Rain trickled down the edges of the jade rooftops as twilight settled over the Crimson Lotus Sect. Lanterns flickered to life, casting long shadows on cobblestone paths as disciples scurried to their dorms. Yet deep within the inner court, a storm of a different kind brewed.
Vạn Thiên Phong stood alone on the meditation platform. His robe was torn, stained with the aftermath of the earlier clash with Elder Bai. Though his victory had secured him the title of inner disciple, it came at a cost: whispers. Whispers that slithered through the sect like venom.
"He used a forbidden technique," one voice murmured.
"He's not of this world," another hissed.
Thiên Phong heard them all. But he didn't flinch. He couldn't afford to.
"You're playing a dangerous game," said a soft, lilting voice behind him.
He turned. Bạch Tiêu Nhiên stood in the shadows, her snow-white robe pristine, her eyes unreadable.
"You knew they'd fear you," she continued. "You made sure of it."
He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped off the platform, his boots splashing into the puddles. "Power breeds fear," he said finally. "And fear brings control."
Tiêu Nhiên narrowed her eyes. "But is control worth your humanity?"
He looked at her then—not with coldness, but something closer to weariness. "Tell me," he said quietly, "when the heavens themselves hunt you down, what good is humanity?"
Before she could answer, a sharp gust of wind swept through the courtyard. A scroll, sealed with a black dragon insignia, landed at Thiên Phong's feet. His eyes narrowed.
"From the Demon Abyss Sect," he muttered. "They've found me."
Tiêu Nhiên stepped back instinctively. "But how? Your presence is masked—"
"They must've sensed the Blood Origin Technique… I used too much during the fight."
She clenched her fists. "You said you burned the last of that technique."
"I lied."
Thunder cracked overhead.
"Now," he said, turning toward the outer wall, "I must go. If they're coming, I'll bring the war to them first."
"And if you die?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
He paused. Then smirked, "Then at least the heavens won't have the satisfaction."
And with that, Vạn Thiên Phong vanished into the night, leaving only the rain and the fading warmth of Bạch Tiêu Nhiên's gaze behind.
But as the moon climbed high, a figure watched from the highest tower—a silhouette with golden eyes and a voice that whispered only one thing:
"The game has truly begun."
End of chapter 22