The sky over the mountains turned gray again.
The wind carried the smell of rain and metal, the kind that stayed long after a storm.
Jian Wu and Yue Shan walked down a narrow stone path, leaving the ruins behind.
Neither spoke for a while. The silence between them felt heavier than the mountain air.
"It's too quiet," Yue Shan finally muttered. "Creepy kind of quiet."
Jian Wu nodded slowly. "The Void stopped moving. That's why."
"Quiet doesn't mean safe."
"It never does."
They kept walking. Far ahead, the horizon began to clear, the faint light of dusk washing over the valley.
---
Meanwhile…
High above, at the heart of the Sky Sect, a massive bell tolled three times.
The sound rolled through the mountains like thunder.
Every disciple stopped to listen.
It meant only one thing, an emergency council had begun.
Inside the grand hall, five elders from the great sects sat around a stone table carved with ancient symbols.
Each one carried the authority to shape the fate of nations.
At the head of the table, Elder Yue Shanrong of the Sky Sect spoke in a cold, steady tone.
"The reports are confirmed. The Vessel still lives."
A woman with silver hair from the Cold Heaven Sect, Elder Mei Han, narrowed her eyes.
"Impossible. The Temple of Silence was destroyed. We saw the light vanish."
Yue Shanrong met her gaze. "You saw the surface. Not what lies beneath. The Void Anchor has awakened."
The room fell silent.
---
From the far side of the table, Heiya Lingwang of the Shadow Tide Sect leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
"So, the boy survived. That means the balance is shifting again. Tell me, do we destroy him… or use him?"
Han Mei scowled. "You talk like this is a game. My sect lost two guardians in that explosion!"
Lingwang's lips curved faintly. "If you fear blood, Elder Han, perhaps you're sitting at the wrong table."
The air grew tense.
Elder Ren Kaien of the Thousand Souls Sect broke the silence. "Enough. We're not here to trade insults."
Yue Shanrong lifted his hand slightly. "He's right. What matters now is what the heavens will do next."
---
The heavy doors opened with a low groan.
A scout ran in, panting hard before kneeling on one knee.
"Reporting, elders! We detected traces of Void energy in the southern valley… but not from the Vessel."
Everyone turned toward him.
"Not from him?" Lingwang asked sharply. "Then who?"
The scout hesitated. "We believe it's residue from an incomplete ritual, possibly from the ruins of the Temple of Silence."
Ren Kaien's expression darkened. "That means someone else tried to contain it. And failed."
Yue Shanrong's gaze sharpened. "And the boy escaped with the exiled disciple, Yue Shan, didn't he?"
Kaien gave a short nod. "That's what my people say. The exile and the Vessel are moving together.
If that's true… we're about to learn what 'defying heaven' really means."
---
No one spoke for several breaths.
Even the wind outside seemed to stop.
Elder Mei Han broke the silence. "Then what now? The world won't wait for us to argue."
Yue Shanrong turned toward the window. Storm clouds gathered above the peaks, circling slowly like a living thing.
"The Divine Council has already decided," he said quietly. "They're sending down Tian Ye Zun."
Ren Kaien's eyes flickered. "The Seraph of Heaven?"
"Yes." Yue Shanrong's tone dropped lower. "The same being that descended a thousand years ago when the world almost burned."
---
Lingwang stood, her robes brushing against the cold stone floor.
"If a Seraph descends again, no sect will be safe, not even yours."
Yue Shanrong looked at her calmly. "Then make sure the boy never reaches the gates of Heaven."
"And if he's not the threat you think he is?" she asked flatly.
Yue Shanrong paused. "Then Heaven will find another reason to destroy him."
No one argued.
---
Far to the south, Jian Wu stopped at the edge of a cliff.
The wind rushed past his face, carrying the scent of the valley below. Yue Shan stood behind him, watching the sky.
"The air changed," Jian Wu said quietly.
Yue Shan followed his gaze. The clouds above were moving in circles, slow, deliberate, unnatural.
"More trouble?" he asked.
"Not trouble," Jian Wu murmured. "A warning."
---
The clouds pulsed once, glowing faint gold.
Then lightning split the sky, and within that light, a shadow appeared, vast wings descending slowly through the storm.
Yue Shan's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"
Jian Wu said nothing. The faint blue glow beneath his chest began to pulse again, reacting to the prese
nce above.
He raised his head, eyes fixed on the figure falling from the clouds.
"So," he whispered. "Heaven finally moves."