The light did not die that night… it merely contracted.
When Mi Lin unleashed the secret art of the Eternal Celestial Sect, her goal was not just escape it was awakening.
A forbidden art, used only for an heir carrying pure celestial blood
The Star-Blue Seal Technique.
Within the storm of energy, the blue gem shattered into threads of light that pierced the child's body. It did not burn him… nor tear him apart… it reshaped him.
His bones strengthened.
His veins widened.
His heart beat with a rhythm not of this world.
Deep within his soul, a dormant seed stirred.
An eye… not yet born.
A celestial eye that would remain hidden until he mastered control over his power, as if it were a final judgment from the heavens themselves.
Then, all fell silent.
At the empire's distant borders, in a forest far from the trade roads, the child appeared beneath a colossal tree, its roots said to predate even the founding of the capital.
He cried.
It was not the cry of weakness… but a scream of life.
At that moment, Zhao Yong, leader of a minor sect called the Tranquil Cloud Sect, was returning from the capital, having finished selling a batch of spiritual herbs for meager resources.
It had been a long day, his three guards trailing silently behind.
Suddenly
He stopped.
"Did you hear that?"
A fragmented cry.
Before he could move, a wolf-shaped beast emerged from the trees, dark gray fur, eyes like blood, growling as it approached the sound.
One guard whispered,
"A shadow wolf… low rank, but dangerous to a child."
Zhao Yong didn't hesitate.
He dashed forward, his simple sword slicing through the air. Though not from a great family, years of survival had taught him ruthlessness when necessary.
The wolf lunged.
The sword clashed with its claws.
A short burst of energy.
The beast recoiled, then attacked again.
But this time, Zhao Yong struck decisively, severing its throat.
The wolf fell silently.
The forest fell quiet.
The leader approached cautiously… then froze.
A child, wrapped in tattered cloth, lay there. On his chest, a faint trace of blue light slowly fading.
No parents.
No cart.
No blood.
Just… him.
One guard hesitated.
"Sir… could be a trap."
Zhao Yong bent down and lifted the child in his arms.
The instant his hand touched the boy's body, he felt a strange warmth… as if the child's heart beat with a power far beyond his size.
He spoke quietly,
"If it is a trap… it is the trap of the heavens themselves."
He glanced at the dead wolf.
If they had delayed even a minute… the child would have been dinner.
A long silence passed.
Then he said,
"We will take him with us."
The Tranquil Cloud Sect was small, barely remembered among the powers.
Wooden houses, a dusty training ground, a modest herb store.
When Zhao Yong entered the courtyard carrying the child, a six-year-old boy ran toward him.
"Father! You're back"
He stopped upon seeing the infant.
A girl of three appeared, her hair tied in a short braid, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Who is this?"
His wife stood at the doorway, calm as always.
Zhao Yong looked at his children and spoke in a tone he had never used before:
"From today… you have a little brother."
The girl's eyes widened.
"A brother?!"
The older boy approached slowly, observing the child in silence, then said,
"He… is calm."
As if the child understood the words, he stopped crying.
The mother stepped forward without asking a single question.
She did not ask where he came from.
She did not ask why.
She reached out gently and took him into her arms.
"He must be hungry."
She went inside to prepare warm milk, while the girl watched in admiration and the older boy stood beside her like a small guardian.
Zhao Yong looked at the scene… and felt something he had not felt in a long time.
Peace.
He whispered to himself,
"Whatever your fate… you will not die in the forest."
At the ruins of the Eternal Celestial Sect, only ash remained.
A royal guard clad in armor bearing the family's emblem a golden dragon coiled around a crown arrived.
He was one of the royal protectors.
His cold eyes scanned the devastation.
The representatives of the four families stepped forward.
The guard asked,
"Report."
The elder of the Crimson Dragon Clan bowed slightly.
"The Celestial Sect fell under the monster wave attack. They fought bravely… but they failed."
The royal guard raised an eyebrow.
"Strange. No wave of this scale was recorded near the capital."
The Silver Moon Palace representative smiled calmly.
"Remnants of monsters slipped through during the chaos. No one expected it."
A short silence followed.
Then the guard asked,
"The heir?"
The four exchanged a quick glance.
The Descending Sword Clan replied,
"He died with his parents. No one survived."
The guard continued to stare at the ruins… as if searching for a lingering trace of energy.
Finally, he said,
"Very well. The royal family does not wish for new unrest. As long as it's over… it poses no problem."
Before turning, he added coldly,
"Just ensure… no ghost from the past appears."
He departed.
The sect leaders exhaled in faint relief.
The Black Lotus Lady said,
"Even if a child survived… what can he do alone?"
Liang Xin, who had stood silently all along, smiled faintly.
But his eyes did not.
That night, while the new mother gently rocked the child to sleep, something small happened.
A thread of blue light ran beneath his skin… then vanished.
Within his soul, the celestial eye closed its phantom eyelid.
Its time had not yet come.
But… it was there.
And far above, a single cloud moved against the wind.