Shadow of the Sleeping God

Days passed since the First Hunter's visit, but the mark he left in the courtyard still smoldered—a frost-shaped burn that no disciple dared approach.

Xu Shen stood at the edge of it now, arms folded, eyes narrowed.

"He didn't strike to kill."

"He struck to warn… and to test."

The fact that he'd survived that test told Xu one thing:

The Hunter believed he was finally worth killing.

But that wasn't what was bothering him.

What stirred unease in his chest wasn't in the sky—it was beneath him.

Since the soul merge with Yue Qian, Xu had been hearing… whispers.

Not in his mind.

In his bones.

At first they were faint. A breath behind his thoughts. A song with no melody.

Then they became words.

"Return to me…"

"The Path was never yours alone…"

"One still sleeps…"

He descended into the deeper levels of the Thousand Veil Sect.

Past the spirit pools and training halls.

Past the locked archives and soul-scroll libraries.

And into the sealed basement—a place forbidden to all.

Yue Qian followed.

"Xu," she said, "what are you sensing?"

He didn't answer.

He pressed his palm to the floor, channeling the frequency of the Devourer Core through his skin.

The stone pulsed.

Then opened.

The ground split, revealing a staircase that spiraled into darkness. As they descended, the air grew thick—not with spiritual energy, but with presence.

Ancient. Divine.

Unmoving.

They emerged into a silent cavern carved from black marble. Runes floated mid-air, shifting like mist.

And in the center of the room—

A sarcophagus.

Glass. Gold-rimmed. Covered in chains. Floating above a lotus altar.

Inside… a man.

Tall. Robed in silver flame. Eyes closed. A faint smirk on his lips.

Xu's heart stopped.

Because he recognized the man inside.

"That's me," he whispered.

"But it's not."

Yue Qian stepped forward, eyes wide. "What is this?"

Xu stared in silence, breath shallow.

This wasn't a memory fragment.

It wasn't an echo.

It was a soul body—a full, sealed version of himself, separated and preserved.

A sleeping god.

[Devourer Core – Deep Link Activated]

[Error: Soul Conflict Detected]

[Identifier: Fragmented Origin Self | Codename: Aether Xu]

[This being predates the first cycle.]

Xu staggered.

"Predates… me?"

Suddenly, the figure's eyes opened.

Silver. Calm. Inhuman.

His voice echoed into Xu's bones.

"Ten thousand lives later… and you still don't remember?"

"Fool."

"You weren't the Devourer's first incarnation."

"You were its second."

The chamber trembled.

Chains rattled.

Yue Qian drew back.

"Xu… what is this?"

Xu stepped forward slowly, voice low.

"I don't know."

"But I think I just found the man who built the Devourer Path."