Chapter 14: When Blood Stains the Heavens

The clouds above the world were no longer still.

Far away from the Black Bone Valley, in a land where mountains touched the heavens and stars bled silver light, the air trembled with an invisible tension. War drums had not yet sounded, but the winds carried whispers of inevitable bloodshed.

Within the golden halls of the Heavenly Temple—one of the most revered sects beneath the sky—an emergency council was in session. Ten elders sat in a circle, their robes adorned with symbols of heaven's divine judgment. At the center, an ancient stone mirror hovered midair, reflecting a flickering shadow… Ye Tian's shadow.

"He has awakened the Ancestral Bloodline," said one elder, voice like frost over bone. "The seal of the sky has been broken once again."

"Ridiculous!" snapped another. "The Ancients sealed that bloodline themselves! How can such filth rise again?!"

But the oldest among them, Grand Elder Xuan Wuyi, remained silent. His blind eyes stared beyond the mirror—into something deeper.

"He is not like the others…" he murmured. "This time… the bloodline did not consume the vessel. It accepted him."

The hall fell into silence.

"Then what do we do?" asked one of the younger elders. "Mobilize the Punishment Division?"

"No," Xuan Wuyi replied, his voice old but heavy. "Not yet. Let the other sects bleed themselves first. The Demon Blood Sect will make their move soon... and the Snow Immortal Palace will not stand idly by."

He turned his gaze toward the mirror again.

"We will wait. And when the time is right… we will descend upon the world like a blade of divine fire."

---

Far to the north, at the Snow Immortal Palace, a storm of a different kind brewed.

Within the jade ice halls carved into a frozen mountain, Bai Ningxue stood before the Grand Council of her sect. Her expression was calm, but the air around her trembled slightly—evidence of the raging conflict beneath her skin.

"You found him," the sect leader said—Lady Yuhuan, her eyes sharp as icicles.

"I did," Bai Ningxue replied.

"And you let him live."

"I… judged that killing him would have caused more chaos than restraint."

The room was silent. The elders of the palace exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

"You disobeyed direct orders," said another elder coldly. "You let the bearer of the cursed blood walk free. Are you loyal to the sect… or to him?"

Bai Ningxue said nothing. But her hand clenched slightly.

Lady Yuhuan narrowed her eyes.

"Bai Ningxue. You are hereby placed under silent watch. You may not leave the inner sect without permission. From this moment on, your connection to Ye Tian… is severed."

Bai Ningxue turned and bowed deeply, but as she rose, her eyes shimmered not with tears—but with determination.

"You're wrong," she whispered after leaving the council hall. "This isn't over… and I will choose my own fate."

---

Meanwhile, deep beneath a mountain forgotten by time, in a realm untouched by mortal cultivators, a figure stirred within darkness.

Chains bound his limbs. His hair was silver like starlight, eyes closed as if in eternal slumber. But now… a single drop of golden-black blood trickled from the air above and touched his forehead.

His eyes snapped open.

"Finally," he murmured, his voice deeper than thunder and smoother than night. "The curse lives once more."

Visions flickered before his mind—of Ye Tian, of war, of betrayal.

"He will walk the path I once failed…"

The figure clenched his fist, and the darkness around him began to crack like glass.

"…and this time, the heavens shall bleed."

---

At that very moment, Ye Tian opened his eyes.

Sitting beneath the dying embers of a moonlit fire, he had been meditating since the battle at Mount Slayer. His blood still surged violently within him—three blood sigils pulsing on his arm, glowing dimly.

He sensed it now.

Something had changed.

"The sky is watching me," he whispered.

Then, as if confirming his words, a shooting star fell—burning crimson as it tore across the sky.

---

The next morning dawned without warmth.

Ye Tian stood alone at the edge of a cliff, the wind lashing against his robes like invisible blades. Below him, the world stretched in silence—forests, mountains, rivers all caught beneath a gray sky.

The fire inside him hadn't dimmed. Instead, it deepened.

He could feel it—the bloodline awakening not just in his body, but in his very soul. Every heartbeat now felt like the echo of a distant war drum, every breath like inhaling the weight of ancient sin.

But even more than that…

He could feel something watching him.

Not a beast.

Not a cultivator.

Something older. Larger. Hungrier.

He turned his gaze eastward, where thick storm clouds gathered over the horizon, not moving with the wind but against it—as if marching.

"Something's coming," he muttered.

Just then, a low rustle came from behind.

Ye Tian didn't need to look.

"I thought you'd already returned to your palace," he said.

Bai Ningxue stepped into the open, her robes still bearing the crest of the Snow Immortal Palace. She looked tired—haunted—but she stood tall.

"I disobeyed them," she said softly. "They've confined me… but I escaped."

Ye Tian raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I had to see you," she continued. "They've sent assassins after you. Not just from our sect. All of them. The Demon Blood Sect… and even the Cult of Heaven's Judgement."

Ye Tian's eyes narrowed.

"How many?"

"Enough to make this land burn," Bai Ningxue said, her voice barely a whisper.

Ye Tian sighed. "Let them come."

Bai Ningxue stepped closer, her voice sharp now.

"Ye Tian, you're not invincible. You just awakened your ancestral blood. You haven't even stabilized your cultivation. You—"

"I don't have time to wait," Ye Tian cut her off, his voice cold but steady. "Every second I spend hiding is another second they gain control. If I run now, I'll never stop running."

Bai Ningxue looked at him for a long time.

"You really mean to fight the heavens?"

He nodded once.

"Then let me fight beside you."

That stopped him.

Ye Tian turned fully to face her, his expression unreadable. "If you do… you will be hunted too. You will lose your sect. Your future."

"I already did," she said quietly. "The moment they told me to kill you… I knew I was no longer one of them."

For a brief moment, Ye Tian said nothing.

Then, finally, he nodded.

"Then stay close. And don't hold back."

---

Far above them, hidden in the clouds, several pairs of golden eyes opened—silent watchers from the Heaven's Eye Division, elite scouts of the Temple. They observed the two from afar, sending messages through enchanted mirrors of light.

"The traitor from the Snow Palace has joined him," one scout whispered.

"Orders?" came the response through the mirror.

The scout's expression turned grim.

"Hold position. The Judgment Envoys will arrive in three days. Until then… monitor. Do not engage."

And the mirror dimmed.

But even as they retreated into the sky, another shadow watched them—something even they could not sense.

Deep in the roots of the world, the darkness stirred.

The forest was deathly quiet.

No birds sang. No insects stirred. The only sound was the wind scraping through ancient trees like whispers from forgotten ages.

Ye Tian and Bai Ningxue moved swiftly, side by side but silent, like twin shadows traveling through the remnants of a dying world. Their auras were restrained, their breaths synchronized, their hearts calm but alert.

Ahead, the ruins of a forgotten temple rose from the ground like the bones of a buried titan. Cracked stone pillars stretched to the skies, and the massive gate lay half-buried under centuries of moss and decay.

Ye Tian stopped in front of it.

"This place…" Bai Ningxue murmured.

"It's one of the ancestral seals," Ye Tian replied. "One of the five anchors that once locked away the true bloodline."

He stepped forward, and the ground trembled.

From within the depths of the temple, a low growl echoed out—inhuman, ancient, and filled with hunger.

Bai Ningxue unsheathed her sword.

"Guardian beast?" she asked.

Ye Tian nodded.

"Not just any beast," he said. "It's a creature formed from the lingering will of the Ancients. A soul-forged sentinel."

As if summoned by his words, a deep crack split the floor of the ruins. Black mist rose, and out of it emerged a colossal beast—its form shifting between bone, shadow, and scorched armor. Its face was hidden behind a mask of jagged metal, and its eyes glowed crimson.

The Forgotten Fang of the Primordial Blood.

It didn't roar.

It simply lunged.

BOOOM!!

The earth exploded as the beast charged, and Ye Tian vanished from sight in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already above the creature, fist clenched and engulfed in bloodflame.

"Don't hold back!" he shouted to Bai Ningxue.

"I wasn't planning to!" she replied, her body glowing with frostlight.

Their combined attack struck the beast head-on—fire and ice, shadow and light. The impact sent shockwaves tearing through the ancient forest, flattening trees and splitting boulders.

But the creature wasn't defeated.

It let out a distorted screech that shattered nearby stones, and from its back, dozens of shadow tendrils shot out, each carrying the venom of the ancient world.

One of them pierced the ground near Bai Ningxue, exploding in a burst of black energy that corroded everything in a ten-meter radius.

Ye Tian growled.

"I'll take the front. You break the seal!"

She nodded, darting toward the temple's altar while Ye Tian met the beast again.

This time, he wasn't holding back.

The three blood rings behind him spun wildly, and his skin cracked with divine patterns, glowing crimson-black. From his palm, a spear of condensed ancestral Qi took shape—its tip pulsating with hatred and memory.

He hurled it.

The spear pierced the beast's chest, pinning it against the pillar. But the creature howled and dragged its body forward, refusing to fall.

Bai Ningxue reached the altar and began chanting the incantation Ye Tian had shared with her—one written in the language of the first bloodline, older than any scripture.

"By the oath of shadow, by the seal of blood… I awaken thee!"

The altar glowed.

Chains of ancient red light burst from the ground, coiling around the beast, dragging it back into the seal beneath the ruins.

Ye Tian leapt back just in time.

The temple floor cracked open completely, revealing a hidden spiral staircase that descended into pitch-black darkness. The blood-seal pulsed like a heartbeat, and in its center lay a small, pitch-black crystal—floating, humming, alive.

Ye Tian stepped forward, hand trembling slightly.

"The Second Core," he whispered.

But as his fingers brushed the crystal…

The world shifted.

Visions slammed into his mind—fire raining from the skies, gods torn apart by claw and fang, and a shadow deeper than death consuming everything in its path.

Then a voice echoed—one he hadn't heard before.

> "You are not yet worthy."

"To awaken what sleeps in the abyss… you must offer more than blood."

Ye Tian collapsed to one knee, gasping.

His palm burned with a new mark—a symbol resembling a spiral sun devoured by a serpent.

Bai Ningxue rushed to him. "Are you alright?!"

Ye Tian stood slowly.

"No," he said quietly, "but I will be."

He looked down the spiral staircase. Whatever lay below would not welcome him kindly.

But he would descend anyway.

For the curse he bore was not just his destiny.

It was a door.

And now... it had opened.

The spiral staircase wound downward like the spine of a dead god. Each step Ye Tian took echoed endlessly, as if the stone beneath his feet mourned the awakening of something best left forgotten.

The air grew colder.

Not the cold of winter—but the void's cold, like time itself had abandoned this place.

Behind him, Bai Ningxue followed in silence. She could feel it too—the pressure that twisted the soul, that tried to convince the heart to turn back. But she didn't waver. Not when the one walking ahead carried the burden that might one day break the heavens.

The further they descended, the thicker the darkness became.

Until finally... they arrived.

A vast underground hall opened before them, carved from obsidian stone veined with red lightning. Countless ancient murals covered the walls—depicting the war between the Skyborn Gods and the Shadowblood Clan, battles that shattered mountains and split the stars.

In the center of the hall floated a sarcophagus made entirely of translucent black crystal.

Within it… a figure lay in eternal slumber.

He was tall, draped in a robe of chains and shadow. His chest bore the same spiral mark that now burned on Ye Tian's palm. And though his eyes were closed, Ye Tian felt as if they were being watched.

> "This is the source," he whispered.

"The origin of the bloodline…"

Suddenly, the hall trembled.

From the corners of the chamber, shadowy forms emerged—guards of the ancient blood. They had no faces, only flickering flames where eyes should be, and their swords hummed with curses older than memory.

Ye Tian stepped forward, eyes focused.

But before battle could erupt, a voice echoed from within the sarcophagus.

"Enough."

Time froze.

The shadows halted. Even the wind itself seemed to hold its breath.

The crystal lid slid open slowly… and the figure inside rose.

Though his body was barely more than bone and mist, his presence was overwhelming. His voice sounded like the crumbling of galaxies.

"You who bear the mark… Ye Tian," the figure said. "I have waited long for your arrival."

Ye Tian lowered his head slightly.

"You… are the First Shadowblood?" he asked.

The figure nodded.

"In this cycle, yes. I am the one who severed the chains of the heavens. The one who chose to remember… while the gods chose to forget."

He raised a skeletal hand, pointing at Ye Tian's chest.

"You have awakened the first and second cores. But your soul is still incomplete. You are but a shard of what must be whole."

Ye Tian clenched his fists. "Then what must I do?"

"Face yourself," the ancient said.

And with a flick of his finger—Ye Tian's body was consumed in light.

---

The next instant, Ye Tian stood in an endless void.

Across from him… stood himself.

But not the Ye Tian of today. This one was cold, merciless—his eyes crimson, his back covered in wings made of blades. His presence radiated death. It was Ye Tian, should he allow the curse to consume him.

"This is the path of blood," echoed the ancient's voice.

"You must defeat the you who would become destruction."

Without hesitation, the dark Ye Tian attacked.

What followed was a duel not just of fists, but of ideals.

The real Ye Tian fought not to kill, but to understand.

Each strike exchanged revealed more—of fear, of anger, of pain buried deep within. This doppelganger was not a stranger—it was his shadow. The part of him that hated, that doubted, that longed to burn the sky for its cruelty.

And as their final clash exploded in light—

Ye Tian embraced it.

"Pain… hatred… rage… I accept you. But I will not be ruled by you."

The shadow self froze… then smiled.

And vanished.

---

Ye Tian awoke on the temple floor, body trembling, but eyes clear.

The ancient stood before him.

"You have passed the second trial," he said.

Bai Ningxue rushed to his side, worry in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

Ye Tian stood.

"I saw… what I could become. And chose what I must be."

From the altar, a third ring of blood appeared—this one glowing with both gold and black.

The third core had awakened.

And far above, in the celestial realm, thunder cracked the sky—because fate had just changed course.

---

High above the mortal world, within the unreachable palace of the Celestial Court, nine thrones stood in a circle of stars. Upon each throne sat a being whose presence distorted reality—beings so ancient, their names were older than language.

They were the Immortal Council of the Heavens.

And tonight, they watched the mortal realm with unease.

A mirror of starlight hovered at the center of their circle, showing an image of Ye Tian—his body surrounded by three rings of blood, his aura dark yet divine.

"This… cannot be allowed to continue," one of the Immortals spoke, his voice like cracking thunder.

"He has awakened the third core," another said. "That means the ancestral prophecy… was real."

The eldest among them, shrouded in a robe of constellations, closed his eyes. "We tried to bury the truth. We destroyed the records. Yet still, the bloodline rises."

"The Shadowblood Clan should've died with the First Rebellion," a female Immortal hissed. "But now, their heir stands at the gateway of ascension."

Another Immortal slammed his palm onto his throne, creating shockwaves through the stars. "Summon the Celestial Hunters. Send them to the lower realms. Ye Tian must be eradicated before the fourth ring awakens."

The silence that followed was not agreement—but fear.

For they all knew: the fourth core was not just a power…

It was the key to the Forbidden Throne.

---

Back in the mortal world, Ye Tian stood at the edge of the ruined altar, staring into the distance.

Bai Ningxue remained by his side, watching the changes in him—his aura denser, darker, but also… more stable. The struggle within him had become fuel. Controlled, not suppressed.

"You've changed," she whispered.

Ye Tian didn't answer right away.

His gaze was fixed on the sky, where faint ripples shimmered—like eyes peering down from the heavens.

"They know," he finally said. "The Immortal Court… they've seen me."

Bai Ningxue's grip tightened on her sword. "Then we must hide."

"No," Ye Tian replied. "There is no hiding anymore. From the moment I awakened this blood, my fate was sealed."

He turned to her, his eyes no longer just a mortal's—but something deeper.

"Let them come. I will not kneel."

---

Far away, on a war-torn continent, an old figure stood atop a tower of broken swords. He wore a crown made of bones, and his eyes were blind—but his vision saw across worlds.

He smiled faintly.

"So… the child of shadow walks the path again."

Behind him, thousands of ghostly warriors stirred.

The world… was beginning to awaken.

And fate was no longer held by the heavens alone.

----