The night before war felt like the silence before a funeral.
Feng Mo stood atop a charred ridge overlooking the Soul-Forging Plains. The red glow of the Flame Cistern behind him painted his cloak in hues of blood and ember.
Below, in the valley, the Sect's forces arrived.
Banners bearing the mark of the Inner Elders.
Armored spirit beasts with soul-bound riders.
Thousands of cultivators arrayed like blades of a single monstrous formation.
At the front rode the First Wraith Envoy—face shrouded, aura bound in sealing talismans. He didn't walk the ground. He floated—death incarnate.
Beside Feng Mo, Ling Xue sheathed her curved blade and whispered, "If we flee now, there's a chance."
"I don't run," Feng Mo said.
"Not anymore."
He turned toward the black tree inside his Requiem Space.
Seven Veins bloomed like stars across its twisted branches.
And now… the Eighth Vein pulsed beneath the roots.
"Let it open."
The Vein of Resentment
As Feng Mo meditated, the wind howled unnaturally.
The space inside the Requiem cracked.
From deep beneath the tree, a red-black vine slithered out and lashed against the soul altar.
Eighth Vein — Gate of Resentment Unsealed.
"All those who hate you, all those you've killed—lend them shape."
Feng Mo screamed as a surge of memories not his own ripped into him.
Enemies. Betrayers. Slain beasts. Fallen disciples.
Their hate became fuel.
He stood. His shadow lengthened.
And from it, they emerged—phantoms made of resentment.
Ten. Twenty. Fifty.
All wielding echoes of the techniques Feng Mo had faced and broken.
They were not friends.
They were not allies.
They were hatred given form—but under his control.
---
First Clash: Thunder in the Plains
The Sect's forces moved first.
A thousand talismans launched into the sky.
The valley ignited with cleansing flame techniques.
Feng Mo raised his hand.
"Ash Avatars—hold the front."
"Resentment Phantoms—spread chaos."
The battle ignited like a spark on dry oil.
Flame met soul-shade.
Swords clashed against shadows of old grudges.
Feng Mo launched into the fray—his Phantom Severing Glaive glowing crimson, cutting down elite disciples with soul-shattering arcs.
He spun, stabbed, vanished, reappeared.
One slash. Three kills.
Five steps. Eight corpses.
Every death birthed more Resentment Phantoms, feeding the Eighth Vein.
---
Duel with the First Envoy
Suddenly, the battlefield parted.
The First Wraith Envoy floated forward, surrounded by a dome of dead silence. His presence crushed weaker cultivators to their knees.
He raised a skeletal hand.
"Requiem bearer. The sect has judged you."
"I've already been judged," Feng Mo spat. "Now I answer back."
They clashed—
One blade forged from memory and soul.
One hand wielding Void Law Techniques that erased matter.
Feng Mo was thrown back by the first strike, his armor cracking.
"He wields Void Qi… he's not from this realm."
But as the envoy moved in, Feng Mo stabbed his palm into the ground.
Soulroot Projection — Phantom Domain!
The entire battlefield twisted into his Soulroot Memory Realm, and Feng Mo became everywhere.
The First Envoy swung—and struck illusions.
Feng Mo struck from the blind side.
Blood sprayed. The talismans binding the Envoy's aura shattered.
"Impressive," the envoy said, voice calm. "But now… I unseal myself."
The Requiem Shakes
As the First Wraith Envoy unsealed, his power surged.
The skies split. Qi turned black. Stars flickered.
"He's a Half-Step World Ascender," Ling Xue gasped.
Feng Mo's body trembled.
The black tree inside his space wailed.
The weight of this battle was beyond what he should face.
But the Requiem did not yield.
It answered.
From deep within, something stirred—a hidden ninth bud.
Too soon… too dangerous…
Feng Mo clenched his teeth, blood running down his arms.
"If you want me gone," he growled, "then burn with me.
To be continued…
---
Q
⚔️ Chapter 14 Summary:
Feng Mo awakens the Eighth Vein: Gate of Resentment, allowing him to manifest shadow-phantoms of fallen enemies.
A massive war ignites between the Sect's army and Feng Mo's summoned forces.
Feng Mo faces the First Wraith Envoy, a deadly Half-Step Ascender with Void Qi.
The battle pushes Feng Mo to the brink—and the Ninth Vein begins to stir prematurely.