An hour later, the City of Hope hummed with its usual afternoon activity.

The city had grown over the past millennia into a prosperous hub of trade and cultivation.

Merchants hawked their wares in the market squares, cultivators from various minor sects conducted business in the administrative districts, and children played in the courtyards while their parents prepared evening meals.

None of the citizens seemed aware that their entire world was about to change.

A young man walked through the crowd, his torn robes drawing the occasional glance from passersby, and every few seconds, a phantom crown would flicker into existence above his head, visible for just a moment before fading back into invisibility.

"Mother, look!" a small child tugged at her parent's sleeve, pointing as the young man passed their fruit stall. "That man has a shiny hat that keeps disappearing!"

The woman quickly pulled her child closer, her eyes widening as she recognized the face. "Hush, little one. Don't point at strangers."

But the damage was done. Several nearby merchants had noticed the commotion and were now staring openly at the young man walking through their midst.

"Wait, isn't that Du Yanze?" one of them whispered. "The one from the Du Clan estate?"

"I thought he was supposed to be a Disbeliever now," came the nervous reply from his companion. "But look at that crown manifestation. Disbelievers can't form Crown Sigils, can they?"

The young man kept walking, his pace never faltering despite the growing murmur of voices behind him.

"Should we alert the city guard?" a third voice joined the conversation.

"About what? A man walking down the street? Even if he is Du Yanze, he's not doing anything threatening."

"But the rumors—"

"Are just rumors. Look at him. Does he look like someone consumed by spiritual corruption?"

A young city guard who had been patrolling the market district overheard the tail end of their conversation and glanced in the direction they were looking. His eyes widened as he recognized the young man.

"Wait!" he called out, breaking into a run as he pushed through the crowd. "You there! Stop!"

But the mysterious figure had already turned down a side street, moving with unhurried steps that somehow carried him faster than seemed possible.

The guard reached the corner and peered down the narrow alley, expecting to see the young man. Instead, he found himself staring at an empty street. A few scattered leaves drifted in the afternoon breeze, and a stray cat looked up at him with mild curiosity before returning to its grooming.

"That's impossible," the guard muttered, walking a few steps into the alley and looking around in confusion. "He was right here. I saw him turn down this street not two seconds ago."

He checked the doorways and alcoves, even peered into the small courtyard visible through an open gate, but found no trace of the young man. It was as if Du Yanze had simply vanished into thin air.

The guard stood there for a long moment, scratching his head and wondering if he should report this strange disappearance.

Finally, with a frustrated shake of his head, he turned and walked back toward his patrol route, muttering under his breath about the increasingly strange events plaguing the city.

***

The City Lord's administrative complex stood at the heart of the city, its marble walls and golden accents speaking of centuries of accumulated wealth and power. Two guards stood at attention outside the main entrance, their spiritual pressure marking them as Crowned Heart Realm cultivators: elite forces by the standards of most cities.

They noticed the young man approaching long before he reached speaking distance, their postures shifting from casual alertness to combat readiness as they recognized his face.

"Halt!" the taller guard called out, his hand moving to the sword at his side. "Du Yanze, you are wanted for questioning in connection with spiritual corruption charges. Surrender yourself immediately."

Du Yanze reached into his robes and withdrew a jade token, and the moment the guards saw it, their expressions changed from hostility to confusion.

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"This is... impossible," the shorter guard stammered, accepting the token with trembling hands. "This is Lord Feng's personal access token. But why would he give it to a criminal?"

"Perhaps," Du Yanze suggested mildly, "your assumptions about my criminal status are incorrect."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances. The token was definitely authentic; they could both sense the spiritual signature woven into its construction. But the situation made no sense according to everything they thought they knew.

"Du Yanze," the taller guard said carefully, "we received explicit orders to apprehend you on sight. You're accused of being a Disbeliever, yet you display clear signs of Crowned Heart Realm cultivation. Either you're the most unusual Disbeliever in recorded history, or—"

The man never finished his sentence.

A translucent figure began to separate itself from Du Yanze's body, rising like smoke into the afternoon air. The spiritual manifestation was clearly humanoid but somehow more than human, radiating the kind of power that made both guards' knees tremble involuntarily.

"Divine Being," the shorter guard breathed, immediately dropping to one knee. "Forgive us, Exalted One. We did not recognize your sacred presence."

The spiritual projection gestured for them to rise, and when it spoke, the voice carried harmonics that seemed to resonate in their bones. "Your devotion is appreciated, but unnecessary. I require access to your lord's private library."

Both guards scrambled to their feet, bowing repeatedly as they fumbled with the formation controls that would open the building's defenses. The massive doors swung inward with barely a whisper, revealing corridors lined with priceless artifacts and scrolls.

"Please, Divine One," the taller guard said, his voice shaking with awe. "Take whatever knowledge you require. We are honored by your presence."

The spiritual projection nodded graciously before sinking back into Du Yanze's body. The young man walked through the entrance without another word, leaving the two guards staring at the slowly closing doors.

"By all the heavens," the shorter guard whispered. "A real Divine Being. Here, in our city."

"That explains the countdown in the sky," his companion replied, still trembling slightly. "The battle between higher powers approaches, and we nearly tried to arrest one of them!"

"Do you think we should report this?" the shorter guard asked.

"Report what?" the taller guard turned to glance at him, "that the City Lord has granted the Divine Being access, that's not exactly a security violation."

They returned to their positions in silence, both lost in thought about how close they'd come to committing an unforgivable act of disrespect.

Minutes passed in comfortable quiet, the two guards content to bask in the lingering spiritual energy left by their divine visitor. Then a distant rumble reached their ears: the sound of techniques clashing, of spiritual pressures colliding with explosive force.

"That's coming from the eastern district," the taller guard observed, tilting his head to better analyze the sound. "Whoever's fighting over there, they're not holding back."

The noise grew louder, then suddenly cut off, leaving an ominous silence that somehow felt worse than the battle sounds had been.

"Should we investigate?" the shorter guard asked uncertainly.

"Our orders are to maintain position no matter what," his companion replied firmly. "The administrative complex must be protected at all costs. Whatever's happening out there, it's not our responsibility."

They'd barely finished speaking when a young servant came running down the street, his clothes torn and his face streaked with dust and terror. He stumbled to a halt in front of the guards, gasping for breath as he tried to form coherent words.

"The... the City Lord..." he panted. "He's returned... but he's... he's become..."

"Slow down," the taller guard said, grabbing the young man's shoulders to steady him. "Take a breath and tell us what happened."

"Disbeliever!" the servant finally managed to gasp out. "City Lord Feng has become a Disbeliever! He returned from the forest after meeting that Du Yanze character, and now his spiritual aura is all wrong! Captain Ji Haozhe's entire squad is the same! The corruption is spreading!"

Both guards felt their blood turn to ice. A Disbeliever was dangerous enough, but a Disbeliever who had once been a World-Writ Sovereign was a threat that could destroy their entire city if left unchecked.

"How many casualties?" the shorter guard demanded.

"None dead," the servant replied, which only made the situation more confusing. "But all of Captain Ji's guards... they're converted now. They're walking through the city with that same corrupted aura, talking about 'clarity' and 'truth' like they've lost their minds."

The guards turned to stare at the closed doors of the administrative complex, both coming to the same horrible realization at exactly the same time.

"The Divine Being," the taller guard whispered. "He's inside, alone, with access to all of Lord Feng's personal records and artifacts."

"But Lord Feng gave him the token," his companion protested. "Before he became corrupted. That has to count for something, right?"

"Who says it was before the corruption?" the taller guard replied. "We need to investigate!"

They approached the doors and tried the formation controls, only to discover that someone had activated the security protocols from within. The entire building was sealed, its defenses designed to keep intruders out, or in this case, to keep anyone from interrupting whatever was happening inside.

"What do we do?" the shorter guard asked, panic creeping into his voice. "Our Lord has become a Disbeliever, but he's the one who granted access. The person inside claims to be a Divine Being, which makes him untouchable by law. But if he's working with the Disbeliever..."

"This is way above our pay grade," his companion replied grimly. "We can't arrest a Divine Being, we can't enter the building to investigate, and we can't abandon our posts to report the situation."

They stood in helpless silence for several minutes, staring at the sealed doors and trying to process the impossible situation they'd found themselves in.

"You know what?" the taller guard finally said. "I'm just going to stand here and guard the building like I was ordered to. Whatever's happening inside, it's between powers that operate on scales I can't even comprehend. Maybe the Divine Being will sort everything out. Maybe he won't. Either way, it's not like there's anything we can do about it."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," his companion nodded slowly. "Let's just... do our job and pretend we understand what's going on."

With that, they returned to their positions, standing at attention as if nothing had changed, both secretly hoping that when the sun set and their shift ended, the city would still be there, and their lives would make sense again.

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