The Azure Dragon Sect headquarters had not known true panic for centuries.

Built upon a floating mountain range wrapped in jade-green clouds, the sect's core territory radiated authority and ancient prestige. Massive palaces carved from spirit jade stood in layered terraces, protected by countless formations. Dragons of condensed qi coiled around pillars and gates, roaring silently as symbols of power.

Yet on this day, unease crept into every hall.

An emergency bell rang once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

Elders abandoned secluded cultivation chambers. Inner disciples halted their training. Servants froze mid-step as spiritual messages spread like wildfire through the sect's internal arrays.

A Spirit Stone Mine had vanished.

Not raided.

Not damaged.

Gone.

Entirely devoured.

Within the Grand Azure Hall, the upper echelon of the sect gathered in grim silence. The air itself felt heavy, suppressed by the fury barely contained within the elders present.

At the head of the hall sat Elder Mo Zhen, one of the Azure Dragon Sect's Supreme Elders. His long beard trembled faintly as his aura leaked uncontrollably.

"Explain again," he said slowly, each word heavy with restrained rage.

A kneeling investigator swallowed hard. "Reporting to the elders. The Spirit Stone Mine at the western border has been completely consumed. All spirit veins, auxiliary formations, and reserve vaults are gone. Survivors describe a massive black dragon-shaped entity formed of Void energy."

The hall erupted.

"A dragon?"

"Void energy?"

"That is impossible. Void techniques are forbidden remnants of ancient calamities."

Another elder slammed his palm on the armrest. "Are you telling us some stray Golden Immortal dared to steal from us openly?"

The investigator shook violently. "No, Elder. This was not a conventional cultivator. The entity devoured spirit stones as if they were ordinary qi. It ignored formations entirely."

Silence fell again.

Elder Mo Zhen closed his eyes briefly.

"A Black Dragon," he murmured. "A devouring Void manifestation."

His eyes snapped open.

"Deploy the Primary Investigation Team immediately. Track this entity. I want answers."

"Yes, Supreme Elder!"

Orders rippled outward instantly.

Within hours, elite Azure Dragon Sect investigators departed in spirit vessels, each one piloted by Earth Immortal and Golden Immortal experts. Specialized tracking arrays were activated, tracing residual Void disturbances across Astralis Border Seven.

They followed the trail quickly.

Too quickly.

Because while they were searching the ruins of the first mine, another one vanished.

Then another.

And another.

Reports arrived faster than they could be processed.

"Second Spirit Stone Mine consumed."

"Third auxiliary vein collapsed."

"Eastern ridge vault gone."

Panic spread openly now.

This was no longer a single incident.

This was systematic destruction.

Inside the Grand Azure Hall, an elder stood abruptly. "This thing is not fleeing. It is harvesting us."

Elder Mo Zhen's expression darkened.

"Then it must be stopped by force."

He turned toward the highest-ranking elders present.

"Deploy Golden Immortal Suppression Teams. Three squads. Surround and annihilate the Black Dragon. I want its core retrieved."

The decision sent a tremor through the sect.

Golden Immortals were not deployed lightly. They were pillars of sect authority. But the loss was already intolerable.

Within the hour, three squads of Golden Immortals departed, tearing through the skies like blazing comets.

They reached the next site just as the ground shook violently.

What they saw froze them in midair.

The Black Dragon was there.

But it was no longer what the survivors had described.

It was bigger.

Far bigger.

A colossal silhouette dominated the mountains, its body coiled around multiple spirit veins at once. Scales of condensed Void shimmered like fractured stars. Each breath distorted space itself. Its eyes were vast abysses, cold and ancient, reflecting no emotion.

The air screamed around it.

One Golden Immortal whispered hoarsely, "That thing… it is feeding."

Another clenched his weapon. "It is still devouring spirit veins directly. How is this possible?"

They attacked without hesitation.

Blazing dragon qi techniques erupted. Spears of law-infused light pierced toward the massive body. Formation arrays activated mid-air, sealing space.

Their attacks struck.

And vanished.

Not deflected.

Not blocked.

Consumed.

The Void around the Black Dragon folded inward, swallowing law energy like water poured into sand.

The dragon turned its head slowly.

And looked at them.

At that moment, every Golden Immortal present felt their souls tremble.

Fear.

Pure, instinctive fear.

The Black Dragon opened its mouth.

The Void roared.

A gravitational collapse surged outward. One Golden Immortal screamed as his body warped, armor folding inward, bones shattering as he was dragged screaming into the dragon's maw.

"No! Retreat!"

Too late.

The dragon surged forward, faster than space itself should allow. It devoured attacks, bodies, souls. Golden Immortals vanished one by one, their cultivation stripped and consumed without resistance.

Their techniques meant nothing.

Their laws meant nothing.

They were prey.

Within minutes, the battlefield fell silent.

Only the dragon remained.

Its body expanded once more, Void energy condensing into a terrifyingly stable form.

At its core, Vahn stood.

Or rather, he existed.

His consciousness was fully merged with the Void Dragon Form now. He felt everything. The flow of astral energy. The fear of dying cultivators. The collapse of sect authority.

He felt no thrill.

No rage.

Only clarity.

"This is inefficient," he thought calmly. "But necessary."

He released the form slowly.

The massive dragon dissolved into nothingness, collapsing inward until only Vahn remained, standing atop shattered mountains where spirit veins once pulsed.

His aura was terrifyingly deep.

Golden Immortal.

And beyond.

He exhaled softly.

The Azure Dragon Sect had confirmed his suspicion.

They would never negotiate.

They would only escalate.

So he would outpace them.

---

Back at Azure Dragon Sect headquarters, silence turned into dread.

Communication talismans shattered one after another. No survivor reports arrived.

An elder's face turned pale. "The Golden Immortal teams… they are gone."

"What do you mean gone?" another demanded.

"No signals. No remnants. No soul imprints."

Elder Mo Zhen rose slowly from his seat.

His hands trembled.

"This is not a cultivator," he said quietly. "This is a calamity."

A younger elder swallowed. "Should we… inform the Empire?"

Elder Mo Zhen hesitated.

And that hesitation would later cost them everything.

Before he could respond, the entire hall shook violently.

A presence descended.

Cold.

Absolute.

Void pressure flooded the sect territory, pressing down on formations, suppressing spiritual beasts, making even elders struggle to breathe.

Then it vanished.

Leaving only one thing behind.

A message burned into the sky above the sect.

A massive Void glyph.

Simple.

Final.

"Return what you stole. Or be devoured."

Panic erupted.

And in the midst of that chaos, far away from the sect's frantic scrambling, Vahn stood atop a floating ridge under a starless sky.

He had already moved on.

Another site.

Another harvest.

The Void within him churned contentedly.

Then something changed.

The air froze.

Not from cold.

From authority.

A presence descended gently from the heavens, as if the world itself parted to allow her arrival.

Snow-white light fell like petals.

She appeared barefoot upon the shattered ground, her long white hair flowing freely, her eyes like stars reflected in ice. She wore simple robes, untouched by dust or destruction.

Time seemed to hesitate.

Vahn froze.

His breath caught in his throat.

His heart, long accustomed to void and slaughter, stuttered.

"Celestine?" he said softly.

She looked at him.

Her gaze was calm.

Detached. Cold.

No recognition. No warmth.

Only judgment.

"Identify yourself," she said.

Her voice was clear, beautiful, and utterly unfamiliar.

Vahn took a step forward instinctively. "Celestine, it's me. Vahn. How did you arrive in the Immortal Realm? When did you ascend?"

Her brows furrowed.

"You know my name," she said slowly. "Explain clearly."

Vahn's confusion deepened. "Celestine, stop. This isn't funny. Look at me."

She raised her hand.

The air trembled.

"Another step and I will eliminate you from existence," she said coldly. "You are a Primordial Devourer. A threat to Astralis Empire."

Vahn stopped.

Something inside him cracked.

"You don't recognize me?" he asked quietly.

She studied him again, her gaze piercing, searching.

"No. I see a Void entity," she replied. "One that has consumed multiple Astralis resources and slaughtered Golden Immortals. I see no man. And no one named Vahn."

His fists clenched slowly.

"No," he said. "That's not possible."

Her eyes hardened. "Do not use my name so familiarly. You are an enemy of Imperial order."

The words hit harder than any attack.

Enemy.

Order.

Vahn's mind raced.

"Celestine, I swear on the Void itself, it's me. You rejected my proposal. You cried."

For the first time, something flickered across her expression.

Not recognition.

Suspicion.

"You attempt memory manipulation," she said sharply. "An advanced Void technique. Ineffective."

She raised her hand higher.

Power gathered.

"I am Celestine Starborn, first princess of Astralis Empire" she declared. "And the Executor of Equilibrium. And you will cease your rampage at once."

Vahn stared at her.

The woman he loved.

The woman who once chose cosmic sacrifice over personal happiness.

Looking at him like a monster.

"I am not rampaging," he said hoarsely. "I am building."

Her response was immediate.

"Devourers always say that."

The space between them cracked with tension.

Vahn lowered his hand slowly.

"I won't fight you," he said.

Celestine's eyes narrowed. "That is not your choice."

Void energy swirled instinctively around Vahn, reacting to the threat.

Her power surged in response.

Two absolutes facing each other.

One denied.

One confused.

The world trembled, sensing an impending catastrophe.

Vahn took a slow step back.

"If you ever remember," he said quietly, his voice carrying a pain deeper than the Void, "you'll know I never wanted to be your enemy."

Celestine watched him retreat, her expression unreadable.

"You will be hunted," she said. "By me, if necessary."

Vahn vanished into the Void without another word.

Celestine stood alone among the ruins.

For a brief, inexplicable moment, her chest felt tight.

She frowned.

"No matter who you're, you cannot escape forever."

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