The grand hall of the White Lotus Sect was alive with the hum of strategy discussions. Li Jue and Li Feng stood at the head of the chamber, their presence commanding as disciples and elders offered their reports. A faint tension hung in the air, one they couldn't shake, even with their overwhelming strength and unity.
It was Shen Wu's arrival that shattered the thin veil of calm.
"Shen Wu," Li Jue greeted with an edge to his voice as the tall, stoic man stepped into the chamber. His golden robes gleamed with divine sigils, and his aura was laced with an unnatural confidence. "You're late."
Shen Wu bowed low, but there was something off about the gesture. "My apologies, Sect Master Li Jue, Sect Mistress Li Feng. I bring urgent news from the southern front."
"Speak," Li Feng commanded, her sharp gaze locked onto his every movement.
"The Divine Emperor," Shen Wu began, his voice steady but holding a faint tremor, "has sent reinforcements to the southern regions. He claims neutrality but has ordered a blockade around the White Lotus Sect's territories."
Li Feng exchanged a glance with Li Jue. "Neutrality? That doesn't sound like the Divine Emperor," she said coldly.
"It isn't," Li Jue replied. His eyes narrowed as he studied Shen Wu. "What are you not telling us?"
Shen Wu's face twisted into something unreadable, but then he straightened, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "I am here to bring an end to your heresy."
The room exploded into chaos.
"Shen Wu!" Li Feng's voice rang with fury as she drew her blade. "How dare you betray us?"
"You left me no choice," Shen Wu said, his tone regretful but resolute. "The Divine Emperor's will is absolute. You two have disrupted the balance of this world for too long. It ends tonight."
Li Jue's voice was ice. "You sold yourself to the heavens. Was it power you wanted, Shen Wu? Or simply a place in history as the one who betrayed the White Lotus Sect?"
"It's not personal," Shen Wu said. "It's survival."
"Then you've chosen your death," Li Feng spat, surging forward.
---
The battle ignited like a storm.
Li Feng was the first to strike, her blade shimmering with golden lotuses as she aimed for Shen Wu's chest.
"Lotus Dance of Eternal Flame!" she cried, unleashing a torrent of blazing energy.
Shen Wu countered with a wave of his hand, summoning a wall of azure light that deflected her attack. "You think I haven't prepared for your techniques, Feng?" he sneered.
Li Jue stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous. "Then let's see if you've prepared for mine."
He raised his hands, the air around him distorting as he activated the Forbidden Cultivation Art. The spiritual energy in the room thickened, drawn toward him like a vortex.
"Forbidden Art: World-Binding Chains!" he roared, launching ethereal chains toward Shen Wu.
Shen Wu smirked. "Predictable." With a flick of his wrist, he shattered the chains, his own aura surging. "Did you really think I'd face you alone?"
The doors to the chamber burst open, and a flood of cultivators in golden robes poured in.
"The Divine Guard," Li Feng hissed, her eyes narrowing.
Li Jue stepped beside her, his voice steady despite the odds. "They're nothing but puppets. Focus on Shen Wu. I'll handle the rest."
---
The hall became a battleground.
Li Feng moved like a tempest, her blade slicing through the Divine Guard with precision.
"Lotus Bloom Barrage!" she shouted, summoning a storm of petal-shaped energy that tore through the advancing soldiers.
"You'll have to do better than that," Shen Wu taunted, appearing behind her in a flash of light.
She spun, her blade clashing against his. "You're a coward, Shen Wu!" she snarled. "Hiding behind your borrowed power!"
"And you're blind, Feng," he shot back, pushing her back with a burst of energy. "Your ambition has clouded your judgment. You've doomed yourselves."
Across the room, Li Jue was a blur of movement, his techniques devastating the ranks of the Divine Guard.
"Spirit Devourer!" he roared, his hands glowing with dark energy as he drained the life force of his enemies.
"Jue'er!" Li Feng called out, her voice filled with urgency. "Shen Wu is mine. Take the others!"
"No," Li Jue said firmly, stepping toward Shen Wu. "This traitor is mine to deal with."
"Touching," Shen Wu said mockingly. "But it won't matter. You've already lost."
---
The tides turned suddenly.
Shen Wu raised his hands, chanting an incantation that filled the air with a suffocating pressure.
"Divine Art: Heaven's Chains!" he declared, and golden chains erupted from the ground, binding Li Jue and Li Feng in place.
"Feng'er!" Li Jue shouted, struggling against the bindings.
"These chains... they're divine-grade!" Li Feng said, her voice filled with disbelief.
Shen Wu approached them, his expression unreadable. "Did you think I came unprepared? I know your strengths, your weaknesses. You can't escape."
"Don't be so sure," Li Jue growled, summoning all his strength. "Forbidden Art: Soul Severance!"
The chains shattered under his power, and he surged forward, his fist aimed at Shen Wu's chest.
Shen Wu blocked it with ease, his eyes glinting. "Too slow."
Before Li Jue could react, Shen Wu struck him with a devastating palm strike, sending him crashing into the far wall.
"Jue'er!" Li Feng screamed, breaking free from her chains and rushing to his side.
"You're both fools," Shen Wu said, his tone dripping with contempt. "Your arrogance was your downfall."
---
Outside the grand hall, the battle raged on. The White Lotus Sect's disciples fought valiantly, but the Divine Guard overwhelmed them with sheer numbers and superior techniques.
"Sect Master! Sect Mistress!" one disciple cried as he burst into the chamber, his robes torn and bloodied. "We're losing! The sect... it's falling!"
Li Feng's heart clenched. "No... we can't let this happen."
"It's already happening," Shen Wu said coldly. "Your sect is finished. Surrender now, and I might let you live."
Li Jue struggled to his feet, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You underestimate us, Shen Wu. That will be your mistake."
Shen Wu laughed, the sound hollow and cruel. "You still don't get it, do you? This isn't about strength. It's about inevitability. The Divine Emperor's will is absolute. No one defies him and survives."
"Then we'll be the first," Li Feng spat, her voice filled with venom.
---
The final clash was devastating.
Li Jue and Li Feng fought with everything they had, their techniques pushing Shen Wu to his limits.
"Forbidden Art: Eternal Devastation!" Li Jue roared, unleashing a wave of dark energy that tore through the chamber.
"Lotus Bloom Cataclysm!" Li Feng cried, her blade glowing with radiant power as she struck at Shen Wu.
But Shen Wu was relentless.
"Divine Art: Heavenly Requiem!" he countered, his attack overwhelming theirs.
The chamber collapsed around them, the force of the clash shaking the entire sect.
---
When the dust settled, Li Jue and Li Feng were on the ground, exhausted trying to protect the sect while also fighting with Shen Wu & Divine guards, their energy depleted.
Shen Wu was on his knees, breathing his last breath. "It's over," he said while coughing blood.
Li Jue looked at him, his eyes blazing with defiance. "It's never over."
He reached out, summoning the last of his strength to create a barrier around himself and Li Feng.
"We'll be back," he vowed, his voice low but filled with determination. "We'll rebuild. And when we do, we'll destroy you and the Divine Emperor."
Shen Wu watched as the barrier shimmered to life, his expression unreadable. "You won't have the chance."
He took out a semi divine grade artifact that Divine Emperor gave him But before he could strike, the barrier flared, and Li Jue and Li Feng vanished.
---
The ruins of the White Lotus Sect lay silent, the once-proud stronghold reduced to rubble.
In the distance, Shen Wu lying on the ground alone, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"They'll return," he murmured to himself. "And when they do.... I'll be ready."
Warning! Explicit & Intimate Scenes In Next Chapters.