The group trudged through the gorge in silence, their steps weighed down by exhaustion and the lingering tension from the battle with the enforcer. The air felt heavy, the oppressive energy left behind by the masked figure clinging to the rocky cliffs like a shroud.

  Xu Tian walked at the front, his shadows subdued, curling faintly at his feet like restless snakes. Every step felt like a test of will, the star’s whispers gnawing at the edges of his thoughts, urging him to abandon his resistance.

  “They will keep coming,” the star murmured. “You felt their power. Do you think you can defeat them all without me? Without what I offer?”

  “Quiet,” Xu Tian muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening.

  Yan Mei quickened her pace to catch up with him. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, her tone careful.

  “I’m fine,” Xu Tian replied tersely.

  Yan Mei frowned but didn’t press further. She had seen the cracks in his resolve during the fight. He was holding himself together, but for how long?

  Behind them, Qiao Rui let out a low whistle as he glanced back at the ruined path they had left behind. “Well, I’d say we made an impression. Think they’ll send more of those guys after us?”

  “They will,” Xu Tian said flatly.

  Qiao Rui smirked, though his tone held an edge of seriousness. “Then we’d better hope you’ve got a few more tricks up your sleeve, shadow boy.”

  Far to the north, the Scarlet Peak Sect’s sprawling fortress buzzed with activity. Disciples moved in hurried, coordinated patterns, their crimson robes fluttering in the mountain winds as orders were issued and plans were set into motion.

  In the grand chamber at the heart of the fortress, the sect master stood before a council of elders, their faces grim.

  “The enforcer failed,” one of the elders said, his tone laced with frustration. “The boy continues to grow stronger. This cannot continue.”

  The sect master’s gaze was calm, his fingers steepled before him. “The enforcer was never meant to succeed,” he said. “Their purpose was to test him, to gauge the extent of his power. And now, we know.”

  Another elder leaned forward, his expression sharp. “And what have we learned?”

  “That the star is consuming him,” the sect master said. “With every battle, he draws closer to the edge. It is only a matter of time before the power overtakes him entirely.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” the elder asked. “What if he learns to control it?”

  The sect master’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Then we will ensure he does not live long enough to try.”

  He turned, his crimson robes sweeping behind him as he gestured toward a massive, glowing map that hung on the far wall.

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  “Our spies have already begun to spread rumors,” he said. “Whispers of a rogue cultivator wielding forbidden power. The sects will not ignore such a threat. They will move against him, and when they do…”

  He trailed off, his smile widening.

  “They will do our work for us.”

  The Scarlet Peak Sect’s plan worked quickly. Whispers began to spread across the cultivation world, carried by merchants, travelers, and rogue cultivators who claimed to have witnessed Xu Tian’s battles firsthand.

  In taverns and markets, the stories grew more dramatic with each retelling:

  “They say he commands shadows that devour everything in their path.”

  “Some say he’s bonded with a Wraithborn and is turning into one himself.”

  “I heard he destroyed an entire sect single-handedly.”

  The rumors reached far and wide, drawing the attention of sects, bounty hunters, and wandering cultivators alike. The idea of a rogue cultivator wielding forbidden power was both a threat and an opportunity—one that few could resist.

  In the quiet, serene halls of the Lotus Blossom Pavilion, Yan Mei’s sect, the rumors reached the ears of the pavilion’s elders.

  Elder Ling, a stern woman with silver hair and piercing eyes, sat at the head of the council chamber, her fingers drumming thoughtfully against the armrest of her chair. “The stories are spreading quickly,” she said. “If even half of them are true, this boy poses a danger to the balance of the world.”

  “Danger or not,” another elder said, “we cannot ignore the presence of a buried star. Such power is not meant to exist in the mortal realm. It must be contained.”

  “And if it cannot be contained?” Elder Ling asked, her gaze sharp.

  “Then it must be destroyed,” the elder replied.

  Elder Ling frowned, her mind racing. She knew Yan Mei was out in the field, and though the young healer had not yet sent word, Ling had her suspicions. Yan Mei had always had a tendency to involve herself in matters beyond her station.

  “Send word to Yan Mei,” Elder Ling said finally. “If she is anywhere near this rogue cultivator, she must return to the pavilion immediately. This is no longer her concern.”

  By the time Xu Tian and his companions reached the next village, night had fallen. The small, sleepy settlement was nestled in a forest clearing, its streets lit by flickering lanterns.

  They rented rooms at a modest inn, the kind of place where no one asked questions as long as you paid. Xu Tian sat at a corner table in the common room, nursing a cup of bitter tea as he listened to the quiet murmur of the other patrons.

  The whispers had reached here too. He could hear them in the hushed conversations at nearby tables.

  “...a rogue cultivator, they said. Shadows like living things…”

  “...heard the Scarlet Peak Sect put a bounty on him. A big one…”

  “...dangerous. Best to stay out of it…”

  Xu Tian’s grip tightened on his cup. The rumors were spreading faster than he’d expected.

  Yan Mei sat down across from him, her expression troubled. “You’ve heard the whispers.”

  “They’re everywhere,” Xu Tian said, his voice low.

  “They’ll keep coming for you,” Yan Mei said. “More bounty hunters. More sects. This isn’t just about you anymore, Xu Tian. The entire cultivation world is taking notice.”

  “I know,” Xu Tian said grimly. “And I’m ready for it.”

  Yan Mei frowned. “Are you? You’ve been fighting nonstop, barely sleeping, barely eating. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Xu Tian said. “If I stop, I die. If I give in to the star, I lose myself. Either way, there’s no turning back.”

  Yan Mei reached across the table, her hand resting lightly on his. “You’re not alone in this,” she said softly. “We’re with you. Remember that.”

  Xu Tian’s gaze softened for a moment before he nodded. “Thank you.”

  And in the depths of an ancient ruin, a figure knelt before a fractured altar, their hands pressed against the cold stone.

  “The stars are stirring,” they murmured, their voice a low whisper that echoed through the empty chamber. “The heavens will burn, and the shadows will rise.”

  The altar pulsed faintly, a crack of light splitting through its surface.

  “And he will be the one to bring it all crashing down.”