The silence in the aftermath of the battle was unnatural. The ruins of the Nine Heavens Sect were gone—not just destroyed, but utterly erased from existence. No stone, no shattered walls, no lingering spirits. Just an expanse of barren land under the pale moonlight.
Jiang Feng exhaled, his breath visible in the cold night air. His grip tightened on his sword. He had fought countless battles, encountered all kinds of dangers, but never before had he seen something like this. A place wiped away as if it had never been.
Li Xue stood motionless beside him, her golden eyes reflecting the moonlight. In her hands, she still held the ancient scroll. The revelation from within its pages weighed heavily on them all.
"The gods hid this," she murmured. "They erased the truth. And now… they know we've uncovered it."
Jiang Feng glanced at the sky, half-expecting something to descend from above. A bolt of divine punishment, a celestial decree—some kind of reaction from the heavens. But nothing came. The air remained still, too still.
The elder monk brushed dust from his robes. "The heavens do not act without purpose. If they wished to strike us down, they would have done so the moment the temple collapsed." He looked at Li Xue. "Which means they're waiting."
Li Xue's expression darkened. "Waiting for what?"
Jiang Feng had a feeling he knew the answer. "For us to make the next move."
The elder monk nodded. "Precisely."
Jiang Feng sighed. "Then we don't have time to waste. We need to move."
Li Xue turned to him, eyes searching his. "Where?"
That was the question, wasn't it? They had uncovered a hidden truth, but they were still missing pieces of the puzzle. The Nine Heavens Sect had not simply fallen—it had been erased by divine will. And Li Xue, somehow, had been at the center of it all.
Jiang Feng looked at her. "The answers lie in your past. If the heavens sealed your memories, then we need to find a way to unlock them."
The elder monk nodded in agreement. "There are ancient methods. Dangerous ones."
Li Xue's lips pressed together. "I don't care about danger. I need to know."
Jiang Feng expected that answer.
But before he could speak, the wind shifted.
A presence.
Jiang Feng's body tensed. Li Xue turned sharply, her golden eyes narrowing. The elder monk gripped his staff.
Then, from the shadows, he stepped forward.
A figure in flowing black robes, a mask concealing his face. He moved without sound, his presence blending seamlessly into the darkness. But the air around him crackled with an energy that made Jiang Feng's skin prickle.
The masked man.
He had watched them before. He had interfered. And now, he stood before them once more.
Jiang Feng's sword was in his hand in an instant. "Who are you?"
The masked man did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Li Xue.
"You seek the truth," he said, his voice smooth and unreadable. "But are you prepared for what it will cost you?"
Li Xue's gaze did not waver. "I don't fear the truth."
A pause. Then the masked man chuckled. "Spoken like someone who does not yet understand what she has lost."
Jiang Feng took a step forward, his grip tightening. "If you have answers, then give them. If you're here to waste our time, then leave."
The masked man tilted his head, as if considering him. Then, with a slow motion, he raised his hand.
And the world shifted.
Jiang Feng's vision blurred. The ground beneath him warped, and suddenly—he was no longer in the ruins.
He stood on the edge of an ancient battlefield.
The sky was blood-red, the land cracked and scorched. In the distance, mountains burned, their peaks shrouded in black smoke. The air was thick with the scent of death and divine energy.
Countless warriors lay dead across the battlefield, their bodies broken, their weapons shattered.
And at the center of it all—her.
Li Xue.
But not the Li Xue he knew.
This Li Xue stood clad in radiant celestial armor, her long white robes stained with blood. In her hand, she wielded a divine spear, its blade pulsing with golden light. Her expression was unreadable—neither grief nor triumph, only an eerie calm.
Before her, kneeling in the dirt, were the last remnants of the Nine Heavens Sect.
A man—clearly their leader—looked up at her, his face streaked with blood. His robes bore the insignia of the Nine Heavens, though they were tattered and torn.
"Why…?" he rasped. "Why did you betray us?"
Jiang Feng's breath caught.
Li Xue—this past version of her—looked down at him, her golden eyes devoid of emotion.
"I did what had to be done," she said simply.
Then, without hesitation, she thrust the spear through his heart.
The vision shattered.
Jiang Feng gasped as he stumbled backward, finding himself once again in the cold night air. The ruins had returned, the battlefield gone. Li Xue stood before him, her expression tense. The elder monk looked pale, as if he had seen the same vision.
Jiang Feng's heart pounded. He turned to the masked man, anger burning in his chest. "What did you do?"
The masked man lowered his hand. "I showed you the truth."
Li Xue's hands were clenched into fists. Her breathing was uneven. "That wasn't real."
The masked man's gaze settled on her. "Wasn't it?"
Silence stretched between them.
Jiang Feng exhaled, forcing himself to remain calm. "If she was truly the one who destroyed the Nine Heavens Sect, then why doesn't she remember?"
The masked man tilted his head. "Because the heavens willed it so."
Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes. "And you? What do you want?"
The masked man paused, then said, "I want you to understand that the gods do not act without reason." He glanced at Li Xue. "She was their sword once. And now, she stands against them. That is not something the heavens will allow."
Li Xue met his gaze. "Then let them come."
The masked man chuckled softly. "They already have."
At that moment, the sky rumbled.
Jiang Feng's head snapped up. The stars above seemed to shimmer unnaturally. The moon, once bright, dimmed. The heavens themselves seemed to pulse with unseen power.
And then—a voice.
Deep. Resounding. Divine.
"Mortal. Your presence is an insult to the order of the heavens."
The ground trembled. Wind howled through the empty land.
Jiang Feng's blood ran cold.
A celestial decree.
The gods had spoken.
Li Xue lifted her chin, unyielding. "If I was their sword before, then let them know—this time, I will not kneel."
The masked man gave a final glance, then stepped back into the shadows. "Then your battle begins now."
With that, he vanished.
The sky split open.
Light descended from above, not warm, but blinding, suffocating—divine judgment incarnate.
And from within the light, figures began to emerge.
Celestial beings.
Gods.
And they had come for her.
To be continued…