"They're coming. All of them."Chen Mo stood at the window of the throne room, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The golden clouds were darkening, not with storm, but with ships. Hundreds of them. Thousands. The immortal lords of the eastern provinces had gathered their armies."Who?" Meng Yao asked."Everyone who refuses to bow."---The messenger knelt before the throne.His face was pale. His hands were shaking. He had flown for three days without rest to deliver the news."The eastern lords have declared war," he said. "They've gathered their forces at the border. They march on the capital as we speak.""How many?""Three hundred thousand. Maybe more."Chen Mo's jaw tightened. "And their leaders?""Lord Wei. Lord Zhao. Lord Sun. The three most powerful immortals in the Lower Heavens. They've all pledged to destroy you."---Chen Mo turned to face the loyal lord from the previous day.The one who had knelt. The one who had pledged his loyalty."You know them," he said. "What do they w

"The Dragon Lord is not your savior. He is your destroyer."The voice echoed through the streets of the capital, impossibly loud, impossibly clear. It came from everywhere and nowhere. It came from the shadows. It came from the light. It came from the very air itself.Chen Mo stood on the balcony of the palace, his eyes fixed on the crowd gathering below. They had come from every corner of the Lower Heavens. Mortals. Immortals. Rich. Poor. They had come to hear the Herald speak."Who is that?" Chen Mo demanded."I don't know," the loyal lord said. "He appeared three days ago. He's been preaching ever since.""Preaching what?""That you're the enemy. That you're the one who will destroy everything."---The Herald stood in the center of the square.He was tall. Gaunt. His robes were white, pristine, untouched by the chaos around him. His face was hidden behind a porcelain mask. His eyes were black pits."You've heard the stories," he said. "The Dragon Lord. The one who conquered the he

"The voice in my head is not my own. It's something older."Meng Yao sat alone in her chambers, her hands trembling in her lap. The shadows around her were moving. Not the way they usually moved. Not the way she controlled them. They were moving on their own."What's happening to me?" she whispered."You're waking up," the voice said. "You're finally waking up."---She had felt it for days.Ever since the Nine-Turn Soul Restoration Pill had healed her. Ever since she had woken from her coma. Ever since she had looked into Chen Mo's eyes and remembered everything.Something was different. Something was wrong."Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want?""I'm you," the voice said. "I've always been you."---Meng Yao stood.She walked to the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her. Gray eyes. Dark hair. Sharp features. The face she had always known.But