Not far away, a white-robed elder materialized—none other than Elder Hue. Since ascending to Divine Paragon with Liang's aid, his status had soared, earning him the role of the Dong Clan's envoy to the outer realms.
"Stop there."
A voice colder than winter's breath slithered behind him, freezing Elder Hue's blood. He spun to face a black-robed man, with an aura oppressive enough to make his heart stutter.
Sensing danger, Elder Hue didn't hesitate. With a solemn expression, he drew a golden jade token from within his robe and held it out.
"I am Dong Hue, envoy of the Dong Clan assigned to the outer realms. I co bearing no ill intent."
"Dong Clan's envoy?" Revenant Sia's voice rang out as she stepped forward, erging from the shadows behind Kai.
Elder Hue's pupils contracted as he looked at her. Recognition dawned, followed imdiately by an intense wave of fear. He had heard the stories, but seeing her in person was sothing else entirely.
He quickly bowed low, his voice respectful and trembling slightly. "Greetings, Respected Revenant. This humble one brings an invitation."
"An invitation?" Revenant Sia's lips curled with faint amusent. "Let see what this is about."
Not daring to delay, Elder Hue retrieved a jade scroll from his space ring. With great care, he floated it toward her with a trace of spiritual energy.
Revenant Sia caught the scroll with a flick of her wrist, unfurling it with ease. Her eyes traced the elegant script, and a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"That old fox actually sent this?" she said with a mocking smile. "Does he really think I'd spare a second glance at his wedding invitation?"
The blood drained from Elder Hue's face. There was only one "old fox" she could be referring to—the Dong Clan Patriarch himself.
Suddenly, as if rembering sothing, Elder Hue hurriedly pulled out a second jade scroll, this ti looking toward Kai with a forced smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Kai?"
Kai raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised. "You know ?"
"Of course," Elder Hue replied quickly, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture. "It is a fortunate encounter to et you in person. This scroll is addressed specifically to you."
Kai took the scroll, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He unrolled it slowly, scanning the words. His face remained impassive, but Revenant Sia, standing beside him, could feel a subtle shift in his aura.
"That's all, Respected Revenant. I shall take my leave now." Elder Hue bowed deeply once more and hurried off, disappearing into the distance as quickly as he had co.
Revenant Sia barely spared him a final glance. Her gaze had returned to Kai, whose expression had grown visibly darker.
"That old fox is truly thoughtful," she said with a teasing smile. "Even sent you a personal invitation."
Kai didn't respond imdiately. He stared at the scroll in his hands, his mind elsewhere....
Finally, he muttered, "It wasn't sent from the Dong Clan."
"Oh?" Revenant Sia's brow furrowed. "Then... Divine Spirit Palace?"
Kai gave a small, absent nod.
Now Revenant Sia's expression grew serious. For an envoy near the half-step Void Return Realm to be dispatched as a re ssenger, the person behind the invitation had to hold imnse power—greater than Elder Hue.
But who could that be?
Her gaze dropped to the scroll in Kai's hand, narrowing slightly as she spotted the signature at the end. "Liang Yifei... the Divine Spirit Palace's newly ascended elder?"
Kai's grip on the jade scroll tightened imperceptibly before he relaxed his fingers. "So he's already reached that level."
Revenant Sia studied him for a mont before letting out a soft chuckle. "Interesting. You know him?"
Kai exhaled slowly, his gaze distant. "You could say that."
The air between them grew heavy with unspoken implications. Revenant Sia tilted her head, her crimson lips curling in amusent. "And now he's invited you to his wedding?"
Kai didn't answer imdiately. Instead, he turned the jade scroll over in his hands, tracing the intricate sigil of the Divine Spirit Palace embossed on its surface. The invitation was formal, elegant—yet beneath the polished words, he sensed sothing else. A challenge?
Revenant Sia's voice cut through his thoughts. "You're hesitating."
Kai's jaw tightened. "I'm considering."
A slow, knowing smile curled Revenant Sia's lips. "Ah. So he is the one you've been avoiding all this ti."
Kai didn't deny it.
Revenant Sia chuckled, shaking her head. "No wonder your odds of victory are so low. That boy is a monster even by my standards."
Though she didn't like to go out much, that didn't stop her from learning about major events like the battle in the Devil Realm. Liang's appearance at the ti had been brief, but word of him still spread quickly.
Four years. That was the tifra given—four years until the wedding.
Four years until he would have to face Liang again.
Revenant Sia studied him for a long mont before sighing. "Forty percent odds, you said?"
Kai exhaled sharply. "At best."
"And if you lose?"
"Then I cease to exist." His voice was calm, but the weight behind those words was crushing.
Revenant Sia's expression turned serious. "You're betting your very soul on this."
Kai's lips twitched into a humorless smile. "It was decided long ago. Neither of us can take another step in cultivation—unless..."
"...unless we beco one again."
Revenant Sia gave a slight nod. "When the soul is split, the path ahead fragnts with it. No matter how high we climb, it's a broken ascent. You can only return to the source—or fall forever short."
"I've seen soul-splitting techniques before," she said, folding her arms. "But none that produced such perfect halves. It's rare. Show the technique.
Kai hesitated for a mont before nodding. "Very well."
He raised a hand, and a swirl of dark and light energy coalesced above his palm—a srizing dance of opposing forces. The darkness writhed like living shadow, while the light shimred with an ethereal purity. Yet, instead of repelling one another, they intertwined seamlessly, forming a perfect, unstable harmony.
Then, from the depths of the swirling energy, ghostly runes materialized, forming an ancient scripture in the air.
"Heaven's Decree is fixed, yet the Mortal Blade carves anew."
Revenant Sia murmured the words, her voice tinged with awe. "Heaven-Severing Mortal Unity Scripture..."
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