Night fell over the Clear Sky Sect like a velvet curtain.
The moon hung full and heavy, casting pale light across the mountains. Crickets chirped softly; water flowed in distant streams; disciples' lanterns flickered along the paths.
Yet something felt wrong.
Unsettled.
Sharp.
Uneasy.
Wuya felt it first.
Sitting beneath the plum tree, eyes half-closed, he inhaled.
The air tasted different tonight.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Xueyi leaned against him, half-asleep.
"Wuya… what's wrong?"
Wuya lowered his voice.
"…The Codex warned: danger at nightfall."
Xueyi jolted upright.
"D-DANGER?! Here?! In the sect?!"
"Yes."
"NO! NO! I DID NOT AGREE TO THIS!"
Wuya placed a hand on her head gently.
"…Stay close."
Her face flushed slightly.
"I—I will."
Elder Yun Feixue stepped into the courtyard, her presence serene but alert.
"You feel it as well?"
Wuya nodded.
"Yes."
Elder Yun closed her eyes.
Her spiritual sense extended across the sect—
past pavilions, through stone bridges, around training platforms—
—and then she felt it.
A vibration.
A tremor.
A presence.
"…Something entered the outer grounds."
Xueyi gripped Wuya's arm.
"How did something get past the sect barrier?!"
Elder Yun's expression darkened.
"Someone must have weakened the array."
Xueyi gasped.
"Those three saboteurs?!"
"…Possibly," Elder Yun murmured.
"But the timing is too perfect to be coincidence."
The night wind shifted.
Then—
A roar shook the mountains.
Not a mortal beast.
Not a normal creature.
This roar carried spiritual pressure.
Malice.
Intelligence.
Xueyi screamed.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Wuya stood up calmly.
"…It's coming."
---
THE BEAST ENTERS THE SECT
A mountain-sized shadow leapt over the outer wall.
Lanterns shattered.
Disciples screamed.
Ground cracked under its weight.
It was a beast of the Shadow Valley—
A Nightbone Ravager.
Black fur like iron threads.
Bones jutting from its back like crimson spikes.
Eyes glowing with violet flame.
And it moved silently.
Too silently.
Xueyi trembled.
"A ravager?! In OUR sect?! WHY?!"
Wuya stared at it.
"…It isn't here by accident."
Elder Yun nodded, voice cold.
"It was sent."
Xueyi swallowed hard.
"S-Sent… for Wuya?"
Elder Yun didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
The beast lifted its head—
its nostrils flared—
and its gaze fell straight on Wuya.
Xueyi screamed.
"OH COME ON—! AGAIN?!"
Wuya's breath steadied.
"It smells fate."
Elder Yun summoned her fan.
"Wuya. Xueyi. Stay behind me."
But the beast moved faster than any of them expected—
It lunged—
not toward Wuya—
Toward Xueyi.
---
THE MOONVEIL'S SECOND AWAKENING
Xueyi froze.
The beast's claw descended—
Elder Yun was too far—
even Wuya couldn't reach her in time—
—and then the Moonveil Seal exploded with silver light.
BOOM
A barrier formed instantly around Xueyi, curved like a crescent moon.
The beast's claw struck the barrier—
CLANG
A shockwave blasted through the courtyard.
Wuya shielded Xueyi instinctively.
Elder Yun staggered half a step.
The beast roared in anger.
Xueyi gasped.
"M-My seal… it protected me again?!"
Wuya examined her aura.
The Moonveil Seal glowed brighter, pulsing like a beating heart.
"Xueyi," he whispered, "your seal is awakening its second layer."
Elder Yun nodded.
"That is not merely protection. That is a divine defense. Your lineage carries something extraordinary."
Xueyi trembled.
"I-I don't want 'extraordinary'! I want normal!"
Wuya placed a hand on her shoulder.
"…We will protect you."
Her eyes softened.
"Y-Yes…"
The beast attacked again.
Xueyi's barrier cracked.
Elder Yun moved.
---
ELDER YUN FEIXUE'S TRUE POWER
She stepped forward, fan in hand.
Her Qi flared—
cold, devastating, magnificent.
The air sharpened.
Clouds in the sky trembled.
Even the ravager halted.
Xueyi's jaw dropped.
"MASTER IS SCARY—!!"
Elder Yun pointed her fan.
"Wind Severing."
A thin blade of wind sliced the ravager's left shoulder.
Blood sprayed—
black, thick, foul-smelling.
But the beast didn't retreat.
It roared and swung its massive head toward her.
Elder Yun flicked her wrist.
"Step aside."
The wind exploded beneath her feet, launching her into the air.
The ravager missed her by inches.
She landed at Wuya's side.
"Wuya."
"Yes, Master."
Her voice lowered.
"I can hold it only for a short time. You must retreat with Xueyi."
Wuya shook his head.
"No."
Elder Yun's eyes widened slightly.
"…No?"
"I won't leave you."
Xueyi clung to his sleeve.
"ME EITHER!"
Elder Yun hesitated.
"…You two…"
Wuya continued:
"I can help."
Elder Yun frowned.
"You haven't learned any techniques yet."
"I don't need any."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"…You can't fight without Qi."
Wuya looked up at the ravager.
His veins pulsed.
Breathing deepened.
Bloodline hummed.
"…I will fight with my body."
Xueyi squealed.
"YOU HAVE A BODY BUT NOT A DEATH WISH—!!"
Elder Yun looked at Wuya a long time.
His calm eyes.
His steady breath.
His fearless stance.
"…Very well."
She raised her fan.
"I will open a path. You strike."
Wuya exhaled slowly.
"I understand."
---
THE FIGHT
The ravager lunged.
Elder Yun's fan glowed.
"Wind-Form Eight—Third Step:
Feather Shatter."
Wind exploded in a tight cone—
shredding the ravager's fur and forcing its head sideways.
Wuya saw his opening.
He ran.
Xueyi yelled:
"WUYA STOP—!!"
But he didn't.
He leapt—
twisting mid-air like a falling star—
and slammed his fist into the ravager's jaw.
CRACK
The beast howled.
Its head jerked violently.
Wuya landed on his feet, sliding backward from the force.
Xueyi stared.
"…HOW DID YOU HIT THAT HARD WITHOUT QI?!"
Wuya answered simply:
"Master tempered me."
Elder Yun's face softened.
But the ravager roared again.
"You angered it!" Xueyi screamed.
"…Yes."
"That's BAD—!!"
The ravager advanced.
Wuya prepared to strike—
—but the beast changed directions suddenly.
It rushed toward Xueyi again.
Her barrier flickered—
cracking with each step the beast took.
Wuya's heart tightened.
"…Xueyi!"
Elder Yun cursed under her breath.
"It changed targets—again!"
Xueyi screamed.
"Wuya—!!"
---
THE FIFTH SIGN-IN ACTIVATES
Wuya sprinted.
His heart thundered.
His bloodline burned.
The Codex whispered in his ears—
[Fifth Sign-In Condition:
Face Life-Threatening Danger]
[Condition Met]
[Sign-In Activated]
The world blurred.
Golden symbols filled his vision.
The ravager's claw was inches from Xueyi.
Wuya roared—
and stepped in front of her.
The claw slammed into his back.
THUD
Xueyi screamed.
"WUYA—!!!"
But—
Wuya didn't fall.
He didn't even move.
The Codex whispered:
[Reward: Bone-Tempering Essence]
[Effect: Bone Strength +25%]
[Effect: Body Resistance +30%]
[Effect: Hidden Potential Unlocked — 'Silent Core']
[Effect: Pain Nullification (Low)]
Wuya inhaled deeply—
And slowly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed faintly gold.
Not blinding.
Not dramatic.
Just… calm.
Terrifyingly calm.
Elder Yun nearly froze in shock.
"…Impossible…"
Wuya looked over his shoulder.
"…Xueyi."
She trembled violently.
"I-I'm okay… but YOU—"
He shook his head.
"I'm fine."
The ravager tried to pull its claw free.
It couldn't.
Wuya grabbed its wrist—
and squeezed.
CRUNCH
The beast roared in agony.
Elder Yun whispered:
"…He restrained a Nightbone Ravager with his hands…"
Wuya stepped forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Then he lifted the ravager off the ground by its arm—
and slammed it into the earth.
BOOM
The ground cracked.
Shockwaves rippled.
Xueyi fell backwards.
"UNREAL—!!"
Elder Yun whispered:
"…Wuya, you…"
Wuya stood over the ravager.
Breathing deep.
Eyes cold.
"…Don't… try to hurt Xueyi."
The beast whimpered.
Then collapsed.
Unmoving.
Defeated.
Without a Qi technique.
Without a weapon.
Without anything but the Codex's reward and his own will.
---
AFTERMATH
Xueyi ran to him.
"Wuya—are you bleeding?! Are you bruised?! Are you—"
He shook his head.
"I'm fine."
"You just got hit by a BEAST CLAW—!!"
"…Yes."
"And you're FINE?!"
"…Yes."
Xueyi threw her arms around him, crying.
"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE OR GET KILLED OR GET SCRATCHED OR ANYTHING—!!"
He patted her gently.
"I won't."
Elder Yun looked at him with awe and fear.
"…Wuya."
He turned to her.
"Yes?"
"What was that?"
Wuya blinked.
"…Body strength."
"No," she whispered.
"That was something else."
Wuya looked away.
"Master… I cannot explain it."
Elder Yun's expression softened.
"I won't force you."
---
THE HEAVENLY OBSERVER REACTS
Up in the distant clouds—
The celestial observer appeared again.
This time, his eyes widened.
"So soon…? His growth is accelerating… faster than projected…"
He gripped his staff.
"Heaven must intervene."
Lightning flickered in the heavens.
Clouds swirled.
The air grew heavy.
The observer whispered:
"The Forbidden Son… must be restrained."
---
BACK IN THE COURTYARD
Elder Yun placed a healing palm on Wuya's back.
"You must rest.
Tonight was too dangerous."
Wuya nodded.
"…Yes, Master."
Xueyi held his hand tightly.
"I'm sleeping next to you tonight!"
"…Okay."
Elder Yun coughed lightly.
"…Ahem."
Xueyi stuck out her tongue.
"Master, I'm keeping him safe!"
Elder Yun looked away.
"…Good."
Wuya sat beneath the plum tree once more.
He closed his eyes.
The Codex whispered gently:
[Next Sign-In: Awaiting Opportunity]
Wuya exhaled.
"…I will be ready."
Xueyi leaned on him again, exhausted.
Elder Yun sat nearby, watching over them both.
And high above—
Heaven trembled.