Chapter36"The Threshold and the Sword"
Below: The Shattered Past:
Elder Heng's mind was a storm of fury and desperation as he sat deep beneath Lianshan City. His body burned with the searing, maddening hunger of a man on the edge of death's embrace. The Meridian Expansion Pill had arrived, but it was too late. His veins were too frayed, his channels too damaged. But he had no choice. The transformation had to happen now.
Twelve meridians tore open.
The pain—unimaginable. As though every fiber of his being was being torn apart and reborn in a single, cruel moment.
Then came the thirteenth.
A cursed channel, sealed long ago in the aftermath of the Fengyuan Massacre, ruptured like an ancient wound. It had been buried—locked tight for years—until now. His body shuddered as dark energies spilled forth, a bitter poison, carrying with it memories of long-buried horrors.
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The Vision: Fengyuan's Betrayal:
His mind, flailing for purchase, was drawn backward in time.
Lotus blossoms.
The scent of his wife's perfume clung to the air—a fleeting reminder of a life before ashes.
He had once been City Lord of Fengyuan, a man whose name brought stability and reverence. His city had thrived, his family had prospered. Until betrayal shattered it all.
On the burning walls of Fengyuan, he saw Xiangbei—his trusted vice lord, and an elder of the jade sky sect —draped in crimson-and-gold, mocking him with a traitor's smile. "You were too trusting, old friend."
Xiangbei had lusted for the city lord's seat for years. With poison words and steel in hand, he orchestrated a coup. Heng's son, no older than ten, charged at the usurper with a training blade. It was a child's act of valor.
Xiangbei's sword struck first.
The boy collapsed, lifeless, before Heng could cry out.
His wife lunged next. Her dagger grazed Xiangbei's ribs—futile. She fell with a sword in her stomach, Xiangbei whispering: "Let him watch. Let him live."
The Heng Clan's gates burned, and with them, everything he had ever loved.
That night, Heng fled to the edge of the Forgotten Valley, beyond the reach of Fengyuan's flames. From that day forward, he ceased to be Lord Heng.
He became Elder Heng—a ghost in exile.
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Present: The Oath Reforged:
His eyes snapped open. Breath came in ragged gasps. The thirteenth meridian ignited within him, and power surged like a corpse-fire tornado.
But his soul burned hotter.
Lianshan needed him.
Not for honor. Not for vengeance.
Because Xiangbei still lived. Because no one else would bring the fire to Fengyuan.
And Elder Heng was ready to burn it all down.
Far above the trembling chamber and burning veins...
Lin Ji Chen stepped from his carriage, white robes fluttering like banners of war.robes fluttering like banners of war. Only thirty-five years old, yet already at the peak of the Meridian Realm. His eyes—silver and cold—cut through the filth of Lianshan like blades through silk.
He was of the third bloodline of the lin imperial family of the Xianlin kingdom
The empire called him the Emperor's Hound.
But the truth whispered in shadows:
The Blade Without Mercy.
He did not rise by flattery. He rose by merit—and by blood.
His faceless guards followed, weapons sheathed in silence. Executioners in everything but name.
His guards moved with the deadly grace of executioners—no words, no hesitation. Only purpose.
The Scarred One walked in silence, his dao blade vibrating faintly at his side. His presence drew the air tight—an unspoken threat more than a promise.
The Twin Shadows, their movements so synchronized that it was as if they were one being—no man could escape them once their eyes locked.
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Lady Shen's Whisper
Lady Shen snapped her fan shut with a cold flick. Her eyes did not blink.
"The imperial hound smells blood."
Elder Mo stood beside her, face unreadable, staring at the weakening formation sigils flickering beneath their feet. The spell that had kept Lianshan breathing for decades was gasping for air.
"If Heng dies," Elder Mo murmured, "let Lianshan burn."
He paused—then added,as if giving justification to himself:
"Yes, we stole. We plundered the trade routes, extorted traveling merchants. But without those black coins, this city would have fallen years ago. Our methods were filth—but it was for the people. For the thousands who would have died starving."
Lady Shen glanced at him. There was no judgment. Only silence.
Elsewhere, at the breathless edge of the city...
The northern gate groaned open, dust lifting in tired swirls.
The gates of Lianshan creaked open—not with ceremony, but with weary resignation.
Li Yuan Tian stepped through first, the dusk wind tugging at the edges of his cloak. His gaze swept the silent streets, the shuttered stalls, the wary eyes peeking from cracks in broken shutters.
Behind him, Zhao Qilin walked with a quiet alertness, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade.
They entered linshan city
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Elder Heng's Choice:
Below, the Meridian Expansion Pill reached its apex.
His body seized—then roared.
Power poured through him, twisting old wounds into new strength.
"You'll never be strong enough," Xiangbei's voice mocked.
But Elder Heng's lips curled into a snarl.
"Watch me."
The chamber exploded with corpse-fire, the thirteenth meridian erupting in light and sound. Stone shattered. Sigils cracked. And above it all, a ghost's promise rang through the foundation of the city:
"Fengyuan will burn."
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End of Chapter 36