CHAPTER 80: THIEF

The silence within the sealed dimension was heavy, as though it had not been disturbed in countless eons. Tian Lei’s soul sight lingered on the massive coffin—its chains seemed to breathe, tightening and loosening in rhythm like a heart that refused to die.

Yet it was not the coffin that drew his gaze next. Amid the scattered relics, half-buried under cracked jade slips, rested a single folded letter. Its paper was yellowed with time, yet astonishingly intact.

With a flick of his soul sense, Tian Lei lifted it into his hand. The parchment was brittle, its edges curling, but the ink upon it glowed faintly with soul power, ensuring its words endured the ages.

Unfolding it slowly, his eyes narrowed as he read:

"To the one who dares break my seal—

If you are reading this, then the Broken Sword has found its way into hands that are not easily deceived. Know this: the blade you hold was once mine, the [Eternal Abyss Sword], fractured in battle against heavens themselves. What remains of it now is a coffin—a prison of my own making.

Within rests my body, and sealed alongside it... the curse of the abyss. Do not attempt to open the coffin lightly, for the chains are forged from my very soul. Break them, and you may inherit all that I was—or be consumed, as countless others have before you.

I was once known as Mo Cangxuan, the Old Man of the Abyss. My name has long been erased from sect records, for my path strayed beyond what mortals dared tolerate. I pursued eternity not through light, but through the shadows between life and death.

Should fate bring my sword to you, stranger, then you too stand at the threshold. You must decide: will you become the next abyssal heir, or will you bury this relic forever, never to tempt destiny?

If your heart is weak, leave now. Destroy the sword. Forget you ever touched it.

But... if you are resolute, then carve your will upon the abyss, as I once did. Inherit not only the sword, but the legacy locked within my coffin.

The abyss devours cowards. Only the unyielding shall reign."

—Mo Cangxuan**

Tian Lei’s gaze lingered on the final words of the letter, his expression calm yet edged with thought. Mo Cangxuan... the Old Man of the Abyss. Forgotten by the sects, erased from history. Yet he once wielded a Heaven-piercing sword?

A faint gleam passed through his eyes. He had encountered countless self-styled experts, but never one whose very coffin was sealed inside a broken weapon. Whoever this old man was, his path had already surpassed the boundary of ordinary cultivators.

Still, Tian Lei was no fool. The coffin pulsed faintly, its chains whispering like the hiss of a sleeping beast. To tamper with it now would be reckless.

He withdrew his soul sight slightly, shifting his focus to the relics scattered around it. The cracked stones and torn slips exuded a faint abyssal resonance. Some bore the lingering breath of divine rank cultivation methods—half-shattered, incomplete, yet still dangerous. Others contained yin-based arts, steeped in shadow and secrecy, their lines of script writhing as if alive.

One jade slip in particular pulsed with sharpness. Tian Lei brushed his consciousness against it, and the words Abyss Sword Art etched themselves into his mind. The cultivation technique was dense, weighty, its foundation built upon devouring yin essence and channeling killing intent until the blade and the abyss were one.

The slip itself warned of the cost—clarity of mind. Many who attempted it lost themselves to madness, becoming nothing more than puppets of the abyss. Yet even crippled and incomplete, it radiated power that stood at the level of Immortal Rank.

Tian Lei’s lips curved faintly. "So the old man wasn’t bluffing."

He examined further. Among the relics were yin-based divine techniques, shadow arts capable of bending the soul, and even the scattered remnants of abyssal dao insights. Dangerous, yes—but also priceless.

Still, Tian Lei was not one to act on impulse. With deliberate precision, he began storing them away. Piece by piece, each jade slip, each relic, each cracked stone was withdrawn from the coffin’s space and placed within the broken sword itself. He carved out a sealed chamber in his own golden sea of soul power, binding the sword’s fragment inside his invincible Soul Sea.

By anchoring the abyssal inheritance within his domain, he ensured that even if Mo Cangxuan’s lingering will stirred, it would find no foothold. Here, in the fortress of his soul, Tian Lei reigned supreme.

As he closed his eyes, the broken blade before him seemed to thrum faintly, resonating with the abyssal treasures hidden inside. Outside, the night winds rattled the inn’s shutters, the city still echoing with distant clashes over the auction’s spoils.

"Well, now that’s done, I can leave tomorrow," Tian Lei murmured. He leaned back on the bed and slept like an iron log.

When he woke, the faint smell of blood lingered in the inn. Through his senses, he could hear commotion in the streets. The city had not been safe that night—many who left with treasures from the auction had been hunted down. Some unlucky ones were killed, their corpses stripped bare of wealth.

But Tian Lei was calm. He ate a quiet meal at the inn, unmoved by the chaos outside. While others scrambled, hid, or fled, he remained steady.

Not long after, a group of guards in steel armor arrived at the inn. Their presence silenced the street outside. They moved directly toward Tian Lei’s room.

One of them, clearly the leader, stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Are you someone named Tian Lei?" he asked.

Tian Lei opened his eyes slowly, his gaze steady.

"I am."

The guard clasped his fists. "The City Lord has invited you. Would you please come with us?"

Tian Lei’s expression did not change, but his thoughts stirred faintly. The City Lord? Interesting...

He stood up without hurry, his steps silent as he followed them out.

****

The City Lord’s mansion was quieter than expected, its halls lit by soft lantern glow. When Tian Lei was guided into the audience chamber, he was met not by an elderly statesman, but by a woman in her prime.

She sat at the head of the hall, dressed in flowing robes embroidered with silver thread. Her beauty was sharp, commanding, yet there was a weariness in her eyes that only those who carried the weight of a city could bear.

"You must be Tian Lei," she said, her voice calm but firm. "I heard about you from my friend, the recent caravan mission you took, she described you—measured, powerful, unshaken. That is why I requested your presence."

Tian Lei inclined his head slightly. "City Lord... what is it you want from me?"

At her gesture, a second figure stepped forward—a striking woman draped in traveling garb, her poise unmistakably that of a leader. She was beautiful, but her presence carried the sharp edge of danger, like a blade wrapped in silk.

"This is Lin Yao, leader of one of the largest caravans under my rule," the City Lord introduced.

Lin Yao studied him openly, her gaze cool but curious. Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed slightly at the aura she carried—no ordinary merchant.

The City Lord continued, her tone softening just enough to betray concern."My city has grown restless. Not because of wealth, but because of whispers... Whispers of a group calling themselves the Flower Sect. They hide in the shadows, and lately, they have turned their eyes toward my daughter."

Tian Lei’s brow twitched. Flower Sect? He had read mention of them before in passing—some storytellers mocked them as nothing but shadowy villains invented for dramatic tales. Yet here, standing before him, was a City Lord speaking their name with gravity.

"They claim my daughter is their destined vessel," the City Lord said, her jaw tightening. "Already, I’ve lost guards. Already, assassins have come to my gates. They will not stop until they take her. That is why..." Her eyes fixed on him. "...I ask if you would lend your strength."

Tian Lei’s voice was low, steady. "Do you need help?"

The City Lord nodded once.

"Then," Tian Lei replied, his tone cutting through the silence, "post the mission in your sect’s channels. There will be plenty who would jump at the chance."

"I could do that... but it would already be too late. I just received this letter," the City Lord said as she passed it to him.

Tian Lei took the letter, opened it, and read in silence. His eyes narrowed slightly. "So, tonight, they are aiming at your daughter?"

The City Lord nodded.

He looked up. "But I am only at the Mortal Rank. Surely you must have stronger elders in your city, ones more suited to deal with this than me."

Her expression tightened. "I do... but none of them can sense danger the way you do. You saw it in the Caravan mission—your perception is sharper, your instincts more reliable. That is why I called for you. You don’t have to fight—just warn us if something stirs."

At her words, Lin Yao, the dangerous caravan leader, stepped forward slightly, her gaze firm.

"She will lead the guard force," the City Lord continued, "but you will serve as our eyes. Reconnaissance only."