CHAPTER 170: CH-170: THIS IS WAR

The mountain winds carried whispers long before the first sight of foreign banners. Within the halls of the Feilun Sect, every disciple felt it. The pressure in the air was not that of natural storm nor celestial omen—it was human, deliberate, invasive.

Tian Shen sat cross-legged in the quiet heart of the Root Division hall. His spear rested at his side, lacquered black with faint golden veins pulsing through it, as though alive. His body was still, but the faint trembling of the lantern flames around him betrayed the surging force within his Core.

He could no longer deny it: the foreigners had arrived.

Ever since his breakthrough into the Utopian Core Realm, his senses had sharpened beyond mortal measure. No longer did he merely feel spiritual qi in vague ripples; now he perceived its color, its texture, its intent. What pressed against the Feilun Sect’s protective formations was alien—sharper than the mountain winds, colder than steel, and filled with a rhythm not born of these lands.

He opened his eyes. Silver light flashed within, as if twin rivers of starlight coursed through his pupils.

"Tian Shen," a voice called softly.

It was Feng Yin. She entered quietly, robes trailing like falling petals, though her expression was grave. "You sense them too?"

He gave a single nod. "They probe our borders. Their qi is unlike anything I’ve faced. It feels... fractured, yet overwhelming."

Her brow tightened. "The Sect Master convenes the elders. There’s talk that these foreigners are not mere wanderers, but envoys from across the Western Wastelands. The Void Hand’s remnants may not be the only ones watching us."

At that, Tian Shen rose to his feet. His presence filled the chamber, the subtle hum of his Core making the air thrum. "Then they will test our roots. And we will see if theirs can survive here."

The Grand Assembly Hall was heavy with voices when Tian Shen and Feng Yin arrived. Elder Su sat calmly to one side, eyes closed in meditation, though his aura pulsed steadily like a shield waiting to rise. Sect Master Feilun himself stood at the dais, his gaze cold, his hand resting upon the jade table etched with defensive formations.

"They gather beyond the western ridges," reported Elder Mu, his tone sharp. "Scouts estimate at least three Core cultivators among them, with unknown support. Their strength is not to be underestimated."

Murmurs rippled through the elders. Some demanded immediate action, others cautioned restraint.

Sect Master Feilun’s voice silenced them all. "Whether they come with diplomacy or blade, they come uninvited. The Feilun Sect does not bow."

His gaze turned toward Tian Shen. "And you, Tian Shen—our Root Division commander—what do your senses tell you?"

All eyes shifted.

Tian Shen’s silver-threaded gaze swept across the gathered elders before fixing on the Sect Master. His voice was low, but it carried through the hall.

"They test our patience. But their qi carries no humility. It is not a greeting. It is a claim."

Gasps followed his words, but none challenged him. They had seen his tribulation, witnessed the violent ascension into the Utopian Core Realm. Few dared question the instincts of one who had survived such a storm.

Elder Su’s eyes finally opened, warm but steady.

"Then the question is not if, but when. We must prepare for conflict."

Night fell heavy across the Feilun mountains. The outer wards glimmered faintly like nets of starlight, stretched taut as the probing qi pressed harder. The disciples whispered in nervous tones, some sharpening blades, others praying silently to nameless heavens.

Tian Shen did not sleep. He stood at the western ridge, the wind tossing his hair as he stared beyond the protective barriers. Feng Yin was at his side, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"They wait," she murmured.

"They measure," Tian Shen corrected. "Testing how deep our roots grow before they decide where to cut."

Feng Yin turned her gaze toward him. "And you? Do you wait as well?"

For a moment, silence. His spear hummed faintly, craving blood, yet Tian Shen’s expression remained unreadable.

"I do not wait. I prepare. If they think to carve the Feilun Sect from its soil, then they will learn what grows here cannot be uprooted by foreign hands."

...

When dawn broke, the foreigners revealed themselves.

They did not march as a horde, but as a measured tide—three figures at the front, their auras flaring in sync. Behind them came rows of armored cultivators, each bearing strange weapons inscribed with angular runes unfamiliar to Feilun eyes. Their banners bore no beast, no flame, no sky. Only a fractured hand woven in black thread.

The Sect’s disciples froze at the sight. Many whispered: Void Hand.

But Tian Shen knew better. This was no simple remnant force. Their qi pulsed differently, disciplined, as though each foreign cultivator’s heartbeat was tied to the next. They were not rogues; they were soldiers.

The leader stepped forward, a man cloaked in steel-gray armor, his Core cultivation radiating like a burning sun. He raised his hand—not in peace, but in command.

"Feilun Sect!" His voice boomed unnaturally, amplified by some artifact. "By order of the Western Dominion, you are hereby claimed as vassals to our Crown. Submit your disciples and treasures, and your roots will be spared."

The mountain air recoiled at the arrogance.

Sect Master Feilun’s laughter thundered from the walls behind Tian Shen. "Vassals? You come from wastelands and dare demand fealty? The Feilun Sect bows to none!"

Cheers rose from the disciples, their fear tempered by pride. Yet the foreigners did not flinch. The leader lowered his hand, and the front ranks advanced.

The battle had begun.

The first clash shook the mountain. Foreign cultivators unleashed streams of fractured qi that cut like jagged glass. The Feilun disciples answered with talismans, spears, and elemental techniques, the sky erupting in a storm of light.

But at the center, Tian Shen moved like a shadow of inevitability. His spear cleaved arcs of silver across the battlefield, each strike splitting apart the fractured qi before it could spread. Wherever he stepped, the ground steadied, the Sect’s formations resonating with his presence.

"Root Commander!" disciples cried, rallying behind him.

He gave no commands, only his example—his strikes precise, his presence unshakable. The Root Division followed without hesitation, their formation weaving seamlessly into his movements.

Across the field, Feng Yin’s sword sang, cutting down those who sought to flank. Her gaze never left Tian Shen, her trust in his path absolute.

The foreign leader noticed. His eyes narrowed as he raised his hand. Three Core cultivators surged forward, converging on Tian Shen.

"Break him," the leader commanded.

One foreign Core cultivator unleashed a storm of jagged qi shards, another wielded a chain forged of black steel that coiled like a serpent, while the third summoned a dome of crushing force meant to collapse Tian Shen’s movements.

For a moment, the battlefield seemed to tilt against him. Disciples shouted, fearing he would be swallowed whole.

But Tian Shen’s silver eyes burned with quiet fury. His Core pulsed, not in panic, but in rhythm—like a steady heartbeat magnified by the heavens.

He struck.

The spear cut through the jagged qi as if it were mist. His body twisted, the weapon’s haft catching the steel chain and snapping it apart with brute force. His Core erupted in a wave of silver flame, shattering the crushing dome before it could seal.

The three foreign cultivators staggered, disbelief etched on their faces.

"You thought to break the roots," Tian Shen said, his voice like rolling thunder. "But you are branches already rotting."

He moved once more—swift, merciless. The first fell with a spear through the chest, qi unraveling into the wind. The second screamed as silver flame consumed his arm, forcing retreat. The third barely escaped, blood streaming down his face.

The battlefield trembled.

Even the foreign soldiers paused, their unity fracturing at the sight of one man holding the line.

Feng Yin’s sword clashed against another wave of enemies, yet her heart was steady. She could feel it—the entire Sect was watching Tian Shen. Not just as a commander, not just as a cultivator, but as the embodiment of Feilun’s defiance.

Sect Master Feilun’s eyes gleamed from afar. Elder Su’s lips curved in a faint smile.

And Tian Shen, standing in the center of the storm, raised his spear once more. His silver eyes locked onto the foreign leader in the distance.

The message was clear.

This was war.

The foreign leader’s gaze met Tian Shen’s across the battlefield, cold steel against silver fire. For the first time, his mask of arrogance cracked, a flicker of caution surfacing in his eyes.

He raised his artifact-imbued gauntlet, channeling a torrent of fractured qi that warped the air itself. The mountain trembled, disciples bracing under its oppressive weight.

Yet Tian Shen stepped forward, calm as the roots of the earth. His spear thrummed like thunder, silver flames roaring higher, answering challenge with defiance.

Each step was a vow: he would not yield. This battle was no longer Feilun’s defense—it was Tian Shen’s declaration.