Far away from the mortal realm, where Yi Qianluo was silently congratulating herself for escaping the library without being burnt alive,
a different set of captivating eyes watched her with interest while walking through a palace that should not exist.
A floating fortress built in the center of complete darkness, suspended over a sea of whispering shadows. Black mist coiled around its walls like living vines, and every guard, statue, pillar, even the air itself seemed carved from night. It was a place where no sun had ever risen, no flame had ever burned, no color dared exist,
Except for him.
On the highest pavilion, sitting as if the darkness belonged to him, was the one presence that glowed in this world of shadows,
Qin Shenye,
a young man, ethereal and luminous, dressed in flowing vibrant red robes that fluttered like wisp fire. Gold trinkets decorated his sleeves and waist, chiming softly whenever he moved. His long black hair draped lazily over a majestic phoenix throne, shimmering faintly with stardust. And in his pale fingers rested, Yueying, his slender ancient flute of deep sapphire blue, carved with runes older than the realms themselves.
His pupils were pure blue as frozen oceans that held a sharp, sinister gleam.
The same smirk from last night, when he watched Qianluo in the shadows of the forbidden library, still lingered on his lips.
His eyes gleamed as he lazily stretched, lounging sideways over the phoenix throne, looking far too beautiful to belong in such a colorless world.
"So," he murmured, voice low and melodic, "the little troublemaker found the chamber by accident… and stole the books?"
His smile deepened, curved like the crescent moon.
"Just as the prophecy said."
A line of shadowy guards knelt before him. All were faceless, silent, trembling under his aura. The red-robed being tapped his flute against the armrest, leisurely yet commanding.
"Go," he ordered, his tone soft enough to caress yet sharp enough to cut.
"Guide her to the temple tonight. The ritual must be completed."
The guards stiffened.
Then, in a voice that chilled even the shadows, he added:
"And remember—"
His eyes narrowed, pupils glowing with cold azure fire.
"If even a single hair on her head is harmed…"
He tilted his head, smiling sweetly—too sweetly.
"I will crush your souls myself."
A shudder passed through the entire court.
He laughed then—soft, sinister, musical.
A laugh that echoed like a lullaby for the damned.
The darkness trembled in devotion.
The guards bowed, touching their foreheads to the ground, and vanished to carry out his command.
Left alone, the beautiful being lifted his flute and played a slow, haunting tune. The melody drifted across the shadowed palace, making the surrounding more eerie.
Inside Tianxia Acedemy
The entire academy had barely recovered from the chaos Yi Qianluo caused the previous day, yet by evening, it was already clearthat peace was not returning anytime soon.
Even after making it through the morning classes without fainting or blowing up a cauldron or snapping even when her so called fellow classmates accidentally bumped her and ruined her lunch, Qianluo still became the highlight of every corridor, courtyard, and training field by the night, mostly because she caused trouble simply by existing.
Students whispered behind their hands.
"She really passed the written exam yesterday… how?"
"Does she even know what a magical assessment means? Has she ever obtained magic on her own?"
"No way she'll survive tomorrow's assessment."
"She'll definitely faint. Or cry. Or break something again looking at how she's acting after being rescued by the Elders from sucidal death, huh."
Qianluo ignored all of them—well, she ignored the words but not the people, not anymore. She simply stared at them, calm on the surface, chaos bubbling underneath.
It was like her calm never meant peace but a storm that's awakening,
And then it happened again, even shocking her.
The ground beneath her boots pulsed. A soft boom that wasn't sound but pressure exploded outward, as if the air itself had flinched. A circle of distortion rippled from her feet, subtle, transparent, yet powerful enough to warp the light for a breath.
The effect was instant.
The three disciples who insulted her were lifted clean off their feet as if some invisible force slapped them and sent crashing straight into a freshly dumped pile of fermented spirit-fertilizer, in the courtyard.
The sound of impact was wet. The smell was unforgivable and their souls left their bodies for half a second. Gasps broke across the courtyard. Students scrambled back, whispering in panic.
"W-What was that…?"
"She didn't… chant anything!"
"Is she possessed?"
"That power—what level of magic was that?!"
Seniors on the sidelines stiffened, sensing something far more dangerous than a childish prank.
"That fluctuation… didn't come from spiritual energy," one whispered.
"It felt like the world itself reacted."
"That's impossible. Only high-rank divine beings…"
"Then why did we feel it from her?! She barely has a cultivation base!"
Up on the viewing platform, ElderWei's expression dropped instantly. What unsettled him was not just the force itself but the unmistakable nature of it. That surge hadn't come from any spell, technique, or cultivated energy. It felt… innate. An inheritedability. A terrifying one.
And more alarming was the pattern he sensed, it reacted according to hermood.
If her temperament truly dictated the scale of the impact and if the world itself was responding to her emotional fluctuations, then this girl wasn't just troublesome.
She was a potential catastrophe.
The wrinkles around his eyes tightened; the calm in his aura evaporated. He stared directly at Qianluo for sometime as if he had just witnessed a forbidden omen awakening.
Without saying a word, he turned sharply and rushed out of the dining hall, his white robes snapping behind him like banners of warning.
Something about her terrified him and that demanded urgent reporting.
Meanwhile, Qianluo stood frozen.
Again? I did it… again? Why?! Why does it feel like the universe is throwing punches for me? Twice? And when I'm angry, it hits harder? Am I controlling this?
Her shock lasted three seconds.
Then she grinned, ecstatic.
"Oh-ho! Whatever you are," she whispered proudly, "I am naming you… ChaosRipples."
The air shimmered faintly, as if agreeing. The students stepped back even further. Qianluo beamed thinking the universe clearly loved her meanwhile the seniors stared, juniors gulped. Four students took a step back simultaneously.
Qianluo dusted her hands and walked away like a general retreating from a battlefield she planned to destroy later.
The seniors shut down the dining hall immediately afterward. "Enough chaos for today! Everyone return to your rooms!"
As the crowd dispersed, one thought echoed everywhere:
"How did a girl who tried to kill herself merely two days ago become… this?"
Even Elder Rong and Elder Bailin felt something off with her sudden change of attitude and personality.
By the time the moon rose, painting silver strokes across the large courtyard, the academy was locked under strict curfew. Candles in the corridors flickered out one by one. Patrols were guarding the whole sect.
Yi Qianluo lay in her bed with eyes open and mind racing.
Assessment is tomorrow.
She had barely scraped through the midterm by sheer luck or maybe the universe pitying her. But the assessment… that required skill. Real magic. Something visible, something performed, something judged and she had nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
What am I supposed to show? A magic trick? I can't even light a candle without blowing up someone's eyebrows!
Her breath trembled. Failure wasn't just humiliation here, it meant punishment. The kind of punishment that had slowly crushed the original Qianluo until her spirit, already ignored and bruised, chose death as an escape.
Qianluo's fingers curled so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
"No," she whispered to the empty room. "No more weakness. Not again. Not for her… and not for me."
Chaos Ripples had flared twice today—an ability she didn't understand, couldn't control, and had no guarantee would obey her again. It wasn't a tool, it was a warning. Unpredictable. Dangerous. A double-edged sword that might save her… or kill someone else accidentally.
She needed something she could rely on. Even if it meant something forbidden. Just powerful enough to survive in this monstrous, glittering magical world.
Her decision solidified like ice.
The abnadoned Witches' Temple.
A deadly route, a reckless one but the only option left.
She slipped out of her bed, feet hitting the cold floor with silent determination. Her heartbeat drummed fast, loud, but she forced her breaths shallow.
One step. Another. Then she eased the window open and disappeared into the night.
Qianluo moved through shadows, her body inexperienced but her desperation sharp. She crouched under lantern light, pressed herself along walls, darted behind pillars. Twice she nearly tripped. Once she almost rolled straight into a courtyard full of spirit-hunting orchids. And at one point she almost plunged headfirst into a koi pond. But somehow—somehow—she wasn't caught.
It was strange.
Every time danger grazed her, darkness... shifted? Like it was guiding her. Softly nudging her out of sight and almost as if something unseen walked behind her, clearing obstacles before she could stumble over them.
It sent a chill racing down her spine but she brushed it away with a shaky laugh.
Of course. It's me.
I'm the protagonist. The universe is obviously helping me win.
Blissfully clueless, she continued into the deepest, most forbidden corner of the academy grounds.
After ten minutes of breathless sneaking, climbing, nearly dying, and convincing herself she had main-character plot armor, she stood before it.
The abandoned Witches' Temple.
A place every student whispered about but never dared approach. The air here was colder. Heavier. The silence felt alive, like it was holding its breath, watching her or more like pulling her inside.
Qianluo swallowed hard, forcing courage to settle in her bones.
"For survival," she whispered. "For revenge. For the justice the original Qianluo never got."
And with a determined step, she crossed the threshold. The darkness welcomed her inside the Temple of ruins.
The temple was cold, eerie, and shrouded in an oppressive darkness that felt far too alive. Strange carvings decorated the cracked walls. It smelled of dust, old curses, and forgotten rituals.
Qianluo lit a candle, placed it in the center, and inhaled deeply.
"This is fine. Totally fine," she whispered to herself. "This is just an abandoned temple once used by dark witches for forbidden rituals. Nothing scary at all."
Her voice trembled despite her bravado.
She knelt inside the circle, pressed her palm against the ground, and began.
The air thickened.
A soft female whisper echoed from the darkness.
"Oh? Someone actually dare step into this sacred ground after centuries?"
Qianluo's heart nearly jumped out of her chest but she forced her voice steady.
"Y-Yes. I'm in trouble and have h-heard about this place and the ritual that grant the castor any wish."
The whisper chuckled, the sound was beautiful but venomous.
"That's right but have you heard about the warning, sweetie?"
"Warning? Oh....yes, yes I did and I'm ready."
That was an obvious lie a desperate Qianluo uttered.
The voice laughed again,
"Then, it's your call. Complete the ritual. Show me your resolve."
Qianluo did as instructed, reciting the incantations written in the forbidden book.
A breeze stirred the dust. Shadows shifted and time stopped and rewinded the vicious circle of curse.
The voice hummed in approval.
"Very well! You have courage.... Who do you wish to summon, Child?"
Qianluo froze.
Right. That part.
She didn't want to actually summon LongWeitian. Summoning that demon lord meant instant death. He wasn't a creature, he was a calamity with legs.
But she didn't know anyone else. She didn't know anything about powerful immortals, celestial beasts, demons, fairies, or deities.
She didn't even know her own classmates properly, how is she suppose to remember and know about all those creatures and their powers?
Think, Qianluo, think! If you don't make a wish now, you'll forget everything when you leave. The spell, the ritual, the temple—it will all vanish from your memory!
Time ticked.
Her lips trembled.
In desperation, she blurted:
"Long Weitian!"
Silence.
Then a ripple of slow, dark, delighted laugh spiraled through the temple. It felt chilling, making her spine feel cold.
"Oh… little mortal… you have truly chosen death but this will be a sight to watch. Hahahha, this will be fun."
Qianluo paled instantly.
The voice continued in a teasing tone, confirming again.
"The abyss lord… the devourer of realms… the one who destroyed three worlds with a single battle… you wish to summon him?"
"U-Uhm… yes?"
"Very well."
The whisper grew darker, almost eager.
"To summon him, recite the forbidden summoning spell at any specific time you want. Remember to recite it with confidence, with dominance—as if you hold the world's fate in your hands."
Qianluo swallowed.
"And he will be obliged to arrive. Whether he tears you apart afterward is a different matter."
The voice vanished in ripples of cold air, her sinister laughter echoed longer, successfully giving shivers to Qianluo.
She sat there for five seconds and then whispered, horrified:
"…What did I just do?"
...
The next morning, the entire Tianxia Acedemy buzzed with excitement. Students filled the main arena, a grand amphitheater surrounded by floating talismans and stone pillars engraved with protection spells.
One by one, disciples showcased their magic—elemental attacks, illusion tricks, beast-calling whistles, barrier formations, and many more. They were getting praised, applauded and admired. But many failed as well making the seniors, teachers and elders disappointed.
Then, it was Qianluo's turn.
"Next, Yi Qianluo."
A wave of snickers rushed through the arena.
"She'll blow up the stage."
"This is going to be good."
"She probably doesn't even remember her own name."
Qianluo ignored them, she was way too nervous to be angry over their words. Her palms were sweaty, heartbeat loud, but her eyes were strangely steady.
She walked to the center of the arena.
Silence fell as she began drawing circles on the ground. She placed candles at the edges, sprinkled cursed soil from the temple into the formation, and wrote a single name in the center:
LONG. WEITIAN.
Headmaster Yizhi squinted.
"…Why does that name sound… ominous?"
Elder Bailin suddenly stiffened. His voice dropped to a tremble.
"Stop her. Now!"
But before anyone could move,
Qianluo clasped her hands together and began reciting the forbidden summoning spell.
Her voice echoed across the arena, steady and fearless.
The spectators laughed at first but then stopped laughing.
The ground shuddered. Wind screamed.
The sky flickered, bright daylight dimming into a violent dusk.
Headmaster Rong's eyes widened in horror.
"This—This is the forbidden summoning spell!"
"Who taught her this?!"
"Stop her! Immediately!"
Panic arose inside the whole arena but it was already too late. The incantation was complete.
The earth cracked. A vortex tore open the sky.
The world darkened until torches and talismans were the only light left. Black clouds twisted violently, swallowing the sun whole. Lightning roared and thunder bellowed.
And then,
BOOM.
In the centre of all, a figure was forcibly dragged out of the sky, shackled in thick golden chains. The moment his bare feets hit the ground, the arena shattered—stone splintering outward.
Gasps and screams filled the air.
And in the middle of it all, he stood calmly.
The Demon Lord of The Abyss Realm.
The calamity.
The nightmare of all six realms.
LONGWEITIAN.
Tall. Ethereal. Terrifying.
His black robes whipped in the storm he brought with him. Golden flames flickered across his chained wrists. His silver hair poured down his back like moonlit water, partly braided and partly wild. His pupils glowed blood-red, filled with pure killing intent.
For the first time in thousands of centuries, the six realms witnessed his true form and every soul trembled.
Qianluo stared wide-eyed, with a petrified soul, taking her staggering steps back in shock and and terror,
"J-just what d-did I summon.....?!" she whispered to herself.
...
Far away from worldly creations, tucked inside the black palace surrounded by endless shadows, the man in flowing red robes—blue-eyed, ethereal, beautiful and sinister—watched from a mirror of smoke.
Qin Shenye smiled slowly.
Clapping his hands once in amusement, he whispered:
"After all… I made you return, Weitian. You owe me this. Your freedom...hahahaha..."
His laughter echoed across the abyss, the only sound in the blank space.
.
.
.
To be continued....