The valley's quiet after the battle felt fragile, like a breath held too long before release. The survivors gathered in clusters beneath Lian Yue's frost barrier, tending wounds and whispering prayers to the heavens. Ji Xuan stood alone atop a crag, eyes piercing the horizon where the scarlet veils of the Crimson Cult had disappeared into the mist.
Though the enemy had retreated, the war had only just begun.
Ji Xuan's mind hummed with the System's cryptic messages, his heart still thrumming from the battle's energy. The Eternity Dao Root had awakened a new power within him, but it was only the first step on an endless path.
[Eternity Dao Root Level 2 Unlocking][Absorb spiritual energy to hasten breakthrough.][Warning: Realm Suppression to begin within 48 hours.]
He closed his eyes, letting the violet flames inside his chest bloom, weaving through every cell of his body, harmonizing with his spirit. The essence of the Dao whispered secrets to him — ancient truths and untapped potentials.
The sudden rustle behind him made Ji Xuan turn sharply.
"Master Ji," a soft voice called — it was Lian Yue, her silver hair catching the last light of dusk.
She approached with a scroll sealed in frost, her eyes filled with concern. "The elders sent this. They say the Cult's reinforcements are gathering in the Whispering Abyss."
"The Whispering Abyss…" Ji Xuan murmured. The name alone carried weight. A desolate chasm said to be haunted by the echoes of lost souls and fractured spirits, a place where few dared tread and fewer returned.
"Then we must strike before they grow stronger," Ji Xuan said firmly.
Lian Yue nodded, a flicker of admiration sparking in her gaze. "I will gather the village's cultivators. But… you cannot do this alone."
Ji Xuan smiled faintly, knowing that her words held more than just concern — an unspoken bond was weaving between them, one that would grow stronger with every shared trial.
That night, beneath a sky heavy with stars, Ji Xuan sat cross-legged, meditating deeply. His System interface appeared, shimmering like a ghostly mirror floating before him.
[New Skill Unlocked: Dao Perception — Heightened awareness of spiritual flows.][New Ability: Spirit Nexus — Absorb ambient spiritual energy to accelerate cultivation.]
The world around him seemed to pulse with life, every leaf, every grain of earth vibrating with unseen power. Ji Xuan opened his senses, drawing in the spiritual energy like a parched man drinking rain.
Suddenly, the air trembled.
A chilling voice echoed from the darkness.
"Young prodigy... Your light will soon be swallowed by the abyss."
Ji Xuan's eyes snapped open.
A shadow flickered beyond the campfire's glow — a slender figure cloaked in midnight blue.
"You're the one they call the seed of eternity," the figure said, voice dripping with malice.
"I am Ji Xuan. Who are you?"
The figure smiled, eyes gleaming like stars swallowed by night. "I am Mo Chen, envoy of the Abyssal Sect. We do not take kindly to outsiders meddling in our affairs."
Ji Xuan rose, violet flames flickering in his gaze. "I do not fear the abyss."
Mo Chen laughed softly. "Then prepare to be consumed."
The duel was swift and brutal.
Mo Chen wielded shadowy techniques that bent darkness like liquid, striking with silent lethality.
Ji Xuan countered with radiant violet energy, each clash sending sparks that lit the night.
The ground beneath them cracked as energies collided, sending tremors through the valley.
Hours later, both stood panting, bloodied but unyielding.
Mo Chen bowed mockingly. "You are strong... but this is only the beginning."
With a swirl of shadows, he vanished into the night, leaving behind a chilling warning.
The next morning, the village elders convened.
"This war is bigger than we imagined," Lian Yue said gravely. "The Abyssal Sect and Crimson Veil are but two faces of the same darkness."
Ji Xuan clenched his fists. "Then we'll bring light to their shadows."
His gaze swept over the gathered cultivators, his voice ringing with unshakable resolve. "Prepare yourselves. We march at dawn to the Whispering Abyss. Together, we will turn the tide."
As the sun rose, Ji Xuan led the small army toward the abyss.
The path grew darker, the air thick with sorrow and malice.
Yet within Ji Xuan, the Eternity Dao Root burned brighter than ever — a beacon against the encroaching darkness.
His journey to transcendence had taken a deadly turn, but with allies at his side and power growing within, the boy destined to become existence itself would not falter.