Ye Tian slipped through Qingyun Village's shadows, the stolen short sword heavy at his hip. The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of woodsmoke and fear. His shoulder wound from the Bloodfang Wolf stung, the Void Scar in his dantian slowing its healing. Body Refinement Stage 2 was a frail foundation, but his will burned hotter than any flame.
The village square lay quiet, the Iron Cloud Clan's bloodstains still fresh in the dirt. Villagers' whispers trailed him—Sword Sovereign? Cripple? Madman? He ignored them. Words were dust. Only the blade spoke truth.
He needed answers. Who shattered the seal on his tomb? Why now? Where was his Starshatter Sword? Qingyun Village, a speck under Heaven's Edge Sect's heel, might hold clues. Someone here knew something.
A faint glow flickered from a hut at the village's edge. Candlelight spilled through a cracked door. Ye Tian approached, senses sharp. The Void Scar pulsed, a nagging thorn. He forced it down, knuckles rapping the door once.
It creaked open. An old man stood there, hunched, eyes like polished jade gleaming in the dim light. His robes were patched, hair a wild grey tangle. Body Refinement Stage 5, but his aura carried a weight—old, deep, familiar. Ye Tian's instincts stirred.
"Who're you, boy?" the old man grunted, squinting. "Trouble clings to you. Saw your stunt in the square."
"Ye Tian," he said, voice steady. "I seek answers. You?"
The old man snorted. "Wu. Just Wu. Answers ain't free. Got spirit stones?"
Ye Tian's hand rested on his sword. "I have steel. Enough?"
Wu laughed, a dry rasp that echoed in the hut. "Bold for a half-dead cripple. Come in. Don't bleed on my floor."
The hut was a mess—shelves sagged with scrolls, dried herbs, and cracked spirit stones. A rusted sword hung on the wall, its blade etched with faded runes. Ye Tian's eyes lingered. Not Starshatter, but old. Powerful once.
"Sit," Wu said, tossing a chipped cup of tea. Ye Tian caught it, sniffing. Bitter, earthy, no poison. He drank, the warmth easing his wound's ache. The Void Scar quieted, but only a fraction.
"You know the Heavenly Sword Tomb," Ye Tian said, not a question. Wu's eyes had flickered at his name, a spark of recognition.
Wu shrugged, sitting across from him. "Everyone knows it. Old tales. Dead Sovereign. Just rocks now."
Ye Tian leaned forward, voice low. "The seal broke. I was inside. Why?"
Wu's eyes narrowed, jade-like gaze piercing. "Seals like that don't crack on their own. Someone wanted you out—or dead." He sipped his tea, watching Ye Tian. "You claiming you're him? The Sword Sovereign?"
"My blade will prove it," Ye Tian said, voice cold as a winter blade.
Wu chuckled, leaning back. "Big words. But that scar in your dantian's a death sentence. I felt it when you walked in. Forbidden art. Nasty."
Ye Tian tensed. Wu's perception was too sharp for a village hermit. "What do you know of it?"
"Enough," Wu said, scratching his beard. "Celestial Court's work, likely. Meant to chain gods, not men. You're lucky to breathe."
Ye Tian's mind churned. The Celestial Court. The shadows behind his betrayal. Lin Feng's curse, Zhao Wuji's silence. "Can it be undone?"
Wu smirked. "Maybe. Void Cleansing Root, rare as phoenix blood. Good luck, boy."
"Where?" Ye Tian pressed, gripping the cup.
"Slow down," Wu said, waving a hand. "You're Stage 2. You'll die before you sniff a herb like that. Focus on surviving. Iron Cloud's coming back, bigger group. Luo Jian, their local dog, Stage 8. You poked their nest."
Ye Tian's lips curled. Good. Let them come. He needed to sharpen Hawkins test his strength. "Tell me more."
Wu leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Iron Cloud's Heaven's Edge Sect's lapdogs. Extort villages, steal resources. Luo Jian's a brute—Stage 8, heavy saber, thinks he's king. Got ten men, Stage 5 to 7. They'll hit the village at dawn."
Ye Tian nodded. A challenge. His Body Sword Stance could handle them, but the Void Scar was a wildcard. "Anything else?"
Wu's smile turned cryptic. "Heard a rumor. A Fallen Moon Pavilion survivor passed through last week. Headed for Blackpine Forest. Might know something about your tomb."
Ye Tian's heart quickened. Fallen Moon—his old allies, now ghosts. A survivor could have answers. "Who?"
"Dunno," Wu said. "Wore a moon crest. Moved fast. Hunted, maybe."
Ye Tian stood. "Thanks, old man."
Wu called after him. "Watch yourself, boy. Heaven's Edge owns this land now. And someone's watching you—felt it during your fight. High up, hidden."
Ye Tian paused at the door. "Who?"
Wu shrugged, but his eyes were sharp. "Can't say. Shadow with a jade slip, glowing black. Not Iron Cloud. Bigger."
Ye Tian stepped into the night, mind racing. A watcher with a jade slip. The same figure from the cliff? The air felt heavy, like unseen eyes. He gripped his sword, resolve hardening.
Dawn broke, painting the sky blood-red. Qingyun Village stirred, villagers whispering of the "cripple" who defied Iron Cloud. Ye Tian hid in an alley, watching the square. Hooves thundered—ten Iron Cloud cultivators rode in, grey robes flapping, cloud emblems gleaming. Luo Jian led them, tall, scarred, Body Refinement Stage 8. His heavy saber glinted, radiating arrogance.
"Pay up!" Luo Jian roared at the shopkeeper, his voice a whip. "Or we burn this hole to ash!"
Villagers cowered, clutching children. Ye Tian's blood surged, the Void Scar pulsing like a drum. These dogs served Heaven's Edge—his betrayers' puppets. A step toward vengeance.
He stepped into the square, sword raised. "Luo Jian."
The youth turned, scar twisting as he sneered. "The beggar from last night? Still breathing?"
"Ye Tian," he said, voice ice. "Remember it when you beg."
Luo Jian laughed, saber flashing from its sheath. "Kill him!"
His men charged, seven blades gleaming with crude Qi. Ye Tian moved, Body Sword Stance transforming his body into a weapon. He ducked a spear, fist snapping its shaft like kindling. A sword slashed; he parried, elbow smashing a man's jaw, bone crunching. His movements were fluid, honed by centuries of mastery, but his body lagged, weak from Stage 2.
The Void Scar erupted, black Qi spiking through his chest. Pain blinded him, his knees buckling. Luo Jian grinned, sensing blood. "Pathetic!" His saber swung, heavy with Stage 8 force, air howling in its wake.
Ye Tian rolled, the blade grazing his arm, blood spraying. He gritted his teeth, forcing focus. His sword hummed, Iron Vein Slash surging through his veins. He struck, blade biting Luo Jian's shoulder. The youth roared, stumbling, blood soaking his robe.
The men hesitated, fear flickering. Ye Tian pressed forward, strikes relentless. His sword danced, slashing a man's thigh, felling another with a fist to the ribs. The Void Scar screamed, black tendrils clouding his vision, but his will was unbreakable.
Luo Jian swung again, saber glowing with dense Qi, the air trembling. Ye Tian met it, blades clashing in a shower of sparks. The impact shook his bones, the Void Scar a fire in his core. He held firm, eyes locked on Luo Jian's, cold as death.
"You're no beggar," Luo Jian spat, stepping back, blood dripping. "Who are you?"
"The one who'll bury Heaven's Edge," Ye Tian said, voice a blade's edge.
He struck, Body Sword Stance weaving through Luo Jian's guard. His sword slashed the youth's chest, a shallow but bloody cut. Luo Jian's eyes widened, fear breaking through his arrogance. "Retreat!" he shouted, fleeing with his men, dust trailing their panic.
Villagers gasped, whispers spreading—Sword Sovereign. He's alive. Ye Tian sheathed his sword, panting, blood dripping from his arm. The Void Scar pulsed, a reminder of his chains. He'd won, but it was close. Too close.
Old Man Wu stood at the square's edge, watching. "Not bad, boy," he called. "But that scar's gonna kill you if you keep pushing."
Ye Tian ignored him, heading for the village gate. Blackpine Forest. The Fallen Moon survivor. Answers waited there. He needed to move before Heaven's Edge sent stronger dogs.
As he reached the gate, a chill crawled down his spine. He glanced back—nothing, but the air was wrong, heavy with unseen eyes. A faint song drifted from the forest, mournful, laced with power. A woman's voice, calling him.
Was it the survivor? Or a lure to his doom?