Yue Yun sat by the river, staring at his hands.
The faint blue glow was gone now—but not really.
He could still feel it.
Deep inside.
A flicker.
Warm… steady.
Alive.
His divine power was returning.
Slowly.
—
He hadn't meant to use it.
He had tried to stay hidden, to survive his tribulation like the Divine Lords intended.
But when the shadow came for the village…
He had no choice.
—
Lian Hua sat beside him in silence, holding a damp cloth in her hands.
"You're shaking," she said softly.
"I'm fine," Yue Yun replied.
But his voice wasn't as steady as he wanted it to be.
She studied him for a moment.
Then—
"That light… what was it?"
Yue Yun didn't answer.
"You're not just some traveler," she continued. "You came from somewhere else."
He finally looked at her.
Her eyes weren't afraid.
Only curious.
Waiting.
Yue Yun felt the words rise in his chest.
The truth.
Burning.
But he swallowed it back.
"I can't tell you everything," he said quietly. "Not yet."
Lian Hua nodded slowly.
"Will you at least tell me…" she asked, "are you dangerous?"
"No."
His answer came instantly.
Firm.
Certain.
"I would never hurt you."
—
A long silence followed.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… heavy.
Like the world itself had slowed down around them.
—
Back in the village, whispers spread.
Some said it was a demon.
Others said it was a curse.
But everyone agreed on one thing—
Something had changed.
And it started with him.
—
That night, Yue Yun dreamed.
He stood in a field of fire.
But this fire was wrong.
It wasn't Celestial blue.
It was black and gold—alive, shifting, breathing like something that had thoughts of its own.
At the center stood the shadow.
Still.
Waiting.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
"You're not ready."
The cloak burned away.
—
And beneath it…
Yue Yun saw a face.
Not monstrous.
Not demonic.
Divine.
—
He woke with a start.
Breath sharp.
Heart pounding.
The room was silent.
But the truth had already changed.
Because now he knew—
The darkness wasn't just from the Demonic Realm.
Something far worse was happening.
—
Something.
Or someone.
Was hiding among the gods.