Morning light streamed through the window, soft and golden, brushing against the pale skin of the sleeping woman curled in Shadow's arms.
He opened his eyes slowly, finding Han Yuelin nestled against his chest. Her breathing was steady, warm. One hand rested against his heart. The faint golden glow of her Chaos Physique had faded into stillness, as though it too slumbered beside her.
Shadow stared at her in silence.
She was a goddess. A storm born from chaos. And yet, here she was, sleeping peacefully in his arms.
*Am I just a passing shadow in her life?* he thought. *Can someone like me even be with her? A supreme chaotic physique… and a mortal physique like mine? Would the heavens curse me more for holding onto something that doesn't belong to me?*
He sighed.
"Whatever comes… will come," he whispered. "We can only try to break through it. I have something to protect now."
He lifted a strand of her hair, letting it slide through his fingers like silk touched by lightning.
Yuelin stirred.
She opened her golden eyes slowly, then without a word, burrowed herself deeper into his embrace.
"Let us stay like this forever," she murmured.
Shadow smiled faintly, brushing her cheek. "I wish we could… but you and I both know the world won't allow it. We have to think about what comes next."
She blinked up at him.
"For you," he said, "it would be easy to join a first-rate sect or even one of the Empire's branches. You'd get access to better resources, higher cultivation techniques… you could rise faster."
Yuelin's expression changed.
She pushed him down, straddling him with cold eyes and a wicked grin. "Do you think I joined this sect for nothing?"
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?"
She leaned closer, her golden eyes glowing. "You're like a frog at the bottom of the well, darling. You don't know anything."
Her tone turned sharp.
"I used to belong to a second-rate sect," she said. "So I know exactly how it works. When a talented disciple joins a powerful sect, they're showered with praise. If they're exceptional, they become the Saint or Holy Son. But in truth—they're puppets."
She stared at him.
"Puppets to be used. Traded. Broken. So long as they're valuable."
Then, she grew quiet.
"…And when I lost my cultivation?" Her voice was bitter. "They discarded me like trash. I was only worth something when I was useful. Do you understand now?"
Shadow's gaze softened.
"Then… what's your plan?"
Yuelin's smile returned—this time, colder.
"Simple," she said. "I'll build my own force. I'll conquer this wilderness world. One region at a time."
She met his eyes.
"So… are you interested?"
Shadow chuckled, rubbing his temple. "I already have my own problems. Good luck, honey. I'll watch from the side."
He said it lightly, but deep down, he knew the truth.
Her ambition was enormous. And his future… uncertain. He didn't even know if he'd live another month. He didn't want to weigh her down.
Yuelin noticed. Her expression didn't change, but her heart did. She understood.
This man didn't reject her dream. He just didn't know how to see himself in it.
So she said nothing.
Instead, Shadow reached into his spatial ring.
"Here," he said, bringing out five scrolls and placing them gently on the table. "These are yours now. Consider them a wedding gift."
Yuelin raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"There's the Hundred-Man Formation, the Thousand-Man Formation, and the Ten Thousand-Man Formation," he said. "But these two… might interest you more."
He handed her the final two scrolls: the Ten-Man Formation, and the Three-Man Formation.
Yuelin picked up the last one, her golden eyes lighting with interest as she unrolled it.
Her smile deepened.
"The Three-Man Formation… it synchronizes power across three individuals. Allows them to act as one body—share senses, attacks, even spiritual flow."
She chuckled, her tone filled with satisfaction.
"It's perfect for my Three Timeless Physiques. My past, present, and future bodies can operate in this formation as a single unified force. This is… brilliant."
She looked at him, warmth behind the fire in her gaze.
"Thank you, Shadow."
He smiled. "You'll make better use of them than I ever could."
After a moment, he asked, "Then what's next? What's the first step in this grand plan of yours?"
She stood, wrapping the robe around herself, her long hair falling like a dark waterfall behind her.
"I plan to take over this sect," she said bluntly. "I'll become sect leader."
Shadow's brows shot up. "You're serious?"
She nodded. "Once I fully recover."
She sat at the table and poured tea with calm grace.
"Your sect master," she continued, "recently acquired a **Middle-Grade Barrier Breaking Pill**. He's currently at the **Ninth Level of the Muscle and Skin Forging Realm**, and soon, he'll attempt to break through to the **Half-Step Blood Refinement Realm**. After stabilizing, he'll use the pill to step into the **Blood Refinement Realm**."
She took a sip of tea.
"I estimate he'll achieve it within four months."
Shadow nodded slowly. "That's enough time for you to…?"
She smiled. "To recover to at least the Sixth Level of Muscle and Skin Forging. With my physique? That'll be more than enough to kill him."
Shadow didn't comment.
He didn't like the sect master. He remembered how the man ignored Shadow's warnings during the tomb incident, and later, how he made no effort to investigate the truth. Shadow was seen as a useless survivor. Yuelin? Thought to be dead.
The sect master had no intention of protecting them.
Yuelin's eyes narrowed.
"For now, I'll hide in the coffin. It has powerful regenerative properties, and its divine seals will completely mask my aura. No one will know I'm still here."
She stood again and walked to the window.
"I've already begun recruiting people. A few inner disciples. Even a couple of elders are… sympathetic."
Shadow sighed.
"You've been busy."
She turned and smirked. "Always."
As the morning light continued to rise, two paths stood before them—one of silence and watchfulness, the other of chaos and conquest.
And the storm had only just begun.
---
Before the sun fully rose, Yuelin entered the coffin once more. With Shadow's help, she sealed herself within, surrounded by sacred lightning patterns and spiritual wards that masked her presence completely. Her aura vanished as if she no longer existed.
Shadow stood in silence beside the coffin, now appearing as a cold, unmarked burial box resting in the far side of his courtyard.
Following their plan, he buried it beneath a smooth stone slab, surrounded it with simple memorial flowers, and placed an old sword at its base. To any passerby, it would look like he had buried his wife in grief.
And perhaps, in some way, he had.
He knelt at the grave for a long time, brushing the earth gently with his palm.
"I know you'll return," he murmured. "And when you do... the world won't be ready for you."
He stood, whispering the last words with his back turned.
"Rest well, my storm."
---
**End of Chapter 64**