The Nine Flames Heavenly Clan no longer resembled the sect of old. Its shattered courtyards and bloodstained training fields had been rebuilt into fortresses, its disciples hardened through battle and shadow discipline. Above all, its skies never again shone purely blue; the heavens themselves seemed tinted in black flame, as if the very world bent under the weight of a single man.
That man sat upon a throne woven from living chains, high in the clan's great hall.
Feng Xuanlong's eyes were closed, yet his aura devoured all distance. The mere rhythm of his breath rippled through the continent, and even mortal beasts trembled when he exhaled.
He extended a hand, chains flowing like rivers from his palm. They coiled around the air, and with a subtle twitch, he wove them into a tapestry of glowing fate threads.
This is the Semi-Deity Realm, he thought. The power not merely to cultivate, but to trespass upon the tapestry of destiny itself.
One golden thread pulsed brightly—it belonged to a minor Heaven's Chosen, far across the continent, who had yet to even hear of the Coalition's ruin. With a flick, Xuanlong tugged it. The boy stumbled in some distant valley, suddenly coughing blood.
He tugged again, and the boy's Dao foundation cracked, talent halved before it could bloom.
The system chimed.
[Infamy Essence gained: 2,400. Fate-thread siphon successful.]
A slow smile spread across his lips. "With a touch, I can erase prodigies before they rise. Heaven's garden will wither before my shadow."
He released the tapestry, letting the threads scatter back into the void. The world quivered, as if mourning silently.
Below his throne, his five disciples knelt in formation. Their cultivation had surged since the Coalition War, each bound tighter to his fate.
Yan Ruyan, the mastermind, was first to rise. Her charm had grown more terrifying, her beauty now laced with subtle shadow runes. When she whispered, even spirit beasts bowed their heads. "Master, under your aura, my Dao has shed its mortal limits. Even sect leaders cannot resist my words now."
Meiyu followed, clad in chains like ornaments, her laughter soft and predatory. "Your breakthrough has widened my shadows. I can bind a hundred cultivators at once and drag them screaming into silence."
Qiao Ling stood stiffly, martial Qi burning like a dark star. "Weapons fracture when they touch my blade. My strikes now carry your devouring flame."
Meilin, quiet as ever, bowed her head. "I walk paths none can follow. With your power, Master, I can tear even immortal formations apart."
The fifth disciple, the newest to his fold, knelt last, trembling with devotion. "I have only begun to taste your shadow, but already, it drowns me in strength. Allow me to become your spear."
Xuanlong looked over them, crimson eyes gleaming. Each was bound, not by loyalty alone, but by threads of shadow fate that pulsed in rhythm with his heart. Through them, his influence multiplied a hundredfold.
[System Notice: Harem Domination (Tier II) established. Infamy Essence generation increased by 40%.]
He raised his hand. "Good. You are my roots. Grow deep, and this world shall have no sanctuary from us."
Whispers in the Dark
Beyond his clan, the continent writhed. News of the Coalition's destruction spread like plague. Sect halls split between terror and denial. Some rushed emissaries with gifts and vows of submission. Others sealed their gates, praying to last unnoticed.
But whispers spread further than the continent.
On the far eastern seas, the Immortal Jade Dynasty's young prince crushed his jade scroll in fury. "The villain devoured tribulation itself? Impossible. If true, then destiny itself must summon me." His court bowed, their faces pale.
In the western deserts, the Sun-Burning Goddess rose from her volcano, flames trailing behind her like veils. She gazed toward the east and whispered, "So the shadow has taken root. Very well. Fire will answer shadow."
And in the frozen north, where titans slept beneath ice, one beast opened its golden eye, gaze stretching across realms. "Chains have bitten the heavens. How amusing. Let the villain climb higher. When he nears the peak, I will devour him whole."
The world had noticed. The heavens had noticed. The villain's rise could no longer be contained within a single land.
That evening, Yan Ruyan entered the throne hall, bowing deeply. "Master, foreign emissaries have arrived. They claim no allegiance to Heaven's Chosen, but their timing…" Her lips curved. "…suggests otherwise."
Chains stirred. "Bring them."
The doors opened, and two figures entered.
One was a scholar in moon-white robes, his smile polite but eyes sharp as blades. The other was a veiled woman carrying a jade fan, her aura heavy with ancient bloodlines.
They bowed, but only barely.
"Feng Xuanlong," the scholar said smoothly, "the eastern seas have heard of your… deeds. We come not as enemies, but as observers. Surely a villain such as yourself understands that isolation invites destruction."
The veiled woman added, voice cool: "Beyond this continent lies a wider world. The Immortal Dynasties will not remain idle while you twist fate. If you would survive, alliances must be made."
The throne of chains creaked as Xuanlong leaned forward. His gaze pinned them like insects.
"Observe all you wish. Ally if you dare. But understand this—" His smile was a slash of cruelty. "I do not survive. I devour. I do not ally. I subjugate. And soon, your Immortal Dynasties will learn the taste of shadow."
The hall trembled. The emissaries bowed again, more deeply this time, though their eyes burned with schemes.
When they left, Yan Ruyan's smile was thin. "They fear you, Master. But they will return—with armies, with chosen, with heaven's blessing."
Xuanlong's crimson eyes glowed. "Let them. I have already devoured Heaven once. I will do it again."
As night fell, the throne of chains pulsed with quiet hunger. The world beyond the continent stirred, emissaries whispered, and foreign powers sharpened their blades.
But within his hall, Feng Xuanlong sat unmoved.
The heavens could gather armies. Dynasties could unite. Ancient beasts could stir.
All of them, in the end, were nothing more than fuel.
The villain's shadow had spread across the continent. Soon, it would blanket the world.