The courtyard of the Ember Fist Sect had never felt so heavy.
The sky vessels of the Celestial Script Pavilion floated above the mountain like silent gods. Their glowing formations cast pale light across the courtyard, making every cultivator look small beneath them.
Kael stood in the center.
Between two forces.
Behind him — the Ember Fist Sect.
Before him — the Pavilion.
Envoy Seraphine watched him calmly.
"Step forward," she said.
Her voice carried authority that felt almost impossible to resist.
But Kael didn't move.
The Broken Heaven Energy inside him churned violently.
Not in fear.
In defiance.
Rhyzen's voice cut through the silence.
"He is not leaving."
Flames erupted around several Ember Fist elders.
The courtyard heated instantly.
Seraphine sighed softly.
"I hoped you would choose wisdom."
She raised one hand.
Above them, the sky vessels glowed brighter.
Golden symbols ignited across their hulls.
And suddenly—
Dozens of Pavilion cultivators leapt from the ships.
They descended like falling stars.
The Battle Begins
They landed around the courtyard in perfect formation.
White robes.
Golden runes.
Cold expressions.
One of them stepped forward.
"Target confirmed," he said.
Then he pointed directly at Kael.
"Capture him."
Everything exploded into motion.
Ember Fist disciples surged forward, flames igniting across their fists.
Fire techniques lit the courtyard.
Flame against golden script.
The first clash shook the entire mountain.
BOOM.
Kael barely had time to react before two Pavilion cultivators rushed him, their hands glowing with binding runes.
Chains of light shot toward him.
Rhyzen roared, launching forward with blazing fists, intercepting one of them in a violent explosion of fire.
But the other reached Kael.
The golden chains wrapped around his arms.
They burned.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
Kael felt the Broken Heaven Energy inside him rage against the restraint.
The cultivator smirked.
"Got him."
That was his mistake.
Kael looked down at the chains.
Then clenched his fists.
CRACK.
The chains shattered instantly.
Not broken.
Rejected.
The Pavilion cultivator's eyes widened.
"What—"
Kael's fist moved.
"Shattered Horizon Strike."
BOOM.
Space itself folded inward for a heartbeat.
The cultivator flew across the courtyard like a rag doll, smashing into a stone pillar.
But more were coming.
Three.
Five.
Ten.
They surrounded Kael.
Golden scripts filled the air like glowing insects.
Binding formations activated beneath his feet.
The ground lit up with symbols meant to suppress spiritual energy.
But the Broken Heaven Energy did not behave like spiritual energy.
It rebelled.
Violently.
Kael's chest burned.
The crack across his skin glowed dark.
The voice whispered louder now.
"You are not meant to be bound."
The ground beneath him fractured.
CRRRRAAAACK.
The suppression formation shattered.
A shockwave burst outward.
Nearby Pavilion cultivators stumbled back.
Even Seraphine's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Impossible," one of her subordinates muttered.
"He's disrupting formation arrays…"
Rhyzen was still fighting nearby, his blazing fists colliding with Pavilion techniques in a storm of fire and light.
But Kael could see the truth.
The Pavilion was stronger.
Much stronger.
The Ember Fist Sect was slowly losing ground.
And if this continued—
They would be wiped out.
Kael's breathing grew heavy.
The fragment inside his chest pulsed.
Hungry.
Calling.
His eyes lifted to the broken sky.
Another fracture had appeared above the mountain.
Larger now.
Deeper.
And behind it…
Something moved.
Something ancient.
Seraphine stepped closer.
"You feel it, don't you?" she said calmly.
Kael looked at her.
"That power inside you."
Her gaze sharpened.
"It is not meant for this world."
Kael's fists trembled.
The Broken Heaven Energy surged violently.
Then something new happened.
Instead of erupting outward—
It condensed.
Pulled inward.
Into his right arm.
The cracks along his skin spread like lightning.
Energy compressed into his fist.
The air around him warped.
Even Seraphine's expression changed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Everyone get back!" Rhyzen shouted suddenly.
But it was too late.
Kael punched the ground.
"Shattered Horizon… BREAK!"
The impact was silent for half a second.
Then—
The world split.
A massive black fracture tore across the courtyard, ripping through stone, formations, and spiritual constructs alike.
The shockwave blasted outward like a storm.
Pavilion cultivators were thrown across the battlefield.
Stone pillars collapsed.
Even the sky vessels above trembled.
When the dust settled—
A massive crack ran across the entire courtyard floor.
And Kael stood at its center.
Breathing hard.
The Broken Heaven Energy pulsing steadily around him.
Across the battlefield, even the fighting had stopped.
Everyone stared at him.
Seraphine slowly smiled.
Not with anger.
With fascination.
"So that's what you are."
Kael glared at her.
"What do you mean?"
Seraphine folded her hands behind her back.
"You're not just a fragment bearer."
She looked up at the cracked sky.
"You are the key."
The wind grew colder.
And far beyond the heavens…
Another chain snapped.