Chapter 35 : The Shattered Seal

Chapter 35: The Shattered Seal

The night sky was unnaturally dark. A low hum resonated through the air, and a strange pressure settled over the Azure Sky Sect. Something was changing.

Tian Yu stood at the peak of the Core Region, gazing toward the distant mountains where the Seal of the Void lay hidden. Elder Mei's words still echoed in his mind.

"The True Seekers have begun unlocking the Seal. If they succeed, nothing will stop them."

He turned to Li Wei, who stood beside him, his expression tense.

"We don't have much time. We move now."

Li Wei nodded. "Our allies are prepared. But we still don't know how far the True Seekers have progressed. If they've already breached the first layer of the Seal..."

"Then we stop them before they reach the core," Tian Yu finished, determination flashing in his eyes.

With that, they vanished into the night, racing toward the Forbidden Grounds where the Void had been sealed for millennia.

The Forbidden Altar

Deep within the mountains, the True Seekers stood in a circle around an ancient altar. The Seal of the Void loomed before them—a massive, pulsating sphere of black energy, covered in celestial runes that flickered like dying stars.

Lan Yue stood at the forefront, her violet robes billowing as she chanted an incantation. Each word she spoke caused the runes to dim, the Void pushing against its ancient restraints.

Behind her, Grandmaster Yao, the enigmatic leader of the True Seekers, observed in silence. His face was hidden beneath a silver mask, but his aura radiated overwhelming power.

The air cracked with unstable energy. The Seal shuddered.

One of the True Seekers, a masked elder, spoke in a reverent whisper. "The first layer is nearly undone. Soon, the Void shall awaken, and the old world will fall."

Lan Yue's eyes gleamed. "Tian Yu won't stop us. He's already lost."

A voice cut through the darkness.

"Is that what you think?"

Lan Yue's breath hitched as Tian Yu stepped onto the altar, his sword unsheathed, shimmering with silvery Void energy. Behind him, Li Wei and the rebel disciples emerged from the shadows, their battle stances ready.

Grandmaster Yao's head tilted slightly. "Ah. The child of the Void arrives."

Tian Yu ignored him, his eyes locked onto Lan Yue. "Step away from the Seal, Lan Yue. You don't understand what you're unleashing."

Lan Yue laughed softly, but there was something almost... broken in her expression. "You always did underestimate me, Tian Yu. But the truth is, I understand the Void better than you ever could."

She lifted her hand. The Seal pulsed violently, cracks forming along its surface.

The first layer was breaking.

"You're too late."

Battle at the Altar

The True Seekers moved first. Figures in dark robes leapt toward Tian Yu and his allies, their techniques infused with corrupted Qi.

Tian Yu dodged a strike from a masked elder, countering with Lunar Void Slash—a crescent blade of silver light that tore through the air. The elder barely managed to deflect it, stumbling back.

To his side, Li Wei engaged two Seekers at once, his fists crackling with Storm Qi, his speed overwhelming. But for every enemy they struck down, more emerged from the shadows.

Lan Yue, still standing before the Seal, raised her hand. A vortex of Void energy swirled around her.

"Let's see if you can survive this, Tian Yu!"

She thrust her palm forward.

A wave of black fire roared toward him, consuming everything in its path.

Tian Yu stepped into the Void.

For a brief moment, everything turned silent. The world slowed, colors bleeding away into grayscale.

When he reemerged, he was behind Lan Yue.

"You're not the only one who can use the Void."

He struck.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying in the darkness. Lan Yue gritted her teeth, pushing him back with a pulse of raw Void energy.

The Seal trembled.

More cracks spread across its surface, and a low, guttural whisper echoed from within.

The Void was waking up.

The Grandmaster's Move

Grandmaster Yao finally stepped forward. With a wave of his hand, an invisible force slammed into Tian Yu, sending him skidding back.

The masked man's voice was calm, almost amused. "You fight well, Tian Yu. But you're still bound by mortal limits."

His eyes—the only visible part of his face—glowed with golden runes.

"Shall I show you the difference between us?"

Tian Yu barely had time to react before Grandmaster Yao vanished—reappearing behind him in an instant. A single palm strike landed on his chest, sending a shockwave through his body.

Pain.

Tian Yu coughed, feeling his Qi spiral out of control.

This isn't normal power… What is he?

Grandmaster Yao stood over him. "You have potential, but you are still… incomplete."

He raised his hand—Void energy coiling around his palm like a black sun.

"Now, sleep."

Before the attack could land, a deafening crack shattered the night.

The Seal of the Void… was breaking.

A monstrous wail erupted from within, shaking the heavens. The True Seekers all turned in shock.

The Void had awakened.

Tian Yu struggled to his feet, his vision blurring. Through the chaos, he saw the cracks expanding, saw the darkness spilling out.

And then, for the first time… he heard the Void's voice.

"Tian Yu… child of the Rift… come to me…"

His heart pounded.

He knew, in that moment, that everything had changed.

The real battle… had only just begun.

End of Chapter 35: The Shattered Seal

Preview of Chapter 36:

The Void Entity emerges—what is its true nature?

Tian Yu faces a terrible choice: resist the Void's call or embrace its power.

The True Seekers' plan unravels, but Grandmaster Yao reveals his final trump card.

A new war begins… and the fate of the Nine Divine Heavens hangs in the balance.