingers.”
Chen Wei looked as though his mind had encountered a problem too large to process.
Bao Bao quietly covered his face with one paw.
This is going to become exhausting.
The Void Shade shrieked.
Black energy spread from its body, filling the corridor with a cold mist.
Li Tian's system flashed.
[Void energy concentration increasing.]
[Warning: Prolonged exposure may destabilize spiritual channels.]
The trapped disciples began coughing.
One of the younger disciples screamed as the beam above him shifted.
Li Tian looked toward the injured cultivators.
He could defeat the creature easily if he released a fraction of his stored cultivation.
But the black light above the mountain was still active. The Ninth Seal was responding to his presence, and he could not risk exposing too much power.
He needed another solution.
His gaze moved across the corridor.
The broken barrier.
The exposed spiritual channels.
The old formation symbols carved into the pillars.
Then he understood.
The Void Shade was not simply attacking the disciples.
It was using the collapsed barrier as an anchor, drawing energy from the damaged formation to maintain its body.
If he disrupted that connection, the creature might lose its physical presence.
“Chen Wei!”
Chen Wei jumped.
“Yes?”
“Get everyone away from the broken section. Move them behind the stone pillars.”
Chen Wei looked at the Void Shade.
“Excellent idea. I was planning to do that anyway.”
He hurried toward the trapped disciples, waving his wooden tray.
“Everyone, follow me! This is an official evacuation! Anyone who refuses will be left behind with the terrifying smoke wolf!”
One injured disciple stared at him.
“Who appointed you?”
Chen Wei paused.
“Common sense.”
He grabbed the disciple's arm and pulled him toward safety.
Li Tian knelt beside the damaged formation channel.
The symbols were old, but the principle was familiar. Spiritual energy flowed through the channel and spread into the protective barrier.
The Void Shade's black energy had attached itself to the flow.
Li Tian placed two fingers against a carved line.
The system displayed a warning.
[Formation Affinity activated.]
[Local energy redirection possible.]
[Caution: Incorrect adjustment may collapse the remaining barrier.]
Li Tian took a slow breath.
Just one small adjustment.
He pressed his fingers against the line and redirected a portion of the energy toward the empty stone pillars.
The formation flashed.
The Void Shade staggered.
Its smoky body began to break apart.
Li Tian moved his fingers again.
A second line of symbols lit up.
The black mist was pulled away from the damaged corridor and into the empty channels beneath the stones.
The Void Shade let out a terrible shriek.
Its body collapsed into a swirling cloud.
Then the cloud vanished.
Silence returned.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Chen Wei emerged from behind a pillar, still holding the tray.
He looked at the empty corridor.
He looked at Li Tian.
Then he raised the tray above his head.
“VICTORY!”
The injured disciples cheered.
Chen Wei immediately lowered the tray.
“Please don't cheer too loudly. There may be another one.”
Li Tian stood up.
His hand trembled slightly.
He had not released much stored cultivation, but manipulating the damaged formation had required far more concentration than he expected.
The system displayed a new notification.
[Optional objective completed.]
[Reward granted: 15 years of stored cultivation.]
[Total stored cultivation: 1,170 years.]
Li Tian dismissed the message.
He was more concerned about the people around him.
“Can everyone stand?”
The trapped disciples nodded.
One of the younger cultivators bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Li Tian immediately waved his hands.
“Don't call me that. I'm only an outer disciple.”
The young man looked confused.
“But you defeated a Void Shade with your bare hands.”
“I didn't defeat it. The formation did most of the work.”
Chen Wei walked over.
“That's true. I witnessed the entire thing.”
Li Tian looked relieved.
Chen Wei continued, “First, Brother Li punched the smoke wolf. Then he argued with a wall. Finally, the wall defeated the smoke wolf.”
The injured disciples stared at him.
Bao Bao began laughing so hard that he nearly fell off Li Tian's shoulder.
Li Tian slowly turned toward Chen Wei.
“Thank you for your testimony.”
“You're welcome.”
“I will remember it.”
Chen Wei's smile vanished.
They had barely finished helping the injured disciples when an elderly instructor arrived with several guards.
He examined the collapsed barrier and the damaged spiritual channels.
“Who destroyed the Void Shade?”
Chen Wei stepped forward.
“I assisted.”
The instructor looked at the tray.
“With that?”
Chen Wei lowered it.
“It was a psychological weapon.”
The instructor turned toward Li Tian.
“Did you defeat the creature?”
Li Tian shook his head.
“The formation was already damaged. I only redirected some energy.”
The instructor studied the corridor.
The Void Shade had left no remains. Only a faint residue of black energy clung to the stones.
“You redirected the formation's flow?”
“Only slightly.”
The instructor stared at him for several seconds.
Then he turned toward the guards.
“Take the injured disciples to the healing hall. Report the appearance of the Void Shade to the elders.”
He looked back at Li Tian.
“You will remain available for questioning.”
Li Tian bowed.
“Understood.”
The instructor departed with the guards.
Chen Wei waited until they were out of earshot.
Then he leaned close to Li Tian.
“Brother, I have reached a conclusion.”
“What?”
“You are hiding something.”
Li Tian's heart tightened.
He kept his expression calm.
“Everyone is hiding something.”
Chen Wei shook his head.
“Not like this. Ordinary people don't catch smoke wolves with their bare hands.”
Li Tian said nothing.
Chen Wei studied him.
For a moment, the usual foolishness disappeared from his face.
“I don't need to know your secret,” he said quietly. “But whatever it is, don't let it turn you into someone who thinks he has to do everything alone.”
Li Tian looked at him.
The words were simple.
But they struck deeper than Chen Wei probably realized.
Li Tian had spent years keeping his true strength hidden because he feared what would happen if others discovered it. He had told himself that secrecy protected his friends.
Yet the longer he concealed everything, the more he risked pushing them away.
He placed a hand on Chen Wei's shoulder.
“I won't.”
Chen Wei nodded.
“Excellent. Since our friendship has reached a new level, I believe you should lend me some spiritual stones.”
Li Tian removed his hand.
“There it is.”
“Friendship should include financial support.”
“Friendship should include silence.”
Bao Bao nodded solemnly.
“For once, I agree with Li Tian.”
Chen Wei looked betrayed.
“Both of you are impossible.”
By the time they returned to the guest courtyard, the sect's defenses had partially stabilized.
The black column above the western mountain had disappeared, but the elders had not declared the danger over.
Li Tian sat at his desk and examined the system.
Public Cultivation: Qi Refinement Layer 1.
Stored Cultivation: 1,170 years.
Formation Affinity: Active.
Memory Recovery: 0.04%.
He had gained fifteen years of stored cultivation, but the reward felt insignificant compared with what he had learned.
The Void Court could create creatures from spatial distortions.
Its formations could infiltrate the sect's defenses.
And the ancient seal seemed to be connected to all of it.
He opened the copied formation diagram.
The nine-ring symbol stared back at him.
Eight silver rings.
One black.
Li Tian traced the outer ring with his finger.
“Bao Bao, what happens if the Ninth Seal opens?”
The fox was sitting by the window, watching the distant mountain.
For once, he did not answer immediately.
“If the seal opens completely,” he said at last, “something will change. I don't know whether it will be the world, the chamber, or you.”
“That is reassuring.”
“I am not trying to reassure you.”
Li Tian leaned back.
“Then tell me what you know.”
Bao Bao's tail curled around his paws.
“The Void Shades are not ordinary demonic creatures. They are fragments of something that exists beyond the boundaries of the mortal world. They enter through weak points in space and use formations as anchors.”
“Like the one in the eastern corridor.”
“Yes.”
“And the Void Court is creating those weak points?”
“Probably. But there is a larger problem.”
“What?”
Bao Bao looked at him.
“The Void Court may not be trying to free the being inside the coffin. It may be trying to reach something on the other side of the seal.”
Li Tian remembered the inscription.
A boundary between two connected spaces.
He felt a chill.
“Then the coffin is a door.”
“Perhaps.”
“And the Ninth Seal is the lock.”
“Perhaps.”
“And the Silent One is the key?”
Bao Bao lowered his ears.
“That is what I fear.”
Li Tian stared at the diagram.
For the first time, he wondered whether his hidden cultivation system had been designed to make him stronger for a reason he could not understand.
Perhaps the stored cultivation was not simply a reward.
Perhaps it was preparing him for something.
He dismissed the thought.
Speculation would not help him survive tomorrow.
He needed information.
He needed control.
And he needed to understand the rules before someone forced him to break them.
Later that night, Li Tian walked alone to the courtyard's stone railing.
The moon hung above the mountains, casting pale light over the rooftops.
For the first time since the attacks began, he allowed himself to think about the life he had wanted.
A quiet place to cultivate.
A few trustworthy friends.
Enough strength to protect himself.
Nothing more.
He had never dreamed of ruling the world or challenging the heavens.
Yet the world seemed determined to drag him toward a destiny he had never chosen.
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Thinking about running away?”
Mei Ling stood at the entrance to the courtyard, her sword resting at her waist.
Li Tian turned.
“Considering it.”
She walked beside him.
“Where would you go?”
“Somewhere without ancient coffins.”
“Does such a place exist?”
“I intend to find out.”
Mei Ling smiled faintly.
Then her expression grew serious.
“I heard what happened in the eastern corridor. You helped save those disciples.”
“They were in danger.”
“You always say things as though they are simple.”
“Sometimes they are.”
“And sometimes?”
Li Tian looked toward the western mountain.
“Sometimes helping someone creates more problems than you expected.”
Mei Ling was quiet for a moment.
“Does that mean you regret helping them?”
“No.”
“Then perhaps the problems are worth facing.”
Li Tian turned toward her.
She met his gaze without hesitation.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Mei Ling stepped away from the railing.
“Be careful, Li Tian. You don't have to tell me everything, but don't confuse being careful with being alone.”
She walked toward the courtyard entrance.
Before leaving, she glanced back.
“And next time, try not to catch a creature made of smoke with your bare hands.”
Li Tian blinked.
“Who told you about that?”
“Chen Wei.”
He closed his eyes.
I should have known.
Mei Ling smiled and disappeared into the corridor.
Li Tian watched her go, feeling an unfamiliar warmth in his chest.
Then Bao Bao's voice emerged from behind him.
“If you continue staring at the doorway, she may return.”
Li Tian turned.
The fox grinned.
“I can provide romantic advice for a reasonable fee.”
Li Tian picked him up.
“Go to sleep.”
“Cruelty!”
Far beneath Heavenly Cloud Sect, the ancient chamber remained dark.
The Void Shade that had appeared in the eastern corridor had left behind a faint trace of energy.
The trace traveled through the underground formations, passed beneath the eight silver rings, and finally reached the ninth.
The black ring shuddered.
A voice emerged from the coffin.
“The child has acted.”
Another voice answered.
“He has protected the weak without revealing his strength.”
A pause followed.
“Is he ready?”
“No.”
“Then why has the trial begun?”
“Because the enemy has already entered the board.”
The coffin fell silent.
Then a faint image appeared across its surface.
Li Tian stood in the eastern corridor, his hand raised against the Void Shade.
Behind him stood Chen Wei, clutching his ridiculous wooden tray.
The image faded.
A quiet laugh echoed through the chamber.
“He still chooses to protect others.”
The voice became softer.
“Even when he remembers nothing.”
The ninth ring cracked again.
And from the darkness beyond the coffin, something whispered:
“Let him protect them. Every bond he forms will become another chain.”
To be continued…