The Blood Trial Chamber remained silent long after the altar carved Ye Tian's name.
The faint glow of the blood crystals flickered across the obsidian walls, casting long shadows that seemed almost alive. Ye Tian was still kneeling, his breathing heavy, sweat and blood mixing along his skin. Every muscle in his body trembled from exhaustion.
But something inside him had changed.
He could feel it clearly.
His body felt denser, stronger. His mind sharper. And his will—once tested against thousands of lingering spirits—now carried a quiet certainty that had not existed before.
Leon watched him carefully.
"Stand," the sect master said.
Ye Tian rose slowly, though the motion felt strange, as if gravity itself had shifted slightly. His aura, once sharp but scattered, now felt more condensed. Focused.
Supreme Elder Qiao stepped forward, examining him with narrowed eyes.
"Interesting," the old man murmured.
Ye Tian glanced at him. "What is?"
Qiao gestured toward the altar.
"The Blood Trial doesn't simply test people," he said. "It recognizes them. Most survivors come out broken in some way. Their will survives, but their spirit becomes rigid."
He paused.
"You… adapted."
Ye Tian didn't know how to respond to that.
He only knew one thing.
"I'm stronger."
Leon allowed himself a faint smile.
"Yes," he said. "You are."
---
Above the chamber, Ironblood Peak carried on as usual.
Disciples trained in courtyards, healers worked tirelessly in the medical halls, and formation masters repaired the damage left by the battle with the Black Fang Division.
But beneath the surface, word had begun to spread.
The Blood Trial had been completed.
And someone had survived.
Lan Mei sat near the edge of the eastern training field, polishing the frost crystal embedded within her staff. Fang Chen sprawled lazily beside her, staring up at the sky.
"You think he made it?" Fang Chen asked.
Lan Mei didn't look up.
"He's stubborn enough."
Fang Chen snorted.
"That's not the same as surviving the Blood Trial."
Before Lan Mei could answer, the air shifted.
Both of them froze.
A familiar aura approached—steady, controlled, but noticeably heavier than before.
They turned.
Ye Tian stepped onto the training grounds.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Fang Chen shot to his feet.
"You're alive!"
Ye Tian raised an eyebrow. "That was the expectation."
Fang Chen burst out laughing.
"You have no idea how rare that is!"
Lan Mei stood slowly, studying him carefully.
"You changed," she said.
Ye Tian tilted his head. "How?"
"Your aura," she replied. "Before, it felt sharp… like a blade searching for something to cut."
She paused.
"Now it feels like a mountain."
Ye Tian didn't know whether to take that as a compliment.
But before he could respond—
The ground trembled.
Not violently.
Just once.
Then again.
Lan Mei frowned. "That's not normal."
Fang Chen's expression darkened.
"That's not an earthquake."
Ye Tian already knew.
His war talent had reacted instantly.
**Threat Detected.
Origin: External.
Priority: Extreme.**
He looked toward the horizon.
Dark clouds gathered unnaturally fast, swirling into a massive vortex above the distant mountains. Crimson lightning flashed inside the storm, illuminating a silhouette descending slowly through the clouds.
Ironblood Peak's alarm bells rang instantly.
BOOOOOM!
Their deep, echoing sound rolled across the sect like thunder.
Disciples everywhere froze.
Then chaos erupted.
"ENEMY APPROACHING!"
"FORMATIONS—ACTIVATE!"
"TO BATTLE POSITIONS!"
Lan Mei gripped her staff tightly.
"That aura…"
Fang Chen finished the sentence for her.
"…is worse than the Black Fang commander."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed.
The figure descending from the storm finally became visible.
A woman.
Tall, slender, her long crimson hair whipping violently in the wind. Black armor clung to her body like liquid shadow, and behind her floated dozens of razor-thin blades formed entirely of blood-red energy.
Her presence alone distorted the air.
Nascent Soul.
No.
Stronger.
Much stronger.
Leon appeared on the highest terrace of Ironblood Peak, his cloak snapping in the wind as he looked up at the intruder.
"So," he said quietly, "they sent you."
The woman smiled faintly.
"Leon of Ironblood Peak," she said, her voice echoing across the mountain as if whispered directly into every mind present.
"Always so calm."
Leon's eyes were cold.
"You're trespassing."
She ignored the statement.
Instead, her gaze swept across the mountain.
Past the elders.
Past the disciples.
Until it stopped on one person.
Ye Tian.
Her smile widened.
"So that's him," she murmured.
The air grew colder.
Lan Mei felt her stomach drop.
"She's looking at you."
Fang Chen muttered under his breath.
"Well… that's probably bad."
The woman raised one hand.
One of the blood-red blades floating behind her shot forward like lightning, embedding itself in the stone courtyard directly in front of Ye Tian.
It vibrated softly, humming with terrifying power.
A message.
Leon's voice cut through the tension.
"State your purpose," he said.
The woman laughed softly.
"You already know."
She pointed at Ye Tian.
"The Demon Sect would like to borrow him."
The entire mountain erupted in fury.
"OVER OUR DEAD BODIES!"
"KILL HER!"
"PROTECT COMMANDER YE!"
Leon lifted one hand, and the shouting stopped instantly.
"You came alone," Leon observed calmly.
The woman shrugged.
"I didn't need an army."
Her eyes never left Ye Tian.
"I only need him."
Leon's aura expanded slightly.
"And if I refuse?"
The woman's smile turned predatory.
"Then I'll take him anyway."
Ye Tian stepped forward before Leon could respond.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The woman tilted her head, studying him like a curious predator.
"So polite."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Very well."
Her aura surged, the storm above Ironblood Peak intensifying instantly.
"My name is **Crimson Saintess Lian Yue**."
The name hit the Ironblood elders like a physical blow.
Lan Mei whispered in disbelief.
"That's impossible…"
Fang Chen swallowed hard.
"She's one of the Demon Sect's **Four Calamities**."
Ye Tian didn't know what that title meant.
But judging from Leon's expression…
It meant trouble.
Lian Yue smiled again.
"Come with me willingly," she said softly, "and I'll spare your sect the inconvenience of watching you die."
Ye Tian's grip tightened on his sword.
"I think I'll pass."
Her smile widened further.
"Good."
The storm above them roared to life.
"I was hoping you'd say that."