Rise of the Forsaken Dragon: The System's Retribution

Chapter 7: The Altar of the Blood Moon

The golden streak of light that was Zhenkai Longrui slammed into the frost-covered earth of North Peak with the force of a falling star. The shockwave pulverized the mountain’s permafrost, sending a cloud of ice and gravel into the air. Before the dust could even settle, Zhenkai was already walking toward the towering, obsidian-black gates of the Lanyue secret estate.

The gates were reinforced with modern carbon-fiber plating and ancient, glowing runes that hummed with a defensive frequency.

"Stop right there! This is private property! One more step and we open fire!"

A dozen men in high-tech tactical gear, their visors glowing with thermal tracking, stepped out from the shadows of the guard towers. They weren't holding standard rifles; these were pulse-rifles powered by low-grade spirit stones.

"I’m not here for a tour," Zhenkai said, his voice echoing with a metallic resonance. "Open the gate, or I’ll use your heads to do it."

"You’ve got a big mouth for a guy who’s about to get turned into swiss cheese," the lead guard sneered, leveling his weapon. "Do you even know where you are? This is the Lanyue Inner Sanctum. You’re—"

"I know exactly where I am," Zhenkai interrupted. "You’re in my way."

[System Warning: Defensive Array ‘Iron Tortoise’ active. Physical resistance: 95%.]

[Would you like to bypass?]

"No," Zhenkai whispered. "I want them to feel it."

He pulled back his right fist. The air around his arm began to distort, the friction of his gathering essence causing the oxygen to ignite in tiny, golden sparks.

"What’s he doing? Is he... is he going to punch the gate?" a guard asked, his voice cracking over the comms.

"Is he stupid? That’s four inches of reinforced steel and a Grade-C shielding array! He’ll break his—"

BOOM.

Zhenkai’s fist connected. The sound wasn't a metallic clang; it was a thunderclap that shook the entire mountain. The "Iron Tortoise" array didn't just fail; it shattered like cheap glass, the runes turning black before evaporating. The massive gates were torn from their hinges, whistling through the air like giant frisbees before crushing two armored transport vehicles parked in the courtyard.

Zhenkai stepped through the wreckage, his eyes scanning the inner courtyard. "Who’s next?"

"Kill him! Kill him now!" the lead guard screamed.

A hail of sapphire-colored pulse rounds lit up the night. Zhenkai didn't dodge. He walked through the fire, the rounds splashing against his golden aura like raindrops against a windshield. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of pressure outward. The guards were tossed aside like ragdolls, their armor buckling under the sheer weight of his presence.

"Zhenkai Longrui. I expected a dragon, but all I see is a loud-mouthed brat with a chip on his shoulder."

The voice was calm, coming from the top of a stone staircase leading to the main temple. A man stood there, clad in a simple grey robe that seemed to swallow the light around it. He held a long, black staff topped with a crescent blade. This was Qiao Tianlun, the Shadow Master—the Lanyue family’s ultimate deterrent.

"Qiao Tianlun," Zhenkai said, stopping at the base of the stairs. "I heard you were the guy who keeps the bodies buried for the Lanyue elders. You look older than the rumors."

"And you look far more arrogant than a house-husband has any right to be," Qiao replied, spinning his staff. "I watched the feed from the Hyatt. You’ve got talent, I’ll give you that. But those Executioners were children. I am a God of War. Do you understand the difference?"

"I’ve always been bad at math," Zhenkai said, a savage grin spreading across his face. "Why don't you show me?"

"With pleasure."

Qiao vanished.

He didn't just move fast; he moved through the shadows. A split second later, the crescent blade was inches from Zhenkai’s throat. Zhenkai tilted his head back, the blade whistling past his skin, and countered with a palm strike. Qiao blocked with the shaft of his staff, the impact sending a shockwave that cracked the stone tiles beneath them.

"Not bad," Qiao hissed, his eyes glowing with a dull violet light. "But can you keep up with the shadows?"

The Shadow Master split into four identical figures, circling Zhenkai with impossible speed. Each one struck from a different angle, the staff blurs of lethal energy.

[System Alert: Hostile is utilizing ‘Void-Step’ duplicates.]

[Detection rate: 40%. Host is taking damage.]

Zhenkai grunted as a strike caught him in the ribs, followed by a slash across his thigh. "Alright, enough with the magic tricks!"

"Is that all the Great Longrui Heir has?" Qiao’s voice echoed from all four figures. "You’re nothing but a battery for the real power! You’re a sacrifice in training!"

"You talk too much for a guy who’s about to lose his job!" Zhenkai roared.

[System Command: Overload Dragon Veins? Warning: This will cause 12 hours of total Essence depletion.]

"Do it!"

A pillar of golden fire erupted from Zhenkai, incinerating the shadow duplicates instantly. He didn't wait for Qiao to recover. He lunged, his hand moving in the Forbidden Dragon Palm.

"Wait! That’s—" Qiao tried to raise his staff, but Zhenkai’s hand went right through the wood, snapping it like a toothpick.

Zhenkai’s palm slammed into Qiao’s chest. The "God of War" was sent soaring backward, crashing through the heavy oak doors of the inner sanctum and skidding across the polished marble floor inside.

Zhenkai walked into the temple, his breathing heavy, smoke rising from his skin.

The inner sanctum was a cavernous hall filled with the scent of burning sage and something metallic. In the center, a massive circular platform was etched with glowing silver lines.

And there was Xueira.

She was suspended five feet in the air, her black hair fan-folded around her head as if she were underwater. A beam of pure, cold moonlight descended from the open skylight, hitting her directly. Her skin was translucent, glowing with a faint blue light that pulsed in time with the ritual's hum.

"Xueira!" Zhenkai shouted, stepping toward the platform.

"Don't take another step, Zhenkai."

Lanyue Shoushan, Xueira’s father, stepped out from behind a pillar. He looked older than he had a few days ago, his eyes sunken and desperate. Beside him stood three elders, their hands outstretched to maintain the ritual’s flow.

"Get her down from there, Shoushan," Zhenkai growled. "Now. Before I forget you're her father."

"You don't understand, you fool!" Shoushan yelled, his voice cracking. "The Void Gate is opening! If we don't use her bloodline to seal it, the entire city—everything we’ve built—will be wiped out! She’s the only one with the Yin-vessel strong enough to hold the seal!"

"So you’re killing your own daughter to save your bank account?" Zhenkai asked, his voice deathly quiet.

"It’s not about money! It’s about survival!" one of the elders barked. "The Longrui family failed to protect the world a thousand years ago! The Lanyue family will succeed where your ancestors fell!"

"The only thing you’re succeeding at is being a coward," Zhenkai said.

He leaped toward the platform, but an invisible barrier slammed into him, throwing him back. The moonlight beam grew brighter, turning from silver to a blinding, violent white.

Xueira’s eyes snapped open. They weren't brown anymore. They were solid, glowing sapphire. A scream tore from her throat, but it wasn't a human sound—it was a resonant, melodic chime that shattered every window in the temple.

"The awakening..." Shoushan whispered, falling to his knees. "It’s happening! The vessel is full!"

"Xueira! Look at me!" Zhenkai fought against the pressure of the barrier, his boots carving deep grooves into the marble. "Don't let them take you! Fight it!"

Xueira’s head turned slowly. She looked at Zhenkai, and for a brief second, the sapphire light flickered, showing the terrified woman beneath. "Zhenkai... run..."

"I’m not leaving you!" Zhenkai slammed his fists against the barrier. "Break, damn you! BREAK!"

The ceiling of the temple didn't just crack; it disintegrated.

The night sky above North Peak didn't show stars anymore. A massive, swirling vortex of purple and black energy had opened, stretching across the entire horizon. The air grew freezing, and a pressure so intense it made the elders vomit blood settled over the mountain.

From the center of the vortex, a voice boomed—a voice that didn't sound like it came from a throat, but from the fabric of reality itself.

"The Seal is broken. The Dragon’s shadow has grown long."

A figure began to descend from the portal, draped in armor that looked like it was forged from the hearts of dying suns. The figure didn't look at Shoushan or the elders. It looked directly at the platform.

"Who the hell are you?" Zhenkai demanded, coughing up blood as the pressure increased.

The armored figure landed softly on the edge of the ritual platform, ignoring the barrier as if it didn't exist. He reached out a hand toward Xueira.

"I am the Herald of the High Realm," the voice echoed. "We have searched for the true spark of the Longrui for three millennia. We sensed the awakening. We sensed the return of the Sovereign."

Shoushan looked up, hope dawning in his eyes. "You... you’re here for the Longrui heir? Take him! Take Zhenkai! He’s the one you want!"

The Herald turned his head slightly, his visor glowing with a cold, judgmental light as he looked at Zhenkai.

"Him?" the Herald let out a sound like grinding metal—a laugh. "This broken creature? This half-formed whelp with clogged veins and a borrowed ring? No. He is merely a footnote. A guardian at best."

The Herald turned back to Xueira, his hand gently cupping her chin as she floated in the beam.

"The world was told the Longrui Kings were men," the Herald declared, his voice shaking the very foundation of the mountain. "The world was lied to. The blood doesn't flow through the Dragon’s fist, but through the Heart of the Phoenix."

The Herald looked down at Zhenkai, his voice filled with a terrifying pity.

"Zhenkai Longrui, you are nothing but the shadow cast by the sun. The true heir of the Longrui throne... has finally been found."

The Herald gestured to Xueira.

"And she is coming with us. The Higher Realm has no place for a house-husband."

With a flash of light that turned the world white, the beam of moonlight reversed, pulling Xueira and the Herald upward toward the vortex.

"XUEIRA!" Zhenkai screamed, lunging into the light, his fingers missing the hem of her dress by an inch.

The vortex snapped shut, leaving the temple in absolute, soul-crushing silence. Zhenkai hit the stone floor, his essence gone, his body broken, staring up at an empty sky.

He was alone. And for the first time in his life, the Dragon truly felt small.