The three of them stood on a rocky cliffside, looking back at the cursed city below. The glow of its unnatural seals flickered in the distance, and the towering shadow-being remained at the city's edge, unable to step beyond its domain.
Jiang Feng exhaled sharply, his sword still in his grip. They had survived. But for how long?
Li Xue was quiet. The golden lotus on her forehead had faded, but her expression was distant, troubled.
The elder monk sighed. "This is no ordinary curse. That creature—no, that thing—was not meant to exist in our realm."
Jiang Feng sheathed his sword. "But it does. And it was looking for Li Xue."
At his words, Li Xue flinched.
She turned to him, her golden eyes flickering with hesitation. "Jiang Feng… what if it's right? What if I really wasn't meant to return?"
He frowned. "What are you saying?"
She hugged herself, stepping away. "That vision we saw… It wasn't just a glimpse of my past. It was a warning. I was something else—someone else before I became the Celestial Maiden. But I don't remember why I fell, or why I was sealed away."
Jiang Feng clenched his fists. He hated seeing her like this—doubtful, lost.
"Does it matter?" he said finally.
Li Xue looked up at him in surprise.
He stepped forward, his voice steady. "I don't care who you were. I don't care what the heavens planned. Right now, you're you. You're Li Xue. And no one—not the forgotten ones, not the gods, not fate itself—gets to decide otherwise."
She stared at him, her lips parting slightly.
Then, slowly, the tension in her shoulders eased. She exhaled, her fingers clenching into fists. "Then I'll fight," she whispered. "I won't let them control me."
Jiang Feng smirked. "Good."
The elder monk nodded approvingly. "Then we must prepare. This is only the beginning."
—
A Silent Pursuer
They left the cursed city behind, traveling toward the Temple of Waning Moon, where the elder monk claimed they could find answers.
But as they moved through the dense forests, Jiang Feng felt it.
They were being watched.
The feeling was faint, almost imperceptible, but his instincts screamed at him. Something was following them.
He didn't tell Li Xue immediately. Instead, he slowed his pace, allowing her and the elder to walk ahead while he subtly scanned their surroundings.
Then, in the corner of his vision—a flicker of silver.
He turned sharply, his sword already half-drawn.
But there was nothing there.
The elder monk glanced at him. "You sense it too?"
Jiang Feng's grip tightened. "Yeah. Something's out there."
Li Xue looked back, worry in her eyes. "Is it the creature from the city?"
Jiang Feng shook his head. "No. This is different."
A presence. Not hostile. Not yet. But undeniably watching.
They continued walking, but Jiang Feng remained on edge.
Whoever—or whatever—it was, it was waiting for something.
And he had a feeling they would find out soon.
—
A Stranger in the Night
That night, they camped near a quiet riverbank. The forest was peaceful, the distant sound of running water masking the eerie silence that had followed them since the city.
Jiang Feng sat by the fire, sharpening his sword. Li Xue was nearby, practicing her breathing techniques, while the elder monk meditated beneath a tree.
Then—
A rustle.
Jiang Feng's eyes snapped up. His sword was in his hand in an instant.
The air shifted.
And then, without warning, a figure stepped into the firelight.
A man.
Dressed in flowing black robes, his face partially concealed by a silver mask. His aura was calm, but his presence was unmistakable.
A cultivator.
Jiang Feng rose to his feet instantly, his blade at the ready.
The stranger raised his hands. "I mean no harm."
Jiang Feng didn't lower his guard. "Then why are you following us?"
The man chuckled. "Because you intrigue me."
His voice was smooth, measured, but Jiang Feng could feel the power hidden beneath his words.
The elder monk opened his eyes. "Who are you?"
The stranger tilted his head. "A wanderer. A seeker of truths."
Li Xue stood beside Jiang Feng, her golden eyes narrowing. "And what truth are you seeking?"
The man smiled beneath his mask. "You, Celestial Maiden."
Jiang Feng moved instantly, stepping between them, his sword flashing. "Then you're our enemy."
But the man didn't flinch.
Instead, he laughed.
"Enemy?" he mused. "No, no. If I were your enemy, you would already be dead."
Jiang Feng's grip tightened. "Then what do you want?"
The masked man studied him for a moment. Then, slowly, he reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll.
He tossed it at Jiang Feng's feet. "Read it. And then decide whether I am your enemy."
Jiang Feng didn't move. He stared at the scroll, his instincts warring between caution and curiosity.
Li Xue glanced at him. He nodded.
She bent down, picked up the scroll, and slowly unrolled it.
Then—she gasped.
Jiang Feng frowned. "What is it?"
She turned the scroll around, showing them its contents.
It was a celestial decree.
An ancient, faded parchment written by the gods themselves.
And on it—Li Xue's name.
The elder monk's face paled. "This is…"
The masked man's voice was quiet.
"A decree of exile," he said. "Signed by the highest order of the celestial realm."
Jiang Feng's blood ran cold.
Exile.
The heavens themselves had cast Li Xue out.
Li Xue's hands trembled. "This… this can't be real."
But Jiang Feng knew. He could feel the divine aura radiating from the parchment.
It was real.
It had always been real.
The masked man watched them carefully. "Now you understand."
Jiang Feng's voice was dangerously low. "Understand what?"
The masked man's silver eyes gleamed.
"That you are fighting a war against the heavens themselves."
—