Fen Jeuchen stood rigidly thirty meters from the hall where the envoys from the Divine Martial Continent had secluded themselves. His body was present, but his spirit was miles away, burning with a quiet, venomous hatred directed at the distant compound of the Qi Clan. In his mind's eye, he saw not the bustling streets of Floating Cloud City, but years of perceived slights and political humiliations—each one a fresh wound kept open by the Qi Clan's arrogance. His knuckles were white where he clenched his fists, and a dark, calculating malice flickered deep within his eyes. This was more than rivalry; it was a deep-seated vow for a reckoning yet to come.
Beep… Beep…
The soft, insistent chime of his sound transmission talisman sliced through his vengeful reverie. Annoyance flared hot and immediate across his face. Who dared interrupt him now? He snatched the jade slip from his waist, spiritual energy already crackling at his fingertips, his voice a low growl ready to tear into whichever elder had chosen this moment to disturb him.
"YOU!!—" he began, the word a venomous snap full of impending threat.
But a cold, arrogantly dismissive voice cut through his own, freezing the anger in his throat. "Dog Fen. Report to the hall. Immediately."
It was the young envoy. The voice was laced with such condescending, unquestionable authority that Fen Jeuchen's boiling anger instantly evaporated, replaced by a primal fear that turned his blood to ice and made his heart stutter violently in his chest. He stood frozen for a long moment, the talisman trembling in his suddenly numb hand. The shift from arrogant patriarch to terrified subordinate was utter and complete.
I almost insulted an envoy from the Divine Martial Continent, he thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow and tracing a path down his spine. Thank my ancestors for their protection. A thousand deaths would not have atoned for that mistake.
Collecting himself with a tremendous effort of will, he forced his voice into a tone of utmost deference, though it still shook slightly with residual terror. "At once, Your Majesty. This lowly one is on his way."
As he walked back, his mind raced, the previous thoughts of revenge entirely forgotten. Why summon me now? What could they possibly want? Is it about my moment of inattention? Each step toward the hall felt heavier than the last, his boots echoing on the stone like a drumbeat of doom.
He reached the ornate, spiritually-infused doors and knocked lightly. They swung open silently, powered by an unseen force. The three envoys stood within the energy-isolated room, their auras feeling even more oppressive and dense in the confined space, making the very air difficult to breathe.
Fen Jeuchen dropped into a deep, ninety-degree bow, not daring to meet their eyes. "This humble one answers your summons. How may I be of service?"
Luo Chan didn't waste a single breath on pleasantries. Her cold eyes pinned him where he stood. "Where is the largest convergence of beasts near this city? The most powerful one. Speak."
Fen Jeuchen blinked, confused by the sudden and specific line of questioning, but he answered promptly, his voice respectful. "That would be the Scarlet Fall Forest, Goddess. It is essentially a beast territory in its own right, though martial practitioners from the city often venture in to hunt. We use the bones for forging spiritual weapons and the core blood for crafting cultivation pills."
"Hmph. You vultures are truly revolting," the arrogant young man sneered, tilting his head as if examining something filthy stuck to his shoe. "Scavenging off the weak."
"Silence," Luo Chan said, not even looking at him. Her gaze remained fixed on Fen. "Take us there. Now."
"Of course. Right this way."
Soon, they stood at the oppressive edge of the Scarlet Fall Forest. A palpable wave of intense, dry heat washed over them, carrying the thick, acrid scent of sulfur, ash, and something metallic, like burning blood. The very air shimmered and wavered with dense, volatile fire energy. Practitioners clad in robes woven from fire-resistant Silkworm Ironthread moved in and out of the treeline, their faces grim and focused. Others sat cross-legged at the forest's edge, their bodies glowing faintly as they meditated, greedily absorbing the rich, dangerous energy.
The forest itself was a breathtaking, otherworldly sight, a testament to whatever cataclysm had forged it. Every plant, every leaf, every twisted trunk was a shade of vivid scarlet, deep crimson, or smoldering black, making the entire landscape look like a basin of freshly spilled blood that had been set ablaze. From a distance, it truly did appear as a massive, scarlet patch upon the earth, a weeping wound on the world.
As they stepped onto the dry, cracked soil, the fiery heat intensified, causing the air to distort like a mirage. The ground was warm even through the soles of their boots.
"Does this place sit on a primordial fire core?" the arrogant envoy asked, his scornful tone barely masking a sliver of genuine shock as he conjured a thin, shimmering veil of water energy to cool his skin. "How can the fire energy be so absurdly dense? This is… unnatural."
Even the elder in the plain green robes looked surprised, his normally placid demeanor finally cracking. With a barely perceptible wave of his hand, he summoned a massive, shimmering barrier of flowing, cool water that enveloped the entire group, isolating them from the worst of the blistering heat and creating a pocket of breathable air.
"Fen. What happened here?" Luo Chan asked, her cyan robes rustling gently in a self-generated breeze despite the scorching wind. Not a single thread seemed touched by the heat.
Fen Jeuchen took a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes clouding with the weight of the memory. The protective barrier did little to ease the fear that rose in his throat. "We have asked ourselves that for twenty years, Goddess. This… this was not always so. Once, it was a verdant, green forest, teeming with life and beasts of every kind. A place of balance."
"You are the powers of this place," Luo Chan pressed, her eyes sharp and analytical, missing nothing. "What could make you so afraid that the mere memory of it makes you look like you might soil your robes right here?"
Fen Jeuchen swallowed hard, a visible tremor running through his hands. He closed his eyes, as if trying to block out the terrifying vision seared into his mind.
"It was twenty years ago. During our annual inter-sect tournament… the sky was clear…" He paused, steadying himself, lost in the past. "That was when it happened. An event forever etched into the memory of every citizen who survived. Those who didn't… were turned to ash."
"A blazing comet streaked across the sky. It was not like any falling star; it was a torrent of living fire, a being of pure, sentient annihilation. Its mere presence dyed the entire sky a bloody, blinding scarlet. Fires erupted spontaneously for miles, as if the very air had decided to burn. Those with weak cultivation… were incinerated where they stood, their screams stolen by the roar of the flames."
The arrogant envoy opened his mouth, a mocking retort on his lips, but a single, icy look from Luo Chan silenced him before a sound could escape.
"The most horrifying thing," Fen Jeuchen continued, his voice dropping to a terrified, haunted whisper, "is something you may have already noticed. There are no water practitioners in Floating Cloud City. None."
"I have noticed. A curious anomaly. Continue," Luo Chan said, her interest now fully and intensely piqued. She leaned forward slightly.
"B-because… when that comet passed, every water practitioner in the land… their energy was forcibly converted to fire energy. Instantly. Their cores were rewritten; their dantians were scorched and remade. Their destinies were burned away in an instant. the ice practitioners were … all gone. Only fire remained."
"YOU DARE SPOUT SUCH RIDICULOUS—" the young envoy began, his face contorted in disbelief as he pointed a trembling finger.
"IT IS TRUE!" Fen Jeuchen shouted, his eyes wild with the raw trauma of the memory before he caught himself, realizing whom he was yelling at. He immediately dropped his head so low his brow nearly touched his knees. "This humble one has overstepped. I have lost my senses. Please, punish me. My words are truth, but my tone is unforgivable."
Luo Chan simply raised her hand, cutting off her sputtering companion. Her expression was unreadable. "Continue your report. Omit nothing."
"After the comet appeared over the city," Fen Jeuchen said, his voice now hollow and defeated, "it seemed to… survey us. As if looking for something. Then it changed course and slammed into the land behind the Qi Clan—this very forest. The flames it ignited… heavenly flames… burned for three full months before finally subsiding. Nothing any of us did could extinguish them. And the Qi Clan…" he added, a note of bitter irony entering his voice, "they were once the revered masters of water arts. But the comet's lingering presence… it changed them. Slowly turned their constitutions to fire, reforging their very bloodline. Now, they are the strongest fire clan in the region.
A heavy, profound silence fell over the group, broken only by the faint crackle of the elder's water barrier against the oppressive heat. The elder stepped forward and murmured to Luo Chan, his voice low and serious, "Young Mistress, his physiological reactions are genuine. His qi is spiking with fear and trauma. He does not seem to be lying."
"I agree," she replied quietly, her mind racing with calculations. "But a fire treasure, even a deity-ranked one, is useless to our Flowing Water Sect. It would only benefit our competitors. It is better to let it remain hidden and forgotten in this backwater city. It is beneath our notice."
She turned her attention back to the trembling Fen Jeuchen, her expression shifting seamlessly into one of cunning purpose and false warmth.
"Sect Master Fen," she began, her voice deceptively light, almost friendly. "That is a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it. Now, on a different matter… do you happen to know anything about a… white light? One that appeared about ten years ago? A brief, but brilliant, flash?"
"The white light?" he blurted out without thinking, his guard down after the emotional ordeal. Then he paled, realizing he had walked directly into a trap, divulging information without even being asked properly. "Y-you mean the one from a decade ago? The silent pulse?"
"Precisely that light," Luo Chan said, a sly, predatory smile playing on her lips. She had him exactly where she wanted him.
"It-It was another strange event, Goddess," he stammered, now unable to stop the flow of words. "It only flashed for a single, breathtaking moment, but in that instant… a rumor spread like wildfire that every single violent beast in every forest and mountain for miles around suddenly stopped fighting. They all paused as one… and then prostrated themselves on the ground, pressing their faces into the dirt as if in utter, primal fear before some unseen monarch."
Luo Chan and the elder exchanged a swift, significant glance. The elder gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head.
It can't be, Luo Chan thought, a calculated, ambitious gleam in her eyes. A Supreme-ranked divine beast wouldn't just suppress the local beasts… its aura would dominate entire continents. And even if it were here, we couldn't hope to capture it. But… reporting its potential location to the sect… confirming a legend… that would bring a monumental reward, perhaps even a Core Disciple nomination.
"And where," she asked, her voice dangerously sweet and patient, "did this fascinating light originate?"
"I-it was the Qi Clan," Fen Jeuchen answered, compelled by her presence and his own unraveled nerves. "We all felt it. We tried to investigate, sent delegations, but Patriarch Qi Lantian was utterly unwilling to speak of it. He refused to budge, threatened war over the matter. His secrecy only made us more curious, but we could never learn the truth."
A slow, sinister smile spread across Luo Chan's face, a true and terrifying expression that promised nothing good for the Qi Clan. "It seems this insignificant Qi Clan is sitting on a mountain of secrets. How… interesting."
---
Meanwhile, back within the Qi Clan compound, as the sun began to set, the sky began to darken prematurely not with night, but with a flock of omens. A murder of crows—larger than any natural bird, their feathers a void-like black that seemed to swallow the light, their eyes glinting with a faint, unnatural bloody light—descended from the cloudless sky. They did not caw, but let out low, grating screeches that seemed to vibrate through the bones of those who heard them.
CRAHH! CRAHH!
Their harsh, discordant cries echoed through the streets, a stark and ancient prophecy against the fading light of the day. They circled the main estate of the Qi Clan in a slow, deliberate vortex, a living shroud of ill omen. A faint, palpable anxiety began to bleed into the air, a silent, screaming warning of the destruction that was now, inevitably, drawing near. Lethean, training in his courtyard, stopped and looked up, the cold dread in his heart crystallizing into certainty. His mother, Caiyi, felt it too, her hands clutching her chest as she stared at the unnatural birds.