Heavenly Rebirth: The Outcast Return

Bloodlines and Black Fire

Chapter 4: Bloodlines and Black Fire

The sky tore like paper.

From the black rift above, a cloaked being descended — slow, steady, silent.

Xuan Long narrowed his eyes as wind howled and the ground trembled. The being hovered inches above the ruined valley, shrouded in layers of dark mist. Its body was tall, lean, and humanoid, but its eyes blazed gold like molten suns, and every step it took crackled with space-distorting pressure.

A phantom voice echoed in the air, speaking ancient words not meant for mortals:

“By the decree of the Void Court, the Devourer bloodline shall not rise again.”

The being raised its hand. The air screamed.

Xuan Long barely moved aside as a spear of compressed void energy split the earth beside him, carving a bottomless canyon into the valley floor.

What is this thing…?

“He’s not mortal,” the War Immortal growled inside his mind. “That’s a Void Executioner… a warrior bred by the ancient Celestial Tribunals to hunt cursed bloodlines. I’ve only seen one before… and it wiped out five immortal clans.”

Xuan Long gritted his teeth. “And you brought this onto me?”

“No. Your mother did.”

That hit like a hammer.

But there was no time to ask.

The being struck again — this time teleporting with a flicker and appearing behind Xuan Long mid-air, palm already extended.

Too late.

Boom!

The strike connected.

Xuan Long crashed through three mountains, bones fracturing, lungs wheezing. Blood painted the rocks.

But he stood.

He wiped his mouth, qi boiling through his veins, runes on his skin glowing.

“You want my blood? Come spill it yourself.”

He roared — and activated the Devour Vein’s Second Form.

Crimson fire exploded from his back, taking the shape of a shadowy serpent-dragon coiled around him. The surrounding trees withered instantly. The wind reversed.

The being blinked — his first sign of surprise.

“You wield the Mark of Abyss Flame,” he said. “Impossible. That bloodline was erased eons ago.”

“I’m full of impossibilities,” Xuan Long snarled. “Let me give you another.”

He leapt — breaking the sound barrier, his fist flaming with cursed qi.

The punch landed.

The being staggered, mist unraveling around its body. But instead of falling, it grinned.

“Good. I get to go all out.”

Suddenly, four black arms burst from its back, each holding a celestial weapon — a sword of starlight, a chain of shadows, a curved scythe, and a blazing hammer of compressed suns.

They fought.

Sky shattered. Mountains exploded. Rivers boiled.

Each blow could have leveled cities. But they struck only each other.

Xuan Long’s flames met the void. Runes clashed with divine sigils. His blood began to burn from overuse, but he pushed forward — using every forbidden technique the War Immortal had granted him.

Still… the being didn’t tire.

“You will break,” the Void Executioner said.

But Xuan Long only smiled — bloody, fierce.

“I broke once before. I didn’t stay that way.”

After nearly an hour of battle, the Void Executioner suddenly halted mid-air.

He raised a hand to his temple — as if hearing something.

Then… he stepped back.

“You’re not the only one awakening,” he said quietly. “Others… are stirring. The world is shifting too soon.”

He turned — walking back toward the rift.

“Wait!” Xuan Long roared. “You want my blood?! You came to kill me — finish it!”

But the being didn’t look back.

His final words echoed like thunder:

“I was only a scout.”

“The true enforcer will come next.”

And then he vanished.

The rift closed.

The sky returned to normal… but Xuan Long was left kneeling in a broken land, heart racing.

There’s more coming. Stronger. Smarter. Ancient.

The War Immortal broke the silence.

“Your blood… your mother… she wasn’t human. That pendant you saw in the Abyss wasn’t just a memory. It was a seal key.”

“You are the last hybrid of the Abyss Flame Line. Half-devourer, half-celestial.”

Xuan Long clenched his fists.

“What happened to her?”

“They hunted her. She hid you in the mortal realm, wiped your bloodline signature, and vanished before I could find her again.”

So everything… the betrayal, the sealing, even the Abyss…

Was planned to keep him hidden.

But now… he was awake.

As the battle dust settled, Xuan Long turned toward the valley.

Far off in the distance, the Crimson Cloud Sect was still burning.

Whatever faction had attacked it earlier — likely hired assassins or opportunistic clans — was long gone. The sect was weak now. Broken.

And soon, he would return.

But first…

He needed answers.

A glowing crack shimmered in the dirt nearby — the last residue of the black orb.

He picked up a shard. It pulsed faintly.

And then it spoke:

“Seek the Hall of Silence. Deep in the Forbidden Zone. Your mother left a message… and a weapon.”

Xuan Long’s gaze hardened.

Weapon. Message. Truth.

He needed all three.

Before he could move, a familiar sound echoed in the sky.

Boom—Boom—Boom.

Drums.

He turned to see a fleet of cloud ships descending from the north — each carrying soldiers in blood-red armor.

At the front was a woman in black robes with silver hair trailing behind her like a waterfall.

Mei Lin.

But her eyes… were lifeless. A talisman glowed at her brow.

She pointed at Xuan Long without a word.

A captain shouted: “Target confirmed! Kill the traitor — by order of the Crimson Council!”

Xuan Long stepped forward.

“No more running.”

His shadow grew long. His runes ignited. And in his hand, for the first time, a weapon formed from his own qi — a black-bladed spear wreathed in flame.

The Devourer’s Spear.

Surrounded. Outnumbered. Hunted by the woman he once loved.

But Xuan Long smiled, eyes glowing like fire.

“Let them come. I’ve died once already.”

“I’ll show them what rebirth looks like.”