Fen Jeuchen led the procession through the bustling streets of Floating Cloud City, his mind racing faster than his feet. With discreet gestures, he activated a sound transmission talisman, his voice a hushed, urgent whisper meant only for the ears of his clan's elders.
"Prepare the grand banquet hall. Use the spiritual jade plates and the century-old spirit wine. Divine envoys from the Divine Martial Continent are arriving imminently. Their power… it is beyond comprehension. Ensure everything is perfect. Their displeasure could mean our annihilation."
He cut the connection, the talisman dissolving into motes of light. Turning, he offered a deep, reverent bow to the three figures whose mere presence made the air itself feel heavy.
"This way, Goddess Luo Chan," he said, his voice strained, a forced smile plastered on his face that did nothing to hide the tremor in his hands.
The arrogant young man in cyan robes snorted. "Lead the way quickly, ant. This young master's time is far too valuable to be wasted on your cobbled streets."
Soon, the formidable gates of the Fen Clan came into view, carved with intricate patterns that swirled like the wind itself. As they passed through, a full contingent of elders and the most promising disciples knelt in unison, their voices a synchronized chorus of fear and awe.
"DISCIPLES AND ELDERS OF THE FEN CLAN GREET THE DIVINE ENVOYS!"
The Fen Clan's estate was nestled in the western district of the city, a region perpetually alive with the soft howl of wind. Spiritual energy, rich and sharp with the element of wind, whipped through the training grounds, making banners snap and chimes ring without being touched.
"At least even insects know how to grovel properly," the arrogant envoy mused, not even bothering to look at the bowing crowd.
Fen Jeuchen swallowed his pride, his smile unwavering. "This way to the banquet hall, if it pleases you." He dared a cautious glance at the young man. "Might this lowly one inquire how to address the young master?"
"You may address this magnificent one as 'Your Majesty.' Is that simple enough for your provincial mind?"
"Yes! Yes, of course, Your Majesty," Fen Jeuchen agreed, nodding so vigorously he resembled a chicken pecking at grain. "Your Majesty, Goddess Luo Chan, right this way…"
He led them toward the opulent hall, but as he turned to leave, Luo Chan's voice, cold and sharp as winter ice, stopped him.
"Remember. We are not to be disturbed."
"Understood!" Fen Jeuchen assured her, immediately barking orders to his subordinates. "No one is to come within thirty meters of this hall! On your lives!"
The moment the heavy doors closed, the atmosphere inside shifted. A barrier of pure energy flickered into place, silencing and isolating the room from the outside world completely.
The arrogant young man's posture changed in an instant. The haughty tilt of his chin vanished, replaced by a respectful, almost fearful deference as he addressed Luo Chan.
"Senior Sister Luo, are you certain this backwater city could hold what Senior Brother sent us to find? The energy here is… feeble."
Luo Chan's expression remained an impassive mask. "I am certain of nothing. But the reports were specific. A blinding celestial light, pure and potent, erupted over this city a decade ago. It was seen for miles. Such a phenomenon is rarely a coincidence."
She paced slowly, her cyan robes whispering against the floor. "The target we seek is elusive. It masks its presence, often lying dormant in the most insignificant of places for years. This 'Floating Cloud City' fits the profile perfectly."
"For the light to have been visible across the region… it would have to be a high-grade manifestation," the man conceded, his earlier arrogance replaced by serious calculation. "Perhaps even… a Supreme rank."
"Precisely. We will rest tonight," Luo Chan declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Tomorrow, we begin our search. We will scour every record, question every elder, and sense every fluctuation of energy in this city until we find it."
---
123… 124…
The counts were gritted out between labored breaths. In the dusty courtyard of the slave quarters, ten-year-old Lethean pushed his body through another set of push-ups. The blazing sun beat down on his back, his pearl-white skin flushed red and coated in a slick layer of sweat. His long, silver hair, usually flowing like water, was plastered to his forehead and neck.
This was his ritual. His defiance. Since the day he was declared "vein-locked trash," he had vowed to forge his body into a weapon through sheer will. Mornings were for martial forms, afternoons for brutal physical conditioning, and evenings for meditative focus. He would not be weak.
Caiyi watched from the shadow of their small hut, her heart a familiar knot of anguish and fierce pride. Each strained breath he took was a needle in her heart. The memory of Elder Qi Mo's declaration—"The child and mother are dead"—flashed in her mind, a ghost that never left, fueling a quiet, simmering rage.
Unbeknownst to her, Lethean had finished. He stood before her, his deep blue eyes studying her face, noticing the dark cloud of painful memory that had passed over it.
A gentle tap on her hand. "Mom. I'm done."
She jolted from her reverie, her expression instantly softening into the warm, gentle gaze he knew. She took his sweaty, dusty arm without a hint of disgust, pulling him into a firm embrace.
"Come. It's time for your bath. I thought I would have to drag you again," she said, her voice light with a practiced laugh that hid her sorrow.
Lethean....(- _ -)# .... He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, a typical response from a boy too serious for his age.
As she led him toward their home, a movement caught his eye. Perched on the crumbling wall was a crow, unlike any he had ever seen. Its feathers were not merely black but a void-like pitch, and its eyes glowed with faint, bloody light. He blinked, and it was gone, leaving only the echo of a single, rasping screech on the wind.
A cold dread, sharp and instinctual, tightened in his chest. His heart stirred in warning.
"Mom," he whispered, his voice uncharacteristically small.
Caiyi looked down. "Hmm?"
"I have… a bad feeling. A really bad one. It's been growing all day. It feels like… like a shadow is hanging over us."
She stopped, cupping his face. "It is just anxiety, my love. These things come and go. There is nothing to fear." She smiled, but the worry did not leave her eyes.
Why has he been like this since those envoys arrived? she thought, a mother's intuition ringing a silent alarm bell in her soul. She quickened her pace, pulling him just a little closer, as if she could physically shield him from the unease that had begun to poison the very air.