The sun had set, painting the sky in hues of bruised purple and blood orange. The city, however, remained awake. The shockwaves of Ryuzaki Haruto's brutal suppression of Ryuzaki Raijin had rippled through every tavern, tea house, and sect encampment.
"Did you hear? The Divine Son crushed Sequence Five with one foot!" "He didn't even use a weapon. Just pure dominance."
While the common cultivators gossiped in awe, the true elites gathered in the high-end pavilions to plot.
In the Pavilion of Drunken Immortals, the atmosphere was heavy with the scent of expensive incense and suppressed spiritual pressure. A group of young prodigies sat around a circular table carved from Spirit Wood.
At the center sat a young man who radiated the brilliance of a rising sun.
He wore robes of woven gold thread. His face was handsome, with sharp, aristocratic features that spoke of a lineage stretching back to the dawn of the Empire. But no one looked at his face.
All eyes were drawn to his Right Arm.
It was not wrapped in cloth, but exposed for all to see. The skin was translucent, revealing the bone beneath. The bone was not white, but pure, blinding gold. Ancient runes, older than the current era, pulsed along the ulna and radius, emitting a terrifying pressure that warped the air around him.
Fujiwara Gen.
He was the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Academy, the most prestigious educational institution in the Empire. He was also the heir to the ancient Fujiwara Clan.
But his most famous title was "The Little Saint."
"Brother Gen," a young master from the Sword Sect raised his cup, his voice dripping with flattery. "With that arm of yours, the Celestial Void Secret Realm is practically already in your pocket."
"Indeed," another prodigy chimed in. "They talk about the Ryuzaki Divine Son, but he is just a child. Brother Gen has fused with the Hand Bone of a Saint King. Who can compete with that?"
Gen swirled his wine, a faint, confident smile playing on his lips. He enjoyed the praise.
The Saint King's Hand Bone.
In the hierarchy of cultivation, a Saint was a being who had transcended mortality. A Saint King was a ruler among Saints. A single finger from such a being could crush a mountain range.
Gen, at the Unity Realm, had successfully fused with this bone. It was a miracle of compatibility and will. Although he could currently only unleash a fraction of its power, that fraction was enough to crush anyone in the younger generation.
"The Ryuzaki Divine Son..." Gen murmured, his smile fading slightly.
The room went silent. The name was a heavy weight.
"I have heard the rumors," Gen said, his voice smooth but cold. "He has the Sacred Body and the Supreme Bone. He defeated Ryuzaki Raijin. Impressive."
"But," Gen clenched his golden fist, causing the air in the pavilion to crack. "He has not met me."
Gen's eyes burned with a deep-seated ambition. It wasn't just about personal glory; it was about the Three Great Clans.
In the Empire of Yamato, three families stood at the apex:
The Ryuzaki Clan (The Monarchs of the North).
The Minamoto Clan (The Daoists of the West).
The Date Clan (The Star Lords of the East).
The Fujiwara Clan used to be among them, but they had fallen from grace centuries ago. Gen's goal was to drag the Date Clan down and reclaim his family's spot in the Trinity. To do that, he needed to prove he was stronger than the current generation of monsters.
"Brother Gen is right!" a follower cheered. "What Sacred Body? It's an outdated physique. The Saint King's power is absolute!"
Gen took a sip of wine, hiding the glint in his eyes.
He wasn't just relying on his arm. He had a secret.
Months ago, in the forbidden library of the Holy Spirit Academy, Gen had found a tattered ancient manuscript. It contained the notes of the Void Supreme himself.
Inside the manuscript was a map. And a key.
'Everyone is going to the Secret Realm to scavenge for scraps,' Gen thought, a predatory light in his eyes. 'But I alone know where the True Inheritance lies. There is an item hidden in the core... something that can grant me the foundation to become an Emperor.'
"Let them fight over dragon bones and spirit herbs," Gen whispered to himself. "I will take the throne."
The Resonance in the Moonlight
Southern Sky City, The Sky Palace.
While the Fujiwara heir plotted, Ryuzaki Haruto was engaged in a very different kind of activity.
It was deep into the night. The moon hung high, casting a silver glow over the courtyards of the Sky Palace.
In the center of the meditation garden, two figures sat cross-legged, facing each other.
Haruto sat with his eyes closed, his white robes glowing with a soft golden light. The Ancient Sacred Body was humming, the blood in his veins sounding like a rushing river.
Opposite him sat Minamoto Sayaka.
The Congenital Dao Embryo was fully active. The ambient Mana of the world swirled around her, visible as ribbons of azure light. She looked like a goddess of nature, serene and untouchable.
Except, she was trembling.
"Divine Son..." Sayaka whispered, her eyes fluttering open. Her face was flushed, sweat beading on her forehead. "It's... too intense."
The air between them was thick, distorted by the resonance of their physiques.
Above their heads, a phantom image had manifested. A Golden Dragon (Haruto) and an Azure Phoenix (Sayaka) were circling each other, their energies intertwining in a dance that felt dangerously intimate.
"Focus, Sayaka," Haruto said, not opening his eyes. His voice was calm, but there was a strain in it. "Don't fight the resonance. Let it flow."
"I... I can't," Sayaka gasped.
She felt a heat rising from her dantian, spreading through her limbs. It wasn't pain. It was a sense of completion so profound it was terrifying. Every time the Golden Dragon phantom brushed against her Phoenix aura, she felt a jolt of pleasure—spiritual pleasure, the joy of the Dao finding its match.
It felt like her soul was being pulled out of her body, trying to merge with Haruto's.
"It feels like..." Sayaka bit her lip. "Like we are becoming one."
Haruto opened his eyes. They were glowing gold.
He looked at her, and the intensity of his gaze made Sayaka's heart stop.
"We are," Haruto said simply. "The Sacred Body and the Dao Embryo. We are the Yin and Yang of the cultivation world. When we are close, the Heavens rejoice."
He reached out a hand.
Sayaka flinched, but she didn't pull away. The magnetic pull was too strong.
Haruto placed his palm against her palm.
BOOM!
A shockwave of pure energy exploded from their joined hands. The garden walls shook. The flowers bloomed and withered in seconds, cycling through seasons in the blink of an eye.
"Ah!" Sayaka cried out, her back arching.
A massive influx of comprehension flooded her mind. Bottlenecks she had struggled with for years shattered instantly. Her cultivation base rose visibly.
Divine Bridge Late Stage... Peak Stage!
Haruto also felt the surge. His Giant Elephant Particles roared, waking up by the hundreds.
71,000... 72,000 Particles!
After a minute, Haruto pulled his hand back. The connection broke, leaving them both breathless.
Sayaka slumped forward, panting heavily. She looked at Haruto with wide, watery eyes. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and incredibly alive.
"What... was that?" she whispered.
"That," Haruto smiled, leaning back casually, "is why I invited you to my carriage."
"You... you devil," Sayaka accused him, but there was no heat in her voice. She pulled her knees to her chest, hiding her blushing face. "Is this all I am to you? A cultivation tool?"
Haruto paused. He looked at the woman before him—proud, beautiful, and currently unraveled by his presence.
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture was gentle, surprising her.
"Tools are disposable, Sayaka," Haruto said softly. "You are not."
"Rest now. Tomorrow, we enter the Secret Realm. It will be dangerous."
Sayaka looked at him, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She nodded silently, fleeing to her room before she did something foolish.
Haruto watched her go, his smile fading. He looked at his hand.
"The Ancestor warned me about attachments," Haruto mused. "But he didn't mention they would be this... addictive."
The Wolf at the Gate
The City Gates of Southern Sky City.
While the elites rested in luxury, a lone figure walked through the massive gates of the city.
He wore a tattered gray cloak, the hood pulled low to hide his face. His boots were covered in the red dust of the wastelands.
He stopped, looking up at the floating lights of the Sky Palace in the distance.
"So that is where he sleeps," the figure hissed.
It was Prince Seiryu (Xiao Chen).
He clenched his fists inside his cloak. He could feel the oppressive auras radiating from the city center—Fujiwara Gen, Ryuzaki Haruto, Minamoto Sayaka. Monsters, all of them.
"Master," Seiryu whispered. "Can we really compete with them?"
Inside the ring, the Ancient Dragon Master chuckled.
'Relax, kid. They have resources, but you have Destiny. And more importantly... you have the key to the Dragon's Legacy.'
'Let them fight over the scraps. We are here for the Ancient Dragon Bone. Once you get that, your [Azure Dragon Transformation] will be complete. You will be able to tear that "Little Saint" and that "Divine Son" limb from limb.'
Seiryu took a deep breath. His eyes hardened.
"You're right. Thirty years east, thirty years west."
He merged into the shadows of the alleyway, disappearing like a ghost.
Following silently behind him, invisible to the naked eye, was Princess Kaguya. She watched Seiryu's back with determination.
"I will protect you, Seiryu," she vowed silently. "Even if I have to burn the Panwu Dynasty to the ground to do it."
The players were gathered. The pieces were set.
Tomorrow, the Celestial Void Secret Realm would open, and the Southern Province would turn into a slaughterhouse.