The warning bell tolled three times, echoing through the mountains like the heartbeat of the night itself. Each strike carried a weight that pressed into every chest within the sect. The once calm breeze now howled, carrying dust and the faint scent of ash.
By the lake, Jian Wu and Mei Xue stood side by side. The blue light in the sky had fractured, breaking into countless shards that swirled like a storm. From within the glowing vortex, dark-robed figures descended, each one marked by the coiling dragon of the Black Sky Sect.
Disciples rushed in from every direction, panic in their eyes, fear hidden behind trembling breaths.
"Activate the western formation!" shouted one of the guards.
Lines of crimson light flared to life, forming a protective circle around the sect grounds. But Jian Wu knew, it wouldn't hold for long.
Mei Xue glanced at him, her voice calm yet edged with worry. "We can't just stand here."
Jian Wu nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the sky. The energy above wasn't a simple attack. It pulsed with intent, with something searching. They weren't here for conquest… they were here for him.
A shadow landed before them with a heavy thud, cracking the ground beneath its feet.
"Jian Wu," the man said, his voice echoing coldly through the air. "We don't wish to destroy your sect. Surrender your body, and this night will end without blood."
Jian Wu gave a faint smile. It wasn't arrogance, it was weariness. "If my body is what you seek, then come and take it yourself."
The air trembled. The first strike came like lightning, black wind and crackling energy cutting through the night. Jian Wu lifted his hand, drawing out a swirl of black and white aura that met the attack head-on. The blast shattered trees and sent dust rolling across the lake.
Mei Xue's hands glowed pale white as she traced symbols into the air. A spiritual barrier shimmered around them, thin yet resilient. Every hit against it made a sound like glass fracturing.
"There are too many of them!" she shouted.
"I know."
Jian Wu's voice was calm, but his heart wasn't.
Something deep within him began to stir, a pulse that didn't belong to any mortal cultivation. It was wild, ancient, and it remembered things he didn't.
He clenched his chest, his breath uneven. "Not now… don't lose control now."
His aura flickered. The ground cracked beneath him as ripples spread across the water.
One of the enemies laughed. "He can't even control it! This is the power you all fear?"
Mei Xue turned sharply. "Jian Wu! Focus, breathe!"
He tried. But inside his mind, the same whisper
returned, soft, ancient, and too familiar.
Heir of the Primal Law…
It called to him again.
Inside the main hall, the elders of the sect gathered in tense silence.
The red glow of the protective formation bled through the windows, painting their faces with a dim, uneasy light.
Elder Zhao slammed his staff against the floor. "We can't just sit here! The Black Sky Sect is tearing through our defenses!"
Elder Ling stood by the window, his expression grim. "You think they came for us? No, Zhao. They came for the boy."
The room went still.
Another elder, her voice quieter, spoke with hesitation. "If the rumors are true… if Jian Wu truly is the Heir of the Primal Law… then this is not an attack. It's a test from fate itself."
No one spoke after that.
For the first time in decades, the sect's protectors found themselves unsure whether to fear the enemy, or the one they were meant to protect.
Back outside, Jian Wu opened his eyes again.
His aura no longer surged wildly, it was calm now, cold and steady.
The storm inside him had not vanished, but it had chosen to obey.
"If this is a test," he whispered, "then I'll answer it in my own way."
He took a step forward. The air shuddered.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, then reappeared right in front of the enemy leader.
His right hand cut through empty space, and the world cracked with him.
The explosion shook the mountain. Shadows scattered like ash in the wind.
Mei Xue stared at him, speechless. "You're not just Jian Wu anymore, are you?"
He turned slightly, a faint smile on his lips. "Maybe I never was."
Before she could answer, a red flash streaked across the eastern sky, the second alarm signal.
Her face paled. "That means… a second wave!"
Jian Wu clenched his fist. "If we keep defending, the sect will fall."
He looked toward the main hall. "I have to reach the elders."
Mei Xue grabbed his arm. "Alone?"
"No. But if I fall, don't stop fighting. Live, Mei Xue. Promise me."
There was a brief silence between them, filled with all the words they'd never said.
Then she whispered, "If the world wants to destroy you, then let me be part of that sin."
Jian Wu's eyes softened. "You're as stubborn as ever."
He turned and began walking toward the hall.
Behind him, the night roared with chaos, fire, light, and steel clashing under the blood red sky. The protective formation above them fractured, its glow fading into streaks of crimson.
The heavens looked like broken glass, beautiful, but fragile.
And through that shattered light, Jian Wu walked alone, each step carrying him deeper into the storm.