The Divine Realm, vast and majestic, stood as a realm beyond mortality—where immortals weaved fate, and secrets deeper than the void stirred beneath its surface. Within a floating palace carved from white jade and cosmic stone, a council convened under a dome of starlight.
Elder Mo Tian, clad in dark gold robes etched with runes of law, stood with hands behind his back. His voice echoed like a thunderclap. "The mortal world has rippled. The Soul Seal of the Immortal Emperor has... fractured."
The chamber grew tense. Gasps echoed as others leaned forward—Immortal Lords, Celestial Generals, even Seers of the Forgotten Path.
"But that seal was buried eons ago," one muttered. "How can it fracture now?"
A vision crystal hovered mid-air, flickering with scenes of chaos in the lower realms—burning skies, temples cracking, and in one brief flash, a figure cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing crimson.
"That's him," whispered Elder Shen Yu. "The Reincarnation... has begun."
---
Far below, in the mortal realm's outskirts, a shadow slipped between dimensions. Zhen Wu, now donning a plain traveler's robe, stood atop a cliff as thunder rolled. The awakening had not gone unnoticed.
He had tried to remain hidden, blend among men, but destiny—like the blade he now wore at his side—refused to stay sheathed.
Suddenly, space warped. A Celestial Hunter descended in a burst of light. The woman's aura was divine, her eyes like galaxies.
"You should not exist," she said, drawing a blade of radiant flame.
Zhen Wu didn't flinch. "Then try to erase me."
Steel clashed. Light and darkness exploded across the sky as two forces from different planes met in a storm of fury. But even as the hunter struck with divine law, Zhen Wu's power only grew.
With a roar, he shattered her blade, grasped her by the throat, and whispered, "Tell your realm... I remember everything now."
And with that, he vanished—leaving the heavens shaken, and the Divine Realm finally realizing that their ancient foe... had returned.
---
Back in the floating palace, Elder Mo Tian's eyes narrowed.
"Begin the Sealing Protocols. Summon the Immortal Guardians. The Reincarnated Emperor walks again... and this time, he remembers who betrayed him."
[end of chapter 14]