Chapter 6: Heaven and Earth Phenomenon
826 Words
Agony worse than death wracked Ye Xuan’s body. For the first time, oblivion seemed a mercy. Not mere flesh-deep torment—this agony shattered his core. Organs convulsed, meridians fractured under pressures no mortal should endure.
Hold fast!
Jaw locked against screams, his frame trembled violently. To faint was to die. To die was to abandon Ling’er. His twelve-year-old sister, defenseless in the vipers’ den Ye Manor had become.
For her.
"More pain!" he roared, knuckles whitening with defiance. Then a fractured gasp. "Gods... mercy!"
Timeless agony consumed him. When consciousness clawed back, he lay like sodden wreckage, limbs jerking in violent spasms. Only after an eternity did stillness claim him, leaving hollow exhaustion.
Not one finger could he lift.
Above the Prison of Worlds Tower, clouds thickened solelyover Ye Manor’s rooftops. Rain lashed its courtyards while Qingcheng baked in cruel sunlight. Twin rainbows pierced the gloom—a third began coalescing in spectral colors, only to flicker and vanish as the tower pulsed with unseen power.
Heaven and Earth Phenomenon!
Qingcheng trembled. Legends whispered of prodigies awakening such omens, yet none had witnessed it—until this hour. Every citizen stared transfixed at Ye Manor’s storm-wrapped silhouette.
Within, the Grand Elder knelt with his kin, face upturned in fervent worship. "Heaven blesses Ye Lang! The Ye Clan ascends!" he cried. Wild cheers erupted. Celebration swallowed the manor.
At the City Lord’s Manor, an old man’s fist clenched. "Ye Lang… that monstrous talent." His voice cut like ice. "Summon the Zhang and Li Patriarchs. Immediately."
Spirit Doves darkened the skies, urgent missives flying. Qingcheng understood: a Chosen One who commanded Heaven’s favor meant Ye Clan’s rise was absolute—beyond Jiang Kingdom, beyond all Qing Province.
Festivities exploded across Ye Manor. The Grand Elder lavished an extra month’s allowance on every servant and, usurping the Clan Head’s authority, crowned Ye Lang Young Clan Leader. None dared object. He was their dragon, their future sovereign.
In a quiet courtyard, Ye Lang watched the fading colors, brow furrowed. His breakthrough to Qi Control Realm came an hour prior. The celestial display? Moments ago.
Cold certainty hardened his gaze. "Who else could command Heaven’s gaze but me?"
Within the tower, the mysterious woman’s voice sliced through Ye Xuan’s stupor. "Observe your form."
He hauled himself up, blinking. Golden radiance shimmered beneath his skin like molten metal.
"Golden Body Realm," the voice affirmed. "Fools focus on external power. You tempered your foundation—bones, organs, meridians—in agony’s crucible. The reward? Supreme."
Ye Xuan flexed his hands. Torrential strength flooded his limbs—doublinghis might! Against a soft, complacent Qi Control cultivator like the Grand Elder? Victory was assured.
"Ling’er’s cold damage syndrome," Ye Xuan pressed, urgency sharpening his tone. "Can you heal her?"
A weighted pause. "The child? Possible. But the tower bars her entry. Its dormant spirit recognizes only you. Bringing her would unleash its lethal defenses."
Imperial Capital. Only there could Spirit Swords be found to fuel his ascent… and heal Ling’er. The path was clear.
Back in his chamber, he found Ling’er scowling. "The whole manor cheers Ye Lang’s miracle," she muttered, burying her face in his tunic. "Grand Elder named him Young Clan Leader."
Ye Xuan’s jaw tightened. Heaven’s own omen? Truly, a prodigy without equal.
Ling’er glared at the festive noise beyond the door. "Youare stronger!"
"Ten days remain until our duel," he murmured, smoothing her hair. "After, we leave this place."
"Leave… forever?"
He met her anxious gaze. Did loyalty bind them here? The clan discarded him like refuse when a brighter tool appeared. Without his strength, Ling’er would be devoured.
"Home is wherever westand together," he vowed. "That promise endures."
Back within the tower’s depths, silver light coalesced into a blade in Ye Xuan’s grasp. He grinned. "Do I now stand among Sword Immortals?"
"Immortal?" The woman’s scoff echoed. "You barely rank as a Sword Cultivator. True Sword Immortals command Sword Intent and touch the Dao’s core. Fewer than ten grace this realm."
His smile vanished, replaced by steely resolve. The clan’s betrayal proved their frailty. Only his own unyielding strength would shelter Ling’er.
"Teach me," he demanded. "How do I become worthy?"
"Sever this." A strand of his dark hair drifted downward.
Simple? Ye Xuan’s sword flashed. The strand exploded into fragments, not cleanly cut.
"Control. Precision. Angle. Even the wind’s whisper matters," her voice turned glacial. "Ten thousand failures await you. Begin."
"I’ve hair enough for ten thousand tries!"
Steel rose and fell in a relentless, precise rhythm.
Outside, Ye Manor blazed with lanterns and banners. Qingcheng’s elite gathered under its festooned arches. In the opulent Reception Hall, the Grand Elder reclined, eyes shut. Elder Ye Yu approached hesitantly.
"City Lord, Zhang Patriarch, Li Patriarch await your audience," Ye Yu murmured.
A thin smile touched the Grand Elder’s lips. "Inform them I rest. They will wait half an hour."
Let the wolves of Qingcheng learn the taste of subservience.
- Writer
