Chapter 28: Mysterious Figure

Chapter 29: Whispers of Betrayal

The abyss left behind an unnatural silence.

Ruoyan and Jing Zeyan walked through the cavernous passage that led back to the mortal realm, their footsteps echoing in the eerie stillness. The dark energy of the Abyssal Lords still clung to Ruoyan's skin, leaving behind an unsettling chill. But her mind was too tangled to focus on it.

"The one you call Star Lord."

Their words looped in her head. The accusation was too direct, too convenient.

Was the Star Lord truly a traitor? Or had she just walked into a carefully laid trap?

Jing Zeyan seemed unbothered, twirling his dagger lazily between his fingers as he walked. The golden gleam in his eyes flickered with amusement.

"You don't look convinced," he said.

Ruoyan shot him a sharp glance. "And you do?"

He smirked. "Oh, I believe the abyssal relics were stolen, but what I don't believe is that the Star Lord is dumb enough to be caught."

That stopped her in her tracks.

Jing Zeyan turned slightly, watching her reaction. "If he truly stole the Dreamfire Mirror, the Abyssal Heart, and the Voidfang Blade, why would the Abyssal Lords let him? If they were capable of hunting him down, they wouldn't need you. And if they couldn't stop him, how did they suddenly 'figure it out' now?"

Ruoyan's grip tightened around the bracelet the Abyssal Lords had given her. Even now, she could feel the power within it—binding, ancient, and dangerous.

"You're saying the Star Lord is innocent?" she asked.

Jing Zeyan laughed, the sound rich and unhurried. "No, I'm saying he's too smart to leave evidence behind. If he's involved, then the Abyssal Lords are using you for a different purpose."

Ruoyan frowned. "Then that means the real question is: who benefits the most from this chaos?"

The Suspects in the Shadows

The Star Lord had always been shrouded in mystery, but Ruoyan couldn't ignore his past actions. He had guided her, warned her, and given her strength. Would a traitor have done that?

Still, she couldn't rule out the possibility.

She exhaled and started listing the possible culprits aloud.

The Demon Lord

He had always sought to break the celestial balance.

With the Voidfang Blade, he could sever the threads of fate itself.

But the other two relics—the Dreamfire Mirror and the Abyssal Heart—weren't suited for destruction. They were tools of manipulation and deception.

The Hidden Families

The three hidden families had been silent for centuries, but silence didn't mean inaction.

If one of them had decided to move, stealing the relics would be the perfect weapon to change the world's balance in their favor.

The Abyssal Lords Themselves

They had directed Ruoyan toward the Star Lord, but what if they had orchestrated the theft?

If they had lost power, framing the Star Lord and forcing Ruoyan into their fight would be a perfect distraction.

Yue Ling

Her childhood friend had warned her to be careful. Did she know more than she was letting on?

If Yue Ling was involved, then how deeply was she entangled in the conspiracy?

The Abyssal Traitor

The Abyssal Lords had mentioned a traitor in their own ranks.

Could the real thief be a fallen abyssal being seeking revenge?

Ruoyan clenched her fists. There were too many possibilities—and not enough answers.

A Glimpse of True Power

Jing Zeyan watched her think, his usual smug expression unreadable. Then he chuckled.

"You've been given a riddle with missing pieces," he said. "Want me to add another?"

Ruoyan narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Jing Zeyan flipped his dagger into the air and caught it effortlessly. "The Star Lord isn't just powerful. He's ancient."

Ruoyan blinked.

Jing Zeyan leaned in slightly, voice lowering. "He's been around longer than most celestial beings. The things he knows, the power he holds—it's not something even the sect leaders understand. If he's a traitor, then the world is in far more danger than you think."

Ruoyan hesitated. "...And if he's not?"

Jing Zeyan smirked. "Then someone has made you their pawn, and you're walking straight into their trap."

A sudden shift in the air made both of them freeze.

The ground trembled beneath them, and a pulse of dark energy surged through the air.

Ruoyan's phoenix blood burned in warning.

Jing Zeyan straightened. "We're being watched."

Ruoyan spun around, eyes sharp. The cavernous exit leading out of the abyss had darkened—shadows rippling unnaturally.

And then—

A figure stepped out of the void.

The Arrival of the Unseen

The newcomer's presence was suffocating.

Ruoyan instinctively stepped back, but Jing Zeyan merely sighed.

"Well, this is a problem," he muttered.

The figure's face was concealed beneath a hood, but his voice was smooth and amused.

"Leaving so soon?"

Ruoyan gritted her teeth. "Who are you?"

The figure ignored her and instead tilted his head toward Jing Zeyan.

"Still playing both sides, Zeyan?"

Jing Zeyan grinned. "Oh, you know me. I love a good gamble."

Ruoyan's gaze flickered between them. "You know him?"

Jing Zeyan didn't answer.

The figure stepped forward, hands hidden beneath the flowing dark robes. "The Abyss is restless. The balance is shifting. And you, Ruoyan, are standing at the center of it."

Ruoyan braced herself. "What do you want?"

The man chuckled. "I want to see if you're worthy of the truth."

And without warning—he attacked.

A Battle in the Darkness

The figure moved like a shadow, his form blurring as he launched toward Ruoyan.

Ruoyan barely had time to react. She twisted her body, summoning flames to her fingertips and blasting fire in a crescent arc.

The cavern walls shook from the impact, but the man didn't even flinch.

He vanished—and then reappeared behind her.

Jing Zeyan moved first. His dagger flashed, slicing toward the figure's throat.

But the man caught the blade with two fingers.

Jing Zeyan's grin widened. "Well, that's terrifying."

Ruoyan spun, summoning another burst of fire, but the man finally moved—a wave of darkness surged from his palm, colliding with her flames.

The fire sputtered out.

Ruoyan's eyes widened. What—?

Before she could recover, the man reached out, fingers barely grazing her shoulder.

And suddenly—a vision consumed her.

A Glimpse of the Future

Flashes of destruction.

The sky, torn open by celestial fire.

A figure in silver robes—the Star Lord—standing atop a battlefield drenched in blood.

A city crumbling.

A throne of shadows.

And in the center of it all—Ruoyan, standing before a gate of endless darkness.

The vision shattered, and she collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

The figure stepped back, watching her. "You have little time, Phoenix of Ruins."

And just like that—he was gone.

The cavern returned to silence.

Jing Zeyan knelt beside her. "What did you see?"

Ruoyan's fingers curled against the stone.

"...A war."

And at the heart of it—a traitor yet unseen.

Chapter 30: The Veil Unraveled

The vision still burned in Ruoyan's mind.

She struggled to steady her breathing as the echoes of destruction flickered behind her eyes—a battlefield, a collapsing sky, the Star Lord standing amidst ruin.

But the most chilling part? The shadowed figure standing beside him.

A traitor.

Someone within their world was orchestrating the downfall of balance. Someone close. Someone powerful.

And the hooded man—the one who had attacked them—he knew more than he revealed.

Jing Zeyan crouched beside her, watching with an amused but sharp gaze. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Care to share with the class?"

Ruoyan clenched her fists, her phoenix blood roaring in defiance. "That wasn't a vision. It was a warning."

She looked up at him, her golden eyes burning. "And I think I know where to start finding answers."

The Identity of the Hooded Figure

The moment they stepped out of the Abyss, Ruoyan turned to Jing Zeyan.

"You knew him," she accused.

Jing Zeyan sighed dramatically. "And here I was hoping you'd be too distracted to notice."

Ruoyan's eyes narrowed. "Who is he?"

Jing Zeyan twirled his dagger between his fingers, his smirk fading into something more serious. "His name is Ye Qingmo."

The name sent a chill through Ruoyan.

That name—it wasn't just any name. It belonged to a figure who shouldn't exist anymore.

"That's impossible," she whispered.

Ye Qingmo had disappeared centuries ago, his name erased from records. He had been a peerless genius, a cultivator so powerful that even the sect leaders once feared him. But he had vanished into the Abyss, presumed dead.

"Impossible?" Jing Zeyan echoed. "And yet, you just fought him."

Ruoyan felt a storm of emotions surge within her. If Ye Qingmo was alive, then… what had he been doing all these centuries?

And more importantly—why did he know about the traitor?

Hints of the True Traitor

Back at the sect, Ruoyan wasted no time.

She summoned a handful of scrolls from her spatial ring, spreading them across the table in her quarters. Each contained information on the Dreamfire Mirror, the Abyssal Heart, and the Voidfang Blade.

If she wanted to find the traitor, she had to start with the relics.

Jing Zeyan leaned over her shoulder. "So what's the plan, genius?"

Ruoyan ignored him and tapped the Abyssal Heart's description.

"The Abyssal Heart allows one to manipulate the flow of energy, subtly influencing the fates of others…"

Manipulation.

She moved to the next relic.

"The Dreamfire Mirror reflects one's desires and fears, revealing truths that even the wielder may not realize…"

Truth and deception.

Finally, the Voidfang Blade.

"A weapon capable of severing destinies, creating irreversible consequences in the fabric of fate…"

Ruoyan clenched her jaw.

These relics weren't just stolen randomly. They were stolen with a purpose.

Someone wanted to control fate, twist reality, and sever destinies.

And who had the most to gain from this?

Someone who feared the future. Someone who feared what was coming.

A thought struck her.

"The Star Lord," she muttered.

Jing Zeyan raised an eyebrow. "Still suspecting him?"

Ruoyan hesitated. If the Star Lord truly was a traitor, why had he guided her all this time? Was he manipulating her to serve a greater plan, or was he merely a pawn in someone else's game?

Then there was Ye Qingmo.

If he had remained hidden for so long, why reveal himself now?

Unless…

Unless the traitor's plan was nearing completion.

Ruoyan exhaled sharply.

She needed answers.

And there was only one way to get them.

Confronting the Star Lord

That night, Ruoyan made her way to the highest peak of the sect—the Star Pavilion, the Star Lord's personal domain.

Golden energy shimmered in the air, ancient runes glowing faintly against the stone walls. The Star Lord stood at the center of a floating platform, his gaze already on her as she approached.

"You hesitate," he said, his deep voice calm. "Why?"

Ruoyan stopped several feet away, studying him.

"Someone wants to twist fate," she said. "Someone powerful. Someone who has access to the relics that can change destiny itself."

The Star Lord's gaze was unreadable. "And you suspect me?"

Ruoyan didn't answer immediately.

But the silence spoke for her.

For the first time, something flickered across the Star Lord's face. A faint sigh, a moment of weariness.

"You saw something," he said, finally. "In the Abyss."

Ruoyan nodded. "A vision. Of war. Of you… standing in the center of it."

The Star Lord was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "What else did you see?"

Ruoyan's fingers curled.

"A shadow beside you," she said. "A traitor."

The Star Lord's expression darkened.

For the first time, Ruoyan saw it—doubt in his gaze.

"You believe it is me," he murmured.

Ruoyan didn't speak.

But then, the Star Lord did something unexpected.

He stepped closer.

"Then let me ask you this," he said softly. "If I were the traitor, why would I let you walk this path? Why would I give you the tools to challenge me?"

Ruoyan's breath caught.

That was the one flaw in the logic.

If the Star Lord had been manipulating her, then why had he given her so much power?

Unless…

Unless he was protecting her from the true traitor.

The realization sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"You don't know who it is either," she whispered.

The Star Lord studied her for a moment before inclining his head.

"No," he admitted. "But I suspect we are running out of time to find out."

A New Danger Approaches

As Ruoyan descended from the Star Pavilion, her thoughts churned.

If the Star Lord wasn't the traitor, then someone else was moving in the shadows, using the stolen artifacts to reshape fate.

And that meant…

She had even less time than she thought.

Jing Zeyan waited for her at the base of the mountain, his usual smirk absent. "That was fast. What's the verdict?"

Ruoyan exhaled. "He isn't the traitor."

Jing Zeyan crossed his arms. "So that means someone's playing a very, very dangerous game."

Ruoyan nodded. "And we're going to find out who."

Before she could say more, the air suddenly shifted.

A pulse of dark energy rippled through the sect grounds, setting the protective wards ablaze with golden light.

Ruoyan and Jing Zeyan turned sharply—just in time to see the sky split apart.

And from within the rift—

Ye Qingmo stepped through.

But he wasn't alone.

Behind him stood a figure cloaked in shadows, their face obscured.

But Ruoyan knew.

Even without seeing their face, she knew.

The true traitor had arrived.

And the game had finally begun.

To Be Continued…