Chapter 3: Secrets Sealed, Secrets Spilled

The golden radiance surrounding Xiao Wei intensified. His body levitated seven meters above the ground, golden eyes shimmering like divine stars. His once-straight hair turned wavy, flowing as if guided by unseen forces.

But Zhong Ling, despite his panic, sensed something was wrong. His breath quickened. His palms were drenched in sweat.

This wasn't Xiao Wei anymore.

A terrifying realization struck him—this was a soul avatar.

Someone had planted their soul into Xiao Wei, waiting for a moment of crisis to awaken. And as the immense pressure bore down on him, Zhong Ling's heart pounded with dread.

Then, it clicked.

This energy... this aura...

His eyes widened in horror.

"No... Impossible!"

The array plate on Xiao Wei's body had released none other than—

Fu Xeng.

A Void Rebirth 8th-stage cultivator. A man who was merely half a step away from breaking mortal boundaries.

Zhong Ling froze. His mind screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move. He knew this suffocating pressure all too well.

This spatial lock... it's the same as my master's!

His own master, Guǐyǐng, the Ghostly Shadow—one of the Silent Wraiths' Generals—had taught him this technique. But Fu Xeng's mastery over it was on an entirely different level.

That's when the horror set in.

Guǐyǐng was dead.

Killed by Fu Xeng's very hands.

Zhong Ling's expression shifted from panic to pure shock. His mouth trembled before he let out a hoarse, enraged cry—

"Fu Xeng!!!!!"

Fu Xeng smirked; golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Brat, wasn't what your master suffered at my hands enough of a lesson for you?"

Zhong Ling's blood boiled. His teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked. He struggled, fighting against the invisible bindings, but it was futile. The space around him was sealed so tightly that even breathing felt like a battle.

He knew this technique.

His master once told him—

"Only those at the same level or higher can break free from a Void Rebirth cultivator's lock. The stronger the cultivator's comprehension of the Void, the more absolute their control over space."

And Fu Xeng's control was absolute.

Zhong Ling thrashed, veins bulging on his forehead. But the harder he fought, the tighter the spatial force crushed him. His vision blurred, his lungs burned, and then—

Blood.

A thick stream gushed from his mouth as the pressure grew unbearable.

Fu Xeng merely watched. His expression never changed.

The Silent Wraith General had spent his entire life terrorizing the weak, yet now he was the one caught in another's grasp.

"You old dog!" Zhong Ling spat blood, his voice hoarse. "You think you're righteous while bullying a weaker realm cultivator!? Do you even have a conscience!?"

Fu Xeng laughed.

Not a single trace of guilt touched his face.

"Why should I?" he asked, tilting his head.

His voice turned cold, sharp as a blade.

"When you Silent Wraith bastards raid villages and slaughter innocent mortals, do you feel guilt?"

Zhong Ling's heart pounded.

"When you murder for wealth, when you burn families alive, when you violate helpless women—do you think the heavens are blind?"

Fu Xeng's gaze darkened.

"Dream on."

Zhong Ling gritted his teeth. He had to escape.

Summoning the last ounce of his strength, he activated his life-bound array plate—the one his master gave him for emergencies.

Fu Xeng's eyes narrowed.

"Hmph. You think I'll let you go?"

He tightened his grasp—intending to crush Zhong Ling before he could escape.

But suddenly—

A ghostly mist surged forth.

It wrapped around Zhong Ling, engulfing him in an eerie glow.

Fu Xeng's pupils contracted.

This wasn't his doing.

Someone else was interfering.

Someone powerful.

His expression twisted into an icy glare. If this person could interrupt his space lock, they were no ordinary cultivator.

Who?!

Fu Xeng's grip tightened.

The mist swirled violently, space warping—then, in the blink of an eye—

Zhong Ling was gone.

A gust of wind blew past, leaving only silence.

Fu Xeng's hands clenched into fists. His golden aura flickered violently, his breath uneven.

"Damnit!!"

His voice shook with rage.

He exhaled sharply, his mind racing.

This wasn't a coincidence. Someone powerful had just intervened. And if the Silent Wraiths had access to such backing...

His expression darkened further.

"Silent Wraiths... what are you up to?"

Then, with a sigh, he turned his gaze back to Xiao Wei. The strain of the soul avatar had taken its toll—his disciple's face was pale, body trembling.

Fu Xeng sighed and slowly descended, withdrawing his presence from Xiao Wei's body. The golden glow faded, and the aged cultivator collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

A brief silence settled over the forest.

Then, with a final glance at the mist-laden sky, Fu Xeng disappeared into the darkness.

As Fu Xeng's soul avatar dissipated, Xiao Wei's body trembled violently, his golden glow rapidly fading. His wavy hair settled, and his cultivation plummeted back to Nascent Soul 8th Layer. His legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, drenched in sweat. His body had reached its limit—this was the cost of housing a Void Rebirth cultivator's will within a mere Nascent Soul body.

Fu Xeng's voice, now softer and distant, echoed in Xiao Wei's mind:

"Rest well, my disciple. Your battle is not yet over."

Xiao Wei clenched his fists. He had never felt such power before, yet it had not been his own. It was frustrating—he had only been a vessel. Even so, his master had saved him.

His eyes darted to where Zhong Ling had vanished. That mist... who had saved him?

The eerie ghostly mist still lingered faintly in the air, dispersing like an ominous warning. Fu Xeng had been right to be wary—this was no ordinary escape technique. Someone had interfered, and whoever it was had enough power to bypass Fu Xeng's spatial lock.

The Silent Wraiths had always been a force lurking in the shadows, but this... this was something else.

AT YAO ZHEN'S MANSION

Xiao Wei's consciousness flickered back as he felt the familiar comfort of a bed beneath him. His body ached, his mind heavy with exhaustion. As his vision cleared, he recognized the wooden ceiling above—Yao Zhen's house.

A faint murmur of voices reached his ears. Turning his head slightly, he spotted Yao Zhen engaged in a serious discussion with the family's alchemist, Xuan Dan. Their expressions were grave, their conversation too hushed for him to catch.

Xiao Wei shifted, trying to sit up, but even the smallest movement sent a wave of pain through his body. The slight rustling of his sheets caught Yao Zhen's attention, and in an instant, he was by his side, steadying him with firm hands.

"You're awake," Yao Zhen sighed in relief, his sharp eyes scanning Xiao Wei's face. "How do you feel?"

Xiao Wei's throat felt dry. He swallowed, his voice hoarse as he asked, "How did I get here?"

Yao Zhen exhaled, rubbing his temples. "You were found unconscious on a mountain top. My spy unit located you just in time. Fei Xuan had placed a tracker on you before you disappeared—that's the only reason we found you at all. Otherwise..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

The tension in his voice was unmistakable. They had been on the brink of losing him forever.

Yao Zhen's expression darkened as he continued, "But tell me, how did you escape that man's grasp? He was from the Silent Wraiths, and they are anything but merciful."

Xiao Wei inhaled deeply, memories of the harrowing encounter flashing through his mind.

"It was Zhong Ling," he admitted, his voice steady but cold. "He is one of my greatest enemies... because my master, Fu Xeng, killed his master, Guǐ Yīng. Revenge was inevitable."

Yao Zhen frowned. "So he kidnapped you for vengeance... but was that all?"

Xiao Wei's gaze flickered with uncertainty. "No... he needed something from me."

Yao Zhen's brows furrowed. "What was it?"

Xiao Wei clenched his fists. "I don't know."

Yao Zhen's confusion deepened. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Xiao Wei exhaled slowly. "I mean exactly that. My master locked a secret within me—deep inside my mind. He sealed it himself with a profound formation, saying he would only reveal it when the time was right."

Silence stretched between them.

Xiao Wei hesitated for a moment before revealing, "He also placed a soul avatar on me... a wisp of his power." He looked down at his trembling hands. "That's what saved me at the last moment."

Yao Zhen's eyes widened slightly. "A soul wisp?" He leaned forward, his voice tense with anticipation. "Then... was Zhong Ling killed?"

Xiao Wei's expression darkened. A hollow feeling settled in his chest. "I... don't remember what happened between him and my master's avatar. But I have a feeling... he escaped."

Yao Zhen slammed his fist on the table. "Ridiculous! Your master is a Void Rebirth cultivator—how could Zhong Ling escape his grasp?!"

Xiao Wei let out a bitter chuckle. "When the Dao rises by a foot, the demon rises by ten. You know as well as I do... the Silent Wraiths always have an ace up their sleeve."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Then, Xiao Wei's sharp gaze narrowed. A thought had been nagging at him since he woke up—something wasn't right.

"Yao Zhen," he said in a low voice, "something is bothering me."

Yao Zhen crossed his arms. "What is it?"

Xiao Wei clenched his jaw. "How did the Silent Wraiths know about the secret sealed inside my mind?"

The moment the words left his lips, a chilling realization crept over them. Someone knew. Someone must have leaked it.

Before Yao Zhen could respond, a sudden memory struck Xiao Wei like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened.

"Black Crane City—!" he blurted out, his heart hammering. "What happened to the city?!"

Yao Zhen's face fell. The fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something far heavier.

"Why ask something so obvious...?" His voice was low, filled with restrained anger. "The city is gone."

Xiao Wei's breath hitched.

Yao Zhen continued, his tone laced with sorrow, "Black Crane City is now nothing but ruins. The Silent Wraiths were defeated in the end... but at what cost?"

Xiao Wei's body tensed. His hands trembled.

A suffocating silence filled the room.

His heart ached so deeply that words failed him. His mind reeled, unable to grasp the full weight of what had happened.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of crimson and gold, Xiao Wei sat in silence, staring into the distance.

How did it come to this?

Meanwhile, in the Depths of the Silent Wraiths' Domain

Deep within Black Veil Hollow, Zhong Ling stumbled into a dimly lit stone chamber, coughing up blood as he collapsed onto the cold floor. His breathing was erratic, his body still trembling from the terrifying grip of Fu Xeng's spatial lock.

A shadow moved in the darkness.

Zhong Ling gritted his teeth and forced himself to kneel despite his injuries.

"...This subordinate has failed," he muttered, his voice hoarse.

A cold, sinister voice echoed from the void.

"Failed? No, you have simply been reminded of the difference between strength and true power."

A tall figure slowly emerged from the darkness, his robes seemingly woven from the void itself. His presence was suffocating, like a black hole that devoured all light. His face remained obscured, but his piercing eyes gleamed with an unsettling intelligence.

It was him—Guǐyǐng (Ghostly Shadow), one of the true masters of the Silent Wraiths.

Zhong Ling's pupils shrank. His master had perished at the hands of Fu Xeng, yet this man... he was on an entirely different level.

"Tell me, Zhong Ling," Guǐyǐng's voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it carried immense authority. "Did you see it?"

Zhong Ling's mind raced. See what?

Before he could speak, Guǐyǐng took a slow step forward, and in that instant—

Zhong Ling's vision blurred, and his soul trembled.

Memories that weren't his own flashed in his mind—an ancient battlefield, countless cultivators kneeling before a golden figure, a throne floating above the heavens itself. A name, too distant to grasp, echoed through eternity.

Then, darkness.

Zhong Ling gasped, falling forward. His entire body was soaked in sweat. He looked up in sheer terror.

Guǐyǐng watched him with an unreadable expression.

"Do not fear," the Silent Wraiths' master said. "This is merely the beginning. The heavens are shifting, and a prophecy is unfolding."

He turned away, disappearing into the void as his final words echoed through the chamber.

"The True God has begun his path."