Disciples scurrying between elder homes carried messages, so the big meeting hall of Celestial Sword Sect hummed with tension. Maintaining a meditative position in the little courtyard outside his apartments, Zhen Lu noted the odd activity. Their return to the sect had been met with neither jubilation nor formal debriefing—merely a stern directive for disciples to resume their normal responsibilities while senior members assembled in confidential council.
Odd ambiance, no? Zhao Yunxiao said, coming closer with two cups of tea. He gave Zhen one. The elders have been in session since daybreak.
Are you aware of their topic of conversation? Zhen inquired, happily taking the tea.
Rumors indicate the sect's borders have seen energy anomalies. Some disciples on patrol claimed to have witnessed purple lightning hit the same location nine times in a row, a negative portent as per the ancients.
Zhen's hold on his cup tightened undetectably. Before starting her most destructive methods, purple lightning had been Ye Qingqing's hallmark expression.
He inquired nonchalantly, "Has this occurred before?"
Zhao said, "Not in living memory." Though Senior Brother Wei said something about such events in the historical records—from the Endless Sword era, five centuries ago.
A sect attendant coming with a polite bow disturbed their talk. Elder Zhao of the Sword Record Pavilion requests your presence, Disciple Zhen, to help with Danxia visit documentation.
Though surprising, the request offered just right chance. Separated only by a garden and a thin wall through which sound may flow if one knew just where to listen, the Sword Record Pavilion adjoined the Elders' Council Chamber.
Zhen, who was sect leader five centuries ago and had ordered the hidden ventilation tube, set himself close to it while apparently sorting scrolls in the eastern nook of the pavilion one hour later. Originally intended to stop eavesdropping, the passage now ironically fulfilled the reverse function.
Grand Elder Yun's calm voice came over the passage: "-nine consecutive strikes, exactly matching the pattern stated in the Ancestral Records. There is no question about the energy signature.
Might it be coincidence? questioned a voice Zhen recognized as Sword Heart Peak's Master Feng.
Five hundred years later? Not at all. Yun Wuhen spoke in a somber tone. Once more, the essence of the Traitor Immortal stirs. The prophecy says she will return when the nine-fold lightning marks the boundary peaks.
Another elder proposed, "Then we should seal the sect, get ready our defenses."
Yun retorted "premature." First, we have to find the epicenter of these anomalies. Though we should also send disciples to the southern borders—preferably those with strong spiritual discernment.
Then came a silent time: "What about the Danxia Sect's participation?" Their alchemical methods might point up leftover energy.
Yun said, "My niece has already given all she can help." Some things, however, are better left inside our group. Outsider meddling contributed to the collapse of the Endless Sword.
Zhen had heard enough, but the meeting went on with talks of defense measures and patrol schedules. His thoughts raced with consequences as he finished his allocated paperwork. Yun Wuhen was officially opposing Ye Qingqing's return; nevertheless, all Zhen had found pointed to the Grand Elder enabling it in some way.
Zhen crept out to the quiet western hills that night under the guise of training. Observers stayed off Li Chen's cave; the elders' emphasis was on the southern borders where the lightning had been recorded.
Already making tea over a tiny fire, the ancient sword master waited for him. Li Chen remarked, not looking up, "I felt you coming." Your energy changes give away your worry.
Zhen said, sipping a cup of the bitter herbal brew, "The elders have found Ye Qingqing's energy signature." Yun Wuhen mentioned prophesies and return.
Li Chen's worn face stayed unmoved. The symptoms have been there for months. Merely the most apparent expression is the nine-fold lightning.
You knew and didn't inform me?
The ancient cultivator said, "I was verifying my doubts." Subtle energy changes before Ye Qingqing's first treachery five hundred years ago reflect the pattern.
Zhen scowled. Yet something is out of line. Though all indications point to his preparation for it—maybe even supporting it, Yun Wuhen publicly denounces her homecoming.
Li Chen replied, drawing a complicated pattern in the mud between them, "Think about this." What if her comeback fulfills his goal? Ancient writings describe power transference ceremonies needing both the essence of a fallen immortal and a proper vessel to hold it.
The suggestion made Zhen uneasy. You think I should be this vessel? My rebirth intentional component of their strategy?
Li Chen pointed out, "The chaos system reacts to the strongest will at the moment of dissolution." What if your reincarnation was not all your fault?
The jade token in Zhen's pocket started to warm—Yun Yao's signal before he could answer. Excusing himself, he went outside the cave and directed a small stream of energy into the token.
Yun Yao's voice appeared as a whisper right in his head: "In our most limited archives, I have uncovered reference to a forbidden procedure called 'Soul Reclamation'. Three components are needed: pieces of the original soul, a vessel with spiritual resonance to the original host, and a catalyst of great power. The ceremony lets a shattered soul permanently own a fresh body.
This ritual last took place when? Zhen inquired via the link.
Records say never successfully, her response read. "But the theoretical framework was created five centuries ago by--" her voice briefly broke, "--by a joint effort between Endless Sword Sect and early Danxia alchemists."
Zhen came back to discover Li Chen making a defensive talisman after the talk. The ancient teacher said, giving him the finished charm, "Take this." It will assist hide your energy signature from people looking for certain resonance patterns.
Zhen said, "I worry it could be too late for such measures." Too many now doubt my actual character.
Li Chen said, "Then maybe it's time to collect friends instead of hiding." Beginning with the young lady keeping an eye on you.
Is Mo Yu? Zhen inquired, astonished.
"She possesses remarkable insight and loyalty to the sect's true principles, not merely its current leadership," Li Chen remarked. In the approaching war, such friends will be absolutely crucial.
Thoughts laden with fresh discoveries, Zhen returned to the main compound as night descended. The pieces were coming together in a troubling pattern: his reincarnation, the Soul Vessel holding his essence fragments, the energy anomalies corresponding with Ye Qingqing's signature. All pointed to a coordinated strategy centuries in the making.
He discovered Mo Yu alongside the little pond close to his lodgings, her countenance thoughtful as she ran fingers over the surface of the water.
She declared straight out, "I've been tasked to head an inquiry into the southern ridge disturbances." Junior disciples with great spiritual awareness form a team. You are listed.
Zhen got it right away. Grand Elder Yun suggested?
"Specifically asked for," she said, looking into his eyes. Our departure is at daybreak tomorrow.
He said cautiously, "It might be risky."
A little smile crossed her lips. That is exactly why I asked for control of the mission instead of allowing Thunder Peak run it. Whatever we discover there, I will make sure my followers come back safe.
The hidden message was obvious: she had set herself to defend him despite her ongoing concerns about his secrets.
"Thank you," he responded simply.
Mo Yu said, standing elegantly, "Don't thank me yet." But maybe, on our trip, you could tell more about what you picked up from the Old Sword Demon. His methods might be helpful against... unanticipated dangers.
Zhen realized the fragile line she was walking as she left: offering security while pursuing truth, extending trust while keeping alertness. Their connection had developed into something both more complicated and more precious beyond master and pupil, beyond even possible romantic interest: a tentative alliance based on mutual respect and shared care for the actual welfare of the sect.
Whatever plan Yun Wuhen and his hidden allies had set in motion, they had miscalculated in one critical aspect: they had created not just a vessel for their ritual, but a conscious opponent with both the knowledge of his previous life and the will to protect what he had once failed to save.
Zhen was ready to change from unintentional vessel to intentional disruptor of plans millennia in the making under the direction of his former teacher Li Chen and possible allies in Mo Yu and Yun Yao.