The First Hunter Rises

Deep beneath the clouds of the Divine Sky Court, hidden beneath layers of stasis seals, spiritual bindings, and oath circles, a black pillar stood buried in a well of silence.

The pillar pulsed once.

Then cracked.

Chains shattered. Sigils broke. The stasis seals melted into steam.

And from the core of the pillar… a man stepped forward.

Not tall. Not imposing.

But cold.

So cold.

Eyes like sunless steel. Skin pale. No aura—because there was no life. No death.

Only stillness.

"It has returned," he whispered.

A voice echoed in the vast chamber.

"You are to hunt him."

"Name the target."

"Xu Shen. Devourer Class anomaly. Cycle #10,001."

The man paused.

For the first time in eons, he smiled.

"Good."

"We have… unfinished business."

Elsewhere — Xu Shen, drifting above the Skyreach Mountains

Wind tore at his robes. His body ached. Chi reserves were depleted from the earlier clash.

But he wasn't hiding.

He was searching.

"I need time to recover. And allies… for now."

His memory stirred.

There was one place.

A rogue sect—long thought erased.

The Thousand Veil Sect.

Founded in life #7,019 by a woman he once loved.

"She promised the sect would hide any soul-chained cultivator."

"Even me."

He flew for three days, navigating ancient sky routes only he remembered. Paths erased from maps by divine decree.

Eventually, he found it.

Veiled in mist. Hidden inside a rift of spirit-cloud and shattered gravity.

A floating temple, shaped like a lotus, suspended between two dying moons.

Thousand Veil Sect.

He landed outside the gate.

At first, no one came.

Then a single girl stepped forward—no older than eighteen, dressed in smoke-gray robes, hair tied in silver thread.

She stared at him for a long moment.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said.

Xu nodded. "I know."

"You're supposed to be dead."

He smiled faintly. "I get that a lot."

She exhaled slowly. "Name?"

"Xu Shen."

She stiffened.

"You're the one from the Mirror Trial."

"I'm also the one who built this place," he added. "In another life."

She didn't answer.

Then—

She turned.

"Follow me."

Inside the temple, glowing lotus patterns shifted across the floor. Silent disciples moved like shadows—every one of them unregistered by the Divine Sky Court. Rogue cultivators. Outcasts.

He felt at home.

They led him to a crystal chamber, where an older woman sat meditating beneath a hanging bell made of ice.

She opened her eyes as he entered.

And smiled.

"You really came back… Devourer."

Xu blinked.

"Yue Qian."

His voice broke.

He hadn't seen her since Life #7,028—when he failed to save her during the Eclipse Wars.

Now, she was alive. Strong. And the matriarch of a sect sworn to protect soul-bound cultivators.

"We'll shelter you," she said, "but I want something in return."

Xu frowned. "What?"

She leaned forward.

"Let me merge with one of your past-life fragments."

Xu froze.

No one had ever asked that before. Not even in the high realms.

It was dangerous. Intimate. Possibly fatal.

But she was his anchor. She had once given her life to protect his soul.

Could he say no?

[New Decision Point: Soul Fragment Merge Request]

[Warning: Fusion may reveal sealed memories—of love, betrayal, or worse.]

Xu closed his eyes.

"Let's begin."