Chapter 11: The Capital's Veil
The road to the Imperial Capital stretched like a living serpent — long, winding, and full of eyes that never blinked.
Ren Yu walked beneath the dim light of dusk, his cloak tattered, his mind heavy with the echoes of battle. Lira trailed beside him, her expression tense but steady. Every few miles, she paused, tracing runes in the air — illusion seals meant to blur their presence from any tracking talismans.
The mountains around them were silent, but Ren Yu could sense movement in the wind.
"They're following," he murmured.
Lira nodded. "Three of them. Martial Council trackers — probably elite disciples."
Ren Yu's lips curved faintly. "Then they've underestimated me again."
He stopped in the middle of the narrow mountain path. A cold mist rolled through the valley below, and with a flick of his wrist, Ren Yu drew a thin sigil in the air.The wind shifted — carrying faint whispers of dragon qi.
Moments later, three figures emerged from the fog — cloaked, masked, their robes bearing the silver insignia of the Council.
"Ren Yu of Qinghe," the leader said. "By decree of the Inner Council, you are to be brought to the capital in chains. Resist, and you will be executed on sight."
Ren Yu looked up, golden eyes gleaming beneath the hood. "I was heading there anyway."
They attacked first.
Steel flashed — spiritual energy rippling through the air like shockwaves. Ren Yu stepped forward, his palm forming the Heart Seal, neutralizing the first strike with perfect counterforce. His balance was absolute; the mountain wind bent around him instead of against him.
The second disciple came from above, blade coated in black mist. Lira moved faster — a flick of her wrist, a burst of frost.
"Frost Spiral!"A wave of icy qi erupted from her hand, freezing the man mid-air before he could land a blow.
The third disciple darted behind her — but Ren Yu was already there."Too slow," he whispered.He tapped two fingers against the man's chest, releasing a small pulse of golden qi. The man's aura shattered like brittle glass.
Silence returned as the mist cleared.
Lira exhaled shakily. "That technique— it's new."
Ren Yu nodded. "Heart of Balance evolves with every breath I take. Each fight changes its rhythm."He looked at the fallen men — unconscious but alive. "They're not my enemies. Just tools."
He turned to the horizon, where faint golden spires shimmered through the distance. The Capital.
The Capital Unveiled
By the next dawn, they stood before the Gates of Shengdu, the Imperial Capital of the Martial Empire.
Massive bronze gates towered above them, engraved with dragons and phoenixes intertwined — symbols of unity and control. But behind the beauty, Ren Yu felt the distortion of power. The city's qi flow was unnatural, dense with interference. The ley lines here weren't balanced — they were bound.
Lira glanced sideways. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Ren Yu nodded. "The entire city is a formation. One massive suppression array."
Inside the gates, the capital was breathtaking — floating pavilions, levitating lanterns, cultivators gliding through the air, and spirit beasts pulling carriages made of jade. But beneath the splendor, he saw something else — soldiers on every corner, Council inspectors scanning travelers, and banners reading:
"Order is Power. Obedience is Strength."
They moved quietly, blending into the crowds. Ren Yu suppressed his aura to a whisper, while Lira disguised them both using illusion talismans.Their destination: the Eastern Archives, where all official records of cultivation lineage and Council decrees were stored.
If the Inner Council's secrets ran deep, the Archives would hold the roots.
The Hidden Chamber
Inside the Eastern Archives, the air was heavy with ancient qi. Shelves of scrolls stretched endlessly under floating lanterns. Scholars in plain robes catalogued old texts, unaware of the storm creeping through their walls.
Ren Yu and Lira slipped through an unguarded corridor, descending into the lower chambers. As they reached the end, Ren Yu paused — sensing a faint pulse from beneath the floor.
He pressed his hand against the stone, letting a thread of golden qi seep through.
The floor split open, revealing a spiral staircase of black jade descending into darkness.
Lira frowned. "This isn't in the official blueprints."
"It's not supposed to be," Ren Yu said, stepping down. "It's a hidden layer — a Council vault."
The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The walls were lined with ancient sigils — the same kind he'd seen under Qinghe. But here, they were more refined, more dangerous.
At the end of the staircase, they entered a wide hall lit by ghostly blue flames.At its center stood a massive mural depicting a dragon bound in chains — surrounded by twelve shadowy figures.
Underneath, in the ancient tongue, the inscription read:
"The Dragon's Blood shall never ascend again."
Lira's voice trembled. "This… this is the origin of the Council."
Ren Yu's gaze hardened. "No. This is their fear."
He stepped closer, touching one of the chains in the mural — and instantly, the air shifted. A spiritual echo surged through the chamber, pulling his consciousness into the vision of the past.
The Vision
A battlefield stretched endlessly beneath crimson skies. Armies of cultivators clashed with divine beasts. At the center of the chaos stood a man — tall, golden-haired, eyes glowing with the same light that now pulsed in Ren Yu's veins.
"The First Dragon Vein Holder," a voice echoed — his ancestor, Ren Tianxian."They feared what we represented — freedom from their control. So they built the Council to bind what they could not destroy."
Ren Yu's heart pounded as the vision shattered. When he opened his eyes, the mural's chains glowed faintly — responding to his bloodline.
Lira's eyes widened. "Ren… it reacted to you."
Before he could answer, a faint sound echoed from the upper hall — footsteps, approaching quickly. Council enforcers.
Ren Yu took a slow breath. "They found us."
Lira drew her blade, ice spreading along its edge. "Then we fight?"
Ren Yu's eyes flared gold. "No. We show them."
The ground beneath him cracked as golden qi erupted outward, melting the floor into molten light. The chains on the mural shattered completely — and with them, a pulse of ancient energy surged through the capital, invisible but immense.
Somewhere far above, the golden spires trembled. The suppression array faltered for a single heartbeat.
Ren Yu looked toward the surface. "Now they'll know the dragon has awakened."