Wind howled through Cloudpierce Pavilion.
Not natural wind —but something woven from fate, destiny, and cosmic threads.
The figure who stepped from the rift moved like a dream walking, his feet not quite touching the ground. His robe shifted between silk and mist, and his long golden hair did not sway with the wind. It controlled the wind.
His eyes…were the most terrifying part.
They held the calm of someone who had lived a hundred lifetimes.They held the weight of someone who had watched entire realms rise and fall.They held the gentleness of a teacher…and the coldness of a judge.
When he smiled at Shan Wei, the entire Pavilion felt as though it bowed in instinct.
Qi Longye whispered hoarsely:
"…This is impossible. You cannot be here."
The man tilted his head slightly.
"I go where the winds flow. And today… they flow toward Shan Wei."
Bai Yefeng, despite being a warrior of incredible discipline, trembled.
Xueyao narrowed her eyes, frost spiraling behind her.
Qingyue stepped in front of Shan Wei, flame rising defensively.
Drakonix's wings bristled, rainbow scales flaring in warning.
"Fwrraaahhh…"
Even Jin Wei stepped forward protectively, core pulsing like a heartbeat.
"UNKNOWN ENTITY.THREAT LEVEL: UNMEASURABLE."
"Are you… my ally?"
Shan Wei's voice barely above a whisper.
The man smiled softly.
"In some worlds, in some timelines… yes."He stepped closer."In others… I am the one who kills you."
Everyone froze.
Xueyao's grip tightened on her sword.Qingyue's flames surged dangerously.Drakonix hissed, ready to strike.
Shan Wei felt his heartbeat pounding in his skull.
"…Then what are you now?"
The golden-haired man raised a single finger.
"Now?"His eyes glowed faintly.
"I am the Fourth Wind —The Arbiter of Fate."
Lightning cracked through the sky, though there were no clouds.
Qi Longye Breaks Down
Qi Longye stumbled to his feet, shock etched onto his face.
"You… you were erased! You were forbidden from returning! Your existence destabilizes—"
The Fourth Wind gently raised his hand.
The air fell silent.Qi Longye's voice vanished mid-sentence.
Not silenced.Stopped.
As if time itself refused to let him speak against this entity.
Qi Longye fell to one knee, sweating.
Shan Wei rushed to help him.
"Uncle!"
Qi Longye grabbed Shan Wei's sleeve with trembling fingers.
"Be… careful…"His breathing cracked."He is not… bound by rules."
The Fourth Wind looked down at Longye with sympathy.
"You, Second Wind, have done well keeping fate consistent until now."He smiled faintly."But your time grows short."
Longye's face darkened with grief.
"Don't… take him…"
The Fourth Wind's gaze softened.
"I am not here to steal him from destiny."Then his voice cooled."I am here to remind him of it."
Shan Wei felt something cold slide down his spine.
The Fourth Wind Examines Shan Wei
He walked toward Shan Wei with slow, calm steps.
Each footstep sounded like a whisper in the air.
Xueyao stood in his path.
"I won't let you harm him."
"So fierce, Ice Star Maiden," he said softly."You walk a path of moon and frost… but your heart burns stronger than any flame."
Xueyao's breath caught—
He stepped past her.
Qingyue blocked him next, phoenix flames roaring.
"Try touching him and I'll burn you."
The Fourth Wind glanced at her fire.
"A phoenix's defiance.Warm.Loyal.But not enough to stop fate."
Qingyue snarled but stepped back.
Finally, he stood before Shan Wei.
He lifted his hand—
Drakonix screeched and dove—
Jin Wei lunged—
Xueyao and Qingyue unleashed ice and flame—
All four attacks converged.
The Fourth Wind snapped his fingers.
Everything froze.
Drakonix hung motionless mid-air.Jin Wei was locked mid-strike.Xueyao's frost flower halted mid-blossom.Qingyue's phoenix flame flickered but refused to move.
Shan Wei gasped.
"You… froze their time."
"No," the Fourth Wind corrected."I simply asked it to wait a moment."
He touched Shan Wei's forehead.
A flash of golden light swallowed his vision—
and the world vanished.
Shan Wei's Vision — The Prismatic Emperor
Shan Wei stood in a void of swirling starlight, weightless.
Golden winds spiraled around him like rivers.
Then—
A throne appeared.
A throne made of:
Shattered universesPrismatic Dao fragmentsCollapsed constellationsEndless swirling light
And sitting upon that throne—
was HIM.
Qi Shan Wei.Older.Fiercer.With a gaze that pierced reality itself.
Wearing robes of prismatic flame and swirling law.
Drakonix — in full cosmic form — curled around the throne like a divine guardian.
Jin Wei — fully evolved — stood beside him, no longer a puppet but a towering sentinel of prismatic steel.
The Six Heroines stood behind him, each radiating the power of their Forbidden Awakenings.
This…
This was the Prismatic Emperor.
The Fourth Wind's voice whispered:
"This is the future the world fears.The future the Heavens dread.The future the Calamity Heir wishes to rewrite."
Shan Wei trembled.
"Is this… truly me?"
"Yes," the Fourth Wind whispered."Or… it was meant to be."
He lifted a hand.
The throne cracked.
Darkness spilled through it.
A black silhouette appeared—
A figure with a crimson crownand eyes of pure anti-light.
The Calamity Heir.
He stepped toward the throne.
The Fourth Wind whispered:
"And this… is what he wants."
Shan Wei felt the void crack.
"Why show me this?!"
"Because," the Fourth Wind said softly,"your fates have begun to collide."
Back to Reality — The Warning
The golden light faded.
Shan Wei collapsed back into the real world, gasping.
Drakonix screeched in relief and tackled him.
"FWRRREEEEE!!"
Jin Wei caught him with a stabilizing arm.
Xueyao knelt beside him, cold hands trembling.
Qingyue held his shoulder, flame dim in worry.
Shan Wei panted.
"That vision… was that… real?"
The Fourth Wind looked at him with unreadable eyes.
"It is one possible future."
He stepped back.
"Shan Wei…The Calamity Heir has already awakened."
Shan Wei's blood chilled.
"And he has received the same vision you just did."
The world stopped.
"He knows what you become.He knows he cannot let it happen.He is already moving toward you."
A dark wind blew through the Pavilion.
The Fourth Wind's voice echoed:
"Prepare yourself… Prismatic Emperor in the making."
The rift opened again.
He stepped inside.
"Your fates collide soon."
He vanished.
The tear sealed behind him.
The Pavilion fell silent.
Shan Wei swallowed.
His hands trembled.
"…He knows me."
Xueyao whispered:
"He's coming."
Qingyue whispered:
"Let him come."
Drakonix roared.
Jin Wei pulsed with light.
Qi Longye looked at Shan Wei with fear and pride.
And Shan Wei exhaled.
"…Then let the path begin."
To be Continued
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