The moon was high over East Sky Academy, bathing the shattered jade arena in silver light. Cracks still marred the surface where Lin Feng had fought. Bloodstains hadn't yet faded. The elder pavilion remained abandoned—its seats cold, the scent of incense lingering.
But the silence didn't fool Lin Feng.
Someone had pulled strings.
Assassins, void-sensing experts, demonic cultivators—this was not coincidence. It wasn't a test. It was an execution attempt. And the target had not been Lin Feng.
It had been the Void Lord.
He sat cross-legged in his dormitory now, robes removed, upper body bare. Golden light pulsed through his meridians as he refined the chaotic energy left from the battle. Around him, eight floating stones glowed faintly—each a soul anchor, borrowed from Ruoxi.
"They were waiting for your energy to flare," she said softly. "The moment you exposed a fragment of your true power, they struck."
He opened his eyes. "They weren't ready."
Ruoxi smirked. "Clearly."
He flexed his fingers, then winced. "The Monarch Core… awakened too soon."
"That's better than not at all."
"It's unstable. I'll need to refine it."
She nodded, then changed tones. "I followed one of the assassins before the trial. He met with an elder. Tall. Green robes. Scar along the neck."
Lin Feng's eyes darkened. "Scar… I remember him."
"You do?"
"In my past life. He was a loose ally—Master Qian Ru of the Iron Plum Sect. He disappeared during the battle against the Demonic Key. We assumed he was dead."
"Clearly not."
"He must've joined the demonic path."
Ruoxi pulled out a folded parchment. "There's more. This is a report from one of our hidden agents in the academy."
He scanned it.
A list of names. A movement pattern. Forbidden meetings near the East Mountain crypts.
"Someone's gathering resources. Not just demonic… ancient too."
Ruoxi whispered, "What if they're trying to rebuild the Demonic Gate?"
Lin Feng stood.
"I'll find out."
Two nights later, under the cover of darkness, Lin Feng slipped into the elder wing.
Ruoxi had marked the corridor—fifth pavilion, right hallway, behind the statue of the Twin Cranes.
He placed a hand on the stone.
A tremor answered.
He pressed inward.
The statue shifted aside, revealing a stairwell winding down into the earth.
It smelled of rot and old incense.
He descended, silent.
Torches burned with black flame.
He passed cells—empty. Chambers—dusty. Then finally, a large stone room lit by a dozen demonic talismans.
And there, seated on a jade chair, sipping wine—
Was Elder Qian Ru.
Lin Feng stepped forward. "Hello again, traitor."
Qian didn't flinch.
"I wondered when you'd come."
"You tried to kill me."
"I tried to kill a ghost," Qian said. "But now I see… you're no phantom."
His aura shifted.
Spirit Sea Realm. Peak.
"And you… are still too weak," he added.
Lin Feng smiled.
"I've killed worse with less."
Qian stood. "Let me see what the Void Lord has learned since crawling into a corpse."
He attacked.
A blade of shadow qi surged forward.
Lin Feng dodged—barely.
Their clash shook the chamber. Talisman chains shattered. Statues cracked. Stone dust fell like snow.
But Qian had age, realm, and experience.
Lin Feng had timing.
And fury.
He feinted left—then unleashed Void Pulse.
It struck Qian in the leg, snapping bone.
The elder screamed. "You—!"
"Still alive," Lin Feng said.
Qian tried to flee—but Ruoxi stepped into the tunnel, blocking the exit.
She raised a hand.
A flash of silver.
Qian fell to his knees, pierced through the shoulder.
"Who do you serve?" Lin Feng asked.
Blood dripped. Qian spat. "It's already too late. You'll never stop the next gate."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "Which region?"
Qian laughed.
Then his body began to crack.
Self-destruction!
Lin Feng reacted instantly.
"Soul Seal."
Golden chains wrapped Qian's spirit, locking it in place.
The explosion reversed inward. His body crumpled, dead—but his spirit was trapped.
Ruoxi whistled. "That's a rare trick."
"Old habit," Lin Feng said. "We'll question his soul later."
He turned to the talisman-filled room.
Each one hummed with dark energy.
He waved a hand, gathering them into his ring.
"The Demonic Key… may not be the only ancient relic returning."
Ruoxi whispered, "What now?"
He looked up the stairs.
"Now… we go to the inner court."
To be continue...