Chapter 7: The Seed of Dread

The wind whispered through the high peaks of Vermillion Cloud Mountain, carrying with it a trace of something that did not belong—something cold, ancient, and wrong.

Lian Fei stood beneath the pale morning sky, staring blankly at the stone courtyard outside her quarters. Her breathing was shallow, her hands trembling despite her cultivation. She had slept, but she was not rested.

Because what she had experienced wasn't a dream.

> "Fei…"

Raizen's voice still echoed in her head like a haunting melody.

She closed her eyes, trying to gather her spiritual energy, but her core trembled—like her very soul was shivering. She had fought beasts, hunted rogue cultivators, and even walked the line between life and death. But never had she felt this kind of fear.

It was intimate.

Targeted.

And alive.

---

Meanwhile – Deep in the Ravine

Raizen sat in lotus position, his shadow stretching unnaturally behind him despite the lack of light. The Abyss System hovered before him, a silent, pulsing interface that fed off fear like a leech.

> Target: Lian Fei – Status: Corruption Level 12%

Mental Instability Detected.

Projected Willpower Collapse: In 3–5 Events.

Recommended Action: Continue Psychological Warfare.

He exhaled slowly, feeling the Abyssal Qi swirl through his meridians. It was no longer just spiritual energy. It was alive, whispering secrets of madness and control.

> New System Unlock: [Dream Parasite – Tier I]

Allows you to infiltrate dreams and implant emotional triggers. Can cause hallucinations when awake if corruption exceeds 30%.

Perfect.

He whispered a name. "Fei…"

And the mist moved.

---

Later – Vermillion Cloud Sect Library

Lian Fei flipped through ancient scrolls with feverish hands. Her eyes were bloodshot, her fingers trembling slightly. The nightmare had been too real—too specific.

She wasn't looking for battle manuals. She was searching for soul arts—specifically those related to nightmare curses and forbidden systems.

But all she found were warnings.

> "The abyss is not a realm—it is a hunger."

"Once marked by it, the soul begins to rot."

"Fear is not a symptom. It is the infection."

She slammed the scroll shut, panting.

She remembered the day they betrayed him. Raizen had been broken—literally. His bones shattered, his dantian pierced, and his spirit crushed. And yet he hadn't screamed.

He had only looked at them.

At her.

And whispered, "I see you."

She had tried to forget it.

Now, it was all she could remember.

---

Nightfall – Vermillion Cloud Disciplinary Hall

Elder Mo stood atop the tower, watching the stars flicker with unease.

"Something has breached our karmic array," he murmured to himself.

Suddenly, a crow landed beside him. Not an ordinary bird—but a twisted creature with one eye and feathers like shadowy needles.

Elder Mo's expression turned grim.

> "Shadow Crow… from the Abyssal Valley?"

The creature opened its mouth—and a voice spoke.

"Elder Mo."

He froze.

It was Raizen.

"You buried me. Crushed me. Burned me. And left me to rot in the valley."

Mo activated a protective barrier.

"You're dead," he growled.

The voice laughed. "Was. Now I am awake."

The crow exploded in black mist.

Mo stumbled back.

> System Alert: Psychological Disruption Pulse Detected

Victim: Elder Mo – Resistance High – Effect: Mild Disorientation

Corruption Progress: 4%

Raizen sat in the ravine, smiling.

"No one will sleep tonight."

---

Back in Lian Fei's Quarters

She lit incense, sat in a meditative pose, and drew a protective formation on the ground. Ancient symbols—passed down by her master—flickered around her. But even as she tried to focus, she heard it.

A whisper.

From inside her head.

> "You watched me fall."

"No," she whispered back. "I didn't want to…"

> "But you didn't stop them."

She bit her lip, forcing herself to repeat a cleansing mantra.

> "You let them break me."

Suddenly the symbols dimmed. Her breath caught in her throat. Her vision blurred.

And then—

Raizen appeared before her.

His face was not the broken, bloodied image she remembered. It was regal, terrifying, and inhuman—his eyes glowing with abyssal light, his aura pressing down like a tidal wave.

She screamed—but no sound came.

He leaned in, lips near her ear.

"You'll scream for real soon, Fei. Not in dreams. In daylight."

Then he vanished.

She collapsed backward, sweat pouring down her neck.

---

System Update – Ravine Temple

> Target: Lian Fei – Corruption 28%

Hallucination Threshold Approaching

Passive Fear Aura Enhanced

New Trait Unlocked: [Mind Leash – Lv.1]

Description: You may suppress a corrupted target's free will temporarily during moments of panic or guilt.

Raizen stood.

Three down.

Two to go.

Then he would return—not as a shadow, but as a god of fear.

And the Vermillion Cloud Sect would drown in the mist of their own regrets.