The sky above the Heavenly Sect was calm.
Too calm.
Inside the grand council hall, however, chaos had already begun.
"The Holy Son… still hasn't returned?"
The voice of an elder trembled.
Another elder slammed his palm onto the jade table.
"Impossible!
Tian Hao is the chosen one of Heaven itself!
How could he disappear without a trace?"
Silence followed.
No one dared to answer.
Days had passed.
Then weeks.
And now—nothing.
No signal jade.
No soul imprint.
No heavenly response.
Only absence.
"The Shadow Emperor…" an elder muttered under his breath.
"That name has appeared again."
At those words, the atmosphere turned heavy.
"Heavenly Sect disciples are whispering," another elder said grimly.
"They say the Shadow Emperor slaughtered cultivators… elders… even entire families."
"And now," he hesitated,
"they are saying the Holy Son has fallen as well."
A loud crack echoed as the Sect Master stood up.
"Enough!"
His eyes were cold, but deep inside them hid unease.
"Tian Hao cannot be dead," he said firmly.
"If he were, Heaven would have reacted."
Yet even as he spoke those words…
the heavens remained silent.
That silence was terrifying.
Far above the mortal realm, in the Heavenly Court—
The divine bells rang without rhythm.
Angels moved in haste.
Godly officials whispered behind folded sleeves.
"The Holy Son's fate line… is unstable."
"No—
it's fading."
A ripple of panic spread through Heaven
.
"For thousands of years, no Holy Son has vanished like this!"
"If Heaven loses its chosen…
what will happen to balance?"
No one said the name aloud.
But everyone thought of it.
Shadow Emperor.
Back in the Heavenly Sect, a junior disciple knelt before the elders.
"Reporting!
Several outer sects have withdrawn their allegiance."
"What?" an elder shouted.
"They say…
Heaven is no longer absolute."
The words felt like a blade.
The Sect Master clenched his fists.
"This is not coincidence," he said slowly.
"First the rumors.
Then the demons grow bold.
Now Tian Hao disappears."
His gaze sharpened.
"There is someone moving in the shadows."
Deep within the Demon World—
Li Feng stood on a cliff of black stone.
A silver-black mask covered his face.
Below him, the demon army bowed in silence.
Mo Zhu stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes calm.
"The heavens are panicking," Mo Zhu said.
"Their Holy Son is gone."
Li Feng's lips curved slightly beneath the mask.
"Good," he replied softly.
The wind howled, carrying killing intent across realms.
"Heaven took everything from me," Li Feng continued.
"Now…
I'll take their faith."
From that day onward—
Heaven feared the dark.
And the dark finally had a name.
Shadow Emperor.