dark descendent lurking fate

1. A Surge Within

Ash sat beneath the moonlight on the edge of the Lin estate rooftop, deep in meditation. The spiritual energy within him surged violently, not in pain—but in overwhelming pressure. His chest tightened. His breathing grew heavy.

> Three thrones. Nine spirits... But I'm still just Core Vein Formation?

A cold sweat clung to his neck. He had faced beasts, survived death, and seen thrones in his dreams. But none of it added up.

Suddenly, a cold voice rang in his mind.

> "You're being ignorant again, boy."

Ash's eyes shot open.

> "Shen Mu?"

The spirit of the ancient necromancer materialized before him, robed in black with his signature bone crown faintly flickering with dark mist.

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2. The Brutal Truth

Shen Mu looked irritated.

> "Still calling yourself a mere Core Vein cultivator when you've already surpassed the mortal system?"

Ash's heart raced.

> "What do you mean? I haven't felt the throne aura burst. The heavenly vision. The thunder trials. Isn't that the sign of throne manifestation?"

Shen Mu scoffed.

> "That's the sign of one throne appearing for a common cultivator. You've already subdued three. Each from a different path: Necromancy. Beast King. Wind."

Ash stood slowly, staring at his palm as spiritual energy swirled around it.

> "But... the system. Everyone in the sect says—"

Shen Mu's voice turned cold.

> "The sect? The mortal realm? They don't even know what throne manifestation truly is. You've already stepped in. You're not walking toward the gate. You've kicked the door off its hinges and walked through it blind."

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3. A King Uncrowned

Shen Mu began circling Ash.

> "Three thrones. Nine spirits. All harmonized under your will. Do you think that's something normal?"

> "No," Ash muttered.

> "You haven't formed your throne aura because your existence disrupts the natural rhythm. Your path is unnatural. You're walking the road of a silent monarch—one whose awakening doesn't shake heaven because he never asked for permission."

Ash's knees buckled slightly from the sheer weight of what Shen Mu said.

> "So… I've already manifested?"

Shen Mu stopped in front of him, meeting his eyes.

> "Yes. And if the heavens knew, they'd rain down tribulation to stop you."

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4. The Power Within

Ash reached into his soul sea, and for the first time, he looked properly—not just glanced. There they were:

The black throne of necromancy, still surrounded by dancing skeletal wisps.

The beast king throne, massive and roaring with a lion's echo.

The wind throne, swirling with a spiraling emerald tempest.

And beneath them… nine spirits, kneeling.

Mrit. Gorran. Vulcan. Yin Yang Lion. The two eagles. Vyren. The two green dragons.

> They were bowing… to me?

Ash's heart skipped a beat.

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5. A Path Unlike Any Other

Shen Mu's voice echoed again.

> "You are no longer walking the path of cultivation. You are writing a new one."

Ash clenched his fists.

> "Then why do I still feel... small?"

Shen Mu smiled faintly.

> "Because the world is still big. But soon, Ash, the world will feel you. And when it does, throne manifestation will need a new definition."

Ash looked at the horizon—beyond the mountains, beyond the sky.

He wasn't just a cultivator anymore.

He was a Monarch who no one had crowned yet.

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