CHAPTER 7: THE CAGE OF REGRET AND THE ARCHITECT'S ASCENSION
The morning sun rose over the Blue Cloud Sect, but the light it shed felt different—colder, sharper, and infused with a violet tint that seemed to emanate from the Elder's Peak. The news of Empress Lin Yue's arrival and her subsequent "submission" had spread through the sect like a wildfire, but it was a fire that brought no warmth, only a paralyzing terror. Disciples who once walked with arrogance now scurried through the corridors like mice, their eyes constantly darting toward the heights where the "Architect" resided.
In the central pavilion, Li Xiao sat in a state of deep meditation. His Golden Core was no longer just a sphere of energy; it had become a miniature galaxy, swirling with the "Sword Intent of Nihility" he had brought back from the simulation. Every breath he took caused the surrounding space to ripple. Beside him, Elder Gu was prostrate, his body trembling with the sheer amount of Qi he was "processing" through his false system. Gu felt like a god, but Li Xiao saw him as nothing more than a well-maintained battery.
"Master," Elder Gu whispered, not daring to lift his head. "The Empress... she has been standing at the sect gates since dawn. She has refused all offerings of tea or silk. She simply stands there, her sword unsheathed, acting as a common guard. The disciples are too terrified to even pass through the gate."
Li Xiao opened one eye, a sliver of violet light cutting through the dimness of the hall. "Let her stand. If she wishes to atone for a debt that cannot be paid, let her feel the weight of the sun and the bite of the wind. She wants to be a guardian? Then she shall be the most expensive gatekeeper in history."
He stood up, his movements possessing a lethal grace that seemed to defy gravity. "Gu, the Blue Cloud Sect is too small for my designs. We are no longer a mere cultivation sect. We are the 'Sanctuary of the Architect'. I want you to announce that we are opening our doors to 'The Forsaken'. Search for those with broken spirits, those who have been betrayed by their lovers or abandoned by their masters. They are the soil in which my new systems will grow."
"But Master, what of the other Great Sects? They will not take kindly to us recruiting across their borders."
Li Xiao smiled, a expression that made Elder Gu's blood run cold. "Let them come. I need more batteries, after all."
Li Xiao walked out onto the balcony, looking down at the sect entrance far below. Even from this distance, he could see the radiant aura of Lin Yue. She stood perfectly still, a statue of regal sorrow. Her presence alone had created a vacuum of power; no beast or rogue cultivator dared to even approach the mountain range.
[ Ding! Host's influence has reached 'Regional Legend' status. ]
[ New Simulation Slot Unlocked: 'The Alchemist of the Forsaken Kingdom'. ]
[ Current Karma Reserves: 50,000 units (Harvested from Empress's proximity). ]
Li Xiao ignored the system notification for a moment, focusing his gaze on Lin Yue. With a thought, he transmitted his voice directly into her mind, a technique that bypassed all her imperial defenses.
"Lin Yue," his voice echoed in her soul, cold and indifferent. "If you wish to stay, you will not just guard the gate. You will provide the 'Law'. Any disciple who enters this sect must pass through your Sword Intent. If they survive, they are worthy. If they die, their luck was never theirs to begin with. Also, you will surrender the 'Heart of the Eternal Sword'—not to me, but to the Sect's foundation."
At the gate, Lin Yue's body shuddered. The Heart of the Eternal Sword was the source of her empire's luck, the core of her power. Surrendering it to a third-rate sect's foundation was an act of absolute madness. But she didn't hesitate.
"As you command... Lord Li Xiao," she whispered to the empty air.
With a wave of her hand, a brilliant, pulsing crystal emerged from her chest. It glowed with the light of a thousand suns, containing the collective destiny of millions. She cast it toward the center of the mountain. As the crystal sank into the earth, the Blue Cloud Sect underwent a terrifying transformation. The spiritual energy density tripled in seconds. The rocks turned to spirit jade, and the trees began to bear fruits of longevity.
The "trash" disciples who were lucky enough to be outside felt their bottlenecks shattering. But Li Xiao only watched with a predatory gaze. This wasn't a gift; it was an expansion of his web. Every disciple who benefited from this energy would unknowingly be linked to his system, their future growth becoming a tribute to his ascension.
As the sun reached its zenith, a group of travelers appeared at the base of the mountain. They were not cultivators; they were the broken, the maimed, and the desperate—the "Forsaken" Li Xiao had called for. Among them was a young man with a severed arm, his eyes burning with a familiar, dark flame of revenge.
Li Xiao's eyes narrowed as he looked at the young man. "A fragment of the second simulation... so, the soul of the 'Alchemist' has found its way back to me."
He turned back toward the inner hall. "Gu! Bring the one with the severed arm to me. He shall be the first to receive a 'Divine System' of the second generation. The era of the Architect is no longer a secret. It is a plague that will swallow the world."
Lin Yue, standing at the gate, felt the shift in Li Xiao's aura. She felt the darkness and the cold calculation, but she didn't care. To her, even his cruelty was a form of connection. She would be his sword, his shield, and his slave, as long as she could remain in the shadow of the man she had once lost. She didn't realize that the man she loved was gone, replaced by something far more efficient—and far more dangerous.
Li Xiao sat back on his throne, the violet light in his eyes intensifying. "Lin Yue, you think your regret is the end of the story. But for me, it is just the fuel for the next simulation. Rest well, Empress.
.. for tomorrow, the real harvest begins."