BOOOOMMM!
The deafening sound echoed through the entire sect, shaking the very foundation of the sect master's manor. Both Yue Liqin and I jolted awake, our bodies immediately on high alert.
Who would have thought our moment would be ruined?
"What in the heavens…?" Yue Liqin muttered, rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed, her expression sharpening from groggy confusion to deadly focus.
The echo of the explosion reverberated through the air, and I could feel the ripple of powerful spiritual energies pulsing around us.
I shot out of bed, my senses stretching out to scan the area, trying to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. "That wasn't just any explosion," I said, narrowing my eyes. "There's something serious going on."
I activated my All-Seeing Sight and I saw what was happening.
Yue Liqin was already moving, slipping into her robes with the fluid grace of a seasoned cultivator. "We need to see what's happening," she said, her voice steady, though there was an undercurrent of concern.
As I quickly dressed, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of madness had caused such a dramatic wake-up call from Elder Han. It wasn't every day that the sect was shaken to its core by a single boom. Whatever it was, I had a feeling it was far beyond the typical power plays between disciple and elders.
We stepped out of the room, and as soon as we did, I could see that the entire sect was in chaos. Core disciples, elders, and inner sect members alike were rushing toward the source of the explosion, their faces a mixture of confusion and fear.
Above us, spiritual energy crackled in the air, the sky itself seeming to ripple as the lingering aftereffects of the blast dissipated.
"Yue Phaelo!" A voice called from above, and I looked up to see my second grandmother, Yue Zhaoxiang, descending from the sky. A striking woman who appeared to be in her early thirties despite her true age, her long hair cascaded around her like a waterfall of moonlight, contrasting sharply with her dark blue robes.
Her presence exuded a regal power that made everyone part like the seas as she flew toward us. "You need to come to the central hall. Now."
Yue Liqin and I exchanged a quick glance before nodding and taking off after her.
By the time we arrived at the central hall, a crowd had already gathered. Elders from every corner of the sect stood in tense clusters, and even the usually calm and composed sect leader—my father—had a troubled look on his face as he addressed a familiar figure standing at the center of it all.
Elder Han, one of the sect's strongest Heaven Realm cultivators and a renowned adventurer, stood before us. His hair was a mix of silver and black, giving him a distinguished appearance, and his eyes were sharp and piercing, revealing the depths of his experiences and wisdom.
He had been away for years, venturing to distant lands in search of ancient treasures and lost secrets. To see him back now—and under these circumstances—meant that something monumental had happened.
"Elder Han," my father, Yue Tianlong, said, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. A tall man with a strong build and an imposing presence, my father had an air of authority that commanded respect.
His black hair flowed to his shoulders, and his gaze was intense, often making it hard for anyone to hold eye contact for long. "Tell us what happened."
Elder Han stood tall, his robes tattered and dirtied from whatever ordeal he had faced. His face was lined with exhaustion, but his eyes were sharp, filled with a mixture of urgency and dread.
"I have just returned from the Abyss of Desolation," he began, his voice carrying over the crowd with a weight that silenced everyone. "And I bring grave news."
He paused for a moment, as if weighing the severity of his next words. "The Demon Sect has returned."
A collective gasp rippled through the hall. Even I felt my chest tighten at the mention of the Demon Sect.
The Demon Sect… the name alone was enough to send chills down anyone's spine. Long ago, before I was even born—before even my parents became powerhouses they are now—the Demon Sect had been the scourge of the Xianlun World or at least the Sky Above Realm.
Their followers had dabbled in the darkest arts, sacrificing souls and summoning demons to gain power. They had nearly brought the entire Sky Above Realm to its knees before the combined might of the realm's greatest cultivators, including the Sky Above Emperor and Empress, and the Heaven Secret Sect, had wiped them out—or so the legends claimed.
"Impossible," one of the elders muttered under his breath. "The Demon Sect was eradicated centuries ago."
Elder Han shook his head grimly. "That's what we all believed. But during my journey into the Abyss of Desolation, I uncovered signs—ancient sigils, demonic rituals—things that could only belong to the Demon Sect. At first, I thought it was nothing more than remnants of the past. But then… I found something far worse."
He waved his hand, and a surge of spiritual energy projected an image in the air. It was a grotesque creature, its body twisted and deformed, with dark, swirling energy emanating from it.
Its eyes glowed with an unnatural red light, and its mouth was filled with jagged teeth. It was unmistakably a demon.
"The demons have returned," Elder Han said, his voice grim. "And they're already within the Sky Above Realm."
The hall erupted into chaos.
Demons in the Sky Above Realm? How could this be possible? For centuries, this realm had been considered a sanctuary, a place where demons could not tread. The combined power of the realm's cultivators had ensured that demons would never again set foot here.
And yet, here was undeniable proof.
My grandmother Yue Zhaoxiang was the first to speak, her voice cutting through the din. "How many are there? Where did you find this demon?"
Elder Han's face darkened. "I encountered it in the eastern region, near the old ruins of the Broken Sky Sect. And it wasn't alone. There are more."
I felt a chill run down my spine. The eastern region… that was dangerously close to the sect.
"We need to act immediately," Yue Liqin said, her voice calm but firm as she stepped forward, her aura flaring slightly. "If the demons have returned, we cannot allow them to spread their influence any further."
"We will have to send a force to investigate," my father added, his expression grave. "But we must be cautious. If the Demon Sect truly has returned, we're dealing with a threat far greater than anything we've faced in centuries."
I couldn't help but smirk a little, despite the severity of the situation.
Of course, the elders were right to be concerned, but there was something about this kind of chaos that excited me. A new threat, a challenge—this was exactly the kind of thing that stirred the blood of every true cultivator.
And besides… I was no stranger to the darker side of cultivation. The Forbidden Dao flickered within me again, almost as if it was reacting to the mention of demons and it wasn't just the Forbidden Dao...
Yue Liqin glanced at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sensed my amusement. "Don't even think about it," she muttered under her breath.
"What?" I whispered back, feigning innocence. "I wasn't going to do anything."
She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me for a second. "You're already thinking about how you can use this to your advantage, aren't you?"
I grinned. "Maybe."
But as the elders continued to argue over what action to take, I couldn't help but wonder… If the Demon Sect had returned, and if demons were truly walking among us once again, what did that mean for the future of the Sky Above Realm?
And more importantly… what role would I play in all of this?
The adventure was just beginning.
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