The wind howled atop the Forbidden Peak like a caged beast, tearing through the night with cries of anguish. Yun Tian, or rather, Lin Feng, stood motionless beneath the stars, his tattered robe fluttering like broken wings. Beneath his chest, the Eye of the Void pulsed faintly — a steady, eerie rhythm, as if calling to something ancient, something sealed away by time and divine decree.
Ever since the Blood Trial, whispers had spread like wildfire throughout the Yun Clan. The once-despised orphan had risen in unexpected power, eclipsing gifted disciples and elders alike. But Lin Feng cared little for their fear or admiration. His path now lay far beyond mortal concerns — for he had unearthed a secret older than empires, older even than the heavens.
A Map Etched in Flesh
It began with a dream — or a vision — where violet lightning crackled across a shattered sky. Lin Feng stood before a ruined altar, encircled by broken runes and shrouded in shadow. A voice, hoarse and primal, echoed from the abyss.
"You left me in silence. Now I wake with your name burning in my soul..."
When he awoke, his palm was seared with a brand — an ancient sigil composed of three divine characters: "Heavens Forbidden Sealed."
He knew instantly this was no illusion. It was a call. A summoning.
He sought out the hermit Master Bai Chen, hidden deep within the mountains. The old man cackled the moment he saw Lin Feng's marked hand.
— "Hah! The Eye has begun its dance again... So, the Sanctuary still remembers you!"
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "What do you know of this place?"
The hermit snapped his fingers. The air itself split, revealing a suspended vision — a celestial chamber with seven broken pillars, a sky flipped upside-down, and a gate swallowed in black light.
— "The Forbidden Heavens… once the cradle of godhood, now a graveyard of truths. They await only one bold — or mad — enough to claim them."
The Echo of Forgotten Skies
The Forbidden Heavens Sanctuary was more than legend — it was an ancient realm, forged by primordial gods to test the worthiest of cultivators. But it had been sealed long ago, its existence purged from records after a divine rebellion. Lin Feng now remembered the council of the gods in his past life — how he had stood alone, refusing their decree of succession. It was that defiance that had marked him for betrayal.
Now, perhaps, this place held the answers. The Eye of the Void reacted to the seal — not as an intruder, but a key long lost.
To reach the Forbidden Heavens, Lin Feng had to forge what Bai Chen called a Celestial Pact — a soul-binding contract with ancient laws, one that demanded sacrifice and renunciation of humanity.
The Altar of Echoing Stone
With Lan Xue at his side, he ascended the Mountain of Stillness, guided by the dream's lingering glow. Beneath twin moons, they uncovered a crumbled altar buried in frost and silence. Its surface bore no writing — until the Eye of the Void illuminated the stone with spectral light, revealing hidden runes humming with forgotten power.
Lan Xue shivered.
— "It feels like... the stones are crying."
Lin Feng pressed his palm against the altar. A sharp pain lanced through his body. Visions surged — forgotten gods, shattered realms, his own voice swearing defiance in a time before time.
From the depths, a hoarse whisper rose:
"Heir... you have returned. Do you truly remember what this means?"
He gave no answer. Instead, he pressed his marked palm against the center of the altar.
Blood spilled. The altar drank it.
The Pact
A swirling darkness emerged from the stone, forming the shape of a cloaked figure, draped in chains, eyes hollow and endless.
"The Eye of the Void binds you to the Lost Laws. Are you prepared to sacrifice your mortality, your reincarnation... and all ties to the Supreme Heaven?"
Lin Feng's voice was cold.
— "Yes."
— "You will no longer love without pain, nor return to what you once were. Your vengeance will cost your very soul."
— "I am no longer a man. I am the judgment they deserve."
The figure bowed. A ring of golden and void energy circled Lin Feng, fusing into his chest with searing heat.
The Celestial Pact was sealed.
The Awakening of the Forbidden
A tremor shook the mountain. Lines of raw celestial energy burst from the altar, splitting the sky above. A rift in the heavens opened, spiraling with chaos and divine flame.
The Eye of the Void burned bright. Lin Feng could feel the forbidden space calling to him, like a memory carved in stars.
But not all welcomed his ascension.
Three Celestial Guardians — relics of the old gods — rose from the chasm. Towering beings of obsidian and flame, they wielded void-lances that shimmered with the power to erase existence.
Lan Xue stepped back in terror. Lin Feng did not.
He moved like shadow, invoking the Step of Fragmented Mirage, his form slipping through dimensions. One blow from a guardian missed him by inches, shattering the cliff behind.
Drawing on the Eye's hidden power, he conjured a Blade of Soul Essence, striking a guardian's core. The blow staggered the behemoth — but did not fell it.
The battle was not one of victory — but survival. He needed time until the pact's gate completed its manifestation.
As his strength began to fade, Lan Xue — eyes burning with resolve — stepped into the altar's ring and began chanting. Her voice, ancient and unfamiliar, unleashed a wave of spiritual resonance. A lullaby her mother once whispered in a forgotten tongue.
The Eye of the Void responded.
A pulse of void-energy surged from Lin Feng, engulfing the guardians. Their essence, pulled into the Eye, was transformed into fragments of divine power, each one etched into his soul.
The Gates Revealed
A portal formed — a vast gateway of blackened gold, carved with constellations that moved like living things. Lin Feng collapsed to one knee. Blood streamed from his eyes and ears. The strain of forming the pact had nearly torn his soul apart.
Suddenly, Master Bai Chen appeared, his bells jingling softly.
— "You actually did it... You lunatic! The Forbidden Heavens... open once again."
He handed Lin Feng a Fracture Talisman — an ancient token shaped like a broken mirror.
— "When your body catches up to your will, this will let you pass. But beware — even your name may betray you in there."
Lin Feng accepted it. He understood. This was no longer about vengeance. This was about truth, legacy, and something greater than even gods: freedom from the cycle.
He stared at the rift as it slowly closed, knowing full well the cost of entering. But behind it waited the power to rewrite everything — even the heavens themselves.
The Warning in the Wind
As the rift narrowed, a final whisper slipped through its narrowing edge. So soft, it might have been the wind — yet Lin Feng knew that voice.
"Lin Feng... I've been waiting."
His blood froze.
Zhi Lan.
His former healer. The woman who poisoned his soul and claimed she did so out of love.
His hands clenched.
Let them wait. He would return. Not as the fallen emperor... but as the Heir of the Forbidden Heavens.
End of Chapter 5 – The Celestial Pact
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