Snowflakes drifted from the heavens like silent sentinels, but beneath the beauty of the glacier-scape, a terrible tension brewed. The Hidden Glacier Valley, though momentarily quiet, now carried the scent of fresh blood, ruptured Qi, and faint demonic residue that still lingered in the air.
Li Yi stood in the middle of the battlefield, his eyes closed.
He felt it—not just the wind, not just the silence after the clash, but something deeper. The fractured balance of the world. The ancient gate, long thought dormant and lost to the forgotten past, was stirring. The message had been delivered: the Abyssal Path was not merely trying to break the seal—they were preparing to breach the realms.
Zhao Feiyu sheathed his sword and strode up beside Li Yi. "We can't wait anymore. If they've sent that transmission, then the higher realms will start preparing—both the righteous sects and the hidden traitors."
Mo Ruyan, calmly wiping the blood from a fractured talisman scroll, said, "We need allies. And we need them now."
Lan Qing'er crouched near the ruins of the broken spire, examining a remnant crystal shard. Her spiritual sense probed its memory. "They didn't just transmit coordinates… They shared names. People. Keys. Candidates."
She turned to Li Yi, her face pale.
"They're coming for the descendants."
Li Yi's brows furrowed. "Which descendants?"
"Those with God Realm ancestry. Those with bloodlines strong enough to carry fragments of the ancient seal. Your master said you are the key, but you won't be the only one who inherited a fragment."
The implications hit hard.
The Abyssal Path wasn't just chasing an artifact.
They were hunting bloodlines.
Li Yi slowly turned to face his three companions. "We have to leave the Pavilion lands. We must warn the others. Visit every major sect, every stronghold, every hidden family that might have ties to the God Realm. If they carry any fragment, they're already targets."
Mo Ruyan nodded. "It begins with the Burning Moon Sect. One of their ancestors was a war general from the ancient God Realm. They might know more."
Zhao Feiyu looked to the northern skies. "That's at least a six-day flight."
"No," Li Yi said. "We'll ride the leyline tunnels."
The others looked surprised.
"Those haven't been active since the Chaos Warring Age," Qing'er muttered.
"I can activate them," Li Yi replied, stepping toward a spiraling cave entrance nearby that twisted beneath the valley. "My Chaos Qi… It resonates with the old world. They were created to ferry reinforcements during the first Abyssal War. Some of the pathways still sleep beneath the realm."
With one hand extended, he drew a deep breath.
His cultivation surged—now at Core Foundation – Middle Stage.
A black-gold spiral of Chaos Qi circled around him. His meridians glowed faintly as the cave walls answered his call. Strange silver veins began lighting up within the stone, ancient runes awakening one by one.
A pulse.
Then another.
Until the air within the cave shimmered like warped glass.
The leyline tunnel opened.
"Move fast," Li Yi said. "It won't stay open for long."
They stepped through.
---
Burning Moon Territory – Seven Days Later
The leyline had delivered them not far from the outskirts of the Burning Moon Sect's mountain. The region was unlike anything they had traversed before. The skies here glowed a deep crimson at dusk, and the mountain range radiated both fire and moonlight—a duality only cultivators with fire-essence or lunar spirit roots could endure.
High above the valley, twin towers stood guard: the Moonflame Watchtowers, always lit, never extinguished, built from flame-resistant spirit jade.
As they approached the outer sect, they were stopped by two elite disciples clad in dark red robes. Their aura pulsed steadily at Meridian Forging – Peak Stage.
"Halt," one said. "This is the sacred territory of Burning Moon. State your names and purpose."
Li Yi stepped forward. "Li Yi, of Skycloud Pavilion. We request audience with Grand Elder Yue Han of the Inner Temple."
The guards narrowed their eyes. "The Pavilion sent no notice—"
"Show him this," Mo Ruyan said, handing over a jade token engraved with the seal of the Pavilion's High Council.
The disciple studied it. His pupils shrank slightly.
Without a word, he stepped aside. "You may enter. Do not deviate from the red path, or the mountain spirits will not be merciful."
As they passed, Li Yi whispered, "He's afraid."
"He recognized your name," Qing'er murmured.
Inside the Burning Moon Sect, the air shimmered with fire Qi so dense it distorted visibility at times. Even the buildings seemed alive—carved from living ore that responded to the moon above.
They were led to a wide terrace overlooking a blazing crimson lake. There stood Grand Elder Yue Han, an ancient man with eyes like molten coals and silver-streaked hair flowing down to his waist. His cultivation was impossible to gauge—but the pressure around him made even Zhao Feiyu clench his fists tightly.
"Young Li Yi," the Grand Elder said, voice like flowing lava. "Your presence is both surprise and omen."
Li Yi bowed respectfully. "We came seeking your counsel on matters regarding the Abyssal Path… and the Starlight Chart."
Yue Han narrowed his eyes. "So the Chart has returned."
"It has been stolen," Li Yi confirmed. "And it has revealed the location of the sealed gate."
Yue Han fell silent for several seconds. Then, he turned his back and waved his hand. A screen of flaming spirit light formed midair, revealing an ancient battlefield—a vision from the past.
A broken celestial gate. Black-armored demons. Gods descending with weapons forged from the sun.
"This is what your generation never saw," Yue Han said solemnly. "The battlefield of the Final Convergence. When the Abyssal Demons breached the God Realm, our ancestors sacrificed half the celestial bloodlines to seal them away. But even then… not all gates were destroyed. The one in the Xuan Realm… it was simply buried."
He turned to Li Yi. "There were seven key fragments forged from divine souls. If the enemy collects even five, the gate can be forced open."
Mo Ruyan stepped forward. "We believe several descendants of those lineages exist still."
"They do," Yue Han said grimly. "One resides within my sect. Another has taken refuge in the southern Ghost Orchid Swamp. But there is one more…"
He looked directly into Li Yi's eyes.
"…hidden within you."
Li Yi nodded. "That's why we're preparing."
Yue Han extended a scroll. "This is the Celestial Descent Array. Use it at the gates of the abyss when the time comes. It will hold back the breach long enough for you to rally the others."
Lan Qing'er accepted the scroll.
"Thank you, Grand Elder," Li Yi said, bowing again.
"You carry more than fate, boy," Yue Han whispered. "You carry the buried will of the heavens. Be ready to burn."
—
End of Chapter 18
(Ready for Chapter 19?)