The world felt different after the Puppeteer vanished.
Not quieter…Not safer…Just different.
As if the very air was holding its breath.
Qi Shan Wei stood on the cracked stone of the mountain path, heart still pounding from the battle. Dust drifted slowly around them. The scent of frost, molten metal, and blood lingered in the cold wind.
Ling Xueyao gazed at him, her expression unreadable beneath her calm, icy beauty.
"Are you injured?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
That was only half true—his bones ached, his qi spun unevenly, and his mind felt like it had been struck by lightning.
But he didn't show it.
Leadership wasn't about appearing invincible—it was about making sure others felt safe when you were standing.
Drakonix chirped weakly from Shan Wei's shoulder and nudged his cheek, his tiny wings drooping.
"You okay, little one?" Shan Wei whispered.
Drakonix gave a tiny nod, then collapsed into his robe fluff like a tired ember.
Elder Lu limped forward, bruised and battered, leaning on his staff with one hand and clutching his ribs with the other.
"Shan Wei… you saved us." He chuckled bitterly. "A child led us through a storm meant to kill seasoned cultivators."
Shan Wei shook his head."You saved me. All of you did."
His gaze drifted to Jin Wei—the massive puppet kneeling broken before him.
Cracks split across Jin Wei's armor like the fractures of old stone.Entire plates were torn off.One arm was missing, wires torn and exposed.The crimson core flickered dimly, rhythm uneven.
And yet Jin Wei kneeled tall, like a ruined temple pillar refusing to crumble.
Shan Wei felt his chest tighten painfully.
He stepped forward and laid his palm on the puppet's cracked plating.
Jin Wei's core glowed faintly.
"Master… safe… Good."
The voice was distorted, layered with metallic static. Several runes along his neck flickered—some fading completely.
Shan Wei's hands curled into fists.
"You protected me at the cost of your body," he whispered. "I won't let you break. Not now. Not ever."
Ling Xueyao stepped beside him, frost still drifting off her blade.
"His condition is critical. If his core goes out…"
She didn't finish.
She didn't need to.
Everyone knew what happened when divine puppets died:they never awakened again.
Qi Shan Wei exhaled, feeling determination settle into his bones.
"We're taking him back to the Pavilion."
Elder Lu blinked. "You can carry him?"
Shan Wei looked up at the towering puppet.
Slowly, painfully, Jin Wei turned his head.
"No… Master.I… walk."
He pushed himself upright.
The earth shook.
His missing arm sparked. His chest flickered. Pieces of broken armor fell off with each movement.
But he walked.
Step by step.
Following Shan Wei.
The ancient mountain watched in silence.
The Descent from Cloudpierce Peak
It took hours for them to make it down the mountain.The fog thickened unnaturally along certain stretches, as if hiding unseen eyes watching from a distance.Shadows flickered between trees.Old runes occasionally lit up under Jin Wei's presence, reacting to the ancient energy he carried.
Halfway down, Ling Xueyao spoke quietly.
"That man… the Puppeteer. He knew Jin Wei."
"He wanted to steal him," Shan Wei said. "Or worse—destroy him."
Elder Lu's grip tightened on his staff."The Puppet Hunter Clan was wiped out by divine decree generations ago. Only a handful of survivors fled into forbidden realms."
"And one just appeared here," Xueyao murmured."Why?"
Shan Wei's steps slowed.
"Because Jin Wei awakened," he said."And because… I awakened him."
Drakonix nuzzled his cheek comfortingly.
Xueyao studied Shan Wei's expression.
"You feel guilty."
"Yes."
"You shouldn't."Her voice was firm, colder than her aura."He chose to serve you. He protected you because he wanted to. That is loyalty… not a burden."
Shan Wei looked at her.
Xueyao looked away immediately, cheeks slightly flushed.
Elder Lu smirked but wisely kept quiet.
Arrival at the Pavilion
When they reached the Pavilion courtyard, chaos ensued instantly.
Disciples gasped as the towering, damaged Jin Wei stepped through the gate.
"Heavens—!""That puppet… it's alive?""Is that… armor from the Primordial Era?!""Qi Shan Wei brought that thing down the mountain?!"
Even the elders were stunned.
One fainted.Two kneeled in shock.Three began arguing immediately.
Elder Lu waved aggressively at them.
"Silence, all of you! We have urgent matters!"
The Pavilion Master appeared moments later, eyes widening only slightly at the sight.
"You did not… exaggerate," the master murmured.
Shan Wei stepped forward, trying to hide his exhaustion.
"Master… Jin Wei was severely damaged protecting me. I need a forging chamber… and ancient texts… anything the Pavilion has on puppet repair."
The Pavilion Master blinked—then a slow, proud smile formed.
"You truly are extraordinary, boy."
He turned to the elders.
"Prepare the lower forge. Activate all dormant arrays. Bring the Jade Anvil."
The courtyard erupted.
"The Jade Anvil?!""That's forbidden!""It hasn't been used since the old master!""It will kill him if he attempts a repair with such low cultivation!"
But the Pavilion Master raised his staff—and every sound stopped.
"Do as I say.Qi Shan Wei has walked a path farther than any of you realize."
Inside the Sacred Forging Chamber
The chamber was ancient.Carved deep beneath the Pavilion.The walls glowed faintly with green flame, powered by jade runes older than the sect itself.
Shan Wei entered first, Drakonix on his shoulder.Ling Xueyao followed silently.Elder Lu adjusted the arrays.
Jin Wei knelt in the center, his body flickering dimly.
The Pavilion Master faced Shan Wei.
"What do you need?"
Shan Wei inhaled.
"Materials," he said without hesitation."Divine metals.Formation plates.Spirit crystals.Heat-stabilizing herbs for the anvil.And time."
The master nodded.
"Forgive me," he said softly. "But your cultivation is still far too low to restore a Primordial Puppet."
Shan Wei met his eyes without wavering.
"I don't need to fully restore him," he said."I just need to stabilize him. Keep his core burning. Keep his mind intact."
Elder Lu whispered, "And how do you plan to do that?"
Shan Wei turned his hand.
A swirl of prismatic light flickered across his palm.
"My flame," he said."Jin Wei woke because of it.I'll use it again… to keep him alive."
Ling Xueyao's eyes widened slightly.
"That is dangerous," she said quietly. "If your flame overwhelms his core, it will explode. And you might die."
Shan Wei stepped toward Jin Wei.
"He protected me with everything he had.Now it's my turn."
Drakonix chirped softly and pressed his head against Shan Wei's jaw.
Jin Wei's core glowed weakly, as if responding to the emotion.
"Master…No matter…Cost… Protect…"
Shan Wei knelt beside him, placing one hand over the cracked core.
"I know," Shan Wei whispered."But you're not alone anymore."
The First Attempt
Shan Wei inhaled deeply.
He visualized the prismatic flame routine he'd learned in the Cavern of Breath.
Breathe in—arrive.Breathe out—anchor.Unify—agree.
His wrist mark glowed with crimson.Golden sparks danced.Shadows stirred.
Ling Xueyao braced herself, frost aura shimmering, ready to intervene if the flame flared out of control.
Elder Lu widened the protective formation.
Drakonix cheered quietly—then hid behind Shan Wei's hair because the light scared him.
Qi Shan Wei pressed his glowing hand against Jin Wei's core.
"Stabilize," he commanded softly."Don't resist me.Take only what you need."
Prismatic energy surged through the room.
The anvil cracked.Rocks trembled.Runes ignited violently.
Jin Wei convulsed, metal screeching.
Ling Xueyao shouted, "Shan Wei!"
He gritted his teeth.
"I've got him!"
The puppet's core flared—bright crimson—then pale gold—then dark shadow—then all three at once.
Shan Wei's mind felt like it was splitting.Jin Wei's pain sang through him.Ancient memories flickered across his vision—war, emperors, ruins, destruction—
But he held on.
And slowly…Jin Wei's core stabilized into a steady rhythm.
Shan Wei collapsed forward, gasping.
Jin Wei's voice rumbled weakly:
"Core… stable.Master… safe."
Shan Wei smiled, chest heaving.
"I told you," he whispered."I'd fix you."
Heaven Moves
Just as relief settled into the chamber—the world shook.
The Jade Anvil cracked down the middle.The flame torches flickered.Wind roared through the underground chamber.
CLAP!
A bolt of lightning struck the mountain above.
Ling Xueyao froze.
"That qi…That pressure…"
Elder Lu paled.
"The heavens… they're watching."
Shan Wei staggered to his feet.
"What do you mean?"
The Pavilion Master whispered:
"The appearance of a Primordial Puppet…The survival against a divine puppeteer…Your prismatic flame…Your leadership…Your beast companion…"
His eyes widened in awe and dread.
"You have triggered Heaven Eyes."
The chamber ceiling dissolved for a moment—revealing a colossal eye formed from clouds and divine lightning swirling above the sky.
It stared directly at Qi Shan Wei.
Ling Xueyao stepped in front of him, frost blade raised.
Drakonix shrieked and clung to Shan Wei's head.
Jin Wei raised his remaining arm, shielding Shan Wei even in his damaged state.
The Pavilion Master bowed his head.
"Qi Shan Wei…You have been acknowledged by the heavens."
Lightning flashed across the sky like divine scribbles.
Elder Lu whispered:
"And judged."
Shan Wei swallowed.
"What does it mean?"
The Pavilion Master met his eyes.
"It means," he said softly,"your path can no longer remain hidden."
He stepped back as thunder rumbled.
"It means," he said,"that every realm, every sect, every clan, every beast race, every divine temple…will begin to sense you."
Ling Xueyao's breath hitched.
Drakonix trembled.
Jin Wei's core pulsed defensively.
The Pavilion Master's voice dropped to a whisper.
"It means,Qi Shan Wei…
the heavens have marked you as a future calamity."
Thunder cracked.
The Heaven Eye blinked once—and vanished.
Leaving silence.
Leaving dread.
Leaving destiny.
Qi Shan Wei looked down at his hand.Prismatic flame flickered softly.
He clenched his fist.
"I will not become a calamity," he said quietly."I will become a force that protects… not destroys."
Ling Xueyao watched him—a faint warmth in her eyes.
Elder Lu smiled, though still pale.
Drakonix chirped proudly.
Jin Wei's core glowed steadily.
The Pavilion Master bowed his head.
"Then Heaven itself will be forced to acknowledge you," he said.
"As more than a calamity."
His eyes lifted—old, wise, shining.
"But as the future Emperor of Prismatic Heavens."
To be continued..
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