The battlefield was quiet at last.
Smoke still curled above the shattered cliffs of Crimson Peak, and the scent of blood lingered in the mountain air. Charred ground, broken swords, and fallen comrades lay scattered in a mournful silence.
Xiao Lian stood at the edge of the collapsed stronghold, staring into the distance where the enemy had finally retreated. Her robes were torn, streaked with blood, some hers, most not. Ji Ren stood beside her, panting heavily, his armor cracked and scorched.
It was over.
For now.
The Crimson Feather Sect had survived the siege, barely. What remained of the once-mighty sect was a fraction of its former strength, wounded, weary, but not destroyed.
Xiao Lian's mind was heavy. The battle had cost them too much. And yet, something deeper churned beneath the surface, a feeling that the real war hadn't even begun.
SIS chimed softly in her thoughts.
"Enemy withdrawal confirmed. Probability of regroup and secondary assault within seven days: 89%."
She nodded slightly. There would be no rest, not really. But before she could respond, a strange shift in the atmosphere made her breath catch.
The sky is already dim from ash and storm grew darker. Clouds twisted into unnatural spirals, and a golden light broke through the center, not warm like sunlight, but cold, searing, and commanding.
From the heavens descended a group of figures, cloaked in silver, glowing with ancient celestial energy. They floated down in perfect formation, untouched by the wind or weight of the world. Their presence silenced everything.
Even the birds stopped flying. Even the air seemed afraid.
At the center of the formation was a single figure.
The Celestial Arbiter.
His robes shimmered like starlight, embroidered with constellations that moved as if alive. His face was pale, regal, expressionless. A mask of divine justice. Eyes like voids, filled with the cold promise of judgment.
His voice rang out, clear and merciless:
"The Crimson Feather Sect harbors a great sin. Its existence must end."
The words echoed across the mountains, not just heard but felt. Like the tolling of a divine bell.
The remaining disciples behind Xiao Lian trembled. Even the bravest among them instinctively stepped back.
Ji Ren placed a hand on his sword. His jaw was tight, eyes locked on the Arbiter, but even he hesitated. This was not a mortal cultivator. This was something older. Bigger.
Xiao Lian, however, stood still. Her heart pounded, not from fear, but recognition.
She had seen this before.
Not in this life.
But in another.
"SIS," she said quietly, "who is he?"
There was a pause. Then SIS's voice returned, softer than usual.
"He is the leader of the Heavenly Court. A primordial celestial faction from the Second Era. Your past self once stood against them… and nearly won."
Her fingers tightened.
"So this… it's not about the sect. It's about me."
"Affirmative."
The Celestial Arbiter raised a hand. Silver energy crackled in the sky behind him, forming a floating seal shaped like a sun devouring a feather.
"The sins of the past echo into the present," he said. "You carry the soul of the Crimson Flame, the traitor who defied the heavens."
Gasps came from the disciples around her. They turned to look at Xiao Lian in shock and confusion.
Ji Ren didn't move. He just looked at her, calmly, steadily.
"Is it true?" he asked.
Xiao Lian's voice came out quiet, but clear.
"Yes. I was her. The former leader of this sect. I fought the Heavenly Court because they wanted to erase the lower realms. I failed. I died. And now… I've been reborn."
The truth hung in the air like lightning about to strike.
Some of the disciples looked afraid. Others confused. A few looked… inspired.
But Ji Ren?
He only nodded.
"Then we fight again."
The Celestial Arbiter lowered his hand, and the floating seal began to descend slowly, its energy stretching across the battlefield like a divine net.
"Submit," he commanded. "Or be erased."
Xiao Lian took a step forward. Her body was bruised, aching, barely held together by sheer will but her spirit burned like a firestorm.
"I've been erased once," she said, her voice strong now. "And still I returned. You can destroy me a thousand times, and I will still rise."
The Arbiter didn't react, but the energy above flared dangerously.
Before it could fall, a bright beam of light shot up from the mountain base. A barrier formed around the survivors, golden and humming.
Reinforcements.
A cloaked woman appeared beside Xiao Lian, her aura ancient and powerful. The woman's eyes were sharp, and her presence silenced even the air.
Elder Su Yin, one of the last hidden grand elders of the Crimson Feather Sect, long thought dead had returned.
"This isn't your battlefield, Arbiter," she said coolly. "Go back to the stars. Or I will remind you why your Court stayed hidden all these years."
The Arbiter finally showed emotion. His brow twitched. A faint frown.
But then, he turned.
"You have one month," he said. "Then the Court returns. And this time, there will be no survivors."
The celestial envoys vanished into the heavens. The storm clouds faded. The pressure in the air eased.
But the damage was done.
The real enemy had revealed itself. And it wasn't just another sect.
It was the heavens themselves.
Night fell. Xiao Lian sat alone in the ruins of the once-glorious inner hall, the stars above flickering like tiny blades. Ji Ren approached silently and sat beside her.
Neither spoke at first.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"Do you remember everything now?"
She looked down at her hands.
"Not everything. But enough. I remember the war. The betrayal. The Court. They feared me, so they erased me. And now they've found me again."
He nodded slowly.
"They won't stop, will they?"
She shook her head.
"Not until I'm dead. Truly dead. Soul and all."
There was a long pause.
Then Ji Ren said, softly, "Then we'll just have to become stronger than them."
She looked at him, startled but his eyes were serious. Unshaken.
"You believe we can?"
"I believe in you."
A quiet moment passed. For the first time that day, she allowed herself to breathe.
She wasn't alone.
Not anymore And she wouldn't run. Not this time.