DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

The desert wind howled once more.

Atop a windswept dune, four figures stood cloaked beneath starlight—Yu Meixing, Lei Qing, Ji Suyin, and now, Yun Zhilan, the Glass Saint and Fourth Shadow reborn.

Though her face held composure, her aura told another story—fractured, volatile, stitched together by sheer will and resentment spanning eras.

> "Tell me everything," she said, facing Meixing.

Meixing nodded and began recounting Liu Shen's resurrection, the betrayals they uncovered, and the rise of the Heaven's Pact's envoys across the mortal realms.

> "So the Demon Sovereign lives again..." Zhilan whispered. "The Heavens will not take this lightly."

---

Secrets from the Glass Saint

As the wind settled, they made camp within the hollowed remains of a sand whale's ribcage. Zhilan traced sigils across the sand, drawing ancient formations with her fingers.

> "In my final days, before sealing myself, I uncovered the Celestial Fracture Codex—a record of the true cause behind the betrayal of the Nine Shadows," she explained.

Suyin frowned. "We believed it was because we were too powerful. A threat to balance."

> "That was a lie," Zhilan said coldly. "We were betrayed because we held the key to Threadweaving—the lost art of rewriting fate."

Meixing's breath caught. "Threadweaving? That was myth even in our time…"

> "The Heavens fear nothing more than mortals who can unravel divine decree. And Liu Shen… had begun to learn it before his fall."

---

The Needle of Night

Zhilan reached into her sleeve and withdrew a narrow obsidian rod, no longer than a needle.

> "This is the Needle of Night, forged from the remains of a fallen Starweaver. It's one of seven tools needed to activate the Loom of Providence—a construct that lies beneath the Hollow Empire."

Lei Qing leaned forward. "And what happens if we activate it?"

> "We won't just resist fate—we'll rewrite it," Zhilan answered. "But the Loom has been dormant for thousands of years. And sealed by someone… close to Liu Shen."

Meixing narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

Zhilan hesitated. "The one who wears silver chains and walks between dreams. The Tenth Betrayer."

---

Shadows Stir in the Hollow Empire

Elsewhere—beneath a blood-hued moon—the Hollow Empire brooded.

Within the obsidian spires of the Dreadspire Palace, a masked man knelt before a towering crystalline throne. Chains of silver hung from his arms, rattling with each movement.

> "They've awakened Zhilan," came a soft, serene voice. "And they edge closer to the Loom."

The man—Xue Tianren, the Tenth Betrayer—nodded. "Shall I intervene?"

From the throne, a hooded figure reclined. His face was obscured, his body emitting celestial light warped by dark stains.

> "Not yet. Let them come closer. Let them think they hold hope. When the Loom awakens… it will devour them all."

---

A Reunion Foretold

Back in the desert, Meixing stood watch, sensing a familiar presence drawing closer.

Suddenly, from the dunes, a shadow blurred toward them—faster than thought.

> Boom!

A pulse of dark qi forced Meixing back a step—but she didn't flinch.

The figure knelt.

> "Sovereign," said the newcomer. Liu Shen stepped into view, his demonic aura coiling with familiarity and wrath.

He looked at Zhilan. For a long moment, neither moved.

Then, he smiled. "I had almost given up on you."

Zhilan's eyes shimmered. "And yet here you stand… defying the very heavens again."

They embraced—brief, but heavy with shared memory and forgotten pain.

> "You found the Needle?" Liu Shen asked.

Zhilan handed it over. "One of seven."

> "Then we'll find the rest."

---

The Seven Needles

Ji Suyin approached. "If the Needle of Night is one… where are the others?"

Zhilan drew a constellation in the sand.

> "The Seven Needles are scattered across forbidden zones, cursed tombs, and planes between life and death. We must reclaim them before Xue Tianren does."

The seven locations were:

1. The Singing Abyss – guarded by sirens who feed on regret.

2. The Sky-Breaking Monolith – floating above the ruins of a destroyed sect.

3. The Mirror-Lake Reversal – where reality folds in on itself.

4. The Crimson Orchard – where every tree bears a memory.

5. The Black Lotus Hell – a sealed realm beneath the Underworld.

6. The Throne of Fallen Stars – lost in the Astral Drift.

7. The Hollow Empire's Core – the Loom itself.

> "And the Loom?" Liu Shen asked.

Zhilan looked grave. "The final Needle is embedded in the Loom's heart. Only the Tenth Betrayer can remove it."

---

March Toward the Abyss

Liu Shen turned to his companions. "We head for the Singing Abyss first. It's the closest—and the least likely to be guarded by divine eyes."

> "I'll accompany you," Zhilan said.

> "No," he countered. "You've just awakened. Rest. Regain your strength. I need you at your full power when we face Tianren."

She frowned but nodded. "Then take Suyin and Lei Qing. I'll protect Meixing while she completes the Soul-Thread restoration."

He turned to Meixing. "Do it quickly. You'll need all of your power soon."

> "I know," she said softly. "I remember more now. About you. About us."

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the stars above shimmered—uncertain of what was to come.