Chapter 1
Prologue
Ashes of the Lotus
Chapter 1 The Burning of the Lin Clan
Thunder cracked like a divine gavel over the high peaks of the Yunxi Mountains, where the ancient Lin Clan resided—cradled in thick mist and pine.
The full moon barely pierced the storm clouds as red flames engulfed the elegant rooftops of the Lin ancestral estate.
Screams tore through the night, swallowed by the wind, and the scent of blood tainted the sacred grounds.
In the heart of the chaos, Lin Qianyu, Matriarch of the Lin Clan, stood in full violet robes now streaked with ash and blood.
Her long black hair whipped wildly as she faced the invaders with calm fury.
Her sword, Wisteria Shadow, shimmered faintly with embedded talismans, each stroke slicing through masked attackers who moved with demonic swiftness.
A group of cultivators—cloaked and faceless—surged toward the inner altar. Qianyu stepped before them like a stone against a rising tide.
"Who dares to desecrate the house of Lin? Reveal your name, if you have spine enough to stain it in war!"
No answer. Only the rustle of black robes and the gleam of cursed weapons.
The largest among them raised a curved blade dripping with unnatural shadows.
His aura reeked of corruption—dark cultivation from the forbidden valleys.
He rushed forward. She met him head-on.
Their blades clashed with a roar that sent sparks into the altar fire.
Qianyu pivoted low, using her spiritual sigils to trap his sword midair, then sent him flying with a palm strike to the chest.
The other enemies swarmed.
She danced through them—graceful, swift, lethal.
Her blade cleaved the darkness as if answering the fury of the ancestors themselves.
Blood soaked her sleeves, but she did not yield.
Chapter 2 The Talisman of Protection
Inside a hidden alcove behind the altar, five-year-old Lin Ye crouched against the stone wall, wide-eyed and shivering.
The sounds of slaughter were muffled here, but the fear was deafening.
Lin Qianyu, panting from the last round of battle, burst into the chamber.
Her robes were torn, her left arm bleeding, but her eyes—her eyes still burned.
She dropped to one knee beside her son and cupped his face.
"Lin Ye. My little firefly, remember this: blood does not make a legacy—spirit does."
She drew a talisman from her inner sleeve.
Intricate runes shimmered with pale golden light.
Chanting swiftly, she pressed it to his chest.
A wind swirled unnaturally through the room, and a protective seal flared to life on his skin.
The stone altar rumbled. A hidden staircase opened beneath them.
"Go. This tunnel leads to the spirit springs. Don't come out until the birds sing at dawn."
"Mom !"
"Don't cry," she said softly, smoothing his hair.
"You are Lin. You will rise again."
She kissed his forehead, helped him into the dark, then closed the stone seal just as masked figures entered the chamber.
A deep, guttural laugh echoed.
"The Matriarch herself. What a prize."
Qianyu stood tall, wiped blood from her mouth, and raised Wisteria Shadow.
"You'll find no prize here. Only judgment."
She charged.
The battle above Lin Ye's hiding place raged with thunderous force.
Spiritual blasts shook the stone.
Then—silence.
Only distant fire.
Only the wind.