The voyage to the Eastern Sea began under auspicious skies that belied the tensions simmering among the expedition members. Elder Feng had assembled a team of seven inner disciples, each specializing in different combat arts, and pointedly assigned Liu Yun to the role of "observer"—a thinly veiled insult suggesting he was unfit for actual contribution.
Their vessel was a massive flying ship carved from ancient spirit wood, its hull inscribed with formations that allowed it to soar above the clouds or dive beneath ocean waves with equal ease. Liu Yun stood at the bow, watching the landscape unfold beneath them, secretly absorbing every detail of the ship's construction through the jade pendant in his palm.
"Enjoying the view, disciple?" The voice dripped with contempt. Elder Feng approached, his severe features arranged in a smile that never reached his eyes. "Or plotting how many of us you can devour before we reach our destination?"
Liu Yun turned, meeting the elder's gaze with calculated neutrality. "I serve Peak Master Su's interests, which currently align with the mission's success. You have nothing to fear from me... unless you make yourself an obstacle."
The elder's smile vanished. "Your arrogance exceeds even your reputation. Remember your place."
"My place?" Liu Yun allowed a cold smile to form. "Peak Master Su made that quite clear. I answer to her alone."
As Elder Feng stalked away, furious but unwilling to challenge Peak Master Su's authority even indirectly, one of the inner disciples approached. Unlike her companions who maintained hostile distance, this young woman watched Liu Yun with scholarly interest.
"You cultivate the Devouring Sky Scripture," she said without preamble. "I've studied forbidden techniques extensively, but never encountered a living practitioner."
Liu Yun assessed her carefully—a slender figure with quick, intelligent eyes and hair bound in a practical knot rather than the elaborate styles favored by most female cultivators. The embroidery on her robes marked her as a disciple of the Sect's Archives Division.
"Knowledge can be as dangerous as any blade," he replied. "What is your name, disciple?"
"Zhao Lin." She offered a formal bow. "Third rank archivist of the Forbidden Knowledge Repository and sixth rank battle alchemist."
"An interesting combination," the emperor noted. "Archivists rarely develop combat abilities, preferring to hide behind scrolls and formations."
"Why does an archivist join a combat expedition?" Liu Yun asked directly.
Zhao Lin's expression remained carefully neutral. "The fragment we seek has historical significance beyond its power. My role is documentation and authentication."
"Half-truth," the emperor assessed. "She has personal interest in the blade fragments. Watch this one carefully—knowledge seekers are often the most dangerous opponents."
The journey to the Eastern Sea took three days, during which Liu Yun maintained his distance from the others, focusing instead on mastering the Severing Eternity Strike that Peak Master Su had taught him. The technique required precisely controlled violations of natural energy laws—cutting through the spiritual bonds between objects rather than the objects themselves.
On the dawn of the fourth day, the ship descended toward a archipelago of jagged islands rising from mist-shrouded waters. Unlike the lush coastal regions they had passed, these islands were barren stone, devoid of vegetation or visible life.
"The Bone Teeth Islands," Elder Feng announced to the assembled team. "Former realm of the Sea Dragon Emperor before his fall a millennium ago. Now home to his descendants—reduced to little more than talented barbarians."
Liu Yun noted the casual arrogance in the elder's tone—typical of the major sects who viewed non-human cultivators as inherently inferior, regardless of their power or history.
"Such contempt invites disaster," the emperor commented. "Dragon bloodlines, even diluted over generations, remain formidable."
The ship anchored in a natural harbor on the largest island, concealed by multiple layers of illusion formations. As the team disembarked, Elder Feng outlined the mission parameters.
"Our intelligence indicates the blade fragment is held in an underwater shrine at the island's center. The shrine rises to the surface only during the night of the new moon—which occurs tonight. We will divide into three teams to counter the guardian forces."
He pointed to three disciples. "You will create a diversion at the eastern approach." Another two were assigned to neutralize defensive formations. "Zhao Lin and I will secure the fragment once the path is clear."
Liu Yun raised an eyebrow. "And my role?"
Elder Feng's smile was venomous. "You will remain with the ship as our... final contingency. Should we fail to return by dawn, you may consider us lost and report back to the Sect."
The insult was clear—he was being sidelined entirely. Yet Liu Yun merely nodded, his expression betraying nothing of his thoughts.
As the others prepared their equipment and reviewed tactical formations, Zhao Lin approached him again.
"Elder Feng underestimates you deliberately," she observed. "A tactical error."
Liu Yun studied her, searching for hidden motives behind her apparent frankness. "Are you suggesting I should defy his orders?"
"I'm suggesting you should follow your instincts," she replied cryptically. From her sleeve, she produced a small jade tablet inscribed with unfamiliar characters. "This map shows a secondary entrance to the shrine—one not mentioned in our briefing."
Liu Yun accepted the tablet, sensing no harmful energies from it. "Why share this with me?"
Zhao Lin's eyes held a calculating gleam. "Because I recognize the jade energy in your palm for what it truly is. The fragment we seek resonates with similar energy—they are parts of a whole that was sundered long ago."
"She knows," the emperor hissed. "She knows what I am, what we seek."
Before Liu Yun could pursue this revelation, Elder Feng called for final preparations. Zhao Lin rejoined the main group, leaving Liu Yun with the jade tablet and far more questions than answers.
As darkness fell and the teams departed toward their objectives, Liu Yun waited precisely twenty-seven minutes—enough time for them to move beyond easy detection range—before consulting the map Zhao Lin had provided. The secondary entrance appeared to be a narrow underwater passage leading directly to the shrine's foundations.
"A trap, possibly," the emperor cautioned. "But Elder Feng's plan to sideline us is equally suspicious. He may intend to claim we deserted if questioned about our absence."
Liu Yun had reached the same conclusion. With swift decision, he activated one of the stealth talismans acquired during his training at Frost Pinnacle and slipped away from the ship, following the coastline toward the location marked on the map.
The night was moonless, perfect for their purpose. Liu Yun reached a narrow inlet where black waters lapped against knife-edged rocks. According to the map, the underwater passage began twenty feet below the surface at the inlet's center.
"Water breathing technique?" Liu Yun asked the emperor mentally as he removed his outer robes.
"Unnecessary," came the reply. "Channel the Devouring Sky Scripture to create a void bubble around your body. It will consume ambient spiritual energy to maintain an air pocket."
Liu Yun followed the instruction, creating a shimmering jade-colored field around himself before diving into the frigid waters. The technique worked perfectly—water parted around his body as though repelled by an invisible force, while the void bubble drew oxygen from the surrounding liquid.
The underwater passage proved narrow but navigable, a perfect cylinder that could only have been created artificially. After swimming for several minutes, Liu Yun emerged in a flooded chamber illuminated by bioluminescent algae that cast everything in eerie blue light.
A stone altar stood at the chamber's center, rising above the water level. Upon it rested what appeared to be a broken sword hilt crafted from the same jade-like material as the pendant embedded in Liu Yun's palm. No guardians were visible, no formations blocked his approach—a circumstance that triggered immediate suspicion.
"It cannot be this simple," the emperor warned. "The blade fragment should be heavily guarded."
Liu Yun extended his spiritual sense, probing the chamber for hidden threats. The water around him suddenly churned, and a massive serpentine form coalesced from the darkness—scales gleaming with the same bioluminescence as the algae, eyes like polished amber fixed upon the intruder.
"Human thief," the creature spoke directly into Liu Yun's mind, its mental voice carrying both ancient wisdom and predatory hunger. "You seek what is not yours to claim."
The sea dragon—for it could be nothing else—circled Liu Yun's position, its body at least thirty feet in length despite being clearly juvenile by dragon standards. Each scale contained enough spiritual energy to power a mortal cultivator for years.
"A true dragon descendant," the emperor sounded almost impressed. "Not the degraded bloodline Elder Feng described. This one retains significant divine lineage."
Liu Yun maintained his protective bubble while assessing his options. Direct combat would be challenging in the confined underwater space, especially against a creature adapted to aquatic warfare.
"I seek only knowledge," Liu Yun replied mentally, deciding that half-truths might serve better than open hostility. "The fragment's history interests me."
The dragon's mental laughter rippled through the water. "Lies come easily to human tongues. I taste your hunger—the same hunger that has drawn others before you. The jade remnant calls to something within you... something ancient and broken."
Before Liu Yun could respond, a disturbance from above interrupted their exchange. The chamber trembled as sounds of battle penetrated the underwater sanctuary. Elder Feng's diversion had apparently escalated into full confrontation.
The dragon's attention shifted momentarily—a fatal mistake. Liu Yun channeled the Severing Eternity Strike with brutal precision, the jade energy blade manifesting within his void bubble and extending with impossible speed toward the creature's midsection.
Under normal circumstances, even a juvenile dragon's scales would repel most spiritual attacks. But the Severing Eternity Strike targeted the bonds between material and spiritual essence rather than the physical form itself. The blade passed through scales and flesh as though they were mist, severing the dragon's connection to its own spiritual core.
The creature's eyes widened in shock and betrayal as its physical form began to dissolve, releasing a torrent of pure draconic essence into the water.
"Absorb it quickly!" the emperor commanded. "Dragon essence can elevate your cultivation exponentially!"
The jade pendant in Liu Yun's palm pulsed hungrily as he directed the Devouring Sky Scripture to consume the released energy. The chamber became a maelstrom of spiritual power as the dragon's essence fought assimilation before finally submitting to the voracious technique.
Power surged through Liu Yun's meridians—wild, primal, and nearly overwhelming. His cultivation base expanded rapidly, spiritual channels widening to accommodate the influx. Pain lanced through every cell as his physical body struggled to adapt to the transformation.
"Control," the emperor cautioned. "Dragon essence is chaotic by nature. Impose your will upon it or be consumed from within."
Liu Yun gritted his teeth, forcing the wild energy into submission through sheer mental domination. When the process completed, he had advanced from fifth stage Qi Condensation to the third stage of Foundation Establishment—bypassing multiple cultivation levels in a single transformation.
The water around him had cleared, the dragon's physical remains completely dissolved into pure essence. Only then did Liu Yun approach the altar and the blade fragment it held.
Up close, the broken hilt radiated an aura of ancient malice. Stylized characters etched into its surface seemed to shift and change when viewed directly—a protection against easy identification. When Liu Yun extended his hand toward it, the jade pendant in his palm resonated with increasing intensity.
"One of the Seven Sacred Blades," the emperor confirmed, his mental voice vibrating with anticipation. "Specifically, a fragment of Soul Severer—the blade that cut my spirit from my physical form during the final battle."
Liu Yun hesitated, sensing that taking the fragment would irrevocably alter his path. "What happens when we claim it?"
"Partial restoration," the emperor replied. "Each blade fragment contains a portion of my fragmented power. With this, I can access approximately seventeen percent of my original capabilities—and you will gain proportionate benefits."
The sound of battle above intensified. Liu Yun made his decision and grasped the fragment.
Searing pain shot through his arm as the hilt seemed to liquefy, merging with the jade pendant embedded in his palm. The two fragments recognized each other as parts of a greater whole, fusing with a release of energy that shattered the altar and sent cracks racing through the chamber walls.
Water began pouring in through newly formed fissures as the shrine's structural integrity failed. Liu Yun's consciousness wavered under the assault of foreign memories flooding his mind—glimpses of battles fought millennia ago, techniques long forgotten, and faces of immortals long dead.
Most disturbing were flashes of the emperor's final moments—surrounded by six immortal cultivators wielding blades of pure conceptual power, his body and spirit systematically dismantled rather than merely killed.
"Move, vessel!" the emperor's voice cut through the memory deluge. "The shrine collapses!"
Liu Yun fought through the disorientation, channeling his newly expanded spiritual power to reinforce his void bubble as he swam toward the passage. Behind him, the chamber imploded, centuries of accumulated spiritual pressure releasing in a underwater explosion that propelled him through the tunnel at dangerous speed.
He emerged from the inlet like a projectile, landing heavily on the rocky shore. As he regained his bearings, Liu Yun became aware of fundamental changes to his cultivation base. The jade energy that had previously manifested as external blades now flowed through his meridians permanently, transforming his spiritual essence into something no longer entirely human.
"The first true step toward my restoration," the emperor's voice seemed stronger, more distinct. "And your ascension."
A new sensation drew Liu Yun's attention—awareness of the other expedition members' locations and conditions. Through the resonance of the blade fragment, he could sense that four of the inner disciples were already dead, their spiritual signatures extinguished. Elder Feng was engaged in desperate combat near the island's center, while Zhao Lin...
Liu Yun frowned. Zhao Lin's spiritual signature was moving rapidly away from the battle, carrying an energy pattern similar to the fragment he had just absorbed.
"The clever archivist played us all," the emperor realized. "She knew of both fragments and ensured we would be occupied collecting one while she secured the other."
With his enhanced perception, Liu Yun could track her retreat toward the western shore—opposite from where their ship was anchored. She moved with the speed and precision of someone who had planned this betrayal meticulously.
A decision presented itself: pursue Zhao Lin and the second fragment, or return to aid the remaining expedition members.
"The fragment takes priority," the emperor insisted. "Elder Feng intended to abandon you—let him reap the consequences of his arrogance."
Liu Yun weighed the options with cold pragmatism. Elder Feng was indeed an enemy waiting for an opportunity to strike, while the second fragment would substantially increase their power. Moreover, Zhao Lin clearly knew more about the emperor's history than she had revealed.
His choice made, Liu Yun activated a movement technique that transformed his body into green light, streaking across the island toward Zhao Lin's retreating signature. His newly absorbed dragon essence enhanced his speed beyond what should have been possible at his cultivation level.
He intercepted her at a small cove where a modest boat waited—evidence that her betrayal had been prearranged. Zhao Lin whirled to face him, surprise briefly flashing across her features before being replaced by calculating assessment.
"Impressive," she acknowledged, the second blade fragment—a broken crossguard—clutched in her hand. "You absorbed the dragon essence completely. Most cultivators would have been consumed by it."
Liu Yun approached slowly, jade energy swirling visibly beneath his skin. "You know far more than an archivist should. Who do you really serve?"
Zhao Lin smiled thinly. "The same master you should be serving, if you understood your true heritage." She raised the crossguard fragment. "This belongs with its rightful owner—not corrupted by the Azure Cloud Sect's agenda."
"She speaks of my bloodline," the emperor realized. "There were others—descendants I left behind before my defeat."
"Explain," Liu Yun demanded, moving to block her escape to the boat.
"You carry the Demon Sword Emperor's blood in your veins," Zhao Lin stated flatly. "Diluted by generations, but authentic. Why do you think the jade pendant responded to you? It seeks its master's lineage."
Liu Yun's expression remained impassive despite his shock. "And you serve these... descendants?"
"I serve the Ancestral Sword Court—the true heirs of the emperor's legacy," she confirmed. "We have waited centuries for the fragments to resurface. When the Azure Cloud Sect located this one, I ensured I would be part of the retrieval team."
She extended her hand. "Give me your fragment. Together, they will guide us to the others—and to your rightful place among the emperor's descendants."
"She lies," the emperor warned. "Not about your bloodline—that explains much—but about her intentions. The fragments respond to specific bloodlines, yes, but once merged with your essence, they cannot be safely removed."
Liu Yun closed the distance between them with frightening speed. "I think I'll keep both fragments."
Zhao Lin's scholarly demeanor vanished as she dropped into a perfect combat stance, the crossguard fragment elongating into a short blade of condensed energy. "I had hoped to avoid this. Your blood makes you valuable, but not irreplaceable."
The battle that followed was brief but devastating. Zhao Lin proved to be no mere archivist—her movements followed an ancient sword art that the emperor recognized with surprise.
"Imperial Guard techniques," he identified. "She was trained by someone who served in my personal guard. Only seven survived the final battle..."
Liu Yun countered with his newly enhanced capabilities, the dragon essence lending him strength and speed beyond his cultivation level. When Zhao Lin executed a particularly complex attack sequence, he recognized it from the emperor's memories and countered perfectly.
"How—" she gasped as his blade pierced her shoulder, disrupting her spiritual circulation.
"Your techniques belong to the past," Liu Yun replied coldly. "I carry that past within me."
Realizing she was outmatched, Zhao Lin attempted a desperate escape technique—sacrificing her own blood essence to fuel a teleportation formation hidden beneath her feet. Liu Yun lunged forward, managing to grasp the crossguard fragment as she activated the formation.
A brief struggle followed, both cultivators pulling at the artifact as the teleportation energy enveloped them. The fragment cracked further under the strain, releasing a pulse of destructive energy that blasted them apart just as the teleportation completed.
Liu Yun found himself materialized at the edge of the forest near the Azure Cloud Sect's flying ship, the larger portion of the crossguard fragment clutched in his bleeding hand. Zhao Lin had escaped with only a sliver—enough to track but not to utilize fully.
As he stumbled toward the ship, the two fragments in his possession began a secondary fusion, merging into a more complete structure within his palm. The emperor's presence expanded dramatically, his voice now resonating with substantially more authority and distinct personality.
"Twenty-nine percent restoration," the emperor announced with satisfaction. "Enough to begin the next phase."
"Which is?" Liu Yun asked, sensing fundamental changes occurring within his spiritual core.
"Awakening your bloodline fully," came the reply. "The dragon essence provides the necessary catalyst. When we return to the Azure Cloud Sect, Peak Master Su will immediately detect the change in your aura. She will either attempt to control you more tightly... or eliminate you as a threat."
Liu Yun smiled grimly as he boarded the empty vessel. "Let her try."
He activated the ship's formations, setting course back to the Sect without waiting for the surviving expedition members. Elder Feng's fate was no longer his concern—the elder had made his hostility clear and would only become more dangerous if he survived.
As the ship rose into the night sky, Liu Yun entered deep meditation in the vessel's central cabin. The fragments pulsed rhythmically in his palm, their jade glow spreading through his meridians as the emperor guided the bloodline awakening process.
"Your physician father was no coincidence," the emperor explained. "My bloodline has manifested in healers for generations—those with innate understanding of spiritual energy flowing through living vessels. Your father likely never knew his heritage, but he passed it to you in concentrated form."
Images flashed through Liu Yun's consciousness—glimpses of ancestors he had never known, each carrying a diluted portion of the emperor's legacy. Some achieved minor fame as village healers, others lived and died in obscurity, the bloodline growing thinner with each generation until it concentrated unexpectedly in him.
"And now?" Liu Yun asked as the bloodline energy rewrote his spiritual foundation.
"Now we hunt the remaining fragments," the emperor declared. "Five more pieces must be found and integrated. With each one, our power grows and your humanity diminishes—a fair exchange for immortality."
Liu Yun felt no regret at this pronouncement. Humanity had given him nothing but contempt and limitation. Power, however, had already transformed him from village outcast to someone feared by immortal cultivators.
"The Ancestral Sword Court will be searching as well," he noted.
"Indeed. And they are not our only competition. The fragments have been scattered across the Nine Provinces, guarded by various factions who likely do not understand what they possess."
As the ship sailed through night skies toward the Azure Cloud Sect, Liu Yun contemplated the path ahead. Peak Master Su clearly had her own agenda for him and the emperor's power. The Ancestral Sword Court claimed heritage rights to the same power. Between these competing forces, he would need to navigate carefully—appearing loyal while pursuing his own ambitions.
The jade glow beneath his skin stabilized into fine, branch-like patterns resembling sword blades that ran along his meridians. When he checked his reflection in a blade, Liu Yun noted that his pupils had elongated further, and faint scales had appeared at his temples—side effects of the dragon essence integration.
He no longer looked fully human. The revelation brought not dismay but satisfaction.
After all, why aspire to remain human in a world where humanity was merely the starting point of power?
Three days later, the Azure Cloud Sect's imposing gates came into view. Liu Yun had spent the journey in deep meditation, stabilizing his new cultivation base and adapting to the expanded spiritual awareness that came with the fragments. The emperor had grown increasingly vocal, his personality more distinct as his power restored.
"She will be waiting," the emperor warned as they approached. "Peak Master Su will have sensed the energy fluctuations from the fragments' merger."
Liu Yun nodded slightly. "What do you suggest?"
"Partial truth. Admit to obtaining one fragment but not two. Describe the death of the dragon and your advancement. Her own ambitions will make her receptive to your growth, even as she grows more wary."
As predicted, Peak Master Su stood at the highest landing platform as the ship docked—her white robes and hair untouched by the mountain winds, her pupilless eyes fixed on Liu Yun as he disembarked alone.
"Where are the others?" she asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
Liu Yun bowed with perfect formality. "Lost in pursuit of the mission objective, Master. The shrine's defenses proved more formidable than Elder Feng anticipated."
"Yet you survived." It wasn't a question. Her cold gaze cataloged the changes in his appearance—the scales, the eyes, the jade patterns visible beneath his skin. "And flourished, it seems."
"I secured the fragment as instructed," Liu Yun replied, extending his palm to display the partially reformed blade embedded there. "It has merged with the jade pendant, as you likely expected it would."
Peak Master Su approached, her spiritual sense probing the fragment with clinical precision. "Dragon essence as well. Impressive. Few cultivators at Foundation Establishment could absorb such volatile energy without corruption."
"The emperor's techniques proved efficient for the task," Liu Yun acknowledged.
Her white eyes narrowed slightly. "And how fares your... passenger? I sense his influence has grown considerably."
"Careful," the emperor cautioned. "She tests the boundaries of control."
"His knowledge expands with each fragment," Liu Yun answered truthfully. "His presence grows stronger, but remains contained within the parameters you established."
This last part was a calculated lie—the emperor's influence had grown far beyond Peak Master Su's containment measures, but revealing this would force a confrontation before Liu Yun was ready.
The Peak Master studied him for a long moment before nodding. "You will remain at Frost Pinnacle for the next phase of training. Your bloodline awakening requires specialized guidance to prevent... unfortunate mutations."
As they ascended toward the perpetually frozen realm of Frost Pinnacle, Liu Yun reflected on how quickly his path had diverged from anything he could have imagined in Blackwater Village merely months ago. From despised bastard to cultivation prodigy harboring an ancient tyrant's spirit, from mortal to something increasingly otherworldly.
The jade fragments pulsed in his palm, resonating with dark promise. Five more pieces remained scattered across the world. Five more steps toward absolute power. Five more sacrifices of his remaining humanity.
It was, Liu Yun decided, an entirely acceptable exchange.