DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

The wind of the Crimson Dunes had stilled.

Before the trio stood the remains of a vast, half-buried temple gate. Cracked spires of obsidian jutted out like jagged bones, forming an entryway into the subterra beneath the desert. Ancient glyphs pulsed faintly, reacting to Yu Meixing's presence.

> "We've arrived," she whispered, eyes glowing. "This is the entrance to the City of Glass."

Lei Qing peered into the yawning cavern below. "Feels like something's… watching."

> "It remembers," Ji Suyin said. "This city was built by the Nine Shadows before the heavens shattered our brotherhood."

Yu Meixing extended her hand. A sigil of flame and shadow appeared on her palm—the Ninth Seal. The barrier pulsing across the temple shimmered, cracked, and dissolved into dust.

They stepped forward, into history.

---

The Hall of Reflection

The moment their feet touched the glass tiles of the city, they were surrounded by ghostly silhouettes—images of robed figures training, laughing, debating.

> "Echoes," Meixing murmured. "These are fragments of the past. Imprints left by our essence."

One echo caught her attention—a memory of her younger self sparring with the Fourth Shadow, a woman in pale robes and crystal armor.

> "Her name… was Yun Zhilan," Meixing whispered. "The one they called the Glass Saint."

Ji Suyin's gaze turned hard. "She was the first to fall when the heavens turned on us. They claimed her spirit fractured the realms."

> "No," Meixing replied. "She was protecting something—someone."

They continued through the hall, following the path of ancient reflections. The ghosts began to fade… until a door of solid crystal blocked their path.

Etched upon it were nine symbols. Only three glowed faintly—Meixing's, Suyin's, and one more… dim, almost extinguished.

> "The Fourth Shadow's key," Meixing said. "We're close."

---

The Guardian of Memory

The crystal door trembled as the trio approached.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of mirrored glass erupted, forming a humanoid figure—its face expressionless, body composed of reflective shards. It raised a hand, and the temperature plummeted.

> "Intruders," it intoned. "You do not possess full authority to proceed. State your intent or perish."

Lei Qing stepped forward. "We're not your enemies."

> "Authority insufficient."

Ji Suyin narrowed her eyes. "Only those bearing three Shadow Seals can pass."

> "Correct. But tests remain."

With that, the construct split into three. One charged Lei Qing, another dashed toward Suyin, while the third targeted Meixing.

Each replica attacked using distorted versions of their own techniques.

---

Trial of Reflection

Lei Qing's opponent unleashed distorted thunder, mimicking his Thunderstep and chain lightning.

> "So you've copied me?" Lei said with a grin, dodging backward. "Let's see how you handle the real thing."

He activated Heaven's Pulse, pushing lightning through his veins, fusing speed and brute force. As the mirror-double lunged, Lei spun mid-air and struck its core with both palms.

> Boom!

Glass exploded. One down.

---

Ji Suyin's opponent summoned waves of corrupted moonlight, turning her calm waters into raging tsunamis.

> "Impressive," she murmured. "But your emotions lack purpose."

Drawing a single drop of water from her sleeve, she whispered, "Tidefall's End."

The water split into a thousand needles, each one seeking a flaw in her enemy's form.

> Shatter!

Her double burst like a bubble of tension released.

---

Yu Meixing, however, stood motionless.

Her opponent didn't attack. Instead, it knelt and offered her a blade—her own, the twin dagger she once forged with the Fourth Shadow.

> "Why…" she whispered, approaching.

As her hand touched the weapon, memories surged:

The laughter of Yun Zhilan.

The blood on her hands after the betrayal.

A promise: "If I fall… seal me. I cannot be allowed to serve the heavens."

Meixing fell to her knees, overwhelmed.

> "I failed her…"

The mirror Meixing gazed at her, then disintegrated, leaving only the blade behind. A voice echoed from the stone.

> "Only by facing your guilt… can you set her free."

---

The Fourth Shadow's Tomb

The crystal door opened with a deep groan. Beyond lay a sanctum, filled with suspended crystals, each containing pieces of broken soul fragments.

At the center hovered a suspended cocoon of mirrored light. Within it: a woman—Yun Zhilan—eyes closed, breathing faintly.

Her soul had not shattered completely.

> "She's alive," Meixing gasped.

Suyin examined the bindings. "But sealed by a celestial lock. Releasing her will trigger an alert to the heavens."

> "So?" Lei asked. "Let them come."

> "If she awakens… the heavens might retaliate directly," Suyin warned. "They fear her more than Liu Shen."

Yu Meixing stepped forward.

> "I'll bear the burden."

She raised the soulfire dagger and slashed the cocoon open.

---

The Glass Saint Awakens

A blinding light filled the chamber.

Yun Zhilan's body dropped, knees hitting the floor. Her eyes opened slowly, glowing with starlight and sorrow.

> "Meixing…" she whispered.

> "Sister," Meixing said, kneeling. "We've returned for you."

Zhilan's gaze darted across the chamber, then toward the sky. Her expression changed.

> "Too late."

Suddenly, the ceiling of the sanctum cracked. Divine light poured through.

> "They've seen me," Zhilan muttered. "We must run. Now!"

---

Pursuit of the Divine

As the chamber collapsed, the four raced through the ancient tunnels. Behind them, golden projectiles rained from the sky—Divine Retribution Spears, each one capable of annihilating cities.

Yun Zhilan raised a crystalline barrier, blocking several blasts. "I can't hold this for long."

Lei Qing turned, throwing arcs of lightning to slow their pursuers—seraphic beings formed of flame and decree.

Ji Suyin formed a tide of water to create a whirlpool, sucking one of the entities into the earth.

Meixing, leading the way, found a sigil ahead. "There's a path to the surface!"

They surged forward. As they emerged back into the desert night, the City of Glass collapsed behind them—sealed once more in the sands.

---

To War

Panting, bruised, and bloodied, the four regrouped.

Yun Zhilan sat silently, gazing at the stars above.

> "They won't stop now," she said. "You've drawn their eye."

Yu Meixing nodded. "Then we'll give them something worth seeing."

> "Liu Shen must know what we've found," Suyin said.

Zhilan looked up.

> "Then I will tell him myself. The Fourth Shadow… has returned.