The mist parted at Tian Yuan's will. The barren ground beneath their feet was silent, yet the air shimmered faintly—threads of golden qi dancing like lazy embers in the wind.
The intruder knelt, panting, his forehead pressed to the ground. His once-gleaming armor was cracked and stained with ash. Every breath he took seemed to drain what little spiritual energy he had left.
Standing before him, Tian Yuan looked neither merciful nor cruel. His robe of muted white and gold fluttered slightly, though there was no breeze. Behind him, the Golden Dragon coiled lazily in the air—massive enough to cast a shadow that stretched across the half-grown Divine Orchard. Its scales glistened like molten sunfire.
Tian Yuan's eyes were calm, yet within them flickered something ancient and patient, as if he were watching the flow of the heavens themselves.
"Raise your head," he said quietly.
The man obeyed, trembling. His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips cracked from exhaustion. When he looked up, he flinched—not from Tian Yuan's expression, but from the sheer presence that rolled off him. The realm itself seemed to breathe with its master's emotions.
The system's voice echoed faintly in Tian Yuan's mind, this time in its newly upgraded, annoyingly playful tone:
> [Oooh, Boss, he looks half-dead. Should I fetch divine tea or… maybe a slap?]
Tian Yuan's brow twitched. "Neither."
> [Aww. No fun.]
The dragon's tail thumped against the ground with a deep boom, shaking the barren soil.
> "Speak," the dragon growled. "What business brings an Upper Realm insect into our master's sanctuary?"
The man struggled to speak, clutching his chest. "I… I didn't come to fight… I swear it. My name is—"
"Names mean little here," Tian Yuan interrupted, his tone calm but cutting. "You tore a hole through my boundary. You will explain how and why, or you will cease to exist."
A tremor ran through the intruder's frame. His voice quavered.
"There's… something wrong in the Upper Realm. A shadow that devours realms—small independent ones first. It leaves nothing but hollow qi and ash. The gods… they've gone silent. Even the divine courts have begun sealing their domains."
The Golden Dragon tilted its head, smoke curling from its nostrils.
> "And what does that have to do with you running into this place?"
The man took a ragged breath. "I was being hunted. Not by mortals… not even by gods. Something older—something that marked me. I thought if I could find an unregistered realm, I could hide."
The moment the word marked was spoken, the system's playful hum vanished. Its tone dropped into sharp clarity.
> [Confirmed. There's a foreign energy signature embedded in his soul strand. Definitely not divine. It's ancient, unstable… and leaking corruption.]
Tian Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Show me."
The system projected a faint light in front of him—a golden holographic sphere displaying the man's soul structure. Buried deep in its center was a shifting black sigil, shaped like a spiral devouring itself. It pulsed faintly, each beat releasing a ripple that dimmed the air around it.
The Golden Dragon hissed. "That is no ordinary curse."
Tian Yuan stared at it, his expression unreadable. Then he raised his right hand.
A faint hum resonated through the ground. From his palm, threads of pure golden qi flowed outward, forming a glowing sigil of purification.
The intruder screamed the moment the light touched his chest. His veins blackened, and his body convulsed violently. The spiral mark writhed like a living thing, pushing back against Tian Yuan's power. The ground split beneath him, cracks spider-webbing outward.
> [Boss! That thing's fighting you—it's not a curse, it's a beacon!] the system yelled.
Tian Yuan's eyes flashed with divine brilliance. "Then I'll break the chain."
His voice thundered through the barren realm. The clouds above—thin, grey wisps—flared with gold light. The Purging Trees around the manor shuddered as divine energy surged through their roots. Every living thing bowed under the pressure.
The Golden Dragon roared, channeling a stream of purifying flame that wrapped around the mark. The two energies clashed—gold against black, divine will against ancient malice.
Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the mark exploded into a swirl of darkness that evaporated in an instant.
Silence.
The intruder fell forward, unconscious.
The dragon exhaled slowly. "It's gone."
But Tian Yuan's eyes remained fixed on the empty air where the mark had been. "No… it's not gone. It left a trace—a scent."
The system's tone returned, now oddly cautious.
> [Boss… I think whatever that mark belonged to just noticed it was destroyed.]
Tian Yuan's gaze turned toward the sky. For the first time since he built his realm, the upper heavens above it… stirred. A faint ripple, almost invisible, spread through the air like a whisper through silk.
The system continued softly,
> [Detection probability: 0.3%. The realm's purification is masking us… for now.]
Tian Yuan slowly lowered his hand. "Good. Let them stay blind. This place will not be their hunting ground."
> [So… what do we do with Sleeping Beauty over there? He's drooling on your divine soil.]
"Let him rest," Tian Yuan said, turning away. "When he wakes, he will tell me everything about that shadow."
The Golden Dragon rumbled in agreement. "And if he lies?"
Tian Yuan's tone was soft, almost gentle. "Then I'll let you finish what I started."
---
As Tian Yuan walked back toward the manor, the barren land around him shimmered faintly. The Divine Orchard rustled—trees bending slightly as if bowing in reverence. The system hummed again, sounding both proud and teasing.
> [You know, Boss… for someone who claims to be 'just a farmer,' you sure handle divine corruption like you're pruning weeds.]
He smirked faintly. "A farmer tends all kinds of fields. Even the ones that shouldn't exist."
The system laughed—a bright, mechanical giggle.
> [Then I guess it's time to plant some new seeds, huh? The Realm's Purity Level just jumped to 45%.]
"Good," Tian Yuan murmured, glancing once more at the unconscious man. "Then it's time to prepare… in case the next thing that enters isn't human."
Above them, the golden clouds rippled faintly—almost as if something vast and unseen had smiled.
(End of Chapter 64 – The Mark of the Forsaken Sky)
To be continued