The wyvern stood only a few meters away from Isshin, its massive body still as its golden eyes scanned the area. Its wings folded slowly, its attention shifting between the surroundings and the missing egg.
The air felt heavy.
But Raijin remained calm.
A small form of him appeared beside Isshin, no longer just a presence in his mind. It was a miniature version of himself, limited by Isshin's current state.
The wyvern noticed immediately.
It didn't attack.
It understood.
Raijin's presence wasn't threatening, but it carried something far beyond the creature. Something higher. That alone was enough to stop it.
"I'll help you get your egg back," Raijin said. "But in return, you help us."
The wyvern stayed still, listening.
"Isshin needs to cultivate here. The Thousand-Strike Thunder."
There was a pause.
Then the wyvern let out a low sound.
Agreement.
With one movement, it took to the sky, disappearing into the clouds above, watching from a distance.
Isshin didn't waste time.
He moved deeper into the ruins.
It didn't take long before he found them.
Two men.
The egg was beside them, wrapped in cloth.
"Hey," Isshin said as he walked toward them. "You guys doing alright?"
They turned immediately.
"Idiot! Hide! There's a wyvern here!" one of them snapped.
Isshin kept walking. "I'm just trying to find my way—"
He moved.
His sword flashed with thunder qi, cutting toward the first man's neck.
The man reacted fast, forming a shield. The blade cut through, but not fully.
The second man attacked at the same time, aiming for Isshin's side.
Isshin stepped back with flash step, lightning spreading across the ground.
His Thunder Domain expanded.
The space around them filled with pressure.
The two men didn't hesitate.
They attacked together.
Isshin met them directly.
His sword clashed with one, lightning exploding outward as he used Sword of Raijin: One Slash.
At the same time, the other struck with his palm.
"Eight Trigram Palm!"
Isshin countered with Thunder Palm.
For a moment, everything held.
Then the pressure increased.
They were both at his level.
Two against one.
He started losing ground.
Then—
The wyvern returned.
It crashed down behind Isshin, shaking the entire area.
Fire burst from its mouth, engulfing one of the men completely. His defenses broke instantly.
Isshin didn't waste the chance.
He turned and struck.
His blade cut clean across the second man's throat.
The fight ended.
Silence followed.
The egg was still there.
Isshin picked it up and stepped back.
His eyes moved to the bodies.
The robes.
Wudang Sect.
He frowned slightly.
They were supposed to be righteous.
But the technique he saw earlier wasn't fake.
He didn't think about it for long.
The wyvern returned, taking the egg carefully and placing it back in its nest.
"I will help you," it said. "As promised."
It looked at Isshin.
"The thunder will come in one week. At the center of this place. Be ready."
Isshin nodded.
"Do you have a name?" he asked.
The wyvern lowered its head slightly. "We don't take names until we reach human form."
Isshin didn't expect that.
Before leaving, the wyvern spoke again.
"My child will hatch soon. I want the Celestial One to bless it."
Raijin nodded. "When the time comes, I will."
Isshin turned and walked deeper into the ruins.
His thoughts stayed on a few things.
The Wudang Sect.
The thunder that was coming.
And what he needed to do next.
One week.
That's all he had.
Meanwhile, Karin kept trying.
The Heavenly Demon scripture made no sense to her. Every method felt too complex, too far beyond her current understanding. No matter how she approached it, she couldn't grasp the core of it.
Still, she didn't stop.
There wasn't another option.
Far away, Rune continued searching.
The distance between them had stretched across the world. Their planet was massive, far beyond anything normal. Time didn't move the same everywhere. While Isshin was moving under daylight, Rune was still under the night sky.
He stood in front of a large church in the center of the city.
The structure was unusual. Built in a perfect hexagon, its design felt intentional. The tall spires cast long shadows under the dim moonlight.
Most people were asleep.
A few guards remained.
Rune moved quietly, passing through without being noticed.
He made his way to the top.
Standing at the center of the roof, he looked out across the city. Then he took out the key.
Under the faint light, the details became clearer.
Two overlapping triangles.
A star.
Rune glanced around.
The shape of the building matched it.
He stayed where he was, trying to figure out what to do next.
Time passed.
He didn't notice.
Then the first light of dawn appeared.
The moment sunlight touched the key, everything changed.
The surface reflected the light, bending it.
Rune adjusted his hand slightly.
The light split.
Six beams shot downward, spreading across the ground below. They converged into a single point, forming the same symbol.
The same star.
Rune didn't hesitate.
He jumped.
Back in the forest, Isshin moved carefully.
The area was dangerous. Strong beasts were nearby, but something else had entered the forest.
People.
A group of cultivators had arrived.
Isshin stayed hidden, watching from above.
There were around twenty of them.
An elder led the group. His presence stood out immediately. Strong. Most likely in the True Soul Realm.
The rest were weaker.
Most at the peak of Golden Core.
Five of them stood out more.
Nascent Soul.
Isshin didn't move.
They were here for the same reason.
Treasure.
He had no intention of dealing with them.
The group set up camp.
While most of them rested, two of the disciples walked away from the group.
A man and a woman.
"What do you think we'll find here?" the girl asked.
"Something useful," the man replied. "Maybe an artifact."
Isshin watched them closely.
The system activated, marking them.
Names appeared.
Wang Soren.
Selene.
"Wait…" Selene stopped. "Is that an egg?"
Soren moved immediately. "Let's check."
Isshin's expression changed slightly.
The wyvern wasn't there.
And they were heading straight toward it.
He moved.
He couldn't ignore this.