The Blood Moon rose.
Large, crimson, and unnaturally close, it bathed the sky in an eerie glow. Beneath its watchful gaze stood a fortress carved from obsidian and bone—the Blood Moon Citadel, lost for eons, spoken of only in forbidden scriptures.
Li Xuantian stood at its gates.
Flanking him were Yan Ruyue, eyes narrowed with silent focus, and Jing Hao, both awed and afraid. The very air here shimmered with cursed qi, as if space itself wanted to unravel.
"Stay close," Xuantian said. "No one who's entered here has left unchanged."
---
Inside the Citadel
The heavy doors opened on their own with a creak that echoed into infinity.
What greeted them was not chaos, but… stillness. Statues lined the path—warriors frozen in time, each one different. Some wore ancient sect robes; others, demonic armor. But all shared the same expression: despair.
"This place isn't a battlefield," Ruyue whispered. "It's a graveyard."
"No," Xuantian corrected. "It's a testament."
They entered the grand hall, the walls carved with runes that pulsed in sync with the Blood Moon outside. At the center stood a stone tablet, massive and cracked down the middle.
Jing Hao approached, but the tablet flared—an inscription appeared in golden flame:
> "Only one who has died and returned may proceed.
One who has lost everything… yet still walks."
The ground beneath them rumbled.
Suddenly, the tablet shattered, and a portal of red light opened—sucking them inward.
---
The Trial of the Forgotten God
When Xuantian awoke, he was alone.
He stood on the shores of a forgotten world, beneath a black sky filled with unfamiliar stars. Floating islands loomed overhead, and beneath his feet, the sand whispered his name.
Then he saw… himself.
Or rather, a younger version of him—radiant, proud, Heavenfire Pavilion robes glowing with golden fire. The man looked at him with contempt.
"You are not me," the young Xuantian said. "You are a shadow."
"I am what remains," the older Xuantian replied.
"You abandoned your throne. Your disciples. Your sect. All for what? Longevity? A million years of hiding?"
Xuantian remained calm. "I did not hide. I watched. I waited. I endured."
"Then show me," the younger said. "Show me your worth."
---
The Fight
The battle was a storm.
Golden flames and crimson void energy clashed across the landscape. For the first time in a million years, Xuantian faced a version of himself unburdened by time—his prime, raw and explosive.
Each strike shook the sky.
But Xuantian fought not with rage… but with clarity.
As their blades clashed—flame versus silence—he spoke:
"I was once you. But I have learned that power means nothing without wisdom. That fire consumes if not tempered."
And with that, he stopped defending.
He let the final strike come—and caught it barehanded.
The young version gasped. "What… is this?"
"The strength of a million quiet years."
Then, with one motion, Xuantian dispersed the illusion, breaking the cycle.
---
Back in the Real World
Yan Ruyue and Jing Hao watched in awe as Xuantian reappeared from the portal, now radiating a calm, divine energy. In his hand was a black orb—a fragment of the Celestial Seal.
The Citadel began to tremble.
Far above, the Blood Moon cracked.
A voice echoed in their minds—not human, not demonic… something older:
> "The second Seal has awakened. The path to the Sky Temple lies ahead."
> "But beware, Flamebearer… for the gods stir in their slumber."
---
In the Celestial Capital
News of the Citadel's awakening spread quickly.
The Sects stirred. The Academies mobilized. And from the shadows, rival cultivators, lords, and ancient clans began preparing.
But one decree overshadowed all:
> The Grand Tournament of the Sects was announced.
An ancient tradition held once every 500 years—now revived suddenly.
The prize?
> "A Divine Relic said to be born of starlight and sealed within the Void Library—capable of bending even the heavens."
But everyone knew: this wasn't just a competition.
It was bait.
---
Xuantian's Decision
Back at their secluded mountain retreat, Jing Hao couldn't stop pacing.
"A sect tournament? With relics? That's the kind of thing I've only read about!"
Ruyue remained thoughtful. "It's no coincidence this is happening now. Someone is accelerating everything. The Seals, the relics, the gods…"
Xuantian sat cross-legged, the orb hovering in front of him.
"We will go," he said. "If the Divine Relic truly exists, it may hold the key to the true Divine Realm."
"And the other sects?" Ruyue asked.
"They'll come to fight."
He looked out the window at the crimson light of the dying Blood Moon.
"And we'll be ready."
---