Chapter 23 – The Artifact of the Three Emperors
Silence fell like a sheet of ice.
Hundreds of disciples. Dozens of elders. All frozen before the impossible.
The altar floated ten meters above the ground.
Chains of light swirled around it.
And at its base… the seals of three ancient Immortal Emperors still shimmered.
The very same emperors who, long ago, had united their power to seal this fragment of might declaring the lower world unworthy of its touch.
And now… the seal was broken.
By an unknown man.
A youth with no banner.
No sect.
No name.
__"WHO ARE YOU?!"
A master of the Pavilion of the Ancient Cloud roared.
His aura exploded.
A sword of pure energy appeared above, ready to strike.
But Shen Mu didn't answer.
He stood still, arms folded inside his sleeves, calm.
The wind brushed through his black hair, and his eyes simply observed the altar…
As if watching a memory.
[Karmic Fragment No. 4 – Receptacle Identified]
Recognized Artifact: "Heart of the Transcendental Veil"Access Key IntegratedSealed Inheritance: Partially Unlocked (2.1%)
The ground began to hum.
A black feather fell from the sky.
It did not shine.
It emitted no aura.
But when it touched the altar…
The sky darkened instantly.
And every spirit beast within ten kilometers… knelt.
The master of the Pavilion hesitated.
His sword trembled.
He opened his mouth to give an order but a hand gripped his shoulder.
__"Don't," whispered the elder of the Sect of the Purple Saber.
__"Look into his eyes…"
He froze.
Shen Mu's eyes…
Were no longer simply black.
They held an entire sky.
Dying galaxies. Frozen stars. A spiral of forgetting.
That was not the gaze of a man.
It was a vertigo.
Just then, a voice rose from the crowd.
Soft. Fragile. Pure.
__"It's him…"
Everyone turned.
A young girl in white stepped forward from the Pavilion. Barely fifteen.
But her pupils glowed with karmic light.
Yun Xue.
Heir of an ancient bloodline.
Born with the Inner Vision of Fate.
She walked slowly. Tears in her eyes. Unable to explain it.
__"I don't know who you are… but I've seen you… in my dreams."
Shen Mu looked at her.
He said nothing.
But inside, something stirred.
[Spontaneous Karmic Connection Detected]
Anomaly: Unplanned Intersecting Fate
Unclaimed Fragment: Confirmed in Subject "Yun Xue"
He stepped forward.
The elders held their breath.
Some tightened their grips on their weapons.
But no one moved.
Yun Xue stood still. She didn't flinch.
He reached out.
Not to strike…
But to touch her forehead.
A drop of violet light emerged.
And vanished into the sky.
[Fragment No. 5 – Deferred Transfer]
Secondary Fate: Sealed
Shen Mu whispered:
__"You won't remember me. Not yet."
Then he disappeared.