Chen Feng woke in a cell. His head pounded. His wrists burned where the suppression cuffs touched skin.The cell was small. Ten feet by ten feet. Three walls of solid stone. One wall of shimmering energy. A barrier that hummed with divine power."You are awake. Good." Malthus stood outside the barrier. "The Council wants you coherent for questioning."Chen Feng said nothing. Conserved his energy. Assessed his situation.The cuffs blocked ninety percent of his power. The barrier blocked the rest. Even if he broke the cuffs, the barrier would hold. For a while."Where is Lin Yue?" Chen Feng finally asked."The phoenix girl? Recovering. My healer did excellent work. She will live." Malthus smiled. "You should thank me.""I should kill you.""Probably. But you will not get the chance." Malthus pulled out a scroll. "The Council has reviewed your case. You stand accused of corruption, harboring a dangerous entity, resisting divine authority, and killing five divine beings.""Self defense. Th

The boat drifted for two days. Chen Feng ate sparingly. Conserved supplies. Let his power slowly recover.On the third day, a town appeared on the riverbank. Larger than a village. Stone buildings. A proper dock. Market stalls visible from the water.Chen Feng needed information. News about Lin Yue. About the Divine Council's next moves. About anything that might lead to Ling.He tied the boat at the dock. Pulled his hood low. Walked into town.The market was busy. Merchants shouted prices. Children ran between stalls. Normal life. Peaceful.Chen Feng bought a meat bun from a vendor. Asked casually, "Any news from the capital?""Plenty." The vendor counted coins. "Divine Council announced they captured a dangerous criminal. Some old war god who went mad. Killed dozens of innocents.""Did they execute him?""That is the strange part. He escaped. Right from their prison. Now they are offering a huge reward." The vendor leaned closer. "Ten thousand gold coins. Plus a divine favor. People

Morning came. Chen Feng woke to someone knocking on the door.The innkeeper entered carrying a tray. "Breakfast. And I found your tracker. She will meet you at noon. The old temple on South Street.""She?" Lin Yue asked."Madam Shen. Best bloodline tracker in Azure Sky City. Maybe in the entire kingdom." The innkeeper set down the tray. "But she is expensive. And strange. Very strange.""Strange how?""You will see." He left quickly.At noon, Chen Feng and Lin Yue found the old temple. It was abandoned. Broken statues. Overgrown gardens. But someone had cleaned one room. Made it livable.An old woman sat inside. She was impossibly thin. Her skin was pale like paper. Her eyes were completely white. No pupils. No iris. Just white."Enter." Her voice was a whisper. "I have been expecting you."They entered carefully. The room smelled like incense and old magic."You are Madam Shen?" Chen Feng asked."I am. Sit." She gestured to cushions. "You seek someone. A child. Your daughter.""How d

Dawn broke over Stone Valley. Chen Feng's forces were positioned. Demons on the left cliff. Mortals on the right. Lin Yue with archers at the rear. Zhang Wei and Shen Wu at the entrance with Chen Feng."They are coming." Karzoth pointed at the horizon. "I feel their energy."A portal opened in the sky. Not small. Massive. Through it marched the Divine Army.First came two hundred divine soldiers. Perfect formation. Golden armor gleaming. They spread across the valley approach in organized lines.Then came the Divine Hunters.Twelve figures descended from the portal. Each wore different armor. Each carried unique weapons. They landed in front of the army. Silent. Deadly.Their leader stepped forward. A woman. Tall. Silver hair pulled back severely. Her armor was black with gold trim. She carried twin swords that hummed with power."I am Valeria. Commander of the Divine Hunters." Her voice carried across the valley. "Chen Feng. Former God of War. You are charged with rebellion, murder,

Mordain arrived at night. No fanfare. No announcement. One moment the camp was normal. The next, he was there.He wore no armor. Just simple black robes. No weapons visible. His face was average. Forgettable. The kind of person you would pass on the street and never remember.But his eyes were different. Empty. Like looking into a void.Valeria met him at her command tent. "Mordain. Thank you for coming.""I do not come for thanks. I come because the Council commands." His voice was flat. Emotionless. "Explain the situation."Valeria showed him the map. "Chen Feng has allied with demons and mortals. They hide in cave systems. Launch raids constantly. Twelve hunters cannot catch them.""Because you are hunting wrong. You chase where they have been. Not where they will be." Mordain studied the map for ten seconds. "They use three main exits. Here. Here. And here. The fourth exit they keep as emergency escape. Here."He pointed at locations. Valeria checked her maps. He was right. Every