The sky trembled.
In a realm where time forgot itself… where existence curled at its edges… a pulse echoed.
It was not heard.
It was **remembered**.
Inside the Cloud Vein Sect's southern cliff forest — the air began to shift. Trees bent toward the earth. Grass blades curled. The insects stopped chirping.
And at the center of it all…
**Zeravon's body glowed.**
Still unconscious.
But no longer silent.
---
**Within His Mind**
A seal — circular, ancient, wrapped in layered golden runes — stood between two doors. Behind it roared storms, shadows, fragments of stars.
Suddenly — one rune shattered.
And a **pulse** of golden-black light swept outward.
That light didn't just flow across his body…
It flowed across **realities**.
---
**In the Sect Grounds – At That Same Moment**
Min Rou screamed as her memories flickered — something disappearing from her mind. Her heartbeat raced, but she didn't know why.
Chen Yuhao dropped his training sword, panting heavily. He collapsed to the ground, sweating.
> "Something… is missing. What am I forgetting…?"
Elder Lin sat meditating… until his scrolls glitched. Names flickered, events erased.
> "Wha…? Who was that boy…?"
Even Instructor Wei jolted awake in his quarters — his senses warning him of a **cosmic overwrite**.
> "A… seal memory removal technique?" he whispered. "No… this is something higher."
---
**Far Beyond – Yueyin's Observation Hall**
Yueyin's divine mirror shattered into pieces.
> *"No… not again…"*
She clutched her chest — as if her soul had been rewritten.
---
**Back in the Forest**
Zeravon slowly opened his eyes.
There was silence all around.
He lay on the ground, beneath twisted trees.
His body hurt. His skin was cold. Blood stained his robe.
> *"…How long… was I out?"*
He tried to remember what had happened.
But there was only **darkness**.
He stood up, his steps slightly unsteady. The air around him felt oddly… grateful.
As if the very world was bowing in apology.
---
**Later That Night — Yueyin's Traveling Convoy**
Somewhere outside the Cloud Vein Sect, Yueyin's personal guard led her through a spiritual forest passage. She had to return briefly to deliver an Upper Realm report.
But before she could complete her journey—
A shadow flickered.
Then another.
Dozens.
From the trees dropped masked assassins clad in black, wielding bone-piercing blades and soul-disrupting whips.
> "Princess Yueyin of the Moonflower Sect," one assassin sneered. "Your journey ends tonight."
Yueyin summoned her fan technique, creating bursts of blue starlight — but she was outnumbered.
And soon… **wounded**.
A blade struck her shoulder.
Another wrapped a spiritual chain around her waist.
She fought like fire — but blood began to flow.
> *"Zeravon..."* she thought faintly before falling unconscious.
---
**Moments Later — A Rift Appeared**
A strange ripple formed in space.
From it stepped **Zeravon**.
Eyes distant. Expression cold.
He didn't ask why.
He didn't shout.
He raised one hand — and the **gravity around all assassins collapsed inward**.
They screamed as their bones cracked.
One tried to escape — but a snap of Zeravon's fingers sealed the forest in a **dimension-lock**.
> "You dared touch her."
His voice was calm.
But behind it… roared a **void**.
He walked to Yueyin, who lay barely breathing.
---
**Healing Begins – The Cost of Blood**
He knelt beside her, placing his hand on her chest — releasing a healing technique he didn't even know he knew.
But the energy wasn't enough.
The injuries were too deep.
Then he felt it:
> *"Only fresh essence-blood… can revive her."*
Without hesitation — **Zeravon bit into his own palm**.
Golden-red blood began to flow — glowing with divine runes.
He let the blood drip into Yueyin's wound.
Once… twice…
Then poured a full vial's worth from his wrist, despite his body trembling.
> *"Live..."* he whispered. *"Please..."*
---
**Yueyin's Awakening**
When Yueyin finally opened her eyes, her body felt light.
But the warmth she felt was not her own.
She saw Zeravon slumped beside her… barely conscious… his arm still bleeding.
> "You gave… your blood?" she whispered, stunned.
He didn't answer.
But in her heart, **something cracked open**.
And it wasn't pain.
It was… **a feeling**.
> *"He didn't even hesitate…"*