Dawn in the Floating Cloud Pavilion was a spectacle unto itself. As the first rays of sunlight pierced the eternal mist, the clouds shimmered in hues of pale gold and lavender. Ethereal lotus blooms, which only opened with the morning light, floated across jade lakes suspended in the sky. Spirit beasts stirred within their nests of clouds, and disciples emerged from their cultivation chambers, stretching their limbs, ready for a new day of training, battles, and breakthroughs.
Li Yi stood silently atop the seventh floor of the Seventh Sky Hall, his black robes fluttering in the soft mountain breeze. His cultivation base had stabilized overnight, and though he remained in the Foundation Establishment – Late Stage, the density of his qi surpassed many early Core Formation cultivators. The altar flame within him burned with increasing clarity, and the teachings of the Unbound Origin Sutra whispered to him in the silence between each heartbeat.
Below him, gossip stirred.
"I heard Duan Lin and three others were crushed in a single exchange…"
"They say he hasn't even fully stepped into Core Formation…"
"Monster… or something worse?"
Li Yi paid it no mind. He had already experienced worse than stares and whispers. His gaze turned toward the east, where the highest peak of the Floating Cloud Pavilion pierced through the very heavens. That was the Veiled Summit, the domain of the Pavilion Master and the Twelve Grand Elders.
Only once every decade did the Summit extend an invitation to a disciple. And today, an immortal crane had arrived bearing a scroll bound in celestial silk.
As Li Yi descended to the lower courtyard, a familiar face approached—Bai Qing, the Inner Disciple responsible for his initial assignment.
"You've stirred more waves than expected," she said, eyes narrowed. "And the Pavilion has noticed. The Grand Elder of the Third Vein has summoned you to the Veiled Summit."
Without waiting for a reply, she handed him the scroll.
Li Yi took it and unfolded the delicate material. Upon it were ancient characters inked in divine gold, pulsing faintly with dao resonance. The invitation wasn't a suggestion. It was a summons.
"You leave now," Bai Qing added. "The Veiled Summit doesn't like to wait."
A few hours later, Li Yi soared upon a jade talisman, crossing floating valleys and thousand-foot waterfalls. The wind here was sharper, carrying with it threads of lightning and soundless pressure. As he approached the Veiled Summit, the spiritual density became so thick it was nearly suffocating.
Pillars of white jade circled the summit like a divine crown. At the center stood a temple forged from starlight and void essence, its very edges flickering between existence and nothingness. It was a place not entirely of this world.
A single man waited at the gates.
He was ancient yet ageless, with hair as silver as moonlight and robes that shimmered with embroidered galaxies. His eyes held wisdom older than the Xuan Realm itself. Floating beside him were six jade tablets, each etched with different cultivation laws.
Li Yi instinctively bowed. "Disciple Li Yi greets Grand Elder."
The man's gaze fell upon him with interest. "So, you are the bearer of the Unbound Origin Flame. I am Grand Elder Xuan Jian of the Third Vein."
Li Yi stood calmly, heart steady.
The elder motioned for him to enter the summit temple. "You've broken the balance already by defeating Duan Lin and disrupting the disciple factions. But that is not why you are here."
As they walked through the temple halls, Li Yi saw murals carved into the walls—scenes of divine wars, celestial beasts, and an ancient realm burning beneath abyssal fire.
One image stopped him cold.
A woman wielding a sword of pure starlight stood atop a field of shadowy corpses. Her back was turned, but her bearing was familiar. Too familiar.
"She was one of the defenders during the Abyssal War," Xuan Jian said softly. "One of the few from the God Realm who sealed the Abyss Gate."
Li Yi didn't speak, but his chest tightened.
The elder turned to him. "The Pavilion is more than it seems. It is one of the Seven Locks of Heaven. Formed not merely to cultivate disciples—but to guard the lower realms."
Li Yi's eyes narrowed. "Against what?"
"The return of the Abyss."
A silence hung in the air.
"The seal is weakening," Xuan Jian continued. "We've sensed movements from the Abyss. The God Realm can no longer descend. Their path remains sealed. But some of their strength is echoing through the bloodlines."
"Like mine," Li Yi said quietly.
"Exactly. The altar within you is not from this world. It belongs to the lineage of those who forged the first Divine Pillars."
Li Yi's gaze hardened. "Then why summon me?"
Xuan Jian raised his hand, and a crystal orb floated into view. Within it spun a map of the Pavilion, with several glowing nodes. One of them pulsed erratically.
"There is a rift forming beneath the Sea-Crystal Peak. A portal too weak for demons to pass… but strong enough for their essence to seep through."
"We will send you into the rift."
Li Yi frowned. "Alone?"
"No. A team of elite disciples will accompany you. But we suspect the portal may react… only to someone like you."
"Someone bearing God Realm blood?" Li Yi asked.
"Someone bearing the Unbound Origin."
The orb vanished. "This mission will be dangerous. But should you succeed, the Pavilion will recognize your name fully—and so will the other realms."
Li Yi remained silent for a moment.
"Fine," he said. "When do we leave?"
Xuan Jian smiled faintly. "Three days. Prepare yourself. Your battle truly begins now."
As Li Yi turned to leave, the Grand Elder's voice came once more.
"And one more thing, Li Yi… In the Abyss, even your blood may betray you."
The temple doors closed behind him.
Outside, the Veiled Summit glowed under the falling dusk. Far below, the Pavilion continued its daily rhythms. But in the skies above, storm clouds had begun to stir.
And deep underground—beneath ancient roots and spiritual formations—a flicker of abyssal flame blinked open.
It had sensed something.
A descendant of the old gods… had awakened.
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