Back in the Qingye Sect, clouds churned overhead as if reacting to something far beyond mortal perception. Elder Qiu stood on a high balcony, his brows furrowed as he watched the sky flicker with streaks of gold and black lightning.
> "This Qi… It's not natural," he muttered. "No. It's not from this realm."
Behind him, Elder Mo approached, his steps careful.
> "You felt it too?"
> "Yes," Qiu replied, folding his hands behind his back. "Lin Ho… he's touched something ancient."
> "Should we report it to the Grand Elder?"
Elder Qiu shook his head. "Not yet. The boy is still stabilizing. Besides, if what I suspect is true, even the Grand Elder may be unprepared."
---
Lin Ho's Courtyard
Lin Ho sat cross-legged, his body glowing faintly under the starlight. The Primordial Echo Technique pulsed within him — a cultivation method that resonated not with nature, but with the cosmic balance itself.
Every breath he took now stirred the surrounding Qi into alignment.
The very air seemed to acknowledge his presence.
> "This power," he whispered. "It doesn't belong to the realms I've known."
As he meditated, memories not his own flickered in his mind. Great towers of crystal floating in the void. Titans of energy clashing amidst collapsing galaxies. A name echoed faintly—Abyssal Tribunal—and then faded.
His heart thumped harder.
> "The Abyss…"
---
Elsewhere – Southern Ridge
The usually peaceful region had turned restless. Spirit beasts roamed in confused herds, and the land trembled slightly with each hour. Deep within a ravine, a shadow rose.
It wasn't a beast. Nor a man.
It was something between.
Eyes like dying stars opened, and a smile crept across its face.
> "The seed has awakened," it rasped. "Chaos walks again. And soon… order will crumble."
The creature turned its gaze toward the Qingye Sect.
> "Time to gather the children of dusk."
With a flash of black smoke, it vanished.
---
Qingye Sect – Elder's Hall
That night, a secret meeting took place.
Elder Qiu, Elder Mo, and a few trusted others sat around a jade table, expressions grim.
> "There are forces stirring across the continent," Elder Qiu began. "Old tombs are opening. Forbidden beasts are awakening. Lin Ho may be the key, but he may also be the trigger."
> "Then what should we do?"
> "Watch him closely. Let him grow. But if the chaos within him begins to devour the sect—"
> "You'd kill him?" Elder Mo asked.
Elder Qiu was silent for a long time.
> "No. I'd die protecting him… if it means breaking the cycle."
---
End of Chapter 74