The battle was over.
Judge Tianzhao, bleeding divine light, vanished in a flash of golden shame—carried away by celestial decree. No farewell. No verdict. Just retreat.
Across the continent, the heavenly realms fell into silence.
They had sent a Judge.
And he had lost.
---
The Aftermath of Defiance
Inside the Sect of Shadows, disciples cheered, wept, and bowed.
Liu Shen remained still atop the cracked stone platform, eyes lifted toward the wounded sky. The winds of fate howled around him, tinged with celestial uncertainty.
Yu Meixing approached.
> "You won. You made heaven bleed."
> "No," Liu Shen said softly. "I made it doubt."
---
In the Depths of the Ravine
That night, as the Sect celebrated, Liu Shen walked alone through the ravine's ancient tunnels—old paths carved by demons before even the founding of this land.
The stones whispered. Not in language, but in memory.
> "Blood... returns."
"The sovereign wakes…"
"Chains shall rot."
He reached a forgotten chamber — sealed by abyssal glyphs and sealed in layers of cursed qi. At the center was a dais with three petrified corpses in meditation—Abyss Cult Elders.
Once, they had followed him. Worshipped him.
And betrayed him.
---
An Ancient Voice Returns
As Liu Shen touched the edge of the dais, a voice echoed from the shadows behind the veil of death.
> "We failed you once, O Sovereign… but we endured."
A black-robed figure stepped into the light — masked, eyes burning with crimson fire.
> "We are the Cult of the Eclipsed Flame. And we still await your command."
Liu Shen narrowed his eyes.
> "You worms betrayed me at the peak of my power. Why crawl back now?"
The figure knelt.
> "Because the heavens fear you again. And so… we remember who we should serve."
---
A Dangerous Proposition
The cultist offered a scroll — bound in demon hide, sealed with blood curses.
> "The remnants of our kind seek rebirth. Our hidden vaults are intact. Our altars await your flame."
Liu Shen did not touch it.
> "If I take this… there's no return. The abyss will wake again."
> "You already declared war, my lord," the figure said. "Let the abyss fight beside you."
Liu Shen stared at the scroll in silence.
Then took it.
---
The Heavens Stir
Far above, in the Celestial Hall of Judgment, high priests argued. Star scrolls flared with omens. One priest trembled as he read a divine scrying rune:
> "The Cult of the Eclipsed Flame… has reawakened."
The heavens fell into panic.
> "Summon the Divine Executioner."
"The Sovereign has opened the abyss."
"This… this is how the last war began."