CHAPTER 36 — The Name Heaven Buried (Part Three)
The golden line in the sky widened.
Not like lightning—
but like an eye opening.
A seam in reality.
The valley's spiritual energy collapsed inward, as if the world itself was bowing.
Lian staggered back, face pale.
"That isn't…"
Her voice cracked.
"…that isn't natural."
The girl did not move.
Only her gaze lifted calmly toward the heavens.
"They found the scent," she murmured.
Zheng Wen Te's blood ran cold.
"Scent?"
The girl's lips curved faintly.
"A name is not a word."
"It is a thread."
"And Heaven…"
Her voice sharpened.
"…never forgets the threads it cut."
The golden seam split wider.
From within it, something descended.
Not a person.
Not a beast.
A presence.
A figure formed slowly, as if painted into existence—
white robes without stain.
A face too perfect.
Eyes of hollow gold.
And behind him—
rings.
Floating scripture-rings that rotated endlessly, each carved with ancient characters.
Lian's sword slipped from her fingers.
Her knees hit the ground.
Zheng Wen Te's breath caught.
His body wanted to kneel too—
not from respect—
but from instinct.
The figure's voice echoed without emotion:
"The sealed anomaly has surfaced."
The girl's gaze remained steady.
"So you came."
The messenger did not look at Zheng Wen Te.
Did not look at Lian.
It only stared at the girl.
"You were erased."
"Return to silence."
The girl's expression did not change.
"I tried," she said quietly.
"But someone remembered me."
The messenger's golden eyes flickered.
Then, slowly—
it turned toward Zheng Wen Te.
For the first time, Zheng Wen Te felt it.
The weight of Heaven's attention.
Like an ocean pressing against his soul.
"Mortal."
The word was neither cruel nor kind.
Only absolute.
"Speak the name."
Zheng Wen Te's heart seized.
Lian lifted her head in horror.
"No—!"
The girl's voice cut through, sharp as broken glass:
"Don't!"
But the messenger raised one hand.
A scripture-ring spun.
The air twisted.
Zheng Wen Te's mouth opened against his will.
His tongue moved—
dragged by unseen law.
The girl stepped forward violently, palm out.
Spiritual light erupted—
not demonic—
but painfully pure.
A light born from suffering.
"Karma is not yours to command!" she shouted.
The messenger's gaze sharpened.
"You were never meant to exist."
The valley shook.
The mist exploded outward.
And Zheng Wen Te screamed—
not in pain—
but in memory.
A name surged up from somewhere deeper than this life.
From another world.
From a vow left unfinished.
His voice cracked:
"Your name is—"
The heavens roared.
The golden eye widened fully.
The messenger's rings blazed.
Lian's face twisted in terror.
The girl's eyes trembled—
not with fear—
but with longing.
"Say it," she whispered.
"Finish what you began."
Zheng Wen Te's soul shook.
And the name—
the forbidden name—
was one breath away.