The teleportation light faded.
Lin Qing opened his eyes to a world painted in red.
Mountains floated like broken shards of glass above a sky that bled twilight. The ground beneath his feet cracked and smoked, soaked in ancient qi that smelled faintly of rust and ash.
This was no ordinary realm—this was a wound left by history.
Around him, the Blood Moon Sect's small party steadied themselves. Li Chun clutched his staff like it was the last clean thing in existence, while Yin Luo calmly scanned the horizon. Tian Ke, their armored escort, kept one hand on his blade.
"This is the Crimson Plains," Tian Ke said. "Outer layer of the Abyss."
Li Chun swallowed. "It feels like the air itself wants to eat us."
"It probably does," Lin Qing muttered.
He could feel it already—threads of violent qi rushing into him, swirling around his dantian as if testing him. The Mirror Blood Scripture hummed faintly in response, drinking it in like an old friend.
Tian Ke turned toward him and bowed slightly. "Heir Lin Qing, the Elders said to remind you—you'll only be facing other young geniuses here. It would be rare to see anyone above the True King mid level."
"So, still suicidal odds," Lin Qing said. "Noted."
A thunderous boom cut across the horizon.
Far ahead, crimson smoke rose where two groups were already clashing. Lightning cracked through the red haze—beasts roared, swords howled, and qi waves tore trenches into the ground.
"Radiant Dawn Holy Land and the Thousand Serpent Cult," Yin Luo said coolly. "Both arrived early."
"Perfect," Lin Qing said. "Let's go say hi."
Li Chun blinked. "Heir Lin Qing, are we… joining the fight?"
"No," Lin Qing said. "We're collecting interest."
They moved swiftly over the fractured terrain, Crimson Shadow Step carrying Lin Qing across ridges like a streak of light.
As they neared the battlefield, the scale of it came into focus—dozens of cultivators locked in combat around a glowing crater, where red crystals jutted from the earth like fangs.
Mirror Fragments.
The air buzzed with their energy. Even from here, Lin Qing could feel them pulsing—fragments of Dao turned solid. They called to his Heavenly Insight Divine Body like magnets to lightning.
At the center of it all, a young man with golden eyes cut down three demonic cultivators in one move. Sunlight seemed to burn off his skin.
"Yan Yue," Yin Luo murmured. "Saint candidate of Radiant Dawn Holy Land. Solar Dao Physique."
Across from him, a figure wrapped in black mist laughed—a tall man with serpentine eyes, his aura poisonous and slick. "Nie Xuan," Tian Ke said grimly. "Young Cult Master of the Thousand Serpent Cult."
Li Chun's knees nearly gave out. "They're both peak geniuses!"
"Then we're in luck," Lin Qing said, stepping forward. "Two for the price of one miracle."
The clash reached its climax.
Nie Xuan hurled a torrent of venomous qi shaped like serpents; Yan Yue countered with a beam of condensed sunlight. The explosion carved a crater hundreds of meters wide, scattering disciples like leaves.
And in that chaos, Lin Qing walked straight into the storm.
Qi exploded around him, but the Mirror Blood Scripture absorbed it like rain into dry soil. His eyes flashed silver; diagrams spun faintly within them.
[Heavenly Insight Divine Body Activated]
Analyzing Dao Resonance…
Comprehension: 0% → 100%
Both combat techniques unfolded in his mind—the Serpent Poison Law and the Solar Spear Art. Two opposing Daos, one of corrosion, one of purification. His body instinctively balanced both, like mirrors catching light and shadow.
The storm subsided.
Yan Yue and Nie Xuan froze, sensing something unnatural. The stray qi between them twisted—drawn toward Lin Qing's calm presence.
"What—who are you?" Yan Yue demanded.
Lin Qing lifted his gaze, faint silver light flickering in his pupils. "Just a spectator."
He raised a hand. Qi surged. The leftover power of both their attacks bent toward him—sunlight and poison merging into a single shimmering wave.
He flicked his wrist.
Boom.
The blast knocked both geniuses backward, carving a new scar into the Crimson Plains.
Li Chun screamed. "Heir Lin Qing! You just—"
"Borrowed momentum," Lin Qing said, brushing dust from his sleeve. "Very educational."
Nie Xuan spat blood, eyes wide with disbelief. "You—you mirrored my Dao?"
"Mirrored?" Lin Qing smiled faintly. "I improved it."
The silence that followed was absolute. Even the wind stopped moving.
When it returned, it carried whispers from every corner of the battlefield.
"The Blood Moon Heir…"
"He suppressed both of them at once!"
"Impossible! He's only Spirit Sea!"
Lin Qing turned away, expression unreadable. "Tian Ke, collect the Mirror Fragments. We're leaving."
Yin Luo's lips twitched. "You make enemies faster than you breathe."
"Habit," Lin Qing said.
Far above, unseen to them all, a ripple spread through the crimson clouds—an echo of the ancient Mirror Emperor's will stirring faintly for the first time in centuries.