The blood in the Valley of Whispers did not soak into the earth. Under the influence of the Aegis of the Fallen Star, the essence of ten thousand fallen soldiers hovered in the air like a crimson mist, slowly being drawn toward the center of the valley where Shen Yuan stood.
"Hecate, stand back," Shen Yuan commanded. His voice was a low vibration that made the armor's plates hum. "The sky is about to open."
As if on cue, the twilight of the valley was pierced by a beam of pure, agonizing gold. The mist was burned away, and the clouds above swirled into a perfect circle. Descending from the light was a chariot pulled by two winged lions. Atop it stood a man in white robes, his face hidden behind a mask of expressionless porcelain.
This was a Heavenly Envoy from the Second Heaven. His aura was not measured in stages; it was the aura of Divinity.
"By the decree of the High Heavens," the Envoy spoke, his voice sounding like a thousand bells ringing at once. "The anomaly known as Shen Yuan has violated the laws of the lower realms. You have reclaimed forbidden relics and spilled the blood of the righteous. Your sentence is total soul-dissolution."
The Envoy raised a golden scroll. "Behold, the [Seal of the Sun-God]!"
The scroll unfurled, releasing a heat so intense the stones of the valley began to turn to glass. A giant, flaming palm descended from the heavens, large enough to crush the entire mountain range.
"Righteous blood?" Shen Yuan looked up, his violet eyes flashing behind his beast-mask. "You call these scavengers righteous? Then your 'Heaven' is nothing but a gilded sewer."
Shen Yuan didn't raise his hand to block. He planted his feet and let the Aegis drink.
"[Sixth Gate: The Architecture of Ruin]"
Instead of attacking the palm, Shen Yuan channeled the life-force of the ten thousand dead soldiers into the ground. The earth groaned. From the center of the valley, pillars of black obsidian erupted, rising thousands of feet into the air. They didn't just rise; they assembled themselves in mid-air, forming the jagged, terrifying spires of a fortress.
This was the Obsidian Palace, reconstructed from the memories stored in Shen Yuan's soul and powered by the slaughter of the Iron-Tusk Legion.
The flaming palm hit the rising towers.
BOOM.
The fire splashed against the obsidian like water against a cliff. The palace didn't break; it absorbed the heat, the black stone turning a dull, glowing red.
"You... you dare use the blood of mortals to build a throne in the face of a God?" The Envoy's voice lost its calm. He stepped off his chariot, a spear of solid light appearing in his hand.
"I don't just build a throne," Shen Yuan said. He vanished from the ground and reappeared atop the highest spire of his new palace, looking down at the Envoy. "I build a tomb."
Hecate appeared beside him, her silver hair glowing. "Sovereign, let me handle the lions. I've always hated their singing."
"Kill them all, Hecate," Shen Yuan said.
He lunged. In the Aegis, his speed was so great he bypassed the concepts of 'beginning' and 'end'. He was simply there, his gauntlet closing around the Envoy's throat before the god-ling could even raise his spear.
"You smell of them," Shen Yuan whispered, his face-mask inches from the Envoy's porcelain mask. "You smell of Luo Feng, my third disciple. He's the one who sent you, isn't he? The 'High Priest' of the Silver Moon?"
The Envoy's eyes widened behind the mask. "How... how do you know the Holy Name?"
"Because I'm the one who taught him how to pray," Shen Yuan said.
With a brutal twist, Shen Yuan didn't just snap the Envoy's neck—he used the [Void-Fracture] to pull the Envoy's divine spark out of his body. He crushed the spark in his hand, inhaling the golden mist.
[Cultivation Breakthrough: Half-Step Soul Transformation]
The golden chariot shattered. The winged lions let out a final, piteous wail before Hecate's shadows tore them apart.
Shen Yuan stood on the balcony of his newly risen palace, the body of the Envoy at his feet. He looked out over the Upper Realm. For miles, every sect leader and hidden hermit felt the shift in the world's balance.
"Luo Feng," Shen Yuan said, his voice carrying through the void to the Second Heaven. "I know you're watching through your reflecting pools. Clean your neck. Your Master is home, and I have a very long list of sins for you to pay for."