The flames of the black lotus continued to flicker long after Priyanshu left the inner chamber of the Forgotten Sect. Behind him, the ancient halls pulsed faintly alive once more, though hidden beneath layers of spatial concealment. He knew that even peak realm cultivators couldn't detect this location unless he allowed it.
The moment he emerged into the moonlight, the system pinged again:
[Sub-Quest Activated: Recruit First Disciple – She Who Was Cast Away][Target: Alaya Verin – Former Princess of the Nightshade Empire][Status: Spirit-Sealed | Mind Corrupted | Power: Unknown][Danger Level: ???]
He raised a brow. "Unknown power and corrupted mind? Sounds like my kind of disciple."
The system showed a translucent map—an abandoned ruin in the eastern wastelands. It used to be the Nightshade Empire's imperial prison before their dynasty was overthrown and erased.
Priyanshu arrived before dawn.
There, bound in spirit chains and suspended above a pit of void fire, was a girl with silver hair cascading like moonlight and violet eyes glowing faintly even in unconsciousness. She wore tattered imperial robes, and yet even in such a state, her aura remained terrifying.
[Caution: Soul has been fractured into two personalities – Light and Dark.]
The system prompted:
[You may restore her spirit by offering a Fragment of Origin or risk allowing her dark side to dominate.]
Naturally, Priyanshu chose the darker route.
"System, I'll take the gamble."
He snapped his fingers.
A wisp of black flame, refined from his Create and Destroy Domain, entered Alaya's chest.
Suddenly, she screamed. The void fire surged, and her chains shattered with a boom that tore the sky. Her hair lifted, eyes glowing with two colors—one golden, one violet.
"You..." she hissed. "Who awakened me?!"
Priyanshu smiled. "Your new master."
She charged. Her power was unstable, twisted—she was a walking catastrophe. But Priyanshu had already set the domain trap.
With a flick of his wrist, black petals surrounded them, sealing her within the realm.
"I could crush you," she snarled.
"You could try," he replied calmly. "But you won't."
He walked toward her as the system bound her soul with the Forgotten Sect's symbol—a black lotus mark etched on her back.
She dropped to her knees, panting, her body finally calming.
"You're mad," she said. "You're not like others... you smell of ancient blood and things not of this world."
"And you," he replied with a dark smile, "will be my first blade."
[Alaya Verin has become your First Disciple.][Her dark personality has been stabilized. Potential: SS+][Title Unlocked: Master of the Condemned.]
Priyanshu turned as the moonlight faded.
The Forgotten Sect had claimed its first terrifying flower.