The red-orange hue in the sky deepened with each step Li Yi and his companions took toward the distant smoke. The air had grown heavier, tinged with something sharp and acrid—ash. What had once been the serene upper district of Skycloud Pavilion was now marred by scattered debris, shattered formations, and the flickering silhouettes of battle-torn walls.
Mo Ruyan pressed a hand to the ground. Her spiritual sense traveled far ahead, and her brows furrowed. "The defensive formation has collapsed. The inner sanctum was attacked directly."
Zhao Feiyu's eyes burned with fury. "In just three weeks? Who would dare assault Skycloud Pavilion?"
"Someone who knew exactly when to strike," Lan Qing'er said, adjusting her grip on her saber. "When we vanished, we left a power vacuum."
They passed through what remained of the outer gates. The engraved characters—Skycloud Pavilion—were scorched black, the spirit metal beneath warped by heat and energy. Dozens of disciples, both young and old, lay wounded or unconscious in neat rows under the open sky, guarded by several injured elders.
One of them, Elder Xu of the inner chamber, spotted them. His spiritual energy was thin, and his right arm hung limp at his side.
"You've returned," he rasped.
Li Yi nodded, stepping forward. "Who did this?"
"A coalition… rogue sects, mercenaries, and one traitor from within." Elder Xu spat blood. "They moved under the banner of the Abyssal Path."
A silence fell over the group.
Ruyan's voice was cold. "The Abyssal Path has re-emerged?"
Xu nodded grimly. "And they weren't subtle. They targeted the Pavilion's ancient records. Stole several artifacts. Slaughtered anyone who tried to stop them."
"And the Grand Elder?" Qing'er asked.
"Gravely wounded. In secluded recovery. He's sealed himself beneath the Pavilion for a month. But the true threat isn't him… it's what they took."
Li Yi's heart sank. "What did they take?"
"The Starlight Chart," Xu whispered. "The one your master sealed away centuries ago."
Li Yi stepped back in disbelief.
The Starlight Chart wasn't merely a mapping tool. It was an ancient treasure handed down from the God Realm itself. A star-forged map capable of revealing hidden spatial nodes across realms—especially sealed or forgotten gates.
"They're trying to find the Abyss Gate," Li Yi said, the realization crashing over him like a tidal wave.
"They already know of its presence," Ruyan muttered. "Now they seek the path."
Zhao Feiyu clenched his fists. "Then we cut off that path before they reach it."
But Li Yi's thoughts were already spiraling ahead.
If the Abyssal Path was targeting the sealed gate—then someone in the God Realm was feeding them information. The seal placed during the ancient war had been forgotten by most, its records scattered or destroyed. Only someone from the original bloodlines would even know how to interpret the Starlight Chart.
"We don't have much time," Li Yi said, turning. "Elder Xu, rest and recover. We'll handle what comes next."
The elder nodded with gratitude. "Be cautious. And Li Yi…"
"Yes?"
"There's a message left for you. From your master."
Li Yi blinked. "Master? He left a message?"
Elder Xu handed him a piece of folded silver paper, sealed with a blood rune. Li Yi activated the rune with a trace of Chaos Qi. The paper ignited in a gentle white flame and the voice of Master Qingzhao echoed in his mind.
> "Li Yi. If you are hearing this, then Skycloud has been breached, and the world's tide is turning. I feared this moment would come.
Know this: the Starlight Chart does not just reveal the gate's location—it also contains a celestial lock. Without the key, they cannot open it. That key rests with the last Scion of Starlight.
And that Scion… is you."
Li Yi stood still.
The flame vanished, but the words remained burned into his thoughts.
Zhao Feiyu noticed the change. "What did it say?"
Li Yi looked at him, expression calm but cold. "It said I am the key."
Silence followed. Even the wind held its breath.
Then Lan Qing'er whispered, "Then they'll come for you."
"Let them," Li Yi replied, stepping forward. "We'll hunt them first."
---
Two days later – Hidden Glacier Valley
Snow fell like drifting petals, each flake imbued with dense spiritual energy. The Hidden Glacier Valley, located on the northernmost edge of the Xuan Realm, was a forbidden zone for most cultivators—its frigid winds could freeze even Meridian Forging experts in minutes.
But for Li Yi and his companions, the cold was nothing compared to what they were chasing.
Ruyan consulted a frozen compass inscribed with abyssal tracking runes. "They passed through here. At least a dozen. One of them carries the Chart."
They moved swiftly across ice bridges and narrow ridges. At the heart of the valley stood a twisted spire of crystal—unnatural and humming with demonic essence.
Zhao Feiyu squinted. "A temporary portal?"
Qing'er frowned. "It's unstable. Not designed to send people—only information."
They approached cautiously.
Mo Ruyan's talismans fluttered around her, resonating with the spire. "They used this to transmit the data. Coordinates, star positions… everything the Chart revealed."
"Can we destroy it?" Li Yi asked.
"No need," she said. "It's fading. But if the Abyssal Path sent this to their masters…"
"Then we're already too late," Zhao Feiyu growled.
Li Yi walked to the base of the spire and placed his palm on it. Chaos Qi surged into the structure, overriding its corrupted essence. His Qi flared—dark, deep, endless. The spire shuddered.
With a crack, it exploded.
Shards of demon-forged crystal scattered across the snow.
Then, from the shadows behind the spire, figures emerged.
Cloaked in black, masked, and silent.
"Assassins," Qing'er hissed, unsheathing her saber.
The enemy didn't speak.
They attacked.
Li Yi surged forward, his Heavenbreaker blade now heavier, sharper. The third seal had broken, revealing a hint of its true form—a sword forged from the stardust of fallen realms.
He clashed blades with the lead assassin, who wielded a sickle blade wrapped in abyssal flames. Sparks and frost scattered with each strike.
Zhao Feiyu and Ruyan battled three more, their movements seamless, honed by weeks of combat. Qing'er flashed between enemies like a gust of cutting wind.
But one enemy stood apart.
Tall. Unmoving. Watching.
His mask bore the mark of the Abyssal Path—the inverted star.
Li Yi finished his opponent and turned toward the silent figure.
"You're not here to fight," Li Yi said.
The figure stepped forward. His voice echoed, deep and controlled. "No. I came to deliver a message."
"Speak."
The figure pointed toward the sky.
"The gate is awakening. And when it does, we will rise."
Then, in a burst of spatial energy, he vanished.
Li Yi stood there, blade dripping with frost and blood.
The message was clear.
The war was no longer coming.
It had begun.
—
End of Chapter 17
Ready for Chapter 18?