The wind over the Heavenly Flow Sect carried a strange chill that night.
Not the cold of weather.
But the quiet tension before blood is spilled.
Within the inner court residence, Seo Joon sat cross-legged, circulating his energy. After the trial, his meridians felt wider, stronger — as if the very structure of his cultivation had evolved.
The Abyssal Heart pulsed steadily.
Calm.
Controlled.
Yet beneath that calm, he sensed a distant tremor.
Like something vast had begun to move.
A sudden vibration rippled through the air.
Then—
The sect's outer alarm bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A deep, resonating sound that shook the mountains.
An enemy attack.
Seo Joon's eyes snapped open.
Outside, disciples rushed through the stone paths. Elders' auras flared across the sky like blazing suns. The protective barrier surrounding the sect ignited, layers of golden light forming a dome over the mountains.
But at the horizon—
Black pillars of energy pierced the sky.
Dozens of them.
Approaching fast.
On the main peak, the sect master stood with hands clasped behind his back, his robes fluttering in the violent wind.
"They have come sooner than expected," an elder said grimly.
The barrier trembled violently as dark energy collided against it like waves crashing against a cliff.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Each impact sent cracks of light across the protective formation.
Beyond the barrier, hundreds of black-robed figures hovered in the air.
At their center stood a towering altar carried by chains of shadow. Upon it stood the cloaked leader of the Shadow Abyss Cult.
His presence alone distorted the sky.
"You hide the vessel," his layered voice echoed across the mountains.
"But the Abyss cannot be hidden."
He raised his hand.
The cracked black mirror floated before him, glowing violently.
Its surface reflected the sect's barrier — and pinpointed one location.
Seo Joon's residence.
Inside the sect, Seo Joon felt it instantly.
A direct pull.
A calling.
The Abyssal Heart reacted — not violently, but sharply.
They were targeting him.
Seol Ah appeared beside him, breath slightly uneven.
"They've locked onto your energy."
Seo Joon stood calmly.
"Then I'll confront it."
"No," she said firmly. "If you step out now, you walk into their trap."
The ground trembled again as another impact struck the barrier.
Cracks spread further.
Several outer disciples cried out as the shockwaves reached the lower peaks.
This was no probing attack.
This was an invasion.
High above, the sect master finally moved.
His figure vanished from the peak and reappeared outside the barrier.
With a single step, he stood in the sky facing the cult leader directly.
The barrier opened briefly behind him before sealing shut again.
The pressure between the two leaders distorted the clouds.
"You dare invade my sect," the sect master said calmly.
The cult leader chuckled, his voice echoing unnaturally.
"You shelter what belongs to the Abyss."
He extended a finger.
"Hand over the vessel."
The sky darkened further.
Within the sect, elders activated emergency formations. Inner disciples formed battle squads. Spiritual cannons embedded in the mountain sides began gathering energy.
Seo Joon watched everything silently.
His chest felt heavy.
This war had begun because of him.
The barrier shattered.
A massive explosion of black energy tore through the protective formation, opening a temporary breach.
Several elite cult members shot through the gap like spears of darkness.
The inner court disciples rushed to intercept them.
Clashes erupted midair.
Spiritual techniques illuminated the night.
Explosions rocked the mountains.
One of the cult elites broke past the defensive line and descended toward Seo Joon's location.
His aura was terrifying — far beyond ordinary inner disciples.
"I have found him," the cultist whispered coldly.
He extended his hand.
Dark chains shot forward.
Seo Joon stepped out of the residence.
His aura expanded calmly.
The chains froze midair the moment they entered his domain.
The Abyssal Heart pulsed once.
The chains crumbled into dust.
The cultist's eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
Seo Joon appeared before him in an instant.
One palm strike.
Compressed, controlled Abyssal energy erupted outward.
The cultist's body was blasted backward, smashing into a mountain wall.
But before Seo Joon could pursue—
The cracked black mirror in the sky flared brightly.
A beam of pure black light shot downward, piercing through layers of spiritual defense.
It aimed directly at him.
The sect master's voice thundered from above.
"Retreat!"
Seo Joon barely raised his arm before the beam struck.
Darkness engulfed him.
The ground beneath exploded into a crater.
Silence fell for a single breath.
Then—
From within the swirling smoke, a steady heartbeat echoed.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The darkness around Seo Joon did not consume him.
It rotated around him like obedient mist.
His eyes opened slowly.
Completely black.
But calm.
High above, the cult leader leaned forward slightly.
Interest.
"Excellent…"
"The vessel responds."
He raised his hand again.
"Begin the harvest."
Across the battlefield, the cult members changed formation.
They were not here to conquer the sect.
They were here to draw out Seo Joon's full power.
To test him.
To accelerate his awakening.
Within the crater, Seo Joon clenched his fist.
He finally understood.
They were provoking him.
Forcing him to release more of the Abyss.
The storm had begun.
And this was only the first strike.
Above, the sect master prepared to unleash his full strength.
Below, Seo Joon stepped forward from the crater.
The battlefield fell silent for a split second as his aura expanded outward — deep, endless, suffocating.
The First Harvest had begun.