By ArkGodZ | DaoVerse Studio
"A heart that desires is a double-edged blade: it cuts itself... and everything around it."
Dawn wrapped the Forgotten Heaven Sect in a veil of silver mist. Jian Yu opened his eyes slowly in the outer courtyard where he had meditated through the night. His body tingled—not from cold, but from something new. A current, warm and vibrant, ran through his bones and pulsed in his breath.
It was the Dao of Desire. No longer a distant promise, but a river in flood.
As he stood, he passed hurrying disciples. Whispers fluttered like leaves on the wind:
"You heard? They say he made Elder Qian back off with just a look..."
"Exaggerated, maybe... but the hall almost collapsed from the pressure. That part's true."
Jian Yu walked in silence. Their words didn't touch him. The world itself felt increasingly distant. He was here—but also somewhere else, a place where desire shaped reality.
Crossing the stone corridors, he encountered a young disciple in a brown robe, who bowed quickly the moment he recognized him.
"You leave at dawn, right? The scroll was taken by Elder Qian. They... they're watching you."
Jian Yu gave a simple nod. He didn't need confirmation. That mission was just the first step toward something far greater.
* * *
**The Southern Gate**
The sun was just beginning to rise when he reached the sect's southern gates. Towering wooden doors of dark lacquer and jade shimmered in the gentle morning light. Two guards exchanged glances as he approached, but said nothing. They simply stood tall, silent.
Yuan was there.
She stood by one of the stone columns, arms crossed. She didn't speak immediately. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon, not on him. But she had waited. That much was clear.
"So you're really leaving?" she asked, her voice flat, almost cold.
"The mission was accepted. It's what they expected."
"That's not what I meant." She finally turned to him. "Are you... still you, Jian Yu?"
He hesitated.
"I am who I've always been. But now... I know what I am too."
She nodded, though it meant nothing. Silence lingered between them. The distant toll of the bell tower echoed faintly in the morning air.
Yuan reached out to adjust the collar of his robe—a gesture more automatic than emotional. But her hand trembled. She noticed it and pulled away quickly.
"Go. Before I regret coming here."
Jian Yu held her gaze, as if trying to etch it into memory.
"You'll never lose me."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," she replied, turning her face away.
He left without looking back. Yuan remained, arms folded—like someone trying to hold her own heart in place.
* * *
**The Road South**
Following winding paths toward the southern valleys, Jian Yu noticed how the air grew denser with each step. The world beyond the sect was vaster than he remembered. Nature reacted to him. Butterflies danced nearby even without wind. Birds went silent as he passed. Even the soil pulsed beneath his feet.
By early afternoon, he reached the edge of the forest leading to the Cloud-Hidden Valley. A place known for its wild beauty—and for devouring the unprepared.
But Jian Yu felt something else. As if nature itself was calling to him… seducing him.
* * *
**The Forest**
Crossing the threshold of ancient oaks, everything changed. Sunlight danced hypnotically through the branches. The mist rising from the ground carried a sweet, intoxicating fragrance. Jian Yu's body responded instinctively.
His heart pounded. The Dao's energy surged inside him like storm-tossed waves. His hands trembled. He fell to his knees beside a massive root, struggling to contain something growing out of control.
"What… is happening to me?"
Visions crashed into his mind—touches, lips, eyes. Sensations that belonged to no real memory. He felt desire—but not just lust. A hunger for power. For dominance. For transcendence. The Dao whispered in his soul.
Then, it erupted.
His aura burst like silent thunder. A field of golden and purple energy expanded outward, bending trees, forcing flowers to bloom instantly, thickening the very air with pressure and heat.
Animals grew silent. The wind ceased. The entire forest… moaned.
* * *
**The Old Man**
"Fascinating."
The voice came from above. Jian Yu, still on his knees, looked up and saw a figure sitting on a high branch—an old man in dark robes, with piercing eyes and silver hair.
"Who are you?" Jian Yu tried to rise, but his body was still weak.
"Just an observer. But perhaps... something more, in time."
The old man landed with eerie lightness.
"You released your Dao too early... and the world felt it. Even those who shouldn't have."
Jian Yu clenched his fists.
"I didn't mean to."
"I know. But meaning doesn't matter when it comes to Desire. It moves by its own will."
He reached out and touched the air near Jian Yu. Sparks of Qi danced around him like moths.
"The world will chase you now. Sects. Clans. Demons. Some out of fear. Others out of greed. And a few... out of pleasure."
Jian Yu stood with effort.
"Then let them come."
The old man smiled.
"They will. In fact... one of them is already here."
* * *
**The Presence**
From atop a distant hill, cloaked in shadows, a cultivator watched. His eyes glowed green—like twin serpents. He belonged to no known sect. His Qi was broken… but powerful.
The old man looked in the same direction without turning his head.
"You're not ready for him. But maybe… just maybe… you'll survive."
Jian Yu didn't respond. His gaze met that of the distant figure. And in that moment, he understood.
This was not the end of his journey.
It was the beginning of the hunt.
End of Chapter.
Next Chapter: The First Predator
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