The morning came with fire in the sky.
Not sunlight. Not the golden dawn that had warmed the Azure Cloud Sect's marble rooftops for eight centuries. This fire was hostile. Four pillars of spiritual light descended from the clouds, striking the mountain peak like divine spears, the impact sending tremors through the entire compound. Stone cracked. Formation diagrams flickered. The spirit-plum trees in the inner garden shed their blossoms in a single, violent shudder.
Jin Wuchen was already in the sky when they landed.
His enormous frame hovered above the main courtyard, his peak Golden Core energy radiating outward in a visible golden aura. His formal sect leader robes were hastily donned, the jade-green and white silk slightly askew, the sash tied in a rushed knot. His dark eyes were heavy with sleeplessness. His square jaw was set. His hands were behind his back, the fingers clenched.
