Chapter 48: Whisper of the Abyss

A windless silence fell across the Realm.

Then came the whisper.

"Han... Li..."

It echoed not in ears, but in the soul.

On the floating skyglass, Han Li opened his eyes. The air turned cold. Frost crawled along the crystal beneath his feet—despite no drop in temperature.

He looked downward, into the deepest mirror. The eye within the abyss had grown.

"Even after all these years, you still live," the voice murmured, guttural and ancient. "Sweeping trash… hiding in rags… yet your soul is unchanged."

Han Li remained calm. "And you still talk too much."

The void trembled.

A black mist burst forth, wrapping around his legs, attempting to pull him under. Han Li simply raised his hand. The Heaven-Slaughtering Rune pulsed once—like a god's heartbeat.

The mist screamed and recoiled.

"I don't know who reawakened you," Han Li muttered, "but they made a mistake letting you touch my disciples."

—

Deep within the Realm, Jian Mo's blade clashed with another nightmare beast—this one a giant stitched from memories of failure.

"We're stronger together!" he shouted, back-to-back with Ling Yue.

As the beast fell, a ripple shook the entire space.

"What was that?" Xun Fei asked, glancing upward.

Ling Yue's eyes widened. "Something... is afraid."

—

Back above, the abyss began sealing itself.

"You are not ready," the voice hissed. "But soon... soon..."

The eye closed.

Han Li lowered his hand, exhaled slowly, and turned to Elder Sun.

"Pull them out. The true test is done."

"But they weren't finished—"

Han Li smiled faintly. "No... they passed."

And far away, deep in a crumbling tomb of stars, the Sky-Eater twitched… its hunger awakened by an old enemy's scent.