CHAPTER 100 — The Dawn Before War
Dawn broke over Cloudsky Sect like a blade of light cutting through bruised, ash-stained clouds.
It was a dawn too bright for a world still covered in the remnants of demonic aura, yet too dim for the comfort of a world about to enter its greatest war.
Smoke still clung to the ruins.
The mountain's qi veins trembled from the recent battle.
And every disciple—from newly recruited outer disciples to seasoned inner sect elites—felt the same thing deep in their bones:
The world had changed.
And Lin Xuan stood at its center.
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1. A Sect Reborn, A Sect Preparing for War
Reconstruction efforts filled every courtyard.
Outer disciples hammered beams back into collapsed pavilions.
Inner disciples stabilized broken formations.
Core disciples repaired spirit arrays around the mountain peaks.
The elders cast wide-range cleansing spells to flush abyssal residue from the ground.
But even through all this recovery—
The name on everyone's lips was the same.
"Senior Brother Lin…"
"Did he really clash with the Abyssal Ancestor?"
"He tore apart two generals…"
"And survived that thing's hand…?"
A sense of awe surrounded him, both comforting and terrifying.
Some disciples bowed too deeply when Lin passed.
Others avoided meeting his eyes, as if afraid he might crush them by accident.
Many felt safe around him—
Some no longer felt equal to him at all.
Lin ignored all of it.
He wasn't interested in fame.
He wasn't interested in being worshipped.
He wasn't interested in being feared.
He was interested in the war.
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2. Lin's War Council
The Cloudsky Sect training field had been turned into a command pavilion.
Maps floated in midair.
Pillars of jade displayed battlefield reports with glowing script.
Crystal spheres projected the qi signatures of demonic strongholds.
Lin entered with Bai, Mu, Wen, and Dragon-Bai perched on his shoulder—sleeping again in miniature form, regaining strength.
The Sect Master and alliance leaders were already waiting.
"Young Lin," the Cloudsky Sect Master greeted. "Welcome."
Lin bowed. "I brought the reports from the scouts."
The Flower Pavilion Sect Master gave him a relieved but serious look.
"Your actions have shaken every power on the continent. Whether for good or ill, the world now revolves around your next step."
Lin's expression didn't waver.
"Then let's make those steps count."
He walked to the map and tapped three glowing points.
"These cities have fallen to abyssal corruption within the last forty-eight hours. The demonic sects have unified their armies and begun pushing outwards. If we don't respond now, the abyss will spread like wildfire."
The Crimson Phoenix elder clenched his teeth.
"They're carving a corridor straight toward us."
Lin nodded.
"They want Cloudsky. Because of me."
The Sect Master didn't deny it.
He only sighed heavily.
"We can't hide that fact. The Abyssal Ancestor made his intentions clear."
Mu stepped forward, voice trembling with pain and resolve.
"Then… we fight. Harder. Smarter. Together."
Wen followed, tone deadly calm.
"And if they want Senior Brother, they'll have to go through us."
Bai cracked his knuckles.
"Let them come. Master's spear will tear them in half."
The alliance elders exchanged uneasy glances.
To them, Lin's group was no longer ordinary cultivators—
They were becoming monsters in their own right.
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3. Lin's Orders
Lin raised his hand.
"For now, we hold the sect."
The Flower Pavilion Sect Master blinked. "We… don't counterattack?"
"Not yet," Lin replied. "We need information. Strength. And time."
He gestured toward three areas on the map.
"Cloudsky will train elite squads.
Flower Pavilion will fortify the southern forest line.
Crimson Phoenix will handle sky patrols.
Starforge Mountain will reinforce the northern ridge."
The Sect Master nodded.
"And you, Lin?"
Lin's eyes glowed faintly.
"I'll handle the front lines when the time comes."
He didn't mention the deeper truth:
He needed to strengthen his inner earth.
He needed to help Shengyuan rise back to the Saint Realm.
He needed to awaken Dragon-Bai.
He needed to reach Soul Transformation.
And he needed…
to learn how to kill an abyssal general permanently.
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4. A Quiet Walk Through Cloudsky Sect
After the meeting ended, Lin walked through the sect alone.
He passed disciples training with renewed intensity.
He passed elders arguing over formation schematics.
He passed Mu's new alchemy trainees carrying crates of herbs.
Everywhere he walked, the Cloudsky Sect transformed itself to mirror his resolve.
Three outer disciples bowed deeply as he approached.
"S-Senior Brother Lin!"
"You honor us!"
"Your strength saved us all!"
Lin lifted his hand.
"Stand. Don't bow to me unless you bow to every disciple who fought beside you yesterday."
The three froze.
Then tears welled in their eyes as they saluted with fists clasped.
"Y-Yes!"
He walked on.
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5. Lin Visits the Graves
He reached the new burial grounds.
Fresh graves.
Over a hundred.
Cloudsky Sect disciples who had died in the recent battle.
Lin stood in silence.
Mu approached quietly behind him.
"You blame yourself."
Lin didn't deny it.
"If I were stronger…"
Mu shook her head.
"You held back a god."
Lin didn't respond.
The guilt stayed.
Then a tiny movement shifted on his shoulder.
Dragon-Bai, still drowsy, opened one golden eye.
"Master… you saved thousands. They would scold you from the afterlife if you dishonored their sacrifice."
Lin's throat tightened.
Then he heard footsteps.
Wen and Bai approached, each holding incense.
Without needing to speak, they placed the incense before the graves.
Lin followed suit.
For a moment—
the four stood together.
Silent. Resolute.
A team forged in blood.
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6. Night Falls — And Lin Strengthens His World
When the moon rose, Lin returned to his cultivation chamber.
He sat cross-legged and entered his inner world.
Inside—
the world had expanded again.
Forests now covered hills.
Rivers cut across continents.
Shengyuan's rebuilt sect towered in the distance.
Humans and animals began to appear, tiny sparks of qi writing their first steps into existence.
The saint approached.
"You've returned, Lin Xuan."
Lin nodded.
"We need to prepare for war."
Shengyuan clasped his hands.
"I have reclaimed early Saint Realm inside your world. My next breakthrough depends on the world's law density. With recent evolution, I may reach peak Saint within a few months."
Lin exhaled slowly.
Good.
Very good.
"And Dragon-Bai?"
The sleeping beast, curled on a floating island of qi, stirred.
Shengyuan chuckled.
"The little one is growing frighteningly fast. If he continues, he may awaken a true Dragon Sovereign bloodline."
Lin absorbed the information.
He would need them both.
He turned his palm upward—
summoning a rotating sun-and-moon pattern.
"My own breakthrough must come soon."
Shengyuan bowed.
"You will become the spear that pierces fate."
Lin looked toward the horizon.
Toward the place where the abyssal crack shimmered faintly.
"No," he whispered.
"I will become the spear that breaks it."
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7. Final Scene — A Whisper From Beyond
As Lin prepared to leave the inner earth, the sky darkened.
A voice echoed.
Not Shengyuan.
Not Dragon-Bai.
Not Aurora.
Something else.
Something from beyond the horizon.
Beyond the world.
Beyond the boundary of reality.
> "Lin Xuan…"
"Grow stronger."
"I hunger."
The Abyssal Ancestor.
Lin clenched his fist.
"I won't run."
The voice laughed—a sound of ruin dragging fingers across existence.
> "Good."
"Then grow… faster."
The voice faded.
Lin stepped out of the inner earth and opened his eyes.
A spear of sunlight flickered in his pupils.
War was coming.
And he would meet it head-on.
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