Part to the power of the universe

CHAPTER 11

THE FIRST ENEMY FROM BEYOND THE STARS

The first sign appeared at 3:17 a.m,Xuan Tian was meditating beside his bedroom window when the black ring suddenly burned against his palm.

His eyes opened,a thin golden line emerged from the ring and stretched toward the ceiling. Within seconds, the line divided into seven branches, forming a miniature version of the ancient seal formation he had seen beneath Blackridge Mountain.

Then the second symbol began to blink black light.Xuan Tian immediately stopped circulating spiritual energy.Something was interfering with the ring,He raised his hand and examined the projection.

WARNING: FOREIGN CONSCIOUSNESS DETECTED.

His expression changed,a foreign consciousness?

He had encountered countless spiritual techniques during his former life. He knew the difference between a natural energy disturbance and an intelligent force attempting to establish contact.

This was neither an ordinary message nor a simple warning.Something was reaching through the seal.

"Identify yourself," he whispered.

The ring trembled,For several seconds, nothing happened.Then a voice entered his mind.

At last,the voice was ancient, cold, and strangely familiar.The vessel has awakened.

Xuan Tian's pupils contracted."Who are you?"

A low laugh echoed inside his consciousness.You have forgotten so much, Emperor.

The room grew colder.Xuan Tian immediately formed a defensive seal with his fingers. Golden spiritual energy gathered around his body, protecting his consciousness from intrusion.

"Answer me."

You once stood before the Celestial Throne. You commanded armies that could shatter stars. You believed yourself immortal.

The voice paused.And yet, when the black star descended, you failed to save them.

A violent memory flashed through Xuan Tian's mind,A burning sky,Countless stars collapsing.

The cries of cultivators as an endless darkness swallowed their world.And at the centre of it all, a black sphere that consumed everything it touched.

His breathing became uneven.He had spent years trying to understand that catastrophe, but the final moments of his former universe remained fragmented,Now something was using those memories against him.

He clenched his fist."You know what happened to my universe."

I know what you were never permitted to learn.

The golden protection around his consciousness flickered.The seals were not created to imprison the Devourer.

Xuan Tian froze."What?"

They were created to keep something else from reaching it.

The voice disappeared,The black light vanished from the ring, leaving behind a single line.

UNKNOWN ENTITY: CONTACT TERMINATED.

For a long moment, Xuan Tian remained motionless.He had spent his former life believing the seven seals were connected to the force that destroyed his universe.Now he had reason to question everything.

If the seals were not designed to imprison the Devourer, then what had they been protecting?And why had the entity called him a vessel?

He looked toward the dark city beyond his window.For the first time since his reincarnation, he felt something he had not experienced in centuries.

Uncertainty.But uncertainty was not a weakness,It was a reason to investigate.

He closed his eyes and began meditating again.This time, he did not seek greater power,He sought the truth.

By seven o'clock, Westbridge City was already awake.Cars crowded the roads. Street vendors arranged their goods along the pavements, and students hurried toward school.

To everyone else, it was an ordinary morning.To Xuan Tian, the city had become a battlefield whose boundaries remained invisible.

He entered the kitchen and found Margaret packing food into a container.

"You're awake early," she said.

"I couldn't sleep."

She studied his face.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, Mother."

She touched his forehead."You look tired. You have been carrying too much responsibility lately."

Xuan Tian looked at her hand.There had been a time when the word mother meant nothing more than a distant memory. In his former life, he had buried that part of himself beneath cultivation, ambition, and the endless pursuit of immortality.

Now, a simple gesture could remind him how much he stood to lose.

"I will be careful," he promised.

Margaret nodded, though concern remained in her eyes.

"Your father wants you to come home immediately after school today. He says we need to discuss something as a family."

"What happened?"

"He hasn't explained. He only said it was important."

Xuan Tian considered asking more questions, but Margaret was already returning to the kitchen.

He decided to wait.Whatever the problem was, he would face it with them.

Before leaving, he checked the black ring.Its projection remained dark.Yet he could still sense something beneath its silence.A faint pulse like a distant heartbeat.

At Westbridge High School, the atmosphere was even stranger than before,Students gathered in small groups, whispering about the sealed science wing.

Someone had claimed to hear an explosion beneath the building. Another student insisted that the lights had gone out across three classrooms at precisely the same moment.

The administration had announced that the affected section would remain closed pending an inspection.

Xuan Tian walked through the corridor without reacting to the rumours.Near the laboratory, he found Professor Elias Ward waiting beside a window.

The older man approached immediately.

"We need to talk."

Xuan Tian studied him."What happened?"

Elias glanced around before lowering his voice."I returned to the laboratory early this morning. I wanted to check whether the equipment had been damaged by whatever happened underground."

"And?"

"All the instruments were functioning normally."

"That is good."

"No, it isn't."

Elias removed a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.

"Look at this."It contained a printed graph showing the laboratory's electromagnetic readings over the previous twenty-four hours.

Xuan Tian examined it.Most of the readings were ordinary.Then he reached the final section.A sharp spike had appeared at 3:17 a.m.

His expression hardened.The exact time the ring had activated.

"Did you record this yourself?" he asked.

"Yes. The equipment stores its readings automatically."

"Did anyone else see it?"

"Not yet."

Xuan Tian handed the paper back."Do not tell anyone about the underground chamber. Not until we understand what happened."

Elias looked uncomfortable."Keeping secrets is not something I particularly enjoy."

"Neither is being responsible for people who enter a dangerous place without understanding what is inside."

The teacher studied him for a moment."You really do speak like someone much older than you are."

Xuan Tian almost smiled."If you knew how old I truly am, Professor, you would have difficulty believing it."

Elias stared at him."Was that a joke?"

"Perhaps."

For the first time, the teacher laughed.But the moment passed quickly.

"There's something else," Elias said. "I found a symbol carved into the underside of the equipment table. It wasn't there yesterday."

He handed Xuan Tian a photograph.The symbol showed seven circles arranged around a larger central mark,Six circles were empty.The seventh contained a small black star.

Xuan Tian's blood seemed to turn cold.He recognised the pattern.It was not identical to the formation beneath Blackridge, but it belonged to the same ancient system.

More importantly, the black star in the centre resembled the object that had destroyed his former universe.

"When did you take this photograph?" he asked.

"At six this morning."

"Did you touch the symbol?"

"No."

"Good. Keep it that way."

Elias's expression grew serious.

"Tell me what we're dealing with."

Xuan Tian returned the photograph."Something that existed long before this city. Something that should never have been disturbed."

"And the creature we saw?"

"Possibly a guardian. Possibly a scout."

"Scout for what?"

Xuan Tian looked at him."That is what I intend to discover."

At noon, a black vehicle stopped outside a private building on the eastern side of Westbridge City.

Inside, Marcus Vane sat behind a polished desk, listening to a report from his most trusted investigator.

"The police have opened a file concerning the assault on Daniel William," the investigator said. "Adrian Cross has also obtained copies of the family's loan documents."

Marcus's jaw tightened.

"How much does Cross know?"

"Not enough to destroy us yet. But he has started asking questions about several old accounts."

"Then make sure he finds nothing."

The investigator hesitated."There is another matter."

Marcus looked up."What now?"

"The boy has been seen with Professor Elias Ward."

Marcus frowned."The physics teacher?"

"Yes. They were together near the old science wing yesterday."

For a moment, Marcus said nothing.Then he leaned back in his chair."Find out why."

"Should we approach the boy?"

"No."

The investigator appeared surprised.

Marcus's eyes narrowed."That family has already attracted more attention than I want. If we touch them again, we may bring the entire police department down on us."

He paused."Besides, I want to know what the boy is hiding."

The investigator nodded."And the debt?"

Marcus smiled without warmth."The debt remains. But from now on, nobody approaches the William family without my permission."

After the investigator left, Marcus opened a drawer and removed an old photograph.It showed a younger version of himself standing beside three men in dark robes.

Behind them was a stone doorway covered in unfamiliar symbols.Marcus stared at the photograph for a long time.He had spent years trying to forget what he witnessed that night.But the recent disturbances had brought the memories back.

The strange lights.The impossible sounds.The man who had vanished after entering the chamber.And the warning that had been delivered before the doorway was sealed.

When the bearer returns, the world will change.Marcus placed the photograph back in the drawer.He had believed the warning was nothing more than a story told by frightened men.

That evening, Xuan Tian returned home to find his family gathered in the sitting room.

Daniel sat upright on the sofa,his injured arm still supported by the sling. Margaret sat beside him, while Lily played quietly on the floor.

A man in a neat brown suit stood near the window.He appeared to be in his late forties and carried a leather briefcase.

Daniel motioned for his son to enter."Cooper, come here. We have a visitor."

Xuan Tian looked at the stranger.

The man extended his hand."My name is Samuel Reed. I'm a solicitor."

Xuan Tian shook his hand."How may we help you?"

Samuel opened his briefcase and removed a document."Your father contacted my office this morning. He wanted an independent review of the loan agreement with Marcus Vane."

Daniel nodded."We cannot continue living under the threat of losing our home. I want to know exactly where we stand."

Samuel placed the document on the table."Based on the copies provided, there are several issues worth investigating. Some repayment entries do not appear to match the amounts your family says it paid.However, I will need the original agreement, payment records, and any notices issued by the lender before I can offer a firm legal opinion."

Margaret looked worried."Does that mean they can still take our house?"

"That depends on the agreement, the applicable law, and whether the lender has followed the proper legal process.They cannot simply assume that a disputed debt gives them permission to use threats or violence."

Daniel exhaled slowly.For the first time in days, some of the tension left his face.

Xuan Tian listened without interrupting.This was the kind of help his family needed,Not another promise of revenge.

Not a reckless display of spiritual power,a proper examination of the evidence, supported by someone who understood the law.

Samuel turned toward him."Your father says you have been helping organise the documents."

"That is correct."

"Then I would like you to bring every receipt, transfer confirmation, message, and letter connected to the loan. Do not discard anything, even if it appears unimportant."

"I will."

Samuel closed his briefcase."I'll begin with the repayment history and the notices your family received. If the documents support your account, we can determine the appropriate legal steps."

After the solicitor left, Daniel looked at his son."You see? We do not have to fight every battle with our own hands."

Xuan Tian nodded."You're right, Father."

Daniel smiled faintly."Good. Because I would prefer to see you graduate rather than spend your life chasing dangerous men."

Lily suddenly looked up from her drawing."Does that mean the bad men will leave us alone?"

The room fell silent.Margaret reached for her daughter."We are going to do everything we can, sweetheart."

Xuan Tian crouched beside Lily."And I will keep my promise."

She smiled and returned to her drawing.

But Xuan Tian's thoughts had already moved beyond Marcus Vane.The ancient seals were awakening.

The black star had reached across the darkness to communicate with him,and someone in Westbridge City had known about the bearer long before his reincarnation.He needed to discover who that person was.

That night, Xuan Tian returned to the abandoned railway chamber.

He went alone.The city had grown quiet, and the entrance remained hidden behind the old construction barriers. He moved through the passage until he reached the chamber where he had first discovered the black crystal.

The crystal was still there,But it was no longer completely black.

A thin golden line ran across its surface.Xuan Tian approached cautiously.The black ring warmed.

A projection appeared.

CELESTIAL ORIGIN LEGACY: RESONANCE DETECTED.

Beneath it, a second message emerged.

MEMORY FRAGMENT AVAILABLE.

Xuan Tian extended his hand.The crystal released a pulse of light.Suddenly, the chamber disappeared.

He stood beneath a vast sky filled with unfamiliar stars.

Before him rose a magnificent palace, its towers extending beyond the clouds. Thousands of cultivators knelt across an endless staircase.

At the summit stood a younger version of himself, dressed in white robes embroidered with golden dragons.

The Celestial Emperor,His former self.But something was wrong,The memory showed another figure standing beside him,a man whose face was hidden beneath a dark hood.The man placed one hand upon the Celestial Throne.

Then he turned toward Xuan Tian.Even through the memory, the voice was unmistakable.

You must never open the seventh seal.The scene shattered.

Xuan Tian staggered backwards, catching himself against the wall.

His breathing was heavy,He had remembered the throne,He had remembered the palace.But he had never seen that hooded man before.

Who was he?And why had he warned the Emperor against opening the final seal?

The black ring flashed again.This time, the message was different.

MEMORY FRAGMENT INCOMPLETE.

IDENTITY OF THE HOODED FIGURE: SEALED.

Xuan Tian stared at the words,a faint smile appeared on his face.At last, he had found a clue that connected his former life to the mysteries surrounding Earth.

He had no intention of abandoning it.But before he could examine the crystal further, the entire chamber shook.

A deep vibration rolled through the passage,The golden line on the crystal widened.

Then a voice emerged from its depths.Not the voice of the unknown entity.Not the whisper of the Devourer.This voice was calm, familiar, and filled with an authority that made even the ancient ring fall silent.

Xuan Tian.He froze.

The voice continued.If you can hear this, then the first two seals have begun to awaken.

Xuan Tian stepped closer."Who are you?"

A pause followed.Then the answer came.I am the man you were before you became the Emperor.

The crystal exploded with golden light,and Xuan Tian saw a face he had not seen in centuries.

His own,But older.Far older,The memory spoke one final sentence.Before you seek the seventh seal, discover who killed you.

The light vanished.Xuan Tian stood motionless in the darkness.For the first time since his return, the question was no longer whether the Devourer had destroyed his universe.

The question was whether someone he had trusted had helped it happen,and if the Emperor had been betrayed from within.

then the greatest enemy in his new life might be someone who had once stood beside him.