The Obsidian Palace hummed with a low, tectonic vibration. Its walls, forged from the compressed souls of the Iron-Tusk Legion and the ancient stone of the valley, acted as a massive tuning fork for the Void.
Inside the central hall, Shen Yuan stood before a row of twelve alcoves, each containing a statue of a warrior in grey stone. These were not mere decorations. These were the [Void Sentinels], his elite guard from ten millennia ago, who had chosen to be petrified rather than serve the traitors.
"They are still asleep," Hecate said, walking through the hall, her footsteps echoing. "The 'Seal of the Eternal Sleep' was placed on them by Luo Feng himself. Even your current power might not be enough to wake them without shattering their souls."
Shen Yuan stood before the first statue—a massive warrior holding a double-headed axe. "Luo Feng used a Sun-based seal. He thought light was the only thing that could keep them down. He forgot that the deeper the shadow, the more vital the life within it."
Shen Yuan didn't use Qi. He bit his finger and drew a single rune on the stone forehead of the first warrior.
"[Forbidden Art: Blood-Void Transfusion]"
He poured the golden divine essence he had just stolen from the Heavenly Envoy into the stone. The gold clashed with the grey stone, veins of purple light beginning to glow like a nervous system.
"Wake up, Iron-Eye," Shen Yuan commanded. "The debt is ready for collection."
The stone cracked. A piece of the warrior's face fell away, revealing an eye that burned with a cold, blue flame.
CR-ACK.
The statue exploded. A giant of a man, seven feet tall and covered in scars, stepped forward. He didn't look confused. He didn't look tired. He looked at Shen Yuan, saw the Aegis of the Fallen Star, and immediately slammed his fist against his chest in a salute that shook the hall.
"My life for the Sovereign," Iron-Eye roared, his voice like grinding boulders.
"One is back," Hecate whispered, a predatory smile on her face. "But we have company."
Outside the Obsidian Palace
The sky above the Valley of Whispers was no longer gold. It was crowded. Over three hundred Silver Moon War-Ships, powered by moon-crystals, had surrounded the palace. Each ship carried hundreds of archers and mages.
At the front of the fleet was a massive vessel shaped like a crescent moon. On its deck stood High Elder Mo, a man whose beard reached his waist and whose aura was at the Middle-Stage Soul Transformation.
"By order of the High Priest Luo Feng!" Mo shouted, his voice amplified by a silver megaphone-artifact. "The Obsidian Palace is an abomination! All ships—[Lunar Beam Array], FIRE!"
The three hundred ships synchronized. A blinding white light gathered at their bows, combining into a single ray of concentrated moon-fire that shot toward the palace's main spire.
Shen Yuan appeared on the balcony. He didn't look at the ships. He looked at Iron-Eye, who had followed him out.
"Iron-Eye, you've been asleep for ten thousand years," Shen Yuan said. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving, Master," the giant replied, grabbing his massive axe.
"Then eat."
Shen Yuan raised his hand, casting a massive [Void-Curtain] in front of the palace. The Lunar Beam hit the curtain and, instead of exploding, was refracted and split into three hundred smaller needles of light.
"Now!" Shen Yuan commanded.
Iron-Eye leaped from the balcony, falling like a meteor. He didn't need a ship. He swung his axe mid-air, creating a vacuum of pressure that dragged three war-ships together, crushing them into each other.
While Iron-Eye tore through the fleet like a wolf in a chicken coop, Shen Yuan turned his gaze toward the flagship.
High Elder Mo saw Shen Yuan looking at him and felt his heart skip a beat. "Target the Sovereign! Ignore the giant! Kill the Sovereign!"
Shen Yuan didn't wait. He stepped into the air, walking on invisible platforms of Void-energy. With every step, his aura grew.
[Seventh Gate: The Gate of the Star-Eater]
"You talk too much for a dead man," Shen Yuan's voice appeared directly behind Elder Mo.
Mo spun around, his jade flute raised to strike, but Shen Yuan's hand was already there. He didn't grab the flute; he grabbed Mo's face.
The Aegis glowed blood-red. Shen Yuan didn't kill him instantly. He used the Elder as a "Signal."
"Luo Feng!" Shen Yuan roared, his voice projecting through Elder Mo's own spiritual connection back to the Second Heaven. "Watch as I break your toys!"
Shen Yuan squeezed. Elder Mo's head didn't just pop—his entire soul was ignited as a spiritual bomb.
KABOOM.
The flagship exploded from the inside out, the shockwave disabling the surrounding fleet.
In the Second Heaven, inside a palace of pure light, a man in silver robes suddenly coughed up blood. He looked at his reflecting pool, which was now cracked and black.
"He's awake," Luo Feng whispered, his hands trembling. "And he's already found the Sentinels. Send word to the Sun-Emperor. We cannot hide this anymore. The Void is back, and it's coming for the Crown."