The sun dipped low across the sky, staining the world in shades of warm gold and fading amber. The forest near Moonfall Cliff had grown quiet again, as if exhausted by the battle between heaven and mortal. Leaves rustled softly in the evening wind.
Wuya emerged from between the trees.
His steps were steady.
His posture upright.
His expression calm.
But something about him had changed.
The air around him rippled faintly—
not violent, not chaotic—
but subtly bent, as though reality adjusted for him as he walked.
The Void-Breath Physique hummed silently beneath his skin.
His breath flowed differently—
stretching, folding, contracting in ways a mortal body was never meant to endure.
But Wuya suppressed every trace of it.
Every ripple.
Every sign.
No one must know.
Not yet.
He wiped the dried blood from his lip, brushed dust from his sleeve, and continued toward the sect.
He had survived Moonfall Cliff.
And now—
He had to face those waiting for him.
---
THE SECT — A STORM OF PANIC
Inside the Clear Sky Sect, the atmosphere was on the verge of exploding.
Xueyi ran wildly through the courtyard, Moonveil Seal glowing like a frantic heartbeat.
"MASTER—!!
HE'S ALIVE!!
I CAN FEEL HIM—!!!"
She sprinted straight into Elder Yun's arms, shaking uncontrollably.
Elder Yun held her tightly.
"Calm down, Xueyi—"
"I CAN'T—!!
I FEEL HIM—!!
HE'S COMING—!!
HE'S—!!"
Her seal blazed again, almost overwhelming the courtyard with silver aura.
Elder Yun stiffened.
"…she's right."
The air shifted.
A faint tremor rippled through the mountain.
Elders stepped out from their residences.
Disciples paused mid-task, looking toward the forest path.
Even the trees seemed to lean toward the mountain gate.
Because something was approaching.
Someone.
A presence both gentle and overwhelming.
Slow.
Steady.
Growing.
A pressure… no, a phenomenon… not aura, not killing intent—
but something unfamiliar.
Something terrifying.
Something that made even experienced cultivators stiffen.
Elder Yun whispered:
"…Wuya?"
Xueyi choked out:
"It's him.
It's him.
It's HIM—!!"
---
THE GIRL WHO SENSED HIM FIRST
Xueyi tore away from Elder Yun and sprinted toward the path.
Elder Yun ran after her.
Disciples shouted:
"Senior Sister Xueyi—?! What's wrong?!"
"She's glowing!"
"Is that her Moonveil Seal?!"
"Why is it so bright?!"
Xueyi didn't answer.
Her entire being was focused on one thing.
One person.
She burst out past the mountain gate—
Her breath caught.
Her eyes widened.
She froze.
"…Wuya…"
He was walking up the stone steps.
Clothes torn.
Blood dried on his shoulder.
Dust covering his robe.
Hair ruffled by wind.
Eyes calm and steady.
Alive.
Xueyi burst into tears instantly.
"WUYA—!!"
She sprinted down the steps.
Wuya stopped walking.
His eyes lifted slightly.
And he opened his arms.
Xueyi slammed into him so hard his breath almost escaped.
"YOU'RE ALIVE—!!
YOU'RE REALLY—!!
YOU'RE—!!" she sobbed uncontrollably.
Wuya placed a hand on her head gently.
"…I told you."
She cried harder.
"You left me—!!
I thought—
I thought—
I thought—!!"
"I'm sorry."
"DON'T BE SORRY—!!
JUST NEVER SCARE ME AGAIN—!!"
"…I will try."
"STOP SAYING 'TRY'—!!"
Wuya gave a faint, helpless nod.
"…I will do my best."
Xueyi clutched him tighter.
"Never leave me again… never…"
He lifted her chin gently.
"I came back."
And Xueyi clung to him like she would never let go again.
---
ELDER YUN FEIXUE ARRIVES
Elder Yun stopped at the top of the steps.
Her breath halted.
"…Wuya."
He bowed slightly.
"Master."
Elder Yun walked toward him slowly—
as though afraid the moment was a dream.
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
Her fingers brushed his robe.
Wuya winced slightly.
Elder Yun's eyes sharpened.
"You're wounded."
"…Nothing serious."
She sent a small thread of Qi into him.
The moment her Qi touched his body—
Her expression froze.
"…What… is this?"
Her Qi rebounded lightly—
not violently—
but like a ripple hitting a pond.
Her heartbeat quickened.
No mortal body should reflect a master's Qi like that.
She pressed deeper.
Her Qi met a second barrier—
not a wall—
not resistance—
but a strange flexibility.
Like touching something that bent space itself.
Elder Yun pulled back sharply.
Her eyes trembled.
"…Wuya.
Your body…"
Wuya stood calmly.
"Yes, Master?"
"You… changed."
"…Yes."
"Wuya.
What happened at Moonfall Cliff?"
Silence.
Wind rustled the leaves above.
Xueyi looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes.
Wuya answered simply:
"…I survived."
Elder Yun swallowed.
She could not press further.
Not here.
Not now.
Not with so many watching.
But her thoughts screamed:
This child… what is he becoming?
---
THE GATHERING OF ELDERS
The disturbance spread across the sect like wildfire.
Within minutes—
Half of the elders had gathered.
Whispers filled the mountain path.
"That boy… he returned alone?"
"He stepped into Moonfall Cliff and lived."
"Impossible…"
"Is this Elder Yun's new disciple?"
"There's something strange about him."
Two elders approached Elder Yun.
One of them—Elder Bai—frowned deeply.
"Elder Yun. This boy… his presence is unusual."
Xueyi growled at him.
"Back away from him!"
Elder Bai scoffed.
"Mind your manners, little girl."
Wuya stepped forward slightly—
placing himself between Xueyi and the elders.
"Don't speak to her that way."
The elders blinked.
"You dare speak against your elders?"
"You have no rank here."
Wuya's tone did not change.
"I have no interest in ranks."
"You—!"
Elder Yun stepped between them quickly.
"That's enough."
Her presence froze the elders.
"This boy is under my protection.
And until the Sect Master returns, I decide how to handle him."
The elders exchanged dark looks.
But they did not challenge her.
Instead, they dispersed slowly.
But shadows followed their steps.
Trouble was brewing.
---
ELDER QIONG LUO'S HORROR
Several kilometers away, Elder Qiong Luo clutched at his ribs, still bruised from the talisman backlash.
He sat hidden inside his hall, trembling.
One of his informants ran inside.
"Elder Qiong—
news from the cliff—
the boy—"
Qiong Luo snapped:
"He died, correct?"
The disciple swallowed hard.
"…No, Elder."
Qiong Luo froze.
"…What?"
"He… returned."
Qiong Luo's pupils shrank.
"He WHAT?!"
The disciple stammered:
"He walked into the sect.
Alive.
Uninjured except for minor wounds.
And… and…"
"And WHAT?!"
The disciple dropped to his knees.
"He came back stronger."
Qiong Luo's heart froze.
His hands turned cold.
"…Impossible."
His talisman failed.
The beast failed.
The cliff failed.
Something inside him snapped.
He sank into his chair.
"…Why… why won't he die?"
Cold sweat drenched his back.
Fear crept into his bones.
"…What are you, boy…?"
---
LADY LINGHAI'S INTERVENTION
Lady Linghai stood on a cliff above the sect, watching Wuya.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"He returned from the void…
with a physique that bends space."
Wind fluttered her robes.
"This boy…
He defies Heaven.
He defies rules.
He defies fate."
She stepped down the mountain path.
Her feet silent.
She approached the group slowly.
Xueyi bristled instantly.
"You again?!"
"Why do you ALWAYS appear when Wuya is hurt?!"
"Go away!"
Linghai ignored her entirely.
She stopped in front of Wuya.
Her golden eyes met his.
They seemed to pierce everything—
truth, lies, soul, breath.
Her voice was quiet.
"Tell me, Hao Wuya.
What did the void do to you?"
Wuya didn't blink.
"…Nothing."
Linghai leaned closer.
"Lies."
Xueyi shoved between them.
"DON'T TALK TO HIM LIKE THAT—!!"
Linghai raised a brow.
"You think you can stop me, Moonveil girl?"
"I WILL—!!"
Linghai looked past Xueyi, her eyes narrowing at Wuya's faint aura distortions.
"…You're hiding something."
Wuya didn't deny it.
"…I am."
Linghai exhaled.
"I see."
She stepped back.
"Very well.
I will not press you…"
Xueyi blinked.
"…Really?"
Linghai finished softly:
"…for now."
Xueyi's rage reignited instantly.
"THAT IS NOT COMFORTING—!!"
---
THE SKY RESPONDS
Clouds parted suddenly.
A shaft of golden light descended through the heavens.
Disciples gasped.
"Is that—?!"
"A heavenly omen!"
"But why—?"
"Who caused this?!"
The light fell directly upon Wuya.
Covering him.
Warming his skin.
Xueyi's eyes widened.
"Wuya… you're glowing."
Lady Linghai whispered:
"…A heavenly mark.
The heavens acknowledge your existence."
The elders paled.
"That boy…"
"He's marked by Heaven?!"
"Blessed—? Or condemned—?!"
Wuya simply stood still.
The light slowly dissolved.
Leaving him unchanged.
He exhaled softly.
"…I see."
---
THE HEAVENLY OBSERVER'S NEW PLAN
High above the mortal world, in the celestial domain, the observer smashed his staff against the clouds.
Lightning erupted around him.
"He returned from the cliff.
He absorbed the void.
And now Heaven marks him?"
His voice cracked with rage.
"No.
No.
No!"
He pointed his staff toward the mortal world.
"I will no longer rely on beasts.
No longer on subtle tests."
His eyes burned.
"I will use the Forbidden Heaven Suppression Method."
Thunder cracked the sky.
"He will not reach adulthood.
He will not awaken his full potential.
He will not threaten the balance."
He raised his staff.
Heaven trembled.
The forbidden technique began to descend.
---
WUYA'S LAST MOMENT OF PEACE
Back at the sect, Elder Yun placed her hand on Wuya's cheek gently.
"You're back."
Wuya nodded.
"…Yes."
Xueyi hugged him again.
"You better never leave me alone like that again."
"…I will try."
"STOP saying try—!!"
He gave a faint smile.
For a moment—
just a moment—
the world felt calm.
But far above—
the sky darkened.
A new storm formed.
And Heaven prepared to strike.