The sky itself seemed to burn.
From the shattered dome of clouds above the Blood Valley, crimson lightning wept down like divine rain, each bolt echoing the heartbeat of something vast and ancient.
The figure behind Xiao Wang—neither man nor spirit—stood tall and terrible, half-formed from energy, half from memory. A thousand whispers seemed to murmur its name through the void, but none could speak it aloud without trembling.
The Devouring Sword pulsed like a living star in Xiao Wang's grip, its voice overlapping with the storm:
"I am whole again."
Elder Ma stumbled backward, his face drained of color.
"An… ancestral will. This is impossible! That sword should have perished ten eras ago!"
High above, the Saintess Yue Feiyan stood frozen, her phoenix-marked eyes shimmering with gold and red. For the first time, the flames that always cloaked her presence flickered uncertainly.
"First Devourer…" she whispered, her tone almost reverent. "Why have you returned?"
The towering specter's gaze swept over her.
"Child of the Celestial Phoenix, your blood once sealed my path. And now… you awaken it."
The Sword's Awakening
A vortex of crimson and gold spiraled upward, merging the Devourer's aura with the Saintess's divine light. The sky cracked apart, revealing a second layer of heavens — runes glowing like living constellations.
All around the arena, disciples fell to their knees, gasping as the pressure forced their souls to the edge of collapse.
"I can't breathe—""This isn't mortal Qi!"
"That aura—it's rewriting the heavens themselves!"
Heris's voice rang inside Xiao Wang's mind, sharp with alarm.
"Xiao Wang! This isn't a manifestation! This is a full spiritual descent! The First Devourer himself is returning through the sword!"
Xiao Wang's body trembled. He could feel it—raw power flooding into his veins, ancient and bottomless. The ground beneath his feet splintered, cracks radiating outward like veins of molten blood.
"Why… why now?" he hissed through clenched teeth.
The ancient voice within the sword answered.
"Because the oath you carry has been rekindled. You are not the first to bear my will—but you may be the last."
Xiao Wang's vision blurred, and for a heartbeat, the world melted away.
Flashback — The Devourer's Memory
He stood on a battlefield beneath two suns, surrounded by corpses of gods and demons alike.
Armies of flame and shadow clashed across the firmament, while a single man—wielding the same sword—stood upon a mountain of fallen stars. His armor was shattered, his eyes like twin voids, yet his laughter echoed with defiance.
"Heaven decrees all things end in balance," the man shouted, his voice shaking the cosmos. "But I am the imbalance! I am hunger eternal!"
The scene shattered.
Xiao Wang gasped, snapping back to the present, chest heaving. His sword hummed as if remembering.
"You saw it," the ancient voice murmured. "The final war. My sin… and your inheritance."
He clenched his fists. "Why show me this?"
"Because the heavens will soon awaken again. And they will come for you."
The Saintess's Oath
Yue Feiyan descended in a blaze of golden fire, landing before him, robes rippling with divine flame.
"That thing inside your sword—it's not just a spirit. It's a will that defied Heaven itself."
Xiao Wang met her gaze. "And what are you then, Saintess of the Phoenix?"
She smiled faintly. "The flame that once sealed it away."
The ancient spirit laughed—a sound like the grinding of worlds.
"Seal me again, if you can."
The sky flared gold. Yue Feiyan's phoenix wings unfurled behind her, pure light and fire.
"By the oath of the Celestial Flame, I bind—"
The Devouring Sword roared, shattering her seal mid-incantation. Energy exploded outward, blasting the arena into chaos.
Elders scrambled to raise barriers, but most shattered instantly. The shockwave hurled disciples across the valley.
Only two figures remained standing in the storm: Xiao Wang and Yue Feiyan.
"Still trying to seal what you don't understand," Xiao Wang said, his voice edged with the ancient resonance of the Devourer.
Feiyan's flames flickered with pain and pride. "And still wielding what you can barely contain."
The ground between them cracked.
Lightning struck.
They clashed.
Battle of Flame and Devouring
Her phoenix flame met his devouring energy in a blinding collision.
Each strike was a hymn and a curse.
Each movement tore open the very air.
The disciples who dared to watch saw only flashes—gold and crimson weaving like divine serpents in combat.
Feiyan's palm struck his chest, searing through armor.
"Yield, Xiao Wang! Before it consumes you!"
He coughed blood, but grinned.
"You think I fear being consumed? I am consumption."
He raised the Devouring Sword.
"Devour—Celestial Fire!"
Her own flames turned against her, swirling toward his blade. She screamed as her energy was pulled away, her golden aura unraveling into threads of light.
The ancient voice inside him laughed softly.
"Good. You are learning."
But then—something shifted.
The darker voice within Xiao Wang stirred.
"Let me handle her," it whispered. "You'll only hesitate again."
"Not now!"
"Then die with your pride!"
A surge of energy burst from within. His eyes flashed crimson, his expression twisted into something wilder—more confident, dangerously playful.
The second personality had taken control.
The Other Xiao Wang
He twirled the sword lightly, smirking. "Well, well, Saintess. You've been looking at me like prey this whole time."
Feiyan blinked, taken aback by his sudden tone. "What—"
He winked. "You'll make a fine fire spirit once I'm done roasting you."
"Arrogant!"
"Handsome too, don't forget that part."
He blurred forward, laughter echoing as he toyed with her in combat—dodging her every strike, countering with effortless grace.
"Is this the same man?" gasped a disciple from afar.
"No… his aura changed. It's… chaotic, unrestrained."
Each swing of his sword devoured light itself, leaving streaks of darkness in the air. Yet his words were reckless, teasing, maddeningly confident.
"You fight like a goddess," he said between blows, "but your steps falter when you're flustered."
"I'm not—flustered!" she snapped, cheeks reddening.
"You are now."
He grinned wider, twisting her phoenix flame into a spiral of crimson fire and swallowing it whole.
Her power drained. She fell to one knee, panting.
"How… how can one person…"
He crouched before her, voice softer.
"One person?" He smirked. "Try two."
Her eyes widened as she realized.
"A dual soul?"
He tapped her forehead with his sword hilt, eyes glinting with mischief.
"Not dual. Devouring."
The world darkened.
The Oath of the Devourer
From the collapsing heavens, the ancient figure raised its hand once more.
"Hear me, descendants of Heaven. My heir has awakened. Let the war of bloodlines begin anew."
The sky bled crimson light.
Somewhere deep below, in the forbidden depths of the Blood Valley, seals shattered—unleashing monstrous roars that echoed like drums of war.
Heris's voice whispered in the real Xiao Wang's subconscious, panicked:
"He's unleashing the ancient oath! You must take control, or—"
"—or what?" the darker one interrupted, smirking. "Heaven will finally remember us?"
"You'll destroy everything!"
"So what?" He laughed. "Destruction is rebirth."
Then, suddenly, the real Xiao Wang's consciousness fought back—forcing control, wrestling against his other self.
"Enough!"
A surge of spiritual force rippled outward, tearing through both personalities until balance restored.
The two halves merged, breathing as one again.
He looked down at Yue Feiyan, who stared up at him with equal parts anger and awe.
"You're insane," she said quietly.
He wiped blood from his mouth. "Maybe. But now you know what Heaven fears."
She hesitated, then whispered, "The Ancient's Oath… it's begun again."
"Then let Heaven tremble."
The Sky Cracks
Above them, the heavens opened — revealing massive, luminous eyes staring down upon the world.
[Warning: Celestial Interference Detected.]
[System Awakening — 5% Synchronization Complete.]
The sword pulsed, its light turning colder.
"Prepare yourself, Xiao Wang. What comes next… will reshape eternity."
The voice faded into the storm.
Thunder rolled across the realms.
The Bloodline War had begun.