The peace was short-lived.
A dark mist crept across the continent-cultivators vanished, villages burned. Rumors spread: The Eternal Flame Sect had returned, led a masked figure called the Abyss Monarch. Rahul recognized the symbols left behind- they matched what he saw in the Forbidden Archive.
The Azure Sky Academy assembled an elite task force. Rahul was namedits leader.
He traveled with Aria and others into the Wailing Marshes, where traces of demonic cultivation surged. There, they encountered reanimated beasts and corrupted cultivators. Rahul unleashed Starlight Fang's third form : Phantom Nova, erasing enemies in brilliant arcs.
But with each fight, the God seed pulsed darker. Power at a cost.