BENEATH HEAVENS GAZE

Chapter 9 – Return to Voidcrest

The path leading to Voidcrest was not one a mortal should tread lightly. It lay beyond the lands of men, where the sun barely pierced the thick canopy of ancient trees. Even the air here seemed heavier, saturated with a weight that no ordinary cultivator could bear for long.

Chen Fi and the boy walked side by side, though the boy had to struggle to keep up. His exhaustion was evident; the weight of the token seemed to pull at his Qi, slowing him down despite the brief respite Chen Fi had given him. Yet, there was no question in his mind now—he had no choice but to follow.

"You’re not saying much," the boy remarked after several hours, his voice strained. "What is this place? Why are we going here?"

Chen Fi didn’t immediately answer. His gaze remained forward, his senses sweeping the surrounding forests, watching for the ever-present shadows of those who would soon be after them. There were already whispers on the wind, faint but undeniable—hunters who could sense the token’s presence.

"Voidcrest," Chen Fi said quietly after a moment, "was once a sanctuary. A place where the powers of the old world were sealed away, hidden from those who would use them recklessly."

The boy frowned, still puzzled. "Powers of the old world? What do you mean?"

Chen Fi’s eyes flickered with the faintest trace of a memory. "A long time ago, before the rise of sects and the wars between the immortal realms, there were forces that sought to reshape the world. Some wanted to control the Dao itself. Others… others wished to break it."

The boy swallowed. "What does that have to do with me? With the token?"

Chen Fi’s voice softened as they passed a clearing where the ground was stained with ancient symbols—forgotten runes of power. "You are the key, whether you understand it or not. That token, the jade you carry, is a remnant of an old covenant—a tool used to bind something very dangerous."

The boy clutched the token closer to his chest. "A tool? For what?"

Chen Fi’s gaze shifted, something ancient and sorrowful in his eyes. "For a door. A door that should never have been opened."

---

The air began to change as they approached the heart of Voidcrest, where the world itself seemed to bend around them. The trees here were unlike any others—their trunks twisted in unnatural ways, their leaves shimmering with a strange light. The ground beneath their feet was marked with cracks that pulsed with a faint, eerie glow.

In the center of the clearing stood an altar, long forgotten by time, surrounded by four monolithic stones inscribed with symbols that seemed to shift when you looked at them directly. It was here that the ancient binding had taken place, and it was here that Chen Fi’s past had been sealed away.

The boy, sensing the change in the atmosphere, stepped back, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and fear. "This place... it’s alive, isn’t it?"

Chen Fi nodded, his expression solemn. "Yes. It was alive once, long ago. But it has been dormant for centuries. Now, it is awakening."

He placed the jade token into a slot at the center of the altar, where it fit perfectly, as though it had been made for this moment. The ground beneath their feet trembled as the runes on the altar began to glow, and the monolithic stones hummed with power.

The boy gasped, stepping back. "What’s happening?"

Chen Fi’s eyes narrowed. "The seal is weakening. This place was meant to hold back a force, a power that even the gods feared. When the token is placed in its rightful place, the barrier begins to unravel."

The boy looked from Chen Fi to the altar, fear evident on his face. "You’re saying this… this power is coming back?"

Chen Fi didn’t answer immediately, his focus entirely on the altar. The air crackled with energy, and the ground shook more violently now. In the distance, a dark cloud began to form, rolling in from all directions as if the very heavens were being drawn into this place.

"You must leave," Chen Fi said abruptly, his voice sharp. "Take the token and run. This is not your fight."

The boy hesitated, his eyes wide with terror. "But… I don’t know what’s happening. What’s going to come out of that door?"

Chen Fi turned to him, his expression hardening. "A power you cannot comprehend. One that has been sealed away for millennia. A power that is now bound to you, and you alone. That token… is a key, yes. But it is also a curse."

The boy trembled, his hand hovering over the token. "But I don’t want it. I never asked for any of this!"

"I know," Chen Fi said quietly, "but sometimes, fate doesn’t care what you want."

The ground beneath their feet cracked open.

A wave of dark energy surged outward, breaking through the altar’s seal, and the world seemed to warp as an ancient voice echoed from beyond the rift.

“The time has come.”

The boy stepped back, his heart pounding in his chest. "What is that? What’s happening?!"

Chen Fi raised his hand, his voice calm but firm. "Whatever emerges, you must stand firm. Do not let it control you. The seal is broken, but it does not mean it will be free."

---

At that moment, a shadow fell across the clearing.

Through the rift, a figure emerged—a being of darkness whose form seemed to flicker between the solid and the ethereal. Its eyes burned with an ancient, malevolent fire, and the very air seemed to buckle under the weight of its presence.

The boy took a step back, instinctively clutching the jade token, his hands trembling. "I can’t… I can’t face this!"

Chen Fi raised his hand, a brilliant light flaring from his palm. "You are not alone. But you must remember—this is a battle you were born into."

The dark figure’s voice resonated like thunder. "You dare defy me again, old one? Even after all these years?"

Chen Fi’s expression was cold as he stepped forward, his aura flaring with a power that shook the very foundation of the world.

"I am not the man I once was," he said, his voice unwavering. "But I will stop you again."