CHAPTER 103 — Abyss Marches on Starfall
The moment Lin Xuan and his group left Cloudsky Sect, the atmosphere around them shifted.
The world felt darker.
Heavier.
The sky itself seemed bruised, clouds swirling with faint streaks of black-red—residual abyssal corruption drifting far beyond the front lines.
Lin flew at the head of the formation, spear strapped along his back, Dragon-Bai curled around his shoulders like a golden-scaled scarf. His aura flared bright enough to part the corrupted qi that drifted in the wind.
Behind him followed Bai, Wen, and Mu—each pushing their movement arts to the limit.
They had a long journey ahead.
And the abyss was moving faster than any of them expected.
---
1. Signs of the Abyssal Advance
Three hours into flight, Lin slowed.
"Stop."
The others halted instantly.
"Boss? Something wrong?" Bai asked.
Lin pointed down.
Directly below them stretched what once must have been farmland—fertile, green, alive.
Now it was a wasteland.
Fields that once grew spirit grains lay blackened.
Homes were nothing but collapsed husks.
Animals—those that still resembled animals—twisted with abyssal tumors, roamed in crooked patterns.
Mu covered her mouth.
"This… this was a thriving village. There's nothing left."
Wen knelt beside a patch of ground disturbed by footprints—huge ones.
"They moved in a formation. Disciplined. A marching army."
Lin's eyes darkened.
"The first wave of the abyss already passed through here."
He rose back into the sky.
"We move faster."
---
2. A Refugee Caravan — What's Left of It
Half a day later…
"Boss—look!" Bai shouted.
Below them, a small caravan of battered wagons crawled along a dirt road.
But this caravan wasn't carrying goods.
It held survivors.
Lin descended immediately.
The refugees panicked until they recognized orthodox robes.
A middle-aged woman ran forward, bowing repeatedly.
"Cultivators! Oh heavens, real cultivators!"
An elderly man grabbed Lin's sleeve, trembling.
"You—are you heading toward Starfall City? You must not! The abyssal horde is already there!"
Lin's expression sharpened.
"What happened?"
The man broke into tears.
"They came without warning! The sky… it split open! Thousands poured out! My son—my daughter—they're still inside!"
Wen stepped forward softly.
"Did anyone escape besides you?"
"Just these few… out of tens of thousands."
Mu bit her lip, shaking.
"These people… they had no chance."
Lin closed his eyes for one breath.
Then he asked:
"Did anyone from the Starfall Alchemy Clan escape?"
The elderly man stiffened.
"The clan elders attempted to hold the eastern ramparts. The younger alchemists… those not trained in combat… tried to flee."
"Any survivors?"
"…I don't know."
Lin nodded once.
"Thank you."
He gave them a bottle of healing pills and a storage bag of food.
Then he took to the skies again.
This time—
faster than before.
---
3. Lin's Inner Conflict
The land beneath them grew more devastated the farther they flew.
Entire forests drained of qi.
Lakes turned pitch-black.
Cities crumbled under abyssal corruption.
Mu whispered, "If we arrived earlier…"
Lin cut her off gently.
"We can't save everyone… but we will save who we can."
She nodded, wiping her eyes.
Inside Lin's mind, Aurora flickered awake.
"Lin… the aura ahead is strong. Stronger than you've felt in a while."
"How strong?" he asked mentally.
"Strong enough to destroy a sect in a night."
Dragon-Bai stirred, tiny sparks of golden flame licking the corners of his mouth.
"Master, I smell… prey."
Lin's gaze hardened.
"Good."
---
4. Arrival at the Starfall Territory
As they crossed the final ridge, a massive plume of black-red smoke rose from beyond the hills.
Bai whispered, "That's… Starfall?"
No one answered.
When the group crested the final peak—
All four froze.
Because Starfall Valley…
was a warzone.
A massive army of abyssal beasts marched like a living ocean.
Structures burned in every direction.
Alchemy pavilions collapsed.
Flames soared into the sky, stained black by demonic qi.
And atop the central plaza—
A monstrous figure led the destruction.
A humanoid abyssal giant—
massive, four-armed, horned, with a distorted alchemical cauldron fused into his chest like a mocking trophy.
Lin's pupils narrowed sharply.
"A pseudo-general…"
Wen's brow knotted.
"That thing… it was an alchemist before corruption."
Mu trembled.
"Those markings… Sun-Forging Cauldron Sect arts… he was one of the lost masters…"
Bai growled.
"What a waste."
Lin floated forward, golden aura rising.
"Not a waste."
The others looked at him.
Lin's voice was ice.
"An opportunity."
---
5. The Surviving Starfall Alchemists
They landed atop a shattered wall.
Immediately, a group of bloodied alchemists—dozens at most—hurried toward them.
The clan patriarch himself, a man in his forties with streaks of silver in his hair, knelt before Lin.
"You—You're the ones who answered our call?"
Lin bowed slightly.
"I am Lin Xuan of Cloudsky Sect."
The patriarch's eyes widened.
"The rumored Heaven-defying spear genius…? You came?"
Lin nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?" the man whispered. "We didn't expect… anyone."
Lin answered simply:
"I made a promise to your ancestor."
Shock froze the patriarch.
"You… did you meet Ancestor Liang?"
Lin nodded again.
"I carry his legacy. And his dying request."
The patriarch bowed until his forehead scraped stone.
"Then you are our savior."
Lin spoke calmly:
"Stand. There is no time for ceremony. Show me your wounded, your strongest fighters, and the last defensive formations. We will hold the line."
The patriarch shook.
"We… have nothing. Only a dying barrier around the inner compound."
Lin's expression hardened.
"Then we'll fight without one."
---
6. The Abyssal Army Notices Them
The pseudo-general halted mid-rampage.
His four eyes rotated toward Lin, narrowing.
A deep, gurgling voice echoed across the valley.
> "You smell… delicious."
Mu stepped back.
Wen raised his blades.
Bai cracked his neck.
Dragon-Bai hissed, golden flame rolling out.
Lin lifted his spear—
and his aura erupted like a miniature sun.
"You'll lose your appetite soon."
The pseudo-general roared, shaking the earth.
The abyssal army surged.
Lin smiled slightly.
"Everyone—prepare to break them."
---
The pseudo-general charging.
The abyssal horde screaming.
The last Starfall alchemists watching with desperate hope.
Lin's spear igniting with solar law.
Dragon-Bai leaping forward, golden flames swirling.
Bai, Wen, Mu stepping beside Lin.
And Lin whispering:
"Ancestor Liang…
I'm here."