The night stretched long over Blackstone Keep, its towering walls standing as silent sentinels against the coming storm. The rebellion had been crushed, yet Shao Xian knew this was only the beginning. The Jade Celestial Pavilion had made its move, but they had underestimated him.
Seated within his personal chamber, he traced the rim of a jade cup filled with celestial wine. The liquid shimmered under the dim candlelight, reflecting the flickering glow of his golden eyes. Across from him, Zhou Fan knelt, his head bowed in respect.
"My Lord, our scouts have uncovered more information," Zhou Fan reported. "The Jade Celestial Pavilion did not merely fund the rebels—they orchestrated every detail. Their envoys traveled under false identities, whispering poison into the ears of the discontented."
Shao Xian remained silent, his fingers tightening slightly around the cup. The Pavilion had always been an insidious force, preferring manipulation over open confrontation.
Zhou Fan continued, his voice laced with urgency. "There is more. The Pavilion's true objective was not just rebellion, but infiltration. They have placed spies among the noble clans under your rule, even within the bureaucratic ranks of Blackstone Keep itself."
Shao Xian's gaze darkened. "Have they touched my Shadow Guard?"
Zhou Fan hesitated before shaking his head. "Not that we have discovered."
"Then they are either bold or foolish," Shao Xian said, setting down the jade cup. "No matter. We shall let the rats run a little longer. I want every spy identified. Their families, their allies, their entire bloodlines—leave nothing unchecked."
Zhou Fan clenched his fist and bowed. "It will be done, my Lord."
In the eastern district of Blackstone Keep, a man in scholar's robes walked briskly through the darkened streets. His name was Luo Ming, an official who had long served under the previous warlords before Shao Xian's conquest. He had sworn loyalty to the new ruler, but his true allegiance lay elsewhere.
Tonight, he was not a government official—he was a messenger of the Jade Celestial Pavilion.
Arriving at a hidden courtyard, he knocked twice on the wooden gate. A soft creak signaled his entrance. Within the courtyard, cloaked figures waited in silence.
A woman stepped forward, her face concealed beneath a silver mask. "Report," she ordered.
Luo Ming exhaled sharply. "Our plans are compromised. The rebellion has failed. Shao Xian knows about the Pavilion's involvement."
The masked woman tilted her head. "And our infiltrators?"
Luo Ming swallowed. "They are being hunted as we speak."
The woman's fingers tapped against her arm, calculating. "Unfortunate, but expected. Shao Xian is not like the others. He does not rule through mere strength—he controls the flow of fate itself."
Luo Ming hesitated. "Then… what is our next move?"
The woman's silver mask gleamed under the moonlight. "We accelerate the next phase. The Pavilion will not act directly, but there are forces beyond Shao Xian's reach. We shall awaken the Forgotten Ones."
Luo Ming stiffened. "That is madness! They were sealed away for a reason—"
"Do not question the will of the Pavilion," the woman interrupted coldly. "Prepare the ritual. The Jade Celestial Pavilion does not lose."
Shao Xian's golden eyes opened before dawn.
He had felt it—a shift in the world's Qi, a disturbance in the natural order. The winds carried whispers of something ancient, something that should have remained buried.
Dressing in his black robes, he stepped onto the balcony, gazing at the mountains beyond.
Moments later, Zhou Fan arrived, his expression grim. "My Lord, we have received disturbing news. Unnatural energies have been detected in the eastern districts. Something is stirring."
Shao Xian's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Then they have begun."
"Shall I mobilize the Shadow Guard?" Zhou Fan asked.
Shao Xian shook his head. "No need. I will deal with this myself."
With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished into the night.
The hidden courtyard was now a place of death.
Blood painted the stone walls, bodies lay twisted in unnatural positions, their souls seemingly ripped from their flesh. Luo Ming gasped, staggering backward. "What… what have you done?!"
The masked woman stood at the center, her silver mask now stained crimson. Before her, an ancient sigil burned into the ground, pulsing with eerie green light.
The ritual was complete.
A deep, guttural growl resonated through the courtyard. The air grew thick with malice, and the very shadows seemed to breathe.
From the sigil, a figure emerged.
Its form was humanoid, yet wrong—its limbs too elongated, its skin an ashen gray. Two soulless black eyes locked onto Luo Ming. The stench of decay filled the air.
Luo Ming fell to his knees, trembling. "This… this is not what we agreed to!"
The masked woman ignored him, stepping forward to address the creature. "You are free now. Serve the will of the Pavilion, and your hunger shall be sated."
The creature tilted its head, sniffing the air like a beast. Then, in a voice like grinding stone, it spoke.
"I serve no one."
Before the woman could react, the creature moved.
A sickening crunch echoed through the courtyard as her body was torn apart in a blur of motion.
Luo Ming screamed.
But before the creature could turn on him, a presence descended upon the courtyard.
The air itself seemed to kneel.
Shao Xian stepped forward, his black robes billowing as his golden eyes locked onto the abomination. "Interesting."
The creature snarled, recognizing the presence of something far greater than itself. It lunged.
Shao Xian did not move.
With a single glance, the creature's body froze mid-air. Its limbs trembled, its unnatural form cracking under an invisible force. The golden light in Shao Xian's eyes intensified.
Then, with a mere thought, the creature collapsed into dust.
Luo Ming gasped, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.
Shao Xian turned his gaze upon him. "You will tell me everything."
And in that moment, Luo Ming knew—there was no escaping this man.