Chapter 2: Whispers Beneath the Quiet Sky
The forest beyond Qingyuan Village was silent.
Too silent.
Luo Qingshen stood at the edge of the trees, the wind brushing against his robes. His gaze swept across the undergrowth, narrowing slightly as his senses extended beyond the physical.
Something unnatural had entered these woods.
He stepped forward, and with each movement, the quiet around him seemed to deepen. No birds. No insects. Even the leaves seemed to hold their breath.
A shadow darted between the trees.
He turned his head, calm and unreadable.
Three figures emerged—cloaked in traveling robes, faces half-hidden behind jade masks. Cultivators. Not from the village. Not from anywhere nearby.
They didn't belong.
The tallest one stepped forward, voice sharp and formal. "Apologies, stranger. We're searching for someone. A fugitive cultivator. Dangerous."
Luo Qingshen said nothing.
The second figure tilted her head. "You live in the village below?"
He nodded once.
"Have you seen anything strange? Any newcomers?"
He raised a hand, slowly pointing back toward the village trail. "Only peace."
The third cultivator snorted. "He's lying. There's energy here—ancient, sealed. I can feel it."
A flicker of gold flared behind his mask as he activated a spiritual eye.
And for a single heartbeat, he saw something standing behind Luo Qingshen.
Something vast. Crowned in broken halos. Eyes like galaxies collapsing. Cloaked in chains of divine scripture.
He staggered back, gasping.
"What… what are you?"
Luo Qingshen's voice was soft.
"Gone."
The cultivator collapsed unconscious before he hit the ground.
The others reached for their blades—but then stopped. Because the wind itself had changed. The air turned heavy. The trees bowed. Even time felt like it slowed around him.
"Leave," Luo Qingshen said quietly.
They did.
Long after they vanished, he remained still, watching the place where they had stood.
The seal was cracking.The world was remembering.And he... was beginning to remember too.