Li Xuan sat cross-legged beneath the Silverfire Bamboo Grove, a secluded pocket within his vast Dao Field. Here, the moonlight was purified, filtered through glowing blue leaves that rustled with ancient rhythm. The air thrummed with spiritual energy. Even time itself seemed to slow here.
Within his body, the Heaven-Treading Shadow Lotus Scripture circulated silently, refining both his qi and his soul essence.
> [Cultivation Progress: Late Foundation Establishment → Breakthrough Approaching.]
> [Physical Status: Perfect. Primordial Dao Physique developing further resonance.]
> [System Notice: New Passive Ability Unlocked – Unseen Sovereign Aura.]
> —Your presence will be subconsciously ignored by those two realms below unless you directly interfere.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Li Xuan's lips.
> "Now even the world itself forgets me unless I choose to be seen."
He opened his palm.
A faint golden wisp emerged—an embryonic flame, born from condensed karmic fate.
He whispered to it. The wisp danced for a moment, then flickered out.
> "Time to take the next step."
---
Outside the Dao Field – Azure Sky Sect Outer Region
Two outer disciples lay crumpled in the dust, bloodied and groaning.
A group of rogue cultivators—bandits in disguise—stood sneering, their auras flaring wildly.
> "Trash sect. All bark, no bite."
> "Take their storage rings. The Heaven-Rank Herb Garden is nearby. Once we loot that, we're gone."
From behind the trees, a silent figure emerged.
Robes plain. Expression calm. Hair long and jet-black, flowing like ink in moonlight.
Li Xuan.
The bandits turned, half-laughing.
> "Huh? Just one more? Are you lost, boy?"
But something strange happened.
The moment they looked into Li Xuan's eyes… their words caught.
His aura… was empty. Hollow. Like a void. Yet they felt suffocated, as if standing before a heavenly beast.
> "I'll give you three seconds to leave." His voice was soft, but it echoed in their minds like thunder.
> "What?"
> "This ant's—"
In the blink of an eye, Li Xuan moved.
A flash of starlight.
A ripple in space.
A gust of wind—and three heads hit the ground before they understood what happened.
The remaining ones screamed, trying to flee.
Li Xuan raised his hand.
> "Heaven-Slaying Lotus Fang."
A silent lotus bloomed mid-air, petals made of qi-infused starlight. It devoured their bodies—no blood, no screams—just silence.
The two disciples stared in horror and awe.
> "Wh-who… are you?"
Li Xuan turned. His eyes calm, emotionless.
> "You saw nothing."
A light wave of his hand—and their memories shimmered, then faded. They fell unconscious.
---
Back in the Dao Field
> [System Notification: External Hostility Resolved.]
> [New Technique Acquired: "Heaven-Slaying Lotus Fang" has evolved.]
> [Reward: Stellar Silk Robes of the Hidden Moon (Rank: Supreme Heavenly Artifact)]
Li Xuan draped the robes across his shoulders. Silken, dark-blue, woven from immortal beast threads. A defense artifact that cloaked his qi and could resist True Immortal attacks once.
He looked to the horizon, where distant sect mountains gleamed.
> "This world... is starting to move."
He sat back down beneath the silver bamboo.
The stars turned slowly above.
And Li Xuan—unknown to the realm—continued to rise.