Chapter 22 – Shadows Begin to Stir
The sky over the Eastern Market was painted in amber as dusk descended. Lanterns began to flicker to life, their warm glow masking the tension that silently thickened beneath the city's calm surface.
Inside the Celestial Guard Outpost, a tall figure clad in black armor stood before a glowing crystal mirror. His aura was heavy, suffocating, and filled the chamber with oppressive spiritual might. He was Commander Ren Zhaoran, the one who oversaw all surveillance within the Earth Realm's eastern territories.
The crystal flickered—Lan Xue's report appeared before him in shimmering runes of blue light.
"Subject observed: Male cultivator, masked. Conceals aura entirely. Possibly linked to unregistered spiritual incidents. Requesting instructions."
Ren Zhaoran narrowed his eyes. "Masked? Concealing his energy completely?" he muttered. "Only one with high-level cultivation technique could do that."
A subordinate stepped forward. "Commander, should we send a pursuit team?"
Zhaoran didn't answer immediately. He raised his hand, focusing the crystal's image. For a brief second, it replayed Ye Tianlan's movement—the steady walk, the calm posture, the precise control of spiritual pressure.
"This is not a common rogue cultivator," the commander finally said. "He hides because he must. Either he's hunted… or he's dangerous enough to hide from hunters."
He turned away, cloak sweeping across the stone floor. "Deploy silent watchers. I want him observed, not approached. If he's from the remnants of a fallen clan, we'll know soon enough."
The guards bowed and dispersed, vanishing like smoke.
At that same time, Ye Tianlan walked through the dim back alleys of the city. The spirit herbs in his satchel rustled softly as he adjusted his mask. He didn't need his divine sense to know eyes were now on him.
"They're cautious," he thought. "Good. That gives me time."
He reached a small inn at the edge of the market—a quiet, nameless place run by an old man with cloudy eyes. Ye Tianlan paid for a room with a few low-grade spirit stones and entered without a word.
As the door closed behind him, he sat cross-legged on the floor and took out an ancient jade token. Faint golden light pulsed within it—the insignia of the Xu Clan, now extinct.
A faint smirk curved beneath his mask. "They watch from the shadows… yet they have no idea who I am."
He placed the jade token on the floor, surrounded it with spirit herbs, and began to cultivate. Streams of energy surged through his veins, his aura expanding—slowly, steadily, but with terrifying purity.
Above the inn, two Celestial Guards hid within the darkness of the rooftops, whispering through soundless talismans.
"Target confirmed. He's cultivating again."
"Orders?"
"Observe only. Commander said not to engage."
Yet even as they spoke, one of them felt a strange pressure crawl down his spine. Ye Tianlan's cultivation aura—though restrained—had a presence that made the air tremble faintly.
It was as if a slumbering dragon had opened one eye.
Far away, in the Celestial Guard Headquarters, Commander Ren Zhaoran opened another file—one marked with crimson ink.
Name: Xu Lian
Clan: Xu Clan of Northern Azure Province
Status: Exterminated – Five years ago
Survivors: None
Zhaoran's brows furrowed. The faint flicker of suspicion crossed his face.
"Xu Lian… Ye Tianlan… masked survivor hiding in plain sight."
He closed the file and muttered under his breath, "If this man truly bears the blood of the Xu Clan… then this realm may tremble again."