Chapter 646 – "Justification"
The air inside the Crimson Void Devil Sect's Grand Hall had never felt heavier.
That voice—the one that had echoed through their sealed and warded chamber—still lingered, like a sword half-drawn.
Every elder stood frozen, many too afraid to speak, some preparing formations in secret, and a few breaking into cold sweat.
But the Sect Master—the Crimson Void Monarch—remained calm.
He stepped forward from his throne, gaze cast upward into the empty air where the voice had spoken. His blood-crimson helm glinted faintly.
Then—
"Who are you?" he asked, voice level.
Alex's reply came instantly. Not through any known communication technique. No jade, no spell, no divine sense—just a voice that ignored all distance.
"That doesn't matter yet."
"What I want to know… is why you keep sending people."
A pause.
Then, shockingly, the Sect Master answered.
"To gather human resources."
"This plane… it's stable. Full of fertile lands, resilient bodies, and spiritually dormant people. They're ideal."
The room remained silent.
"Ideal for what?" Alex asked, tone low.
The Sect Master responded with neither shame nor hesitation.
"For cultivation."
"Specifically—furnace vessels, blood refinement, bone marrow compression, and soul-forging rituals."
"A single healthy mortal from your world can support the cultivation of three disciples for over a year."
Alex didn't respond right away.
His voice, when it came again, was colder than ice:
"…So you're using human lives to advance your cultivation."
The Sect Master tilted his head slightly, as if confused by the tone.
"That is the standard practice of the Ma Sects. The weak serve the strong. Life is cultivation. Cultivation is survival."
"Your people were merely untapped potential."
The chamber remained hushed, as if the shadows themselves were holding their breath.
Then—
Alex's voice returned.
This time, no longer calm.
No longer curious.
It was final.
"Okay."
"Then now I have a reason to kill you all."
A pressure swept across the entire Crimson Void Sect.
Not divine power.
Not anything they had words for.
It was as if reality itself flinched.
For the first time in centuries, the Crimson Void Monarch tightened his grip on the hilt of his spear.
And in the deepest reaches of the sect, ancient sealing formations began to activate—not by command…
But out of fear.
The instant Alex spoke, space fractured.
Across the entire Crimson Void Devil Sect, time seemed to skip a beat—no warning, no grand declaration, no energy spike to sense.
Just an overwhelming surge of mana, honed by pure intent.
And then—
The world broke.
From the peak of the main sect mountain to the deepest hidden crypts, blades of lightning laced with spatial distortion tore through every structure, every ward, every soul.
Walls bent inward. Pillars folded like paper. Every elder, disciple, guardian beast, formation master, alchemist, and scout—
Died instantly.
There were no screams.
No defense.
Not even the chance to cast a single spell.
What descended upon the sect was not war.
It was execution.
Space collapsed and re-formed, leaving massive chasms of silence and scorched glass-like terrain.
Law of Mana surged as the guiding thread.
Law of Space tore apart reality to reach every corner.
Law of Lightning brought destruction before thoughts could form.
It was clean.
Efficient.
Absolute.
And in less than thirty seconds…
The Crimson Void Devil Sect no longer existed.
Ash floated where mountains once stood. Rivers of molten rock cut through what had been proud training courts. Blood-colored towers were reduced to black dust.
But in the center of the ruin—
A single figure remained alive.
Barely.
The Sect Master, the Crimson Void Monarch, lay on a cracked platform surrounded by the fractured remains of his throne. His armor was broken—ribs shattered, helm gone, hair matted with blood and dust. Mana bled from every pore, and the flame of his core flickered like a dying candle.
He lay there, one hand twitching, the other pressed to his chest, as his own breath betrayed him—sharp, shallow gasps that barely kept him tethered to life.
He had not been spared.
He had been left.
Whether it was on purpose… or as a message… was unknown.
All he could do was stare at the sky—at the endless stars.
And wonder…
"What… was that…?"
The wind stirred gently over the ruins.
Ash danced in the air like snowfall, and the once-mighty core of the Crimson Void Devil Sect lay in silent devastation. No screams echoed. No formations flickered.
Only the broken.
And the dying.
At the heart of the obliterated throne hall, the Crimson Void Monarch lay crumpled amid shattered stone and molten steel, struggling to breathe. His vision flickered—colorless, unstable, slipping between darkness and fading light.
He could no longer feel his legs.
His bones had been turned to splinters. His mana core was cracked—something no one had ever achieved. Not even ancient enemies. Not even the calamities of the Void Wars.
He coughed blood.
His hand moved with agony across the broken floor, leaving behind streaks of red as he reached toward something long gone—a weapon, a memory, a purpose.
"This… cannot…"
His breath was shallow.
"…be the end…"
He heard it before he saw it:
A footstep.
Soft. Barely audible.
But in this silence?
It rang like judgment.
He turned his head slowly, neck trembling.
There, standing over him, framed by the crackling air of stabilized space and fading lightning, was Alex.
No grand aura.
No blinding glow.
Just quiet, effortless presence—as though the universe had accepted him as part of its foundation.
Their eyes met.
The Monarch opened his mouth.
"…wh—"
But he never finished.
Alex raised one finger.
A flicker of pure, silent mana—infused with the same Law of Space and Lightning—snapped downward like the closing of a book.
There was no light.
No noise.
No body.
The Crimson Void Monarch ceased to exist.
As if he had never been born.
The storm was over.
The sect was gone.
And justice—cold, precise, and without hesitation—had been delivered.
Alex turned without a word and vanished.
Chapter 647 – "Just Another Day"
The sun had just begun to rise, soft orange light filtering through the curtains. Birds chirped quietly outside the window. The scent of dew and distant blossoms mingled with the warmth of a clean, peaceful morning.
Alex stepped through the kitchen door, barefoot, hair slightly tousled from travel through dimensional space.
He stretched once, rolled his shoulders, and wandered casually into the kitchen.
Ciel, now in her physical form, was already seated at the table, flipping lazily through a gardening magazine while sipping herbal tea. She didn't even look up as he walked in.
"You're back."
"Mhm," Alex replied, opening a cabinet and retrieving a pan. "Anything happen while I was out?"
"Nope. Yuka snuck cookies again. Morgan threatened to erase her shadow. Also, Airi added your name to a local bakery loyalty card."
"Nice," he said, already cracking eggs into the pan.
The faintest spark of lightning danced across the stove top as the heat activated.
"Oh," Ciel added as if it were an afterthought, "Did you handle the rift?"
"Yeah."
"Is it over?"
"Mmhm."
"Permanently?"
Alex flipped the eggs with a perfect swirl.
"Yep."
"Sect gone?"
"All of it."
Ciel nodded once and turned the page. "Good."
They ate in silence.
Peaceful. Simple.
Just another Tuesday.
The world trembled.
Messages rushed through flying cranes, jade talismans, and spiritual mirrors across the Three Territories.
From the Star-Weaving Sect in the north to the Silent Sky Pavilion in the east, cultivators of all ranks stared in stunned silence as the same report came through:
"The Crimson Void Devil Sect… is gone."
At first, no one believed it.
"Impossible," some said.
"They ruled for centuries."
"They had an Eternal Throne cultivator!"
But the reports were consistent.
Scouts sent to the coordinates found only ashes—molten mountain ranges, spatial fractures still sizzling with remnants of lightning and space magic, and not a single survivor.
There were no signs of battle.
No enemy signatures.
No warning.
Just total, silent annihilation.
Sect Masters paled.
Elders held emergency meetings.
The Virtue Sects gathered with concern.
The Ma Sects whispered in fear.
"This wasn't war."
"This was judgment."
Panic turned into strategy.
Within a day of the Crimson Void Devil Sect's destruction, the major factions of the cultivation world held an emergency summit. It wasn't easy—some sects had opposed one another for centuries. But fear made quick work of pride.
The sects that gathered were the oldest and most established forces under heaven:
—Azure Edge Sword Sect, proud and sharp, masters of divine blade paths.
—Thousand Cauldron Alchemy Sect, famed for their vast stores of pills, elixirs, and poisoncraft.
—Nine Strings Music Sect, whose melodies could crush the mind or calm armies.
—Mirror Moon Illusion Sect, masters of deception and soul manipulation.
—Mountain Beast Pavilion, whose tamers rode ancient beasts older than memory.
—Starcall Tower, oracles and scholars of the skies.
—Frozen Petal Palace, whose disciples wielded frost and elegance with equal lethality.
—Thundering Crown Sect, a militant force with formations strong enough to hold cities.
—Dawnveil Light Sect, a sect of healers, barriers, and high ritual magic.
—Obsidian Bone Sect, considered neutral, half forbidden, with ties to soul binding and bonecraft.
Each sent their strongest representatives.
At the head of the gathered crowd stood an old man clad in robes that shimmered with both gold and thunder—Master Tianlong of the Thundering Crown Sect, an Eighth Realm cultivator, same as the now-deceased Sect Master of the Crimson Void.
He scanned the gathering. Hundreds of powerful cultivators stood silent behind their masters. Even rival sects who had once traded killing blows now stood side by side.
Yet one group was notably absent.
Tianlong spoke the moment everyone had gathered.
"Where is the Heaven Sect?"
A voice to his left, from the elegant Frozen Petal Matriarch, answered with a sigh.
"They refused the summons."
"Arrogance," someone spat.
Another voice grumbled, "They have their reasons. A hundred Eternal Thrones in one sect makes them drunk on their own illusions."
Tianlong narrowed his eyes.
"They may be powerful. But if even one of those cultivators met the same end as Crimson Void… they would die all the same."
No one dared dispute that.
Not after what had happened.
The representative from the Starcall Tower stepped forward, clutching a scroll of prophecy.
"The skies trembled on the day that sect was erased. No omen, no curse, no great beast. Only… stillness."
She paused.
"The threads of fate refuse to show the killer's name."
"They are tangled. As if… something outside the weave did this."
Dozens of sect masters shared glances.
Tianlong's voice was low.
"Then we must assume this enemy is beyond cultivation."
"Or… beyond our understanding of it."
The gathering fell quiet.
And far above them, across the clear sky, a single ripple of golden lightning silently danced and vanished—
as if someone was listening.
In the towering white spires of the Heaven Sect, the world was quiet.
The sect rested atop floating islands high above the mortal realm, where clouds bent to their will and starlight ran like water down their marble pathways. It was a realm of purity, pride, and unmatched cultivation heritage.
The destruction of the Crimson Void Devil Sect was already known. But here… it was treated like a distant rumor.
Inside the highest pavilion of the central palace, the Heaven Sect Master sat with a calm, serene expression. Draped in silvery-blue robes threaded with starlight, his long white hair flowed behind him like river silk. His cultivation had long reached the Eighth Realm—and yet, he gave the impression of someone who had nothing left to prove.
Attendants knelt nearby, awaiting orders. But their master seemed far more preoccupied.
He sat at the edge of his meditation platform, slowly reading from a delicate scroll. His brows furrowed.
"Yu Mei still refuses?" he asked, voice soft.
A robed servant bowed deeply. "Yes, Master. The eighth young lady has made it clear… she will not marry the Crown Heir of the Starcall Empire."
The sect master let out a long sigh, folding the scroll with exaggerated care. "I cultivated for nine centuries to stand among the heavens. I conquered three void beasts, purified six corrupted stars, and led my disciples to the peak of our world."
He waved his hand, and a starlight mirror floated before him.
"And yet not one daughter listens."
He tapped the mirror lightly, revealing an image of Yu Mei, walking alone in a plum blossom grove below one of the floating gardens. Her long silver-blue hair drifted behind her, and her robes shimmered faintly with cold light.
She looked serene. Quiet. Distant.
"She has no interest in power. Nor position. And even less in men."
One of the older attendants spoke cautiously. "Would you like us to… speak with her, Master?"
The Sect Master waved it off.
"No. If I pressure her, she'll just run to that strange mortal world again."
Another paused before asking, "Does… the destruction of Crimson Void concern you at all, Master?"
He smiled faintly, gaze distant.
"What has that to do with us?"
"We are the Heaven Sect."
"We do not lower ourselves to panic."
"Whoever did it… let them try. They will know who truly stands at the summit."
And with that, he turned away from the mirror—while below, Yu Mei gazed quietly at the sky.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Not at her father.
But at the faint ripple she alone noticed in the clouds.
Yu Mei stood beneath a plum blossom tree, letting the petals drift around her like snow. The floating garden was silent—none dared disturb the Eighth Daughter of the Heaven Sect Master, even less so when she was deep in thought.
Her mana flowed gently through her veins, refined and stable. Core Transmutation Realm—Stage 6. At twenty-two, she was one of the youngest in the sect to reach this level. Many whispered of her destined rise to the Sovereign Ascension Realm before the age of thirty.
But she didn't care about that.
Her fingers reached up, brushing a blossom.
And her thoughts drifted far from these floating islands, far from arranged marriages, sect rules, or cultivation tournaments.
They drifted to a world of gray cities and warm streetlights.
To Earth.
To him.
Alex…
She exhaled softly.
It had only happened once—an accident, really. A rogue dimensional artifact, a miscalculated formation, and a moment of boredom had sent her spiraling through the veil.
She hadn't been older than twelve or thirteen when she landed in that strange, mana-starved world. The people were loud, the air smelled different, and everything was made of metal and glass.
But amidst the chaos, she met him.
A boy her age. Ordinary. Curious. Kind.
She remembered him well.
Kind and warm towards those close to him, and normal and quiet towards strangers.
He helped her find food, gave her a scarf when she was cold, and treated her like someone who belonged—even though she clearly didn't.
They were only together for a few days before her sect's tracking talismans retrieved her.
And when she returned, she buried the memory deep.
After all… she was Heaven Sect's eighth daughter.
He was a mortal boy from a powerless world.
Still…
She hadn't forgotten.
Even now, while her father dismissed the fall of the Crimson Void Sect and the elders waved it off with prideful arrogance, she felt uneasy.
The air had changed.
And she couldn't stop thinking of that quiet boy from long ago.
Chapter 648 – "Eight Unmarried Daughters"
The Heaven Sect was known for many things.
Its history stretched back to the birth of the sky.
Its cultivators stood at the peak of the world.
Its towers floated among the stars, untouched by worldly dust.
But today…
None of that mattered.
Because the Sect Master had gathered his entire family in one room.
Twelve children. One large, ornate hall.
And the Heaven Sect Master—mighty Eighth Realm cultivator, vanquisher of void beasts, ruler of starlight—was rubbing his forehead like a man on the brink of collapse.
At his side sat his graceful, eternally youthful wife, who looked perfectly calm sipping spirit tea… while her husband visibly aged by a decade every time one of his daughters spoke.
"Why don't any of you want to get married!?"
Across the hall sat his four sons—calm, collected, and already married.
They were:
Zhen Yu – First son, serious and stoic, known as the "Sky-Splitting Sword."Ren Bo – Second son, always laughing, runs the Spirit Treasury Division.Hao Lin – Third son, obsessed with beast taming, has over 200 spirit pets.Qin Wu – Fourth son, married at 18, happiest man alive, has three kids already.
None of them had issues.
But across from them sat the real problem.
The Eight Daughters.
Like lotus flowers, like icy stars, like divine maidens straight out of legends…
And every single one of them looked absolutely bored.
They were:
Fei Xue – Eldest daughter. Beautiful, refined… and trying to bribe a judge to annul her marriage.Ling Hua – Second daughter. Pretends to be a demure wife, actually running a rebellion in her in-laws' sect.Mei Lian – Third daughter. Her husband was talented, but also 237 years old and called her "child."Ru Yan – Fourth daughter. Just threw her husband into a river during an argument.Shui Yun – Fifth daughter. Claimed her arranged husband's techniques were "too soft."Yan Zhi – Sixth daughter. Husband has talent, but thinks pick-up lines are cultivation techniques.Jin Rou – Seventh daughter. Left her wedding on a spirit crane. Has not been seen since.
And finally…
Yu Mei – Eighth daughter. Still unmarried. Still refusing to even discuss it.
The Sect Master groaned. "You eight are the most talented daughters in the entire upper realm. Why is it so hard to find husbands?"
Fei Xue rolled her eyes. "Because they're weak."
Ling Hua sipped her tea. "Or creepy."
Mei Lian muttered, "Or older than Grandpa Turtle."
Jin Rou's disembodied voice echoed faintly from the clouds above. "Marriage is a trap."
The Sect Master looked like he might start coughing blood.
His wife, serene as always, added helpfully, "Maybe it's time to stop arranging marriages with people based on their sect's political standing."
The Sect Master snapped, "We are the political standing!"
Yu Mei, sitting quietly near the end, finally said something.
"I'll marry when I find someone worth marrying."
The room froze.
The Sect Master narrowed his eyes.
"You met someone, didn't you."
Yu Mei sipped her tea and did not answer.
Behind her, the air shimmered for a moment—like the memory of a vending machine slamming shut on a coin.
The Sect Master slumped into his seat.
"Why can't you all just be like Qin Wu!?"
Qin Wu waved cheerfully from across the table. "My wife makes dumplings!"
No one responded.
The Sect Master sighed.
"This family is going to drive me to secluded cultivation…"
His wife gently placed a teacup in his hand.
"You say that every week, dear."
The silence that followed Yu Mei's calm declaration was almost painful.
All eyes turned to her.
Even the seven older sisters—who had spent the entire meeting rolling their eyes and whispering conspiracies about faking their own deaths—suddenly perked up.
The Sect Master blinked.
His wife raised an eyebrow.
Zhen Yu nearly dropped his teacup.
Qin Wu whispered, "Oh no. She's the serious one."
Fei Xue leaned forward immediately, narrowing her eyes.
"Wait. You… what did you say?"
Yu Mei didn't look flustered. She placed her teacup down gently and repeated it, voice steady.
"I already have someone I love."
The Sect Master stared at her as if she'd just grown a second head. "When?!"
"A long time ago."
Fei Xue squinted. "Do we know him?"
"No."
Mei Lian gasped dramatically. "Is he rich?"
Yu Mei: "No."
Yan Zhi looked concerned. "Old?"
Yu Mei: "No."
Ru Yan muttered, "Is he at least immortal?"
Yu Mei: "No."
Shui Yun, already sensing danger: "Oh no."
The Sect Master slammed his hand on the table. "Is he even a cultivator!?"
Yu Mei calmly answered:
"Not back then."
The entire table erupted in chaos.
"Wait, you fell in love with a mortal!?"
"Do you mean a mortal outside the cultivation world?"
"Wait wait wait—is this why you disappeared for two weeks that one time!?"
"Hold on, hold on—is he good-looking??"
The Sect Master stood up, nearly flipping the table.
"You are the eighth daughter of the Heaven Sect! Do you understand how many sects have tried to propose marriage alliances?! What do you mean he's not immortal!?"
Yu Mei gave a tiny shrug.
"He was kind. And strong. And I liked him."
His hands trembled.
"Kind!? Kind doesn't protect you from Nascent Soul assassins!"
Yu Mei calmly said, "He wasn't a cultivator."
Everyone froze.
The sisters glanced at each other.
The brothers all turned their heads, wide-eyed.
Even the Sect Master sat down slowly.
"Wait. Not… at all?"
Yu Mei nodded. "He was a mortal. A normal one."
Fei Xue blinked. "You're serious."
Yu Mei looked down at her cup. "He didn't have any power. But he was kind. Steady. Gentle."
Yan Zhi whispered, "That's worse than being old…"
Shui Yun added, "At least old cultivators have technique manuals."
The Sect Master looked pale. "So you mean to tell me… you fell in love with a random mortal boy from the lower world?"
Yu Mei didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
"And I don't regret it."
Fei Xue leaned forward again. "And you haven't seen him since?"
Yu Mei's voice softened. "Not in a long time."
The Sect Master leaned back in his chair like a man trying to calculate the lifespan of his own blood pressure.
"This family is cursed."
His wife, perfectly composed, refilled his tea with a soft smile.
"You say that every time one of them falls in love."
The air around the Sect Master crackled with spiritual pressure.
Tea sloshed violently in his cup.
"That's it," he growled, standing with his full Eighth Realm aura flaring for the first time in decades. "I want to see this mortal with my own eyes."
Everyone in the room stiffened.
"Invite him here. I don't care how. If you don't know where he is, then find him."
Fei Xue scoffed immediately, arms crossed.
"Father, you can't be serious. You want a mere mortal to set foot in the Heaven Sect?"
Mei Lian made a disgusted face.
"He probably won't even survive the spiritual pressure at the gates."
Yan Zhi muttered, "Can he even fly?"
Ru Yan raised a brow. "What if he faints mid-air? Are we supposed to catch him?"
Jin Rou's voice, still distant and cloudy, added, "Let him climb. If he can't make it up the stairs, he's not worthy."
Shui Yun sighed theatrically. "I've seen mortals pass out from just a spirit beast's glare."
Only Yu Mei sat there unmoved, arms folded calmly in her lap.
"Say what you want," she said, not even looking up. "It doesn't change anything."
The sisters turned to her in disbelief.
"You really don't care?"
"Even if he gets mocked?"
"Even if he can't cultivate?"
"Even if Father threatens to vaporize him on sight?"
Yu Mei looked them all in the eyes and answered plainly.
"No."
Across the room, the four brothers exchanged deeply concerned glances.
Qin Wu leaned over and whispered to Ren Bo, "We should… probably warn him, right?"
Ren Bo whispered back, "We don't even know who he is. He could be some poor clerk."
Zhen Yu added under his breath, "I hope he at least knows how to bow properly."
Hao Lin grimaced. "If he brings flowers, they better be spiritual-grade."
Qin Wu sighed. "May the heavens protect him…"
Meanwhile, the Sect Master's eyes burned with divine fury as he shouted,
"Summon the Soul-Searching Hall! I want every trace of this Alex boy's existence uncovered!"
Yu Mei finally turned her head and added coolly,
"He might not even remember me."
That stopped the room.
The sisters paused.
The brothers winced.
Even the Sect Master sat down slowly.
"If he forgot you… I'll kill him myself."
Within the hour, the Soul-Searching Hall had been activated.
Ancient bells rang across the Heaven Sect's main island as spirit flames rose above a polished jade array. The hall was rarely used—its purpose was to trace bloodlines, karma, and spiritual entanglement across vast distances. Some said it could even glimpse reincarnation threads.
But today?
It had a simpler task:
Find one mortal boy.
Name: Unknown.
Face: Unknown.
Cultivation: None.
Status: "Romantically entangled with the Sect Master's daughter."
The elders working the formation didn't know whether to laugh or panic.
Dozens of glowing scrolls hovered in mid-air, spiritual mirrors rotated through dimensions, karmic threads unraveled by hand…
And then—nothing.
No thread.
No image.
No karmic pull.
No celestial registration.
Not even a blurry silhouette.
It was as if the man didn't exist.
One of the lead Soul Mirrors cracked.
The formation masters began to sweat.
Back in the family hall, the attending elder bowed deeply.
"Reporting to the Sect Master. The Soul-Searching Hall has failed to locate the individual. Not a trace could be found in any realm under heaven."
A heavy silence followed.
Fei Xue frowned. "How is that possible?"
Mei Lian scowled. "Even the dead leave a thread!"
Ru Yan squinted. "Did she imagine him?"
The Sect Master gritted his teeth. "This is the Heaven Sect. Our Soul-Searching Hall pierces barriers mortals can't even perceive!"
Yu Mei, still calm, tilted her head thoughtfully.
"He's probably in another world."
They all turned to her.
"What do you mean, 'another world?'" the Sect Master asked suspiciously.
Yu Mei glanced out toward the clouds, her voice soft.
"It had only happened once."
"An accident, really."
"A rogue dimensional artifact, a miscalculated formation… and a moment of boredom."
"I was just curious. I activated it. Then I slipped between worlds."
"That's how I met him."
Shui Yun's eyes widened. "Wait. You didn't go to another realm. You went to… another planet?"
Yan Zhi gasped. "Like… outside the cultivation heavens?!"
Fei Xue put her hand on her forehead. "Are you saying the mortal world is in another dimension?"
Yu Mei gave the tiniest nod.
"He was there."
The Sect Master rose slowly, his eye twitching slightly.
"Let me get this straight…"
"You vanished for two weeks because you got bored, activated an unstable dimensional artifact, fell into a completely unknown world… and met a mortal boy you now want to marry?"
Yu Mei looked directly at him.
"Yes."
He sat back down like a collapsing mountain.
His wife gently slid another teacup into his hand without a word.
The eldest son, Zhen Yu, quietly whispered to his brothers:
"He's definitely going into secluded cultivation this time."
Chapter 649 – "The Mortal Gate"
The family hall was still tense.
The sisters whispered. The brothers pretended not to exist. The tea was running out.
The Sect Master sat unmoving, eyes half-lidded as if calculating the lifespan of his remaining patience. Then—
Yu Mei suddenly stood up.
Everyone turned.
Fei Xue blinked. "What now?"
Yu Mei's fingers gently traced the silver jade hairpin at her waist—a quiet click sounded as she pulled it free.
With a flick of her wrist, the artifact unfolded into its true form: a compact dimensional compass, engraved with rotating celestial symbols. The air around it shimmered.
The Sect Master's eyes narrowed.
"That thing…"
Yu Mei calmly replied, "It's the artifact I activated years ago."
"And?"
"I just remembered how it worked."
There was a pause.
Then, chaos.
Ru Yan half-stood. "Wait, you're saying you know how to get back there?"
Mei Lian gasped. "You remembered after all this time?!"
Shui Yun groaned. "You mean we could've gotten out of arranged marriage practice if we'd followed you?!"
Fei Xue narrowed her eyes. "You didn't tell us on purpose."
Yu Mei ignored them. She turned to her father.
"I can go to that world again."
"And I can bring him back."
The Sect Master stood sharply.
"Do it."
Yu Mei raised a brow. "You really want to meet him?"
"Yes."
"And if I don't like him—"
Her voice grew sharper, firmer.
"—I'll protect him."
Everyone went silent.
The words echoed unnaturally.
Not out of disrespect, but out of certainty.
Yu Mei was many things—elegant, distant, cold—but she never made empty threats.
The Sect Master stared at her.
"You would protect him… from me?"
Yu Mei met his gaze without fear.
"Yes."
The brothers simultaneously leaned back.
Ren Bo muttered, "She's gonna do it."
Qin Wu whispered, "I'm gonna pray for this guy."
Zhen Yu quietly added, "If she fights Father, the sky might crack."
The Sect Master slowly exhaled, folding his arms behind his back.
"Fine."
"Bring him here."
"Let us see if he is worthy of a daughter of Heaven."
Yu Mei turned, not replying—already walking toward the exit.
She tapped the dimensional compass once, and a trail of celestial runes spiraled into the air.
Soon.
The dimensional compass hovered just above Yu Mei's palm, its orbit stabilizing as celestial runes aligned with each passing second.
The veil between realms shimmered before her—thin, delicate, and dangerous.
But she didn't hesitate.
With a single step, she crossed the boundary of worlds.
The shift was smooth.
One breath, she stood in a sky palace above the clouds.
The next—
She stood beneath the warm, blue sky of Earth.
A gentle breeze rustled the trees around her. A quiet neighborhood stretched ahead, unusually peaceful. Birds chirped, and sunlight dappled the road.
Her eyes scanned quickly—there were no surveillance arrays, no patrol talismans, no roaming sect guardians.
But something else…
"A formation," she whispered.
The small house at the edge of the street looked normal—quiet, clean, even modest. But to her refined senses, it shimmered faintly. The space around it was subtly twisted, veiled by a concealment array of staggering craftsmanship.
"Who placed this here…?" she murmured.
Not even the Heaven Sect's scouts would have noticed this house unless they were looking directly at it.
Her heart skipped.
She walked slowly to the gate and up the path. Each step brought more questions—but also a strange, fluttering certainty.
She raised her hand—
And knocked.
A pause.
Soft footsteps inside.
The door opened.
And then—
Alex.
He stood there, blinking in surprise, a cup of tea still in hand.
His black hair was slightly tousled, like he'd just woken up from a nap. His eyes—deep, calm, impossibly steady—met hers with gentle familiarity.
But the moment Yu Mei saw his face clearly—
Her heart stopped.
This wasn't the awkward boy from her memories. This wasn't the clueless mortal who smiled at vending machines.
This man was handsome beyond belief—the kind of beauty that legends wrote about but couldn't describe. His posture was effortless. His presence was calm… but impossibly deep. Her breath caught.
What… is this feeling?
Is this still him?
Then—
He tilted his head and spoke, voice warm and nostalgic:
"Yu Mei… is that you?"
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted.
For a moment, she forgot every prepared sentence, every dignified greeting, every cold barrier she'd rehearsed as the Eighth Daughter of the Heaven Sect.
She could only stand there.
Frozen.
Staring.
Yu Mei stood frozen at the doorway, her mind caught in disarray.
She had prepared for many things.
To see him aged.
To see him unchanged.
To see him overwhelmed by her presence.
She had not prepared to see this—
a man so devastatingly composed and handsome that it felt like the air bent around him just to get a better look.
Her heart was fluttering. Her mouth was dry. Her breath caught somewhere between her chest and pride.
But Alex?
Alex just smiled casually and stepped aside.
"Come in. You're making it look like I'm rude to guests."
His tone was light—comfortable, even familiar. Like they'd just parted last week. Like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Yu Mei blinked.
"Y-You remember me?"
Alex paused mid-sip of his tea, glancing over at her with a small smile.
"Of course. It took a while, but it all came back eventually."
"You dropped a strange-looking talisman in my coat pocket before you vanished. I still have it."
He said it as if she'd dropped a hairpin, not slipped across dimensions.
"So…" he gestured lightly toward the living room, "are you here for tea, or to yell at me for forgetting you?"
That brought her back to reality.
"N-No—I mean, I'm not here to yell!"
"Good. I just brewed something nice," Alex said, already walking further inside.
Yu Mei stepped in slowly, her eyes adjusting to the warm interior. The place was simple but cozy. Clean. With faint magical layering so subtle, it was impossible to tell what was artifact and what was instinct.
And beneath it all… that strange, quiet power.
There's no way this is just a mortal…
But… he's not radiating any cultivation at all.
Alex plopped onto the couch and casually poured her a cup.
"Still like floral teas?" he asked.
She stared.
"You… remember that?"
"I don't forget the important things," he said simply.
She sat down without thinking.
Her heart was racing. Her pride was flustered. But all she could do now was accept the tea with both hands, her face a shade too calm to be casual.
Yu Mei held the teacup in both hands, trying to keep it from trembling.
Alex sat across from her, completely relaxed, sipping his tea as though dimensional reunions were a regular part of his week.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
She had rehearsed this.
A formal greeting.
An explanation of why she was here.
An acknowledgment of her father's unreasonable temper.
A subtle declaration of affection that wouldn't embarrass her.
All gone.
Evaporated the moment he opened the door looking like that.
Focus, Yu Mei. You're the Eighth Daughter of the Heaven Sect.
You've faced Nascent Soul elders, memorized thirteen scripture paths, mastered high-speed flying sword formations…
This is just a boy. A mortal boy.
She cleared her throat. "I… I came because…"
Alex tilted his head slightly, patient, kind.
"Because?"
She looked down at her tea.
"I came… because my father wants to meet you," she said quickly, like yanking off a spiritual bandage.
Alex blinked once.
Then nodded.
"Cultivation guy?"
Yu Mei looked up, startled. "You—You know?"
Alex shrugged, setting down his cup. "I figured it out."
"You weren't from here. The way you moved. The aura. The slight pressure when you breathed."
He gave a small smile.
"And your taste in robes is very… ancient royal court."
Yu Mei felt her ears go pink.
"I wasn't trying to hide it…"
"You didn't need to," Alex replied. "I knew you weren't normal. But I never really cared."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on one hand.
"You were still you."
Yu Mei's heart jumped.
She looked away immediately. "I… didn't expect you to remember me. Or… be so calm."
"Why wouldn't I be calm?" Alex said.
"You're just Yu Mei."
That hit her harder than any divine technique.
Just Yu Mei…
He didn't care that she was a daughter of the strongest sect in the realm.
He didn't tremble when hearing the name Heaven Sect.
He didn't even flinch when she mentioned her terrifying father wanted to meet him.
"So," he continued, "what's the real reason?"
She blinked.
"What?"
Alex's smile turned a little more curious.
"You're nervous. You keep tapping your fingers against the cup. That only happens when you're trying to say something important."
Yu Mei froze.
She looked down—and indeed, her fingers were gently tapping against the porcelain without her realizing it.
"I…"
"I came to bring you back with me."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Back to your world?"
She nodded.
"My father… he insisted. He wants to meet the person I…" she hesitated.
"…like."
Alex's smile faded into something softer. His voice gentled.
"Is that what this is?"
Yu Mei didn't answer right away.
But her fingers stilled.
And slowly, she looked up.
Chapter 650 – "The Mortal in Heaven"
Yu Mei stood beside him in front of the dimensional gate, her hands clenched tightly behind her back.
Alex just sipped from a thermos of tea he'd packed before leaving.
"You sure they're not going to try and kill me?"
Yu Mei gave him a sideways glance.
"If they do, I'll fight them."
He chuckled. "You always say scary things with the calmest tone."
The gate flared to life—runic rings spinning as the celestial veil parted. Beyond it lay the sky-palace of the Heaven Sect.
Alex stepped forward without fear.
They emerged on a pristine white jade platform floating in the clouds.
Before them stood the full assembly of the Heaven Sect's main household.
Twelve figures lined the edge of the reception court.
Four brothers—already married, calm and composed.
And Seven sisters, most of whom were preparing spiritual jabs, sarcasm, or judgment.
All of them had gathered to see this so-called mortal who had captured Yu Mei's heart.
Then—
Alex stepped forward.
And everything stopped.
Fei Xue's fan dropped from her hand.
Mei Lian blinked several times, mouth slightly open.
Ru Yan forgot to breathe.
Yan Zhi's eyes widened.
Shui Yun accidentally activated a beauty comparison talisman and short-circuited it.
Jin Rou, watching from a cloud above, dropped her snack.
Even the married brothers paused.
Wait, this is the mortal?
He was too calm.
Too elegant.
His presence, while utterly void of cultivation, was wrapped in quiet authority—like someone who didn't need to be strong because the world already bent around him.
And his appearance…
His black hair shimmered faintly under the light of the floating sun. His eyes were dark, but deep—like they had seen things far beyond this sky. His expression was soft, his posture relaxed, but there was a sharpness in the way he stood, like an unsheathed blade resting politely in its scabbard.
Fei Xue flushed slightly and looked away. "No cultivation… but… but he's…"
Mei Lian whispered, "I understand now…"
Ru Yan muttered, "We married too soon."
Yan Zhi gritted her teeth. "I've never blushed at a mortal before, this is illegal."
Shui Yun looked horrified. "Why do I want to brush his hair?!"
Even the Sect Master squinted, stroking his beard.
"…Is this really a mortal?"
His wife, who had said nothing so far, was looking at Alex very carefully.
And then—
She smiled.
Just faintly.
"Mm. Handsome."
The Sect Master nearly choked on his own spiritual breath.
"Woman!"
"What?! I'm married, not blind."
Meanwhile, Yu Mei was staring at the floor, red from ear to neck.
Alex looked around calmly, then turned to Yu Mei.
"This your whole family?"
She nodded once.
"Judging by their looks, I guess I made an impression."
The stunned silence across the floating jade platform lingered for several more seconds.
Then the Sect Master stepped forward.
His robe flowed like starlight, and every movement carried the weight of centuries. He stood tall, proud, and undeniably dangerous.
He stopped three steps in front of Alex and narrowed his eyes.
"You… truly have no cultivation?"
Alex glanced casually at his own hand, flexed it once, then looked back up.
"Not in the way you're thinking."
A low murmur rippled among the siblings.
Fei Xue whispered, "He's admitting he's weak—wait, no, is he?"
Ru Yan frowned. "Then why doesn't he feel like he's weak?"
The Sect Master scoffed.
"Then allow me to test your character."
His foot tapped the jade platform once.
A faint golden ripple surged from him—his aura, compressed and condensed, honed by centuries of cultivation at the Eighth Realm.
To most mortals, this would be like being pressed down by a mountain of divine will.
To disciples, it was like the sky collapsing.
Even the brothers took a step back in reflex.
The jade tiles beneath Alex's feet began to hum.
Wind twisted. Pressure gathered.
Yu Mei gasped.
"Father—!"
But Alex simply stood there.
Still.
Unmoved.
Unruffled.
He tilted his head slightly, as if feeling a light breeze instead of the weight of a godlike being's will.
The golden aura pressed harder, coiling like a dragon of light above his head—
But Alex blinked once, and the aura shivered.
Just a little.
Enough for the Sect Master to notice.
Alex's voice was calm.
"If this is your idea of testing me… you'll have to try harder."
The pressure dispersed like smoke.
The Sect Master took a slow step back, eyes narrowing.
He saw it now—there was nothing.
No cultivation.
No core.
No spiritual sense.
And yet—his aura had done nothing.
No effect.
No fear.
No damage.
Not even a wrinkle on the boy's shirt.
The daughters stared.
Ru Yan muttered, "What just happened?"
Yan Zhi blinked. "Did he… block Father's aura with his face?"
Fei Xue looked genuinely rattled. "No mortal should be that calm under Dad's full intent."
Yu Mei's heart was racing, but she forced herself to speak.
"I told you I'd protect him."
Alex, still smiling gently, added without looking at her,
"It's okay. I didn't need protection this time."
The Sect Master narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
But for the first time in centuries… he had no response.
The air was tense.
The Sect Master stared at Alex, unmoving. Silence stretched long and heavy. The siblings didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Finally—
"I still don't understand what you are," he said, his voice low.
"You have no cultivation. No presence."
"And yet you stood under my aura like it was nothing."
He stepped forward again, this time with purpose.
"A test of will is not enough."
His eyes gleamed with divine pressure.
"I want a duel."
Every sibling's head snapped toward him.
Fei Xue: "Excuse me!?"
Mei Lian: "You want to duel a mortal!?"
Yan Zhi: "Are you trying to commit political suicide?!"
Shui Yun: "What if you kill him?! Yu Mei will hate you forever!"
Ru Yan muttered, "I think she already does."
Yu Mei stepped in front of Alex instinctively, a pulse of cold air forming at her feet.
"No. He's not a cultivator. That's—"
But Alex raised a hand gently, stopping her.
"It's fine."
"If he wants to understand, then let him."
Yu Mei turned sharply. "You don't need to prove anything to—"
He smiled.
"I know."
"But I've been through worse than one angry father."
Moments later, the dueling ground atop the Heaven Sect's inner sanctum lit up.
It was a closed space reserved for family disputes—completely sealed, invisible from the outside. Only those bound by blood or marriage to the Sect Master could enter.
The siblings circled the edges in stunned silence.
The mother calmly poured herself tea and said nothing.
The Sect Master stood at the far end of the field, his aura completely sealed, arms crossed.
"I will not use any technique," he said coldly. "Only body and movement."
"Let us see what your mortal body is made of."
Alex stood across from him with his hands in his pockets.
"Alright."
"Just don't regret it."
Yu Mei's eye twitched.
Fei Xue whispered, "Did he just trash talk Father?"
Qin Wu muttered, "He's gonna die…"
Ren Bo replied, "Or we're going to see something we can't explain."
The gong echoed.
The duel began.
The gong had barely finished echoing when the Sect Master vanished from his position, appearing instantly in front of Alex with the speed of a seasoned Eighth Realm cultivator.
A palm strike, clean and fast—
Aimed directly at Alex's chest.
Boom—!
The impact rang through the duel platform like a thunderclap.
Wind blasted outward. The floor cracked beneath Alex's feet. Spiritual energy scattered.
The siblings gasped.
Fei Xue stood up. "Father hit him!!"
Shui Yun flinched. "He used more strength than he said!"
Mei Lian whispered, "He's dead—!"
But when the smoke cleared—
Alex was still standing.
His shirt was slightly ruffled.
His hair… mildly windblown.
That was it.
He tilted his head, expression calm.
"Was that it?"
The Sect Master's eyes narrowed. "You blocked it somehow—"
"No."
Alex's hand moved.
Just once.
A simple, clean punch. No wind-up. No glowing aura. No battle cry.
His fist connected squarely with the Sect Master's chest.
Crack—!!
The Sect Master flew backward like a comet, crashing through the dueling platform's barrier with a violent shockwave before skidding to a stop on the ground.
Everyone stared.
He didn't get up.
He didn't move.
He was unconscious.
The greatest man of the Heaven Sect—
Top of the Eighth Realm—
Hundreds of years undefeated—
Was knocked out cold by a mortal.
A very, very, very handsome mortal.
Silence.
Yan Zhi whispered, "Did he just—?"
Ru Yan: "He really did…"
Shui Yun: "Our father's body is worth more than ten kingdoms, and he just got folded like a shirt."
Fei Xue: "We… may have misjudged this man."
Yu Mei didn't speak.
But she looked… proud.
Just a little.
Alex turned to her calmly, brushing dust from his knuckles.
"Is that enough for your family?"
The silence continued.
Jin Rou's voice echoed from the clouds.
"I'm adding him to the family group scroll. Immediately."
Alex stepped forward, unfazed by the stunned crowd and the unconscious mountain of spiritual authority sprawled on the dueling floor.
He knelt beside the Sect Master casually, like checking on a friend who had tripped over a garden stone.
"Hold still," Alex said softly.
He raised one hand and tapped the Sect Master's chest with two fingers.
A gentle pulse of energy— not divine qi, not spiritual essence, but something far more refined—pure healing magic, enhanced by his Law of Mana.
The fractured ribs mended. The blood pressure stabilized. The Sect Master's breathing eased.
Then—
"Uhh…"
He groaned, blinking as he slowly sat up.
Everyone leaned in.
"What… happened?"
Yu Mei stepped forward with an expression too neutral to be neutral.
Fei Xue whispered, "Do we… do we tell him?"
Qin Wu muttered, "Maybe we say he slipped?"
Yan Zhi: "Off a spiritual banana peel?"
Alex stood back with a polite smile.
"I hit you."
The Sect Master paused.
"You what."
Alex folded his arms. "You hit me. Nothing happened. Then I hit you. You went out."
The Sect Master stared blankly for a full ten seconds.
Then slowly turned his head toward his children.
"He's lying, right?"
The daughters looked away.
The sons exchanged awkward glances.
Shui Yun tried to vanish behind her fan.
Mei Lian offered, "Well… at least your teeth are still in."
Ru Yan added helpfully, "And your back didn't snap!"
The Sect Master looked back at Yu Mei, eyes narrow.
"You knew?"
Yu Mei blinked.
"Knew what?"
"His strength!"
Yu Mei looked completely serious.
"I thought he was a mortal."
The Sect Master's pupils contracted slightly.
"You brought home a man who you thought was a normal mortal, and he just one-punched me into a spiritual coma?"
Yu Mei calmly nodded.
"Yes."
He looked back at Alex, who gave a small shrug.
"I made tea earlier if that helps."
Silence again.
Then the Sect Master muttered under his breath:
"I'm retiring."
The Sect Master sat upright now, leaning back on his hands, still processing what had just happened.
His gaze locked onto Alex once more—this time not with hostility, but with a strange mix of confusion, curiosity, and… slight trauma.
"You…" he began slowly, voice cautious, "you don't have any cultivation… and yet your body ignored my aura and your fist nearly sent my soul into reincarnation."
Alex gave a calm nod. "I don't cultivate. Not in the way you do."
"But you have mana?"
"Yeah."
"Then how—what are you even doing with it if you're not using it for cultivation techniques or spiritual breakthroughs?!"
Alex gave a small shrug and said, almost too casually:
"I'm just… a bit irregular."
The siblings leaned in a little closer.
The Sect Master narrowed his eyes. "Irregular?"
Alex looked him straight in the eye, relaxed but unreadable.
"Your mana is used to increase your cultivation level or fuel structured techniques."
"Mine isn't."
"That's the difference."
He offered nothing more.
Just that:
"A bit irregular."
The Sect Master stared at him like a man trying to solve a puzzle with pieces from the wrong box.
Yu Mei stood nearby, arms folded, expression unreadable.
She wasn't sure what she was more surprised by:
That Alex had this power…
Or that he chose not to flaunt it at all.
Shui Yun whispered behind her fan, "Wait… is 'irregular' code for divine beast?"
Yan Zhi: "Or rogue heavenly weapon spirit?"
Fei Xue squinted. "Or just someone who's completely outside our system?"
The Sect Master exhaled slowly, defeated.
"You're not mortal."
"But you're not a cultivator either."
Alex smiled faintly. "Correct."
"So what are you?"
Alex picked up a nearby teacup and poured the Sect Master a refill.
"Your daughter's guest."