The vast hall of obsidian and crystal trembled faintly as Renji's words rang across its vaulted expanse.
"Why waste our elders' hands on ants? Open the way, Grandfather. Let us, the young, make this rift our training ground."
It was not merely arrogance. It was a challenge—a declaration hurled into the faces of the most powerful beings of the Dao Realm.
The gathered lords stirred uneasily. Seraphine's feathers rustled like drawn blades, her golden eyes narrowing in sharp disapproval. Varok's claws scraped furrows into the obsidian floor, a growl vibrating his chest like thunder. Even Veythar's grin faltered, sliding into a cold sneer. Only Mistress Nyora remained still, though the hall thickened with her hidden qi.
Renji stood unbowed beneath their scrutiny. His eyes burned molten-gold, the mark of his bloodline. He was not yet a Dao Lord, but he looked every inch the heir of Tianxu—radiant with youth, yet shadowed by destiny.
The Spark of Debate
Veythar's laugh broke the silence first, low and jagged."So this is the famed cub. Bold enough to bare his teeth in his grandfather's hall." His crimson scales shimmered dangerously as he leaned forward. "But tell me, boy—when the ants swarm and your blood spills, will you squeal for the elders to drag you back?"
Renji's reply was sharp as steel."I will beg no one. My generation was not born to cower while the old gnaw bones of caution. The rift is open. Opportunity waits for no one."
Varok's growl deepened, shaking the rafters. "Opportunity? It is slaughter. Do you think blood is a game, whelp?"
Seraphine's voice cut like a hawk's cry. "Yet he is not entirely wrong, Varok. Every storm must test its wings before it can rule the skies. Better the young break first than the elders waste strength."
Renji turned toward her, calm but cutting. "Not break—prove. You speak of storms, Lady Seraphine. But storms do not ask permission to rage. They carve mountains, they drown valleys. My generation deserves to carve."
Mistress Nyora's veil rippled faintly, her whisper curling like mist across the chamber. "Bold words. But youth mistakes recklessness for courage. Ants bite hardest when cornered. Desperation can wound even titans."
Renji inclined his head slightly. "And would you have youth rot in shadows until its edge dulls before it cuts? If ants bite, then let us be the teeth that crush them. If mortals claw, let us be the storm that smothers them. That is the purpose of youth—to fight where others hesitate."
Varok's aura flared, his growl booming. "Arrogant pup! I have seen generations devoured by pride. You would gamble all for glory?"
Renji's gaze did not waver. His voice rose like iron striking an anvil."Not glory. Survival. If Earth truly holds cultivators strong enough to resist even Grandfather's gaze, then waiting only gives them time to grow. Would you rather face ants now—or rivals later?"
The words landed like a blade. Even Varok faltered, his growl breaking into silence.
Dao Lord Tianxu finally stirred. He did not silence the debate immediately, allowing the tension to burn itself into every heart. His golden eyes lingered on Renji with the faintest glimmer of approval.
The lords noticed.
Seraphine's feathers bristled. "You would allow this, Tianxu? To throw your cubs into the jaws of the unknown?"
Veythar scoffed, scales sparking. "Perhaps it is cunning. Let the young bleed first. If they fail, we lose only children."
Renji snapped toward him, his voice like a blade across stone."If the Crimson Abyss hides behind excuses, then your scales are worth less than ash."
The hall froze. Even the Veiled Court's shadows stirred in surprise.
Veythar's smile vanished, fury sparking across his body. He lunged a half-step, claws raised—
—and froze as Tianxu raised one hand. The air itself bowed, thickening, silencing.
Renji stood tall in the heavy stillness. His defiance hung sharp and bright, daring anyone to break it.
Tianxu's gaze fixed upon him. "You would lead the younger generation to the rift."
"Yes," Renji answered without hesitation.
"Knowing you may not return?"
Renji's voice did not tremble. "If I return, it proves our worth. If I fall, it proves our resolve. Either way, the worlds will know the younger generation has teeth."
The chamber hushed, the weight of his words heavier than blood. For all his youth, Renji spoke not as a reckless child but as one who had inherited Tianxu's iron blood.
Tianxu's lips curved, faint and dangerous. "Very well. If you crave the storm, prepare for it. But remember—lightning that strikes too soon burns itself out."
Renji bowed faintly, molten eyes gleaming. "Then grant me the first step, Grandfather. Let the young test the storm."
And Tianxu, to the astonishment of the council, smiled."You go prepare."
Renji turned and strode from the hall, his aura blazing with the triumph of youth.
-------------
Silence pressed in after his departure, thick as chains.
Seraphine's feathers flared in outrage. "Why indulge this madness, Tianxu? You could crush Earth with a thought. Why risk the young?"
Varok snarled agreement. "Better we strike once with certainty than scatter cubs into the dark."
Even Nyora, usually unreadable, let unease leak through her veil. "This is unlike you, Tianxu. What game do you play?"
Tianxu descended from his throne. Each step echoed like a divine bell tolling doom. The lords stiffened instinctively beneath his presence.
He stopped before them, his golden eyes cold.
"Because Earth is not what it appears."
The hall darkened. His words filled every shadow.
Truth:
"The world we are connected to is called Earth. At least—that is what the lowly clans we captured named it." His gaze flicked toward Su Yaoqin and Su Hanming, still bound in chains at the hall's edge. "But when I looked through the rift, something resisted. Not equal—but not nothing. Someone braced against me."
The council stiffened. They had all felt it too, faint though it was.
"There are cultivators there," Tianxu continued, "strong enough to resist a Dao Lord's will, however briefly. That alone proves their roots run deeper than mortals."
He paused, his gaze narrowing. "And did you not hear the prisoners' slip? They did not name their world Earth. They spoke of Astral Vein."
A ripple of shock tore through the lords. Varok bared his fangs. Seraphine's wings stiffened. Even Nyora's veil quivered faintly.
Tianxu's voice sharpened like a blade. "This proves Earth is not a lone shell but a nexus. A world tethered not only to ours, but to Astral Vein itself. If my assumptions are correct, we do not yet know how many powers lie hidden in that soil—or how many realms it touches."
The chamber filled with uneasy silence. The implications were vast.
Tianxu's expression was iron, cold and absolute."Now you understand. We will not stumble blind into another world's trap. The young will go first—not because they are expendable, but because they are the keenest edge of a blade yet untested. Their clash will reveal Earth's true strength."
He turned, his golden eyes sweeping the lords like a storm."Let Renji believe it is courage. In truth, it is necessity. The young bleed first, and in their bleeding, the truth will be revealed. Only then will we strike—not to conquer, but to consume."
The words fell like a decree of heaven.
The lords exchanged uneasy glances. Seraphine's feathers folded tight. Varok's growl dimmed into a low rumble. Veythar's grin returned, but thinner, wary. Even Nyora bowed her veiled head in silence.
At the hall's edge, the chained Su elders lowered their eyes. Their bodies weakened, but their hearts burned with defiance. They knew Tianxu's storm was coming. And they knew Earth was not ready.
----
Tianxu ascended once more to his throne of starlight. His molten eyes glowed, unblinking, as if he still peered through the rift across worlds.
"Let them tremble. Let them gather courage. Let them believe they have time." His voice cut like a blade across the chamber.
"For when the moment comes, we will strip it from their bones."
The council bowed. The prisoners clenched their fists.
And across the rift, the mortals of Earth shivered, unaware that the storm of youth—and the hand of a Dao Lord—were already moving toward them.