The spirit boat drifted silently above a sea of clouds, its hull gleaming faintly under the waxing moon. Veil formations rippled like silk along its edges, distorting the air and concealing it from sight, sound, and sense. Even powerful Nascent Soul cultivators would overlook its passage unless they were actively scanning with divine sense — and even then, the Sect Veil would blur all impressions.
Below, the vast silhouette of the Veiled Spirit Mountains emerged from the mists.
They were not the tallest range in the Central Region, nor the most spiritually vibrant at first glance. But there was something different about these peaks. Clouds clung unnaturally to the ridges, and the spirit aura that rose from the valleys was... muted, as if breathing beneath centuries of dust.
Li Xuan stood at the prow of the spirit boat, eyes narrowed.
He could feel it now — a subtle rhythm, a spiritual pulse faint and steady, buried deep within the mountains. Like a slumbering heartbeat echoing from another age. It matched the resonance of the second glyph in his spiritual sea: the glyph that had only appeared after the celestial lotus bloomed.
"We're here," he said quietly, and the boat began its descent.
The spirit boat landed on a secluded cliff edge, shielded by trees and layered illusion arrays. Li Xuan stepped down first, eyes scanning the misty valley below.
A breeze brushed against his cheek, cool and fragrant — carrying the scent of old incense, the kind once used in ancient halls during solemn rites. The cliff they stood upon overlooked a valley surrounded by spiraling peaks. At first glance, there was nothing — just stone and forest. But to Li Xuan, the spiritual pulse grew clearer by the second.
He activated the Inner Moon Eye, a technique bound to the Nine Heavens Moon Sect's inheritance.
And the illusion shattered.
Before him lay the shattered Outer Walls of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect — broken towers, fallen statues, and collapsed stone gates buried beneath layers of earth and overgrowth. Moonsteel fragments glinted beneath the vines. Spirit gathering formations long dormant flickered faintly to life in his presence.
A hush fell over the group.
"It's real…" Yuan Fei whispered, awed. "This place… it was hidden all along."
"No," Li Xuan said, stepping forward with slow reverence. "It wasn't hidden. It was waiting."
Yue stepped down beside him, her eyes reflecting the ghostly glow of the broken ruins. She said nothing, but her expression was solemn, as though something inside her resonated with the silence of this place.
Behind them, the four children — two boys and two girls — clung close together, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and wonder. Their robes were newer now, gifted from the supplies on the spirit boat, but their eyes still carried the shadows of the trauma they'd endured under the hands of evil cultivators. This place, despite its decay, didn't frighten them. It felt… safe.
One of the girls tugged gently at Yue's sleeve. "Big Sister… is this home?"
Yue crouched and smiled softly, brushing the girl's hair aside. "Maybe it is. For all of us."
As they crossed the broken threshold, the very air changed. Spiritual energy, long suppressed, stirred like a rising tide. The glyph in Li Xuan's mind pulsed. Somewhere deep in the mountains, an ancient seal groaned — the Sect Core awakening to the presence of its heir.
The Nine Heavens Moon Sect had slept for thousands of years.
Now, with the arrival of its chosen heir, his companion, and the next generation sheltered in the folds of fate — it would rise again.
As they crossed the broken threshold, the very air changed. Spiritual energy, long suppressed, stirred like a rising tide. The glyph in Li Xuan's mind pulsed. Somewhere deep in the mountains, an ancient seal groaned — the Sect Core awakening to the presence of its heir.
Yet Li Xuan did not rush forward.
His gaze shifted to the children, still clinging close to Yue. To Yuan Fei, whose eyes roamed with excitement and awe. To Yue herself, standing steady at his side like moonlight beside fire. His parents tired faces.
They had endured much — all of them. And what waited deeper in these ruins would not be gentle.
They needed a place of safety. A foundation.
"System," Li Xuan said inwardly, his spiritual intent focused. "Open Sect Shop."
A translucent interface appeared before his mind's eye — ancient scrolls of architecture, flickering with classifications and rune-bound seals. Among the entries, one pulsed faintly in silver-gold light.
[Moonshadow Sanctuary – Compact Sect Residence (Ancient Era)]
A small, fortified sanctuary once used by outer disciples of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect. Includes self-sustaining spirit wells, cleansing wards, housing for thirty, and an integrated Guardian Fog Array. Cost: 8,000 Spirit Merit.
"Purchase."
The spiritual interface dissolved. Moments later, the air trembled.
Silver glyphs erupted from the glyph in Li Xuan's mind, flowing into the ground beneath their feet. The stone around the cliff rumbled, pulling back like water drawn from a well. Light surged upward in delicate arcs, forming outlines — corridors, pillars, domes — until the Sanctuary rose in full.
A pale moonsteel gate stood at the center, marked with the symbol of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect. Warm light glowed from within the polished halls, and the air smelled faintly of spirit tea and clean parchment. Protective formations hummed softly along the perimeter.
The four children stared, mouths agape. One of the boys dropped to his knees and touched the smooth stone floor, blinking rapidly.
Yue placed a hand on the archway, her fingers lingering on the carved patterns. "You brought it back… a piece of it."
"No," Li Xuan said. "The Sect chose to return. I only opened the door."
Yuan Fei gave a low whistle. "This is better than any fortress I've ever seen."
"Good," Li Xuan replied, finally stepping across the sanctuary threshold. "Let them rest. Let them eat and sleep without fear. When they're ready… we begin."
As night deepened over the Veiled Spirit Mountains, a silver sanctuary pulsed to life atop the cliffs — a light against the darkness. Below it, the ruins of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect waited, patient and proud.
Tomorrow, the past would awaken.
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