CHAPTER 223: GOLDEN NIGHT

Silence fell, deep and absolute.

The three men — Fang Wu, Wuji, and Baotian did not speak. They couldn’t.

They all knew the weight behind those words.

The enmity between the Heavenly Demons and the Heavenly Gods was not a feud born of time.

It was a hatred so ancient, it had long since woven itself into the very blood of both races.

And their Martial Ancestor — The Martial God, whose divine bloodline could shake the heavens was the living symbol of that war.

To inherit his legacy was to inherit both glory... and eternal enmity of the Heavenly Demons.

Among the three present, only Baotian knew what had happened to the first disciple of the Martial Ancestor.

Ever since that tragedy, the Ancestor had refused to take another inheritor.

But now — something had changed. Something, or someone, had moved even him.

"It seems the preparations are complete," the Martial Ancestor finally said, his tone calm, almost indifferent.

He raised the fishing rod slightly. At that moment, it no longer looked like a mere tool — it stretched infinitely, countless invisible threads extending from it, connecting to disciples across the realm.

Each line pulsed faintly, linking to a single soul — a disciple somewhere within the sect whose potential resonated faintly with his divine path.

Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, he pulled.

THUD! THUD!! THUD!!!

Across the Mini Heaven Immortal Sect, golden light erupted. In an instant, nearly five thousand disciples vanished from their places — pulled straight into the illusionary realm.

Among them stood a familiar figure, blinking in confusion.

It was Yu Xuan.

But just then, his face became grave, because he saw a system prompt in black-gold he rarely saw.

[Skill Fated Encounter is Strongly Activated]

***

Yu Xuan, Lingluo, and Ming Tianmei were walking leisurely toward their cottage after the heated auction when the sky suddenly turned golden.

"Woah!" Lingluo exclaimed, shielding her eyes as the light grew brighter.

Ming Tianmei narrowed her gaze, her expression turning solemn. The heavens above shimmered like molten gold.

’It seems the time has arrived... much earlier than I expected,’ she thought quietly.

"The night turned into a golden night? Is some old dude or granny making a move again?" Yu Xuan muttered, hands behind his head.

To him, this wasn’t anything new. In a cultivation world, weird celestial events were as common as breathing. If the sky didn’t collapse at least once a century, he’d think something was wrong and someone was planning a sinister scheme.

"I’m getting hungry," Lingluo complained, rubbing her stomach.

"We should’ve eaten something at the UFC Auction Hall," Yu Xuan replied casually.

"I heard they had great spirit chefs, we could have gotten a discount too."

Still, the three of them stopped and watched the sky, bathed in that majestic golden glow.

Then a thought flashed across Yu Xuan’s mind.

’Wait... earlier did I just raise a flag?’

Before he could even blink—

BOOM!

A golden beam of light descended from the heavens and struck him directly, swallowing him whole.

"What?!" Lingluo shouted, reaching for him, but her hand passed through empty air.

Yu Xuan had vanished.

"Mei! Let’s go find Master!" Lingluo said urgently, panic lacing her voice.

"Wait," Ming Tianmei said, grabbing her arm. "Look around."

Lingluo froze.

Across the sect, golden beams were falling everywhere, engulfing countless disciples. The sky above the entire Heaven Immortal Sect had turned into a shimmering ocean of light.

"Whatever’s happening," Ming Tianmei said softly, "it’s happening to everyone. And I don’t think Xuan’er is in danger."

Lingluo didn’t notice the affectionate way she said his name.

Her eyes glowed faintly, shifting into a deep, pure violet. The pupils disappeared entirely, replaced by rotating symbols in a symmetric yet asymmetric manner.

Then she looked up again with her gaze.

Waves of divine energy surged outward, though no harm happened in the sect.

The phenomenon lasted only ten seconds... but in that moment, time seemed to hold its breath.

Then, the light receded.

One by one, the golden beams descended again, returning the missing disciples to their original places.

And among them—

Yu Xuan reappeared exactly where he had been standing.

But he was not the same.

His clothes were torn slightly, his body drenched in blood — though none of it seemed to be his own.

His right eye shone with blinding white radiance, while his left eye was darker than the endless void.

For an instant, the world itself seemed to freeze between those two extremes of light and darkness.

Then Yu Xuan looked at Ming Tianmei and smiled faintly.

Her heart skipped a beat. That smile, combined with those eyes, felt like something that shouldn’t exist, they were otherworldly, a paradox of destruction and creation. That gaze was the one she was most familiar with before returning.

"I’ll go ahead," Yu Xuan said quietly, his tone calm but detached.

"There are... quite a few things I need to do."

He gave one last glance toward Lingluo, whose eyes were still glowing violet, then walking towards her he flicked her forehead lightly.

"Ouch!!" Lingluo yelped, clutching her head, her eyes returned to normal, as her body trembled from the strange pain that echoed through her whole body.

"You little bas—" she began, but Yu Xuan vanished before she could finish.

Lingluo blinked, dumbfounded.

"What the hell just happened?"

Ming Tianmei smiled softly, though her expression carried a hint of worry.

"Let’s go. Whatever happened... I think he’s exhausted. He’ll need rest for now."

Lingluo narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Why do I have a feeling you know what’s going on?"

Ming Tianmei laughed nervously.

"Haha.., what are you talking about? We were together the whole time! Anyway, why don’t you cook him something nice for tomorrow morning? I’m sure he’s hungry."

Lingluo still looked unconvinced, but after a moment she sighed.

"Fine..."

And with that, the two of them headed back toward Lingluo’s cottage.

Above them, the golden sky shimmered one last time before slowly fading, leaving behind the calm, starry night — as if nothing had ever happened.