Chapter 23 – The Cleansing Ritual
Morning came heavy and gray, with storm clouds rolling across the mountains. The air around the Heavenly Mist Sect pulsed strangely, as if the heavens themselves were uneasy.
Kai stood at the edge of the Spirit Lake, where the ritual would take place. The lake was known for its purity—its water used in cultivation and healing—but now, faint black veins ran through its surface, twisting like shadows beneath the light.
The entire sect had gathered: disciples, elders, and the Sect Master himself. Incense burned at the corners of the platform. Array masters worked feverishly, setting up formation stones around the lake.
Kai's companions stood beside him—Mei Lin, calm but sharp-eyed; Lian Hua, resting her hands on her daggers; Princess Yue, her robe gleaming with divine runes; and Su Xinyi, clutching a jade talisman glowing faintly.
Qin Yao, the Sect Master, raised his voice over the crowd.
"Today, we cleanse this corruption that dares pollute our sacred home. We draw strength from unity, from purity, from the heavens!"
The disciples bowed in unison. The sound echoed like thunder.
Preparation
As the ritual began, Kai's System flickered alive.
[Quest Update: "Cleansing the Sect" Initiated.]
[Objective: Maintain purification formation for 300 breaths.]
[Warning: High-level Blight reaction expected.]
Kai frowned slightly. "This won't be simple," he murmured.
Lian Hua chuckled. "When has anything around you ever been simple?"
Mei Lin placed a steadying hand on his arm. "We'll keep you grounded. Focus on maintaining your flow."
Princess Yue took a deep breath. "The formation draws on everyone's qi. If even one link breaks, the Blight could turn the energy against us."
Kai nodded. "Then we don't fail."
The Ritual Begins
The formation glowed with blinding light as hundreds of cultivators poured their energy into it. Circles of blue, white, and gold rippled across the lake, pushing back the black tendrils.
Kai knelt at the center, the System's interface merging with the formation's pattern. He could feel the spiritual currents twisting like threads beneath his palms.
[Purification Process: 25%... 40%...]
So far, everything went smoothly.
Then, the air shifted.
A foul smell filled the wind, and the lake began to ripple violently. The sky darkened—not from clouds, but from something alive.
[Warning: Blight Counterattack Detected!]
"Brace yourselves!" Kai shouted.
The water erupted. From its depths rose monstrous creatures made of pure corruption—oozing forms of shadow and hate. Their screeches made the air itself tremble.
The Battle at the Lake
"Defend the formation!" shouted Qin Yao.
Disciples formed defensive lines. Spells and sword-light illuminated the storm-dark sky.
Kai stood, Moonshadow in hand, energy flaring like a blazing sun. The System pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
[Bond Resonance Active – Lian Hua, Mei Lin, Yue, Xinyi Linked.]
[Power Amplification: +45%.]
A shadow beast lunged toward him. Kai swung his blade, slicing cleanly through it. The creature disintegrated into mist, but two more appeared to take its place.
Lian Hua danced beside him, blades flashing. "I take left, you take right!"
"Got it!"
Mei Lin summoned flames in a circular pattern, burning the creatures that crept too close to the formation. Su Xinyi knelt beside her, reinforcing the barrier with talismans that shimmered with spiritual light.
Princess Yue chanted softly, her voice like a hymn. "O light that pierces darkness, descend and purify!"
Golden light shot from her palms, striking a Blight beast through the chest and reducing it to ash.
The Corruption Spreads
Just when they thought the tide was turning, the lake itself began to boil. The black veins merged, forming a colossal hand of darkness that reached toward the sky.
Kai felt a pulse of cold in his chest.
[Major Threat Detected – Blight Manifestation Level: Supreme-Class Fragment.]
"Everyone, fall back to me!" Kai shouted.
The hand slammed down, shattering part of the platform. Disciples screamed as the impact threw them backward.
Qin Yao raised his staff, forming a massive ward to hold the corruption back. "Kai! You and your group—center formation, now!"
Kai gritted his teeth. "Understood!"
He and the four women formed a circle, their qi threads connecting through the System's resonance.
[Shared Spirit Link Activated.]
[Qi Synchronization: 97%.]
Energy surged through him like fire and lightning combined. The System's voice hummed in his mind, soft but urgent.
[Host nearing overload. Recommend controlled energy exchange via dual cultivation interface.]
Kai's jaw tightened. Not now… not in the middle of battle.
But then he looked around—Lian Hua's energy was flickering, Su Xinyi's talismans cracking, Mei Lin's flames dimming.
If they didn't stabilize their qi soon, the ritual would collapse.
Desperate Measures
Kai's gaze locked onto Mei Lin's. She understood instantly. Her lips pressed together, but she nodded.
"We need to balance our flow," she said quietly, though her cheeks flushed slightly. "Right here, right now. Through resonance."
Lian Hua's smirk vanished, replaced by rare seriousness. "You mean… use the system's dual link?"
Su Xinyi blushed furiously. "In front of everyone?!"
Princess Yue's calm voice cut through their hesitation. "Do it. The sect's survival is worth more than modesty."
Kai took a deep breath. "Then focus on me. Follow the rhythm of my qi."
The five of them closed their eyes. A radiant aura enveloped the group, golden and crimson threads of energy weaving around them.
[Dual Resonance Cultivation Initiated.]
[Energy Transfer Mode: Stabilization.]
The Blight's pressure slammed against them, but the light of their combined qi pushed it back. The ritual formation brightened once more, the lake beginning to clear.
Kai's mind blurred with the shared warmth of their energies, each heartbeat syncing perfectly. It was overwhelming—raw, intimate power that transcended words.
[Synchronization 100%.]
[Power Surge Detected: Cultivation Increased – Early Nascent Stage.]
The ground trembled as Kai unleashed the built-up energy in a single strike.
"Purify!"
A beam of pure light burst from Moonshadow, cutting through the sky and slamming into the Blight's giant hand. The shadow screamed, twisting violently before exploding into mist.
The Calm After the Storm
Silence followed. The black veins in the lake faded, replaced by ripples of blue and gold. The formation stones stopped glowing, their energy spent.
Qin Yao lowered his staff, exhaustion clear on his face—but relief too. "It's done."
The sect erupted into cheers. Disciples wept, hugging each other.
Kai stood silently, catching his breath. The System chimed softly in his mind.
[Quest Complete: Cleansing the Sect – 100%.]
[Reward: 20,000 Desire Points, +2 Cultivation Ranks, New Skill – Light of Harmony.]
Lian Hua leaned against him, panting lightly. "You… really know how to make every fight dramatic."
Mei Lin smiled faintly. "He doesn't make them dramatic. Trouble just follows him."
Princess Yue chuckled softly. "And we follow him."
Su Xinyi gave a tired laugh. "Even when it's insane."
Kai smiled at them all. "Then let's keep being insane together."
Recognition and Prophecy
That night, under starlight, the Sect Master summoned Kai and his companions to the Hall of Mirrors.
Qin Yao looked at him with solemn pride. "You've done what even the elders could not. You've purified the Blight's taint and saved the sect. For that, you have my eternal respect."
He gestured, and a scroll floated toward Kai. "This was found in the archives you cleared earlier. It speaks of you."
Kai took it, unfolding the parchment. The words glowed faintly:
"When desire itself takes form, when heaven and hell entwine—
A soul from beyond shall awaken, bound by hearts not his own.
Through passion and battle, he shall mend what the gods have broken.
He shall be called—the Reincarnated of Desire."
Kai stared at the words, silent.
Mei Lin stepped closer. "Reincarnated of Desire… that's you, isn't it?"
The System responded before he could.
[Affirmative. Identity Confirmed – Host matches prophecy parameters.]
Kai clenched his fist. "So this is why I was brought here… not just to fight the Blight, but to fulfill a prophecy."
Lian Hua tilted her head. "Then let's make sure it's a good ending."
Princess Yue smiled softly. "Prophecies can be chains—or paths. You choose which it becomes."
Su Xinyi's voice was quiet. "Then… what now?"
Kai looked at each of them, his determination burning brighter than ever.
"Now we find the source of the Blight. No more pawns, no more fragments. We end it at the root."
Far Away, in the Shadows
Deep beneath the mountains, in an ancient ruin untouched by sunlight, a figure cloaked in darkness opened a crimson eye.
"So… the Reincarnated of Desire awakens," it whispered. "Let him grow. Let him gather his lovers, his strength, his foolish hope. When he reaches his peak, I'll consume him—and through him, this world."
The ground cracked as the Blight's energy pulsed outward, spreading across the land once more.