The morning sun filtered gently through the curtains, casting golden rays across the soft bedding. Yu Qingci lay still nestled in Li Chen's arms, her breath steady, her expression serene. Her bare shoulder peeked from beneath the silken sheets, glowing in the morning light.
Stirring slightly, she opened her eyes with a reluctant sigh, then buried her face against his broad chest.
"It's too warm…" she murmured, trying to sit up but failing to leave the comfort of his embrace.
Li Chen chuckled softly, watching her struggle. With a gentle smile, he rubbed her nose, brushing away the stray hair covering her delicate face. "You're too lazy for a cultivator."
"Hmm...Only in your arms," she whispered with a faint grin.
He leaned forward and kissed her smooth lips tenderly, lingering for a breath before pulling away. "Sleep a bit longer," he said, letting her rest.
After quietly slipping out of bed and getting dressed, Li Chen stepped out into the courtyard garden. There, Su Lingxue stood amidst blooming flowers, her robes flowing like petals in the breeze.
She was giving little Li Xuan an air ride, gently flying up and down while holding him in the air. The child's laughter echoed joyously through the morning light.
Li Xuan squealed, "I'm flying!"
When Su Lingxue tried to lower him, he protested, tiny arms outstretched toward his father with a pout.
"Don't look at me like that," Li Chen laughed, walking over and ruffling his son's hair before giving him a small pinch on the cheek. "Your mother's arms are bit tired."
Li Xuan huffed and clung to Lingxue's leg, pouting.
"Come inside," Li Chen said to Lingxue, his tone shifting to something more serious. "We need to discuss something important."
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Inside the main hall, with Li Xuan napping nearby, Li Chen sat across from Lingxue. Her expression mirrored his seriousness.
He explained everything—how the assassins ambushed them, the strange masks they wore with half-demon, half-god features, and the disciplined way they fought. He recounted Yu Qingci's words and their speculation that someone else had been pulling the strings.
Lingxue's face darkened. "Half-demon, half-god masks… That's the signature of the Shadow Piercing Sect."
"The Shadow Piercing Sect?" Li Chen asked.
"It's one of three major sects under the Assassination Hall," Lingxue said. "The Hall is a coalition built by three main sects and several affiliated ones. Their reach spans many lower realms."
She continued, laying it out clearly:
Shadow Piercing Sect – Experts in swift blade and sword techniques, combined with extreme speed and stealth. Their assassins are known for their lightning-fast strikes and evasion.
Blood Moon Sect – A sect of dark rituals and blood sacrifice. They cultivate Yin energy and ghostly arts, using the moon's energy to enhance their cursed cultivation. They drain life from others, turning battlefields into ritual grounds.
Dark Eagle Sect – The most sinister of the three. They rarely fight directly but are the master informants and shadow agents. Experts in poison, Gu techniques, curses, puppetry, and even soul manipulation. What makes them terrifying is their intelligence gathering—their eyes are everywhere, but no one sees them coming.
"The Blood Moon Sect may look like the darkest, but the Dark Eagle Sect is far more dangerous," she said. "And they don't act unless necessary. Their job is to provide the right targets, with every weakness exposed."
"What about those smaller sects?" Li Chen asked.
"Affiliated sects exist in the dark," Lingxue replied. "They serve as foot soldiers—performing minor tasks. Each group is given basic techniques, usually in movement or blood-based arts, depending on their affiliation."
Li Chen sat still, processing it all. It was a chilling revelation.
All this time, he believed the lower realm to be a mundane world, a place where power could be gained through perseverance and cultivation. But the truth shook him.
"I… I was a frog at the bottom of the well," he muttered. "Thinking myself safe… while monsters watched from above."
Lingxue placed her hand on his. "We're still here, Husband. You protected us. But yes—this is a warning."
He clenched his fists. "No...it won't do any good, I have to grow stronger—not just for myself, but for you, for Xuan, for Qingci. I'll never let anyone take our peace again."
His gaze turned toward the window, where the light fell upon their garden.
It was beautiful, but fragile.
He now knew: only strength could preserve that beauty.
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"Well, to grow our strength… we need to hide for now," Li Chen said in his mind .
After a long pause, his eyes lit up as if struck by a sudden thought. "The system reward—Face Shifting Technique. It's family-bound. Anyone in my family can learn it without any hindrances."
He quickly walked to the door. Su Lingxue was leaving the room, Li Xuan cradled in her arms.
"Lingxue, wait."
Su Lingxue who was soothing his sleeping son, suddenly stopped, raising an eyebrow asked. "What is it now?"
"I have a plan. We'll hide for now. But not just by relocating. I have a technique called The Face Shifting Technique. Not only it can change person's whole appearance but also voice will be completely changed into a different one….we can use it. All of us."
Her eyes widened slightly. "So we can move unseen?"
He nodded. "Yes. Let's wait for Qingci to wake. We'll practice together."
As she gave a soft nod and turned back toward the inner residence, the sun climbed higher in the sky. A new chapter in their journey had begun—not one of battle, but of preparation.
Suddenly a thought emerged in his mind, " How did this System knew that there would be such need of this Technique, why this System only chose me, what it's purpose and also what is that heavenly fragments which is a myth but still has such allure to attract all cultivators even from upper realm such as.....his mother Lin Yue."
His path forward had changed. The resolve burned in his chest—he would rise beyond his limits, pierce the heavens if he must, and forge a future where no shadow could reach them.Only by growing stronger, all problems, all unanswerable questions will be solved.
Only by growing stronger...
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End of this chapter.
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