DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

The sunlight above the Abyssal Rift was strangely soft—filtered through swirling clouds that had not parted for centuries. As Liu Shen stepped onto the ridge, the broken blade Heavenpiercer hummed quietly on his back, as if sensing what was to come.

Behind him, the others emerged one by one: Yu Meixing's steps steady, her cloak tattered but her eyes unshaken. Lei Qing, gauntlets still stained with smoldering red. Elder Qin, silent and pale, holding the Ashwind Scripture in reverent stillness.

Dozens of disciples staggered behind them—those who survived the forging trial. Not one was unchanged.

From broken bone, from devoured souls, they had walked away reborn.

But there was no time to breathe.

"Someone's here," Meixing murmured.

---

A Visitor at the Abyss

From the mountain path beyond the abyss, a single figure approached.

He wore ceremonial white robes lined with celestial silk. A jade token glowed on his belt—an emissary of the Heaven's Pact Sect.

His smile was calm, but every step reeked of arrogance.

"Liu Shen," he called out, his voice smooth. "The world said you died a century ago. Yet here you stand, dragging remnants of heresy from the dirt."

The Demon Sovereign didn't reply immediately.

He glanced sideways at Lei Qing.

"That's the Heaven's Pact envoy?" he asked.

She nodded grimly. "Zhao Kuo. Celestial envoy in the mortal realm. A dog with fangs."

Liu Shen smirked. "Then let's see how loud it barks."

---

Zhao Kuo stopped ten steps away from the group, folding his arms behind his back.

"By descending into the Abyss, you've violated celestial decree," he said. "Reforging forbidden divine relics? Harboring the lost heiress of the Shadow Sect? Reuniting sect remnants deemed extinct?"

He sighed. "That's not rebellion, Liu Shen. That's blasphemy."

Liu Shen looked to the group behind him. Bloodied disciples. A reawakened sect. Souls stitched together by struggle.

Then, he took a single step forward.

"If the heavens have decreed this blasphemy," he said, "then let the sky bleed first."

---

Clash Beneath the Rift

Zhao Kuo raised one finger.

Divine energy surged, forming a ring of jade around his wrist—a binding sigil.

"Then as Celestial Enforcer," he said coldly, "I strip you of your right to walk under the open sky."

A celestial chain burst from the sigil, aiming straight for Liu Shen's chest.

But Heavenpiercer was faster.

Liu Shen drew the blade with a demonic roar—the sky above them split with a violent crack as the black blade shattered the incoming chain like glass.

Zhao Kuo's expression faltered for the first time.

"That weapon—!"

"Forged from your god's remains," Liu Shen growled. "Let me return the favor."

The two clashed.

Demonic fire and celestial light collided, forming shockwaves that threw dust into the abyss below.

The disciples watched from behind, awestruck.

Lei Qing murmured, "He's not just resisting anymore."

Meixing nodded. "He's declaring war."

---

An Unbreakable Blade

Zhao Kuo drew his celestial glaive, laced with heavenlight inscriptions. With every swing, the air froze—an authority granted by the heavens to smite resistance.

But Liu Shen had already stepped beyond such rules.

Each clash with Heavenpiercer drew sparks that left cracks in the air.

The envoy shouted, "You think you can oppose fate with a broken blade and a few strays?!"

Liu Shen parried his glaive with one hand. "I don't need fate."

With a twist, he sliced across Zhao Kuo's chest, tearing through the robes of the heavens.

Zhao stumbled back, clutching the wound, disbelief in his eyes.

"You've… surpassed your realm."

"No," Liu Shen said, stepping forward. "I've surpassed permission."

With one final strike, Heavenpiercer clove through the envoy's weapon—and his jade sigil shattered in midair.

Zhao Kuo screamed as celestial backlash engulfed him, sending him crashing into the rocks below.

---

The mountain grew silent once more.

The wind howled through the rift, carrying with it the scent of ash and old blood.

Liu Shen looked up at the darkened sky.

He raised his blade.

"Let it be known," he said, voice carried on demonic force, "that the heavens no longer govern us."

Meixing stepped forward. "From this day forward, we are no longer bound by their scripts."

Lei Qing slammed her gauntlet into the ground. "The new era begins with our names written in defiance."

Elder Qin unfurled the Ashwind Scripture. "We swear upon soul and scar—our lives are no longer theirs to command."

One by one, the disciples knelt.

Some wounded. Some weeping.

All reborn.

And in the Abyssal Rift, the oath was carved—by blade, by blood, by rebellion.

> "We, the Sect of Shadows, forsake the sky's chains. We forge our fate with broken bones and shattered truth."