The world had yet to recover from Shao Xian's defiance. The air was thick with lingering divine energy, the remnants of Lu Tian's celestial presence still crackling through the void like dying embers. Yet, despite the fading remnants of the battle, an oppressive stillness settled over the Blackstone Keep.
Zhou Fan swallowed hard, his hands clenched at his sides. "My Lord, the Heavenly Council will not take this lightly."
Shao Xian remained silent for a moment, gazing up at the fractured sky. The celestial envoy had fled, but not out of weakness—no, Lu Tian had retreated because he knew reinforcements would come. The heavens would not tolerate defiance, especially not from one who had been erased from history itself.
Shao Xian smirked. Let them come.
He turned his gaze to Zhou Fan. "Prepare the sect. The storm is approaching."
Zhou Fan hesitated. "Are we… truly going to stand against the heavens themselves?"
Shao Xian's golden eyes gleamed with a quiet amusement. "Did you think my path would ever be anything less?"
Zhou Fan lowered his head, fists tightening. His lord's words were both terrifying and exhilarating. To defy the heavens was madness, yet in the presence of Shao Xian, madness seemed almost logical.
"My life is yours to command," Zhou Fan said, his voice firm.
Shao Xian merely nodded before turning his gaze beyond the horizon. The heavens had sent a single envoy this time. Next, they would send more. Perhaps an army. Perhaps even those who sat at the peak of celestial authority.
He welcomed it.
As the Blackstone Keep mobilized, the world beyond had already begun to stir.
---
In the Divine Capital, a city that hovered above the mortal realms, the consequences of Shao Xian's defiance rippled through the celestial courts. Within the grand halls of the Heavenly Council, an emergency assembly had been called.
Nine figures sat in a semicircle, their forms radiating divine brilliance. Each one was a ruler of the heavens, their power capable of toppling worlds with a mere thought.
At the center of the assembly, Lu Tian knelt, his robes still tattered from his encounter. Despite his injuries, his head remained lowered in reverence.
A figure seated above him leaned forward, golden eyes narrowing. "You failed."
Lu Tian gritted his teeth. "Shao Xian is beyond expectation. He shattered my divine chains with a mere gesture. His power should not be possible."
A murmur spread through the council.
Another elder, draped in celestial silks, spoke. "He was erased from the annals of history. The Dao itself rejected him. And yet, he walks the world once more?"
Lu Tian exhaled. "He is more than just alive. He is growing stronger."
The eldest of the council, a being whose presence exuded the weight of millennia, finally spoke. His voice was ancient, carrying the will of the cosmos itself.
"The Reborn Dao Sovereign… it seems fate is not yet finished with him."
Silence followed.
Then, another figure spoke. "If one envoy was not enough, we will send an army."
Lu Tian looked up. "Who shall lead it?"
The air shifted. The divine halls trembled as a shadow stepped forward from the void.
A man clad in celestial black, his presence eclipsing the very light of the heavens.
Lu Tian's breath caught in his throat. "Lord Xuan Zhen…"
The Supreme Commander of the Celestial Guard. A being who had waged wars against gods and devils alike.
Xuan Zhen's eyes, dark as the abyss, gleamed with quiet interest. "Shao Xian…" he murmured. "The one who should not exist."
Then, a cold smile formed on his lips.
"I will bring you his head."
---
Back at the Blackstone Keep, the air was thick with preparation. The warriors of the sect had begun reinforcing their defenses, fortifying the stronghold for what was to come. Rumors spread like wildfire—whispers of divine retaliation, of celestial armies descending from the heavens.
But amidst the preparations, Shao Xian remained calm.
He stood at the peak of the sect, gazing down at the land below. His senses stretched beyond the mortal plane, feeling the subtle tremors of fate shifting.
The heavens were moving.
They would not allow his existence to persist.
A soft voice cut through the silence. "You seem amused."
Shao Xian did not turn. He had already sensed her presence before she arrived.
Lan Yue stepped forward, her azure robes billowing in the wind. Her expression was unreadable, yet her eyes held a quiet intensity. "The heavens will not stop until you are erased."
Shao Xian smirked. "Let them try."
Lan Yue hesitated before speaking again. "You truly intend to fight them?"
He finally turned to face her, his golden gaze piercing. "What other path do I have?"
She studied him for a long moment. "Most would kneel."
His smirk widened. "I am not most."
She exhaled, shaking her head. "You are either the most fearless man I have ever known… or the most foolish."
Shao Xian chuckled. "Perhaps both."
Lan Yue glanced toward the sky. The heavens remained silent, yet she could feel it—the gathering storm, the weight of destiny pressing down upon them.
For the first time in her life, she felt as if she were standing at the edge of something beyond comprehension.
Something that would change the fate of existence itself.
And at the center of it all was the man before her.
Shao Xian—the one who defied the heavens.
---
In the far reaches of the void, beyond the constraints of mortal perception, a forgotten presence stirred.
A pair of ancient eyes opened, gazing into the fabric of reality.
A voice, deep and formless, echoed through the abyss.
"He has returned."
The stars trembled. The cosmos shifted.
And somewhere, in the depths of eternity, something far greater than the Heavenly Council took notice.