Ironbloom Valley's cliffs loomed like shattered fangs under a blood-red moon, the Void Realm's fractured stars pulsing like open sores. The air reeked of sulfur and dread, ley-line energy gnawing at the soul. Xun Wei, sixteen, stood in the Abyssal Hollow's shadows, his black robes stained with ash, the Bloodveil Fang's cold hunger pressed against his chest. His boyish face, serene as a frozen abyss, masked a god-level soul, its divine power—stolen in a past life 300 years hence—suppressed to shield his meridians, now at Immortal Shaping Stage Late, reaching Celestial Ascension Early Peak. His Void Dantian roared, a vortex of crimson and golden qi, at Heavenstage Middle, Harmony Stage Late, quadrupling his power. His arsenal—Light of Serenity, Crimson Fang, Blood Thorn, Soulfang Bind, Mindveil Clarity, Soulreap Grasp, Memory Extraction, Abyssal Leech, Celestial Harmony, Harmonic Leech Pulse, Ironfang Slash, Abyssal Fang Strike, Starveil Fang, Moonpetal Glow, Stonefist Strike, Windpetal Step, and Veiled Howl—was cloaked by his second foundation, a righteous qi reservoir deceiving the Celestial Mandate and Ironbloom's elders.
The Dual Path, forged as a talentless D-grade cultivator, blended righteous and demonic qi, its stages—Initiation, Fusion, Harmony, Transcendence—driving his ascent. At Harmony Late, his soul arts razor-sharp, his Immortal Shaping Late body held 25% of his god-level soul's might, aiming for Celestial Ascension Middle to unleash its full power, soloing Sky Immortals. His god-level soul negated qi deviation, absorbing qi effortlessly, unlike Hua Ling and Kai Ren, whose mortal souls faltered. Visions of Zhao Lin, silver-robed and Mandate-bound, haunted him, her qi a cosmic storm, her voice hissing, "Your defiance invites doom." Each vision fueled his plan: drain Ironbloom Valley's cultivators with Bloodveil Slash and Abyssal Leech, ascend to Earth Immortal, and crush the Mandate's laws.
The sect was a cauldron of chaos, Mei Lian's death sparking panic, Elder Yan's taint deepening distrust. Xun Wei's forged talisman and letter had framed Elder Cang and Wei Tao, the First Elder's grief making him a marionette. Wei Tao, isolated and watched, was a spark to ignite, while Hua Ling and Kai Ren's suspicion marked them for death. Cang's trial in the Chamber of Silent Fangs was Xun Wei's veil to escalate his slaughter, each kill feeding his Void Dantian, his path to Earth Immortal paved with blood.
In the Chamber of Silent Fangs, dawn broke with a crimson glow, the obsidian altar pulsing with sacrificial runes, the air thick with blood and fear. Elder Cang knelt, bound in silver chains, his Starflow Technique a flickering ember, his sunken eyes fixed on Xun Wei. The First Elder, Heavenstage Middle, his Skyclad Vigil Technique a silver tempest, presided, his voice thunder. "Cang, the talisman and Wei Tao's letter damn you as Yan's ally. Mei Lian's death reeks of your demonic rites. Speak."
Cang's qi surged, chains groaning. "Xun Wei's the demon!" he roared, voice cracking. "He planted the talisman, forged the letter—check his qi, his hands!"
Xun Wei stepped forward, Light of Serenity radiant, Moonpetal Glow enhancing his aura, his cut hand healed by Celestial Harmony. "I purged Yan's cache, Elder," he said, voice flat. "Cang's treachery birthed Mei Lian's death. His qi taints the sect." His serene mask hid the lie, his forged evidence sealing Cang's fate.
Wei Tao, Foundation Late, stood restrained, Ironfist dim, eyes blazing. "I didn't write that letter!" he snarled, but Soulfang Bind pulsed, sowing paranoia, his qi faltering. "Xun Wei's framing us both!"
Hua Ling, Foundation Middle, her Jade Blossom trembling, whispered to Kai Ren, Foundation Middle, his Thundercoil crackling. "Mei Lian's gone… Xun Wei's too cold." Kai Ren growled, "He's a butcher."
The First Elder's qi crushed the room, silencing dissent. "Cang, your betrayal ends here," he rumbled. "By sect law, you face the Silent Fang's judgment—execution at dusk." Silver chains tightened, dragging Cang to a sealed crypt below.
Xun Wei bowed, his mind ice. Cang's execution would plunge the sect into fear, masking his killings. Wei Tao's frame-up isolated him, ripe for draining. "I'll purge the taint," he said, eyes glinting with predatory intent.
At noon, Xun Wei struck in the sect's outer groves, Veiled Howl cloaking his movements, a sonic blast muffling screams. Three Inner Disciples, Foundation Early, patrolled, unaware of the predator. Starveil Fang slashed, crimson-gold arcs shattering their qi barriers, Abyssal Leech draining their dantians. Their bodies withered into ash, qi flooding Xun Wei's Void Dantian, pushing his cultivation to Heavenstage Middle Peak, Harmony Stage Late Peak, his body at Celestial Ascension Early Peak. Memory Extraction seized their techniques—Jadespear Thrust, Ironvine Bind, and Skyclaw Slash—bolstering his arsenal. A shallow claw mark bled on his arm from a desperate counter, but his Immortal Shaping Late body endured, pain a whisper.
He planted forged talismans bearing Wei Tao's qi signature near the ashes, deepening his frame-up. "The sect's blind," he murmured, "and I'm the blade."
That afternoon, panic spread, disciples whispering of missing patrols, Wei Tao's talismans fueling suspicion. Xun Wei slipped into the Hall of Eternal Roots, where Hua Ling and Kai Ren argued, their qi flickering. "Wei Tao's a traitor," Hua Ling said, voice trembling. Kai Ren sneered, "Or Xun Wei's playing us all."
Xun Wei's serene mask held, Light of Serenity radiant. "Fear clouds truth," he said, voice flat, Soulfang Bind subtly coiling Kai Ren's soul, sowing doubt. "Wei Tao's taint runs deep." Kai Ren's eyes glazed, his Thundercoil dimming, unaware of the leash.
At dusk, the Chamber of Silent Fangs was a tomb, the altar's runes glowing red, the air heavy with death. Cang stood, chains broken by a desperate Starflow surge, his qi a dying star. "Xun Wei's the heretic!" he roared, lunging at the First Elder. Silver qi lashed out, Skyclad Vigil crushing Cang's chest, blood spraying. His body slumped, Starflow fading, soul dissipating.
Xun Wei watched, his mind calculating. Cang's death would shatter morale, letting him strike freely. He wove Memory Extraction, crimson-gold sigils snaring Cang's fading soul, seizing Starflow Cascade, a righteous qi wave amplifying Harmonic Leech Pulse. His meridians screamed, blood seeping from his pores, but his god-level soul stabilized the influx, his body unyielding.
The First Elder's voice boomed, "Cang's treachery ends. Xun Wei, lead a hunt for Yan's remaining allies. Purge the sect."
Xun Wei bowed, eyes glinting. "As you command," he said, plotting to turn the hunt into a massacre. That night, he lured five Outer Disciples to the Abyssal Hollow, promising a qi vein. Bloodveil Slash cleaved them, Abyssal Leech draining their qi, their husks crumbling. His Void Dantian roared, qi surging, meridians warm but holding. Memory Extraction seized minor techniques—Rockshield Aura, Windfang Strike—his arsenal growing. A vision struck—Zhao Lin, Mandate sigils blazing, her voice a hiss: "Your slaughter wakes the Lord." Her qi dwarfed his, a cosmic storm he'd crush with Ironbloom's blood.
In his dorm, Xun Wei meditated, merging Starflow Cascade with Starveil Fang, forging Crimson Cascade Fang, a crimson-gold wave slashing qi barriers and draining vitality. His Void Dantian pulsed, meridians straining but unyielding, his body at Celestial Ascension Early Peak, resilience surging. Another vision—Zhao Lin, silver-robed, her voice cold: "The Mandate sees you, heretic." His fist clenched, resolve hardening: Ironbloom's blood would fuel his ascent to Earth Immortal, defying her and the Mandate.
Wei Tao confronted him at dawn, Ironfist glowing, eyes wild. "You're behind this, Xun Wei," he growled, qi flickering under Soulfang Bind's leash. "I'll expose you."
Xun Wei's smile was a blade. "Expose what you can't prove," he said, voice ice, marking Wei Tao for death. Hua Ling and Kai Ren watched from afar, their suspicion growing, ripe for the next harvest.
In the Void Realm's temple, divine waters churned, a crimson ouroboros coiling tighter. A golden-robed being hissed, "The heretic's bloodlust grows… danger."
An ancient voice, cold as iron, replied, "The Lord's army rises. The Mandate stirs."
"Let them come," the being intoned. "The heretic's soul will bleed."