Chapter 8: The Gathering Storm: Kael Varian’s Impact

Far beyond the battlefield where Kael had shattered Luo Qiyan's dominance, a storm was brewing.

Within the Serpent's Fang Sect, a massive fortress-like structure sat atop a mountain ridge, surrounded by thick mists that never seemed to disperse. The sect's influence stretched across the region, feared by countless smaller sects and clans.

At the heart of the fortress, in the Great Hall, tension crackled like a storm waiting to explode.

BOOM!

A table shattered into dust, reduced to nothing under the crushing weight of an overwhelming aura.

A man sat upon the Serpent Throne, his fingers digging into the carved wood of his armrests. His expression was calm—but the stillness was far more terrifying than any outburst.

This was Sect Master Luo Yuantang.

A man who had long ruled the Serpent's Fang Sect with an iron grip, his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm (5th Realm) making him one of the most powerful figures in the region.

Before him, a trembling disciple knelt, his head pressed against the cold floor.

"My lord… Eldest Senior Brother Luo Qiyan has been… defeated."

The hall fell silent.

No one dared to breathe.

Finally, Luo Yuantang spoke, his voice frigid.

"…Repeat that."

The disciple trembled. "Eldest Senior Brother was crushed in battle. His core was shattered. He is… beyond saving."

The air shifted.

The pressure in the hall grew unbearable, as if a mountain had descended upon it. Lesser disciples collapsed, coughing blood. Even the elders seated on either side of the hall stiffened, their eyes darkening.

One of their strongest had been destroyed.

"…Who did this?" Luo Yuantang asked, his voice eerily calm.

The disciple swallowed hard. "We… do not know much, but… the one responsible called himself Kael Varian."

The moment the name was spoken, a deafening silence filled the hall.

No sect. No great clan. No history.

A name that had never been recorded in the region's cultivation world.

The implications were terrifying.

"…A nobody," one of the elders muttered, disbelief in his tone. "Someone unknown destroyed a Fifth Realm cultivator?"

"That's not possible," another elder whispered, his fingers tightening around his jade ring. "Even if Luo Qiyan was not at his peak, no one below the Fourth Realm should have been able to—"

"Enough."

Luo Yuantang's voice cut through the hall like a blade, and silence reigned once more.

He slowly stood, his Nascent Soul Realm aura rolling off him like an unstoppable tide. The walls trembled. The floor cracked beneath his feet. The very air strained under his presence.

"We will not let this insult stand." His golden eyes flickered with something lethal. "Send word to all branches of the sect. I want every disciple mobilized."

The disciple on the floor stammered, "D-Does that mean… we are declaring w—"

"This is not war." Luo Yuantang's tone was absolute. "This is execution."

Kael Varian would be erased.

But the Serpent's Fang Sect was not the only force watching. News of Luo Qiyan's humiliating defeat spread like wildfire, carried through whispers in the shadows, spoken in hushed voices within sects and noble clans.

And powerful figures took notice.

Within the towering walls of the Crimson Sky Pavilion, a woman dressed in flowing scarlet robes sat within a pavilion garden, her fingers idly swirling a cup of golden wine.

Her beauty was otherworldly—long silver hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes like molten gold, a playful yet dangerous smile gracing her lips.

She was Leng Xiuying, the Saintess of the Crimson Sky Pavilion—and one of the most feared prodigies in the entire region.

Across from her, an elder bowed slightly.

"My lady, we have confirmed it. Luo Qiyan was defeated… and it was not even a battle."

Leng Xiuying's lips curved. "Oh?"

"He was dominated. The one responsible calls himself Kael Varian."

The name lingered in the air.

Unknown. Mysterious.

Leng Xiuying took a slow sip of her wine, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Interesting." She set the cup down. "A prodigy appears out of nowhere and shatters a Fifth Realm cultivator like he was nothing?"

She exhaled in delight.

"This world is finally getting interesting."

Then—her eyes sharpened.

"Send word to our branches. I want every detail on this Kael Varian."

Far beyond the reach of sects and noble clans, in the desolate peaks of the Black Mist Mountains, an ancient figure stirred within the depths of an abandoned temple.

A being that had long been forgotten by history, slumbering beneath the world's notice.

But now—

The flow of fate had changed.

Power was stirring.

And as the remnants of Qi from Kael Varian's battle swept across the world, something within the shadows awoke.

A single, hoarse whisper filled the darkness.

"He has arrived."

Back at the battlefield, Kael stood at the edge of a vast canyon, gazing down at the world beneath him.

He had felt it.

The shifting of Qi in the air. The ripples of power moving like unseen tides.

They knew.

His battle had shaken the world, and now forces far beyond this region were moving.

Kael smirked.

Let them come.

He welcomed the challenge.

This world was his to conquer.