The Ashes Sovereign

Chapter3

News of the failed scouting mission spread through the higher cultivation circles.

Inside grand temple halls far beyond the mountains, the high council gathered. Senior elders in rich silk robes debated what to do about the new sanctuary. Some argued for immediate full‑scale invasion. Others worried about the ancient domain power sleeping inside Azure Ruin. Direct assault could cost countless lives.

For the time being, they held back from sending a main army. Instead they sent spies. Quiet, hidden observers slipped into the mountain ranges. They watched the valley from distant peaks. They counted refugees, noted Lin Yue’s strength, mapped entry routes.

Within Azure Ruin, the mood grew tense. Everyone understood a larger attack would follow. Lin Yue pushed the people to prepare. They built more stone fortifications. They stockpiled food and healing herbs. Younger folk learned basic ash‑earth defensive arts.

The whispers from the old sovereign grew louder inside Lin Yue’s head. When he slept, he dreamed of ancient wars, of cold judgements, of conquest. Sometimes he woke with cold sweat, uncertain where his own thoughts ended and the dead ruler’s began.

Lira saw how this burden weighed on him.

“You are borrowing power that belongs to a ghost,” she said one evening. “Every time you draw deep, a little more of him creeps into you.”

Lin Yue knew she spoke true. But what choice was there? Without the valley’s strength, all these hunted people would be dragged away to punishment or death.

One night, a spy was captured inside the valley borders. He had slipped in under cover of darkness, trying to map inner defences. When questioned, he revealed the council was not yet ready for open war. They were gathering special f*******n relics, artefacts crafted specifically to suppress ancient domain magic. Once those were ready, the real attack would come.

That warning chilled every heart. Their greatest protection, the valley’s legacy power, could be nullified. They had less time than they hoped.