Kai raised his hand as the transmission array exploded. “Stay behind me,” he said while a wave of force rushed across the underground chamber. His Sovereign Domain expanded in a clean circle and blocked the shockwave before it hit the group.One of the captains stared at the dust settling around them. “Sect Master, what was that voice?”“Ignore the voice for now,” Kai said. “Is everyone uninjured?”“We are fine,” the second captain said. “But the array is destroyed.” [Structural Collapse Detected. Unknown interference still active in the sand layer.]Kai looked at the cracked floor. “We are leaving. Prepare for immediate retreat.”An elder pointed toward the tunnel. “Sect Master, what about the beacon residue?”“We already collected the core fragments,” Kai said. “Remaining traces will only distract us.”The teams regrouped quickly and followed Kai out of the underground chamber. As they reached the surface, the ground vibrated with light pulses moving through the sand.[Rift Activi

Kai followed the Silent Rift Sect elders through the narrow stone passage as the air grew colder. “How far does this go?” he asked.“We are close,” the leading elder said. “The archives are beneath all formations.”The System spoke in Kai’s mind. Detection active. Old higher-realm energy is sealed inside these walls. Density increasing.Kai kept moving as the path widened into a heavy iron door marked with old runes. The elder placed his hand on the sigil. The runes lit up and the door opened with a dull vibration.“This is the entrance to the Secret Rift Archives,” the elder said. “Only sect masters enter. Today you enter because the situation has changed.”Kai stepped inside. Rows of stone shelves, ancient scrolls, and crystal tablets filled the chamber. The air carried a faint pressure that pushed against his chest.Kai looked around. “How long has all this been hidden?”“Thousands of years,” the elder said. “We preserved every record we could find.”The System pulsed. Warning. Res

Kai walked through the palace gates with his escort close behind him. The guards around the courtyard stared with stiff faces. Some looked nervous. Some looked angry. Kai ignored their reactions and moved straight toward the throne hall.“We sent word ahead,” Ryn whispered beside him. “They should be ready for us.”“They are ready,” Kai said. “But not in the way they want us to believe.”The throne hall doors opened. The king sat on the raised platform with several ministers on both sides. His expression was heavy.“Kai of Azure Cloud,” the king said. “You arrived faster than expected.”“We came because the threat under your city is rising,” Kai replied. “We need full access to your intelligence before anything worsens.”The king shook his head. “You will have protection privileges in the capital, but internal intelligence remains under royal control.”Kai stepped forward. “If you withhold information, people will die. The beacon beneath your city is unstable.”Murmurs spread among th

Kai landed at the front steps of Azure Cloud, and the first thing he saw was the sky twisting in unnatural waves. Lines of distorted light stretched across the clouds like cracks. Disciples gathered below looked up in fear. Some pointed. Some whispered. Some backed away from the main courtyard.“System, report,” Kai said.“Hostile Energy Approaching,” the System answered in a sharp tone.Kai looked around at the elders running toward him. Elder Lin reached him first. “We sensed a disturbance five minutes ago. The formations began to vibrate.”Elder Ruo followed. “The outer arrays are reacting like something is forcing them open.”“Everyone stay on alert,” Kai said. “No one leaves the main sector. No one acts alone.”Before anyone could answer, the sky tore open for a brief second. A loud crack echoed. Black shapes dropped through the gap. They moved fast, almost silent, and struck the ground near the lower platforms.“Enemies?” Elder Lin asked.The System answered for him. “Shadow-bas

Kai moved with steady steps as he crossed the northern barren region with the rapid-response squad close behind him. Cold wind hit their clothes, but no one slowed down. The ground carried faint tremors, and the sky above them flickered with thin cracks of rift light.“System, confirm coordinates,” Kai said.“Coordinates locked. Rift distortion thirty meters ahead,” the System replied.An Azure Cloud scout ran up to Kai. “Sect Master, the distortion is unstable. It is shifting every few breaths.”“We keep moving,” Kai said. “No one spreads out.”“Understood,” the squad responded.The ground under them shook again. Kai looked at the flickering air beyond the ridge. “System, what is the nature of the distortion?”“Signatures resemble time displacement fields. Caution advised.”One of the elders glanced nervously around. “Time displacement at this magnitude should not appear unless a rift is being tampered with.”“True Path is here,” Kai said. “Stay alert.”As they approached the next ri