Published at 27th of September 2024 8:54 am

Chapter 27: Into the Abyss

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The moon hung high above the forest, casting a pale, ghostly light over the trees. Wei Long moved swiftly through the underbrush, his heart pounding, his thoughts racing. He had left them behind—left Lin Mei, left the group. But it wasn’t out of fear or anger. No, this was something else, something deeper.

The orb’s whispers had grown louder, filling his mind with promises of power, control, and mastery. With each step, he felt its influence growing, pulling him further away from everything he had known. The further he walked, the more the weight of his past seemed to fall away, leaving only the cold certainty of what lay ahead.

Power. It was all he needed now.

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Wei Long moved through the trees like a shadow, his senses heightened, his body thrumming with energy. The orb pulsed at his side, feeding him strength. He had always been strong, but now… now he felt invincible.

Yet, deep inside, a small part of him resisted. The part that remembered his comrades, his friends—Lin Mei, the others. The part that still felt something beyond the hunger for power.

But the orb’s grip tightened.

“They will betray you too… you cannot trust them… you are beyond them now…”

Wei Long clenched his jaw, his hands tightening into fists. He couldn’t let those thoughts distract him. He had made his choice. The power of the orb was his now, and with it, he would achieve things no one else could. He would rise above the limitations of mere cultivation, above the weak and the corrupt.

Still, the doubt lingered, like a shadow just out of reach.

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The Jade Serpent Sect’s main camp lay ahead, its massive walls towering over the valley below. Wei Long crouched at the edge of the cliff, surveying the scene. Hundreds of disciples moved in and out of the camp, their black robes blending into the night.

He could see the central pavilion from here—a massive structure that served as the heart of the sect’s operations. That was where he needed to go. That was where the true power lay. But it wasn’t just the sect he was after. No, he had come for something far greater.

Deep within the Jade Serpent Sect’s vaults lay an ancient artifact, something that had been lost to time—something that could give him the power to fully control the orb’s energy. He had learned of it through Lei Feng’s conversations, piecing together the truth of its existence.

Once he had it, there would be no more resistance. He would be unstoppable.

Wei Long’s eyes narrowed as he studied the layout of the camp. He had no intention of charging in headlong; that would be suicide. The Jade Serpent Sect’s defenses were formidable, but they had weaknesses. Weaknesses he intended to exploit.

Drawing on the orb’s power, Wei Long cloaked himself in shadows, his form blending into the darkness. It wasn’t invisibility, but it was close. He moved like a ghost, slipping between the trees and down into the valley, unnoticed by the patrols.

The orb hummed with approval, its energy flowing through him like a current.

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Inside the camp, the atmosphere was tense. Disciples moved with purpose, their eyes scanning the surroundings as if expecting an attack at any moment. Wei Long slipped past them with ease, his movements precise and calculated.

He reached the outer wall of the main pavilion and pressed his back against it, listening. Voices drifted from inside, muffled but urgent. Wei Long frowned, straining to catch the words.

“… preparations are complete… we must strike before they can regroup…”

“… the outsiders will be dealt with… the artifact must be protected…”

Wei Long’s heart skipped a beat. They knew he was coming. Somehow, they had anticipated his move. But it didn’t matter. He was already here, and no amount of preparation would stop him now.

He crept along the wall, moving toward a narrow window that overlooked the main hall. Inside, a group of high-ranking disciples stood around a large table, studying a map of the surrounding region. At the head of the table stood a tall, imposing figure dressed in ornate black robes—the sect’s leader.

The man radiated power, his presence filling the room with an oppressive aura. Wei Long could feel it even from this distance. This was no ordinary cultivator. The sect leader had reached heights of cultivation that rivaled the greatest masters of the realm.

But even he would fall, once Wei Long had the artifact.

Wei Long’s gaze shifted to the far end of the room, where a large door stood, heavily reinforced with layers of protective runes. That was the entrance to the vault, the place where the artifact was kept.

“Focus,” Wei Long told himself. “You’re close.”

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Slipping into the pavilion unnoticed was easier than expected. The orb’s power cloaked him in darkness, making him invisible to the guards that patrolled the halls. He moved silently through the building, his steps light and quick.

Reaching the door to the vault, Wei Long paused, his hand hovering over the runes. They were complex, designed to keep intruders out, but he had prepared for this. Drawing on the orb’s energy, he channeled a surge of dark power into the runes, unraveling them one by one.

The door clicked open with a soft groan.

Inside, the vault was vast, lined with shelves filled with ancient tomes, weapons, and treasures. But none of it mattered. Wei Long’s eyes were fixed on the center of the room, where a pedestal stood, bathed in a faint, eerie glow.

There, hovering just above the pedestal, was the artifact—a black crystal, its surface swirling with dark energy.

Wei Long approached it slowly, his heart racing. The orb pulsed wildly at his side, its whispers now a deafening roar.

“Take it… it is yours… with this, you will be unstoppable…”

His hand reached out, trembling slightly as he grasped the crystal. The moment his fingers closed around it, a shockwave of energy coursed through him, knocking him back a step.

The power… it was immense.

Wei Long could feel the crystal’s energy merging with the orb’s, the two forces intertwining, becoming one. The darkness inside him deepened, spreading through every fiber of his being. His strength grew, his senses sharpened, and his mind expanded, filled with new knowledge, new possibilities.

He had done it.

With the artifact in his possession, there was nothing that could stop him now. Not the Jade Serpent Sect, not the rival factions, not even the heavens themselves.

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As Wei Long stepped out of the vault, the sect leader and his disciples were waiting. They had sensed the disturbance, felt the surge of power from the artifact.

The sect leader’s eyes narrowed as he saw the black crystal in Wei Long’s hand. “You’ve made a grave mistake, boy.”

Wei Long smiled, his eyes gleaming with dark energy. “No. You’re the one who’s made a mistake.”

Without another word, Wei Long unleashed the full force of the orb’s power, dark tendrils of energy erupting from his body and crashing into the sect leader and his disciples. The air crackled with raw power as the two forces clashed, the very ground beneath them shaking from the intensity of the battle.

But Wei Long was no longer the same warrior they had known. He was something far more dangerous now.

The sect leader raised his hands, summoning a wall of protective energy to shield himself from the onslaught. But it was no use. Wei Long’s power tore through the barrier like it was nothing, sending the sect leader crashing to the ground.

The disciples fell one by one, their defenses shattered by the overwhelming force of the orb and the artifact combined. In a matter of moments, the battle was over.

Wei Long stood over the broken bodies of his enemies, his chest heaving with exertion, the power of the artifact still coursing through him.

He had won. Again.

But as he stood there, surrounded by the carnage, a strange emptiness settled over him. The victory felt hollow, the power less satisfying than he had imagined.

The orb’s whispers were quiet now, but they lingered in the back of his mind, a constant reminder of the darkness he had embraced.

“We are not finished yet,” it whispered.

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