Far across the mountains, deep within the heart of the Eastern Dominion, rose a tower that scraped the heavens — the Sanctum of Mirrors. It was here the Temple's inner council convened, their faces hidden behind veils of law, their words carried on the wind like divine verdicts.
Inside, twelve thrones circled a pool of swirling light.
And at its center, the image of Wang Lin appeared — mid-strike, as the Pale Judge crumbled into dust.
The silence that followed was more terrifying than rage.
A cold voice finally spoke, emotionless yet sharp enough to cut stone.
"The Abduction Path has awakened."
Another voice — female, softer but tinged with malice — followed.
"He bears the Mark of Jianyu… the Sovereign Thief."
One figure leaned forward. His veil was made of bone, and his fingers were stained crimson.
"Dispatch the Reclaimers."
A murmur passed among the council.
"Reclaimers?"
"Is that not… overkill?"
"No," the bone-veiled one whispered. "This time, we erase the line completely."
---
Meanwhile…
Wang Lin sat cross-legged within a small cave lit by glowing moss. The Abduction Path pulsed inside him like a second soul — alive, curious, and no longer quiet.
Around him lay the spoils of the Pale Judge's defeat — silver chains infused with soul essence, a broken mask that still hummed with divine residue, and a single memory shard that Jin Tao had pulled from the ruins.
The shard pulsed once… and activated.
A projection bloomed in the air, grainy and flickering.
A younger version of the Pale Judge knelt before a black altar. Atop it sat a withered, desiccated heart — still beating.
"By the Command of the High Tribunal, I offer my spirit to bind the Abduction Line. May the Sovereign's blood never awaken again."
The vision cut out.
Wang Lin opened his eyes slowly.
"They've feared this path for centuries…"
Lian Hua knelt beside him, brow furrowed. "And now you're walking it."
He looked up at her. "Would you leave, if I asked you?"
She didn't flinch. "I made a vow on my sect's ashes. I go where this fight takes me."
Jin Tao's voice echoed from the cave entrance. "And I'm just here for the food, chaos, and maybe a little legacy theft."
He tossed Wang Lin a fruit. "You looked like you needed something sweet."
Wang Lin caught it but didn't eat. He was thinking — not just about survival, but purpose.
"The Temple won't stop," he said at last. "But neither will we. There's something hidden beneath all this — a truth they're terrified of."
Lian Hua nodded. "And we'll uncover it. One ruin at a time."
Jin Tao twirled his knife. "Then let's not sit around. There's a ruined monastery west of here. Used to belong to the Silent Veil Sect. Rumors say they were the first to witness the Abduction Path… and the first to be erased."
Wang Lin stood.
The path was war.
But for the first time, he wasn't walking it alone.