Heaven’s Shadow

It was the hour of the ox(1-3am) during the night, and Kunlun Mountain experienced a massive quake. A sound like muffled thunder emerged from underground, the wind and clouds changed color, stars misaligned, mountains cracked, and rivers boiled. Shortly, the tremors spread outside the mountain, shaking Kunwu City as if hit by giant waves. Countless pavilions and towers toppled, and the city was in an uproar. People, in their panic, rushed into the streets, some even half-naked, looking extremely embarrassed. The casualties were numerous and uncountable.

By daybreak, the Kunlun sect dispatched many disciples down the mountain to help in the disaster relief, saving lives and providing assistance. Gradually, the panic subsided, and a semblance of calm returned.

Leaving aside the chaos in the city below, within Kunlun Mountain, aftershocks continued throughout the night, with the ground shaking nearly ten more times before finally settling at dawn. Under the morning light, the majestic mountains remained, but many places showed signs of severe damage from the previous night’s quake, instilling fear in people.

Fortunately, the Kunlun sect, renowned for its cultivation expertise, had many highly skilled disciples. The sect leader, Master Xianyue, efficiently directed the efforts to stabilize the situation. By midday, the Kunlun sect had regained order.

After handling the various matters, Master Xianyue, known for his astuteness and capability, managed the crisis adeptly despite its suddenness. At this moment, he was in the “Zhengyang Hall” on Kunlun’s main peak, “Tian Kun Peak,” giving instructions to his disciples. Over ten groups came and went, with no orders repeated.

After the last group left, Master Xianyue heaved a sigh of relief, took a sip of spiritual tea from the table, and gazed at the tea leaves in the cup. They were delicate and intricately shaped, resembling auspicious beasts or celestial cranes, floating and sinking in the water as if they were dancing gracefully. The tea was fragrant and mellow, known as “Little Crane” from the Yi family in Kunwu City.

Master Xianyue stared at the tea for a moment, then put the cup aside, his expression still not relaxed, likely reflecting his anxiety about the previous night’s earthquake.

At that moment, he heard footsteps approaching from the back of the hall. Soon, a figure appeared—it was his fellow disciple, Zhuo Xian.

Master Xianyue was a bit surprised and asked, “Junior Brother, why are you here?”

Zhuo Xian saluted him, but his expression was serious. He stepped aside to reveal a petite figure behind him—a beautiful and ethereal girl named Bailian.

At this moment, Bailian’s expression was cold as she held an ancient jade plate about a foot in diameter, with a pure white center and a border with faintly glowing mystical runes. It seemed to emanate a mysterious power.

“Fengyu Plate!”

Master Xianyue was startled and quickly walked over to Bailian, bowing respectfully before her.

Despite the high status of a sect leader in Kunlun, Bailian did not move aside or speak, standing expressionlessly while Zhuo Xian remained unmoved.

After a moment, the jade plate in Bailian’s arms glowed brightly, and the runes lit up, gathering pure white light to form a screen. A sharp wind and snow sound suddenly emanated from the Fengyu Plate.

The light screen trembled and gradually cleared, revealing a scene of a raging snowstorm with nothing else visible.

Master Xianyue and Zhuo Xian stood together and respectfully said, “Greetings, Master.”

“At ease…” A deep, aged voice came from the snowy depths of the jade plate, as if it was both close and infinitely distant.

Master Xianyue straightened up, smiling at the girl.

Only then did Bailian show a slight expression, bowing her head and softly saying, “Sect Leader Brother, Bailian was impolite.”

“No matter,” Master Xianyue replied kindly, then turned to the Fengyu Plate and respectfully asked, “Master, you suddenly appeared through the treasured plate; is there something important to instruct?”

The mystical light in the ancient Fengyu Plate flickered, and the snowstorm intensified. The aged voice spoke again, “After the great quake, is everything settled within the sect?”

Master Xianyue replied, “All matters have been handled. The people, both on and off the mountain, are not in chaos. Rescue and restoration efforts have begun. Please rest assured, Master.”

“Good.”

After a brief pause, Master Xianyue looked at the Fengyu Plate and tentatively asked, “Master, I felt that the great quake seemed to originate from the heavens and the underground, and the initial strange light also came from there. Is there any damage in the forbidden area?”

“None.”

Master Xianyue’s gaze lowered slightly. “Understood, Master.”

A sudden gust seemed to blow through the Fengyu Plate, shaking the light screen. Though it didn’t pass beyond the screen, its lifelike appearance sent a chill through the heart. The aged voice spoke once more from the snowstorm, “Xianyue, immediately write a letter and send it to the Immortal City.”

Master Xianyue’s expression changed slightly. “Master, are you asking Uncle Tianlan to…”

“Have Junior Brother Tianlan return to the mountain to see me immediately.”

The voice, sharp as ripping silk, mixed with the fierce wind and snow, instantly filled the vast hall with a chilling atmosphere.

Master Xianyue immediately responded, “Yes, I will follow your command.”

On the Fengyu Plate, the fierce wind and snow continued to blow, but the sounds gradually diminished, and the images slowly faded until they disappeared.

※※※

Lu Chen hadn’t slept all night.

When Kunlun Mountain quaked and the earth shook, he remained quietly in his room, gazing into the deep darkness of the distant horizon.

The sudden black fire reignited, burning on his flesh, but this time it was different from the black flame curse that had plagued him for the past ten years. Though the pain was still indescribable and seemed to come from deep within his soul, his body remained unharmed.

The black fire danced wildly on his body like a lingering demon but ultimately could no longer harm him. Lu Chen quietly waited. As the sky began to brighten and the earthquake completely ceased, the black flames on his body also gradually subsided.

He stood there in the midst of the black fire, then slowly raised his right hand.

The black flames receded like a retreating tide, from his head to his feet, from his chest to his back, gathering in waves before converging into a silent stream of fire that finally flowed into the palm of his right hand.

The black fire formed a small flame, burning silently in Lu Chen’s palm.

Lu Chen stared at the black flame in his palm for a long time without speaking. Deep in his eyes, there seemed to be a light that resonated with the black fire. At the same time, he could clearly feel that in his dantian, the previously crude Five Elements Divine Plate had somehow flipped over again, revealing a deep, dark side like an endless night.

The black divine plate.

But the small black flame was no longer there.

Lu Chen quietly looked at the black fire in his palm, then slowly clenched his fingers into a fist. In the next moment, as he suddenly clenched his fist, there was a sound like thunder, and several barely visible ripples appeared around his body, trembling violently like threads in a storm, drawing strange lines and patterns in the air.

“Snap, snap, snap…”

A series of crisp sounds came from his surroundings and beneath his feet. Lu Chen looked down to see cracks suddenly appearing in the ground at his feet. Not far from him, half of a nearby stool silently turned to powder and scattered on the ground.

A moment later, the remaining half of the stool fell with a dull thud.

Lu Chen stood in place for a long time, then slowly opened his hand again. The black flames had disappeared. After a moment, he looked at his abdomen, beneath the flesh, in his dantian, where the mysterious black divine plate had a small black flame burning quietly in the deep darkness.

Then, as if the night was passing and the daylight returning, as if the sun and moon and stars were rotating, his Five Elements Divine Plate slowly turned.

The darkness gradually receded, and light slowly returned. In the glow, the black side flipped over, revealing the familiar Divine Plate.

Thus, he became the ordinary Lu Chen once again, the insignificant disciple akin to an ant.

Lu Chen looked up at the brightening sky, seeing the towering Kunlun Mountains in the distance, seemingly unaffected by the previous night’s earthquake, standing tall like giants in the human world.

Darkness belongs to the night; after daylight comes, it leaves no trace.

He took a long breath and turned around, just about to call out when he suddenly realized he didn’t see Ah Tu.

Lu Chen instinctively looked at the door, which was still closed. Although the house was damaged from the earthquake, with several cracks in the walls, it hadn’t collapsed and remained mostly intact.

Lu Chen frowned, calling Ah Tu’s name a few times, but got no response. Growing more puzzled, he searched the room and finally found a small hole in a remote corner at the back of the house, seemingly just large enough for Ah Tu to squeeze through.

Had the dog managed to escape through here?

In this chaos, with everything in disarray, where could that silly dog have gone?

Lu Chen stared speechlessly at the hole in the wall, stood in silence for a moment, then walked to the door, opened it, and stepped outside.

Suddenly, the daylight poured in, bright and dazzling. Lu Chen squinted slightly and thought to himself: Isn’t this daylight the same as usual? Why does it seem so glaring today? (To be continued.)

The “hour of the ox” refers to a specific time period in traditional Chinese timekeeping, which is between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM.

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