" You really punched a shadow priest in the throat?" Di Yan asked, incredulous,
as he adjusted the wards around their temporary mountain refuge.
Yueli, lounging on a boulder in her
crimson robe with their daughter curled against her chest, tossed a date into her mouth and smirked. " He tried to snatch my baby. What was I supposed to do—
offer him tea?"
" He had fangs, Yueli."
She popped another date. " And now he has a sore neck."
Di Yan just shook his head and turned to their baby, who was currently gnawing on a levitating pinecone. " And you, little one, no more trying to fly without permission. You gave the spirit wolf a heart attack."
The baby burbled and blew a puff of sparkly fog into the air.
Yueli laughed. " She's already out- magicking half the celestial academy."
Before Di Yan could respond, the sky darkened— not from clouds, but from the ripple of an incoming portal. A breeze of dark energy followed, laced with venom and incense.
They both stood in sync.
The portal opened— and from it stepped a man dressed in midnight armor, eyes like onyx fire, mouth curled in disdain.
On his chest gleamed the mark of the Forgotten Sect.
" Di Yan," the man said coolly. " So this is where you've been hiding. And you brought your little… pet."
Yueli rolled her shoulders. " Say that again. Slower."
" Yueli—" Di Yan warned.
" No, no. I want him to."
The intruder smirked. " You're every bit as reckless as they say."
" And you're every bit as punchable,"
Yueli snapped.
Before he could respond, Di Yan moved.
One second he was by Yueli's side, the next he was in front of the man, blade clashing against a dark scythe in a burst of sparks.
The mountains trembled. Trees swayed.
The baby clapped.
Yueli's eyes narrowed. " Keep him busy,
love. I'll go for the source."
" Don't do anything reckless."
" I only do reckless," she whispered— and vanished in a swirl of flame and foxfire.
Deep within the portal's remnants, she sensed it: a shard of the Forgotten Sect's core sigil, pulsing with ancient hate. It hovered over a stone altar,
protected by spectral beasts and cursed vines. But Yueli wasn't in the mood for subtlety.
" Time to cleanse."
With a fierce yell, she summoned a flaming whip from her aura, slashing through curses, melting vines, and making the altar explode into a million glittering fragments. The sigil howled—
and so did the warrior outside.
Di Yan, mid-duel, faltered just long enough to see the man clutch his chest and scream as the dark magic inside him unraveled.
" She destroyed the shard!" he growled.
" Impossible!"
Di Yan wiped blood from his cheek and smirked. " You clearly don't know my wife."
The warrior lunged— only to be met with a blast of red fire and flying daggers as Yueli reappeared mid-air and kicked him
square in the jaw.
He flew across the clearing and landed with a thud that cracked stone.
" Don't call me a pet," Yueli huffed,
adjusting her braid.
Di Yan stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her waist. " You really lit him up."
" Just a warm-up." She titled her head up,
teasing. " Ready for the real fun?"
Di Yan leaned down, kissing her forehead.
" Always."
The moment was soft, and for a rare second, still.
Until a scroll materialized mid-air in front of them, sealed with the royal phoenix crest.
Yueli's smile vanished. " That's from the High Court."
Di Yan's jaw tightened. " They know about the baby."
The scroll unfolded itself and began to speak in a familiar, regal voice— her father's.
" To Shen Yueli and Di Yan: You are hereby summoned to the Celestial palace. The child you guard belongs to fate itself. Bring her, or face the consequences."
The scroll burst into golden flame.
Yueli's hands clenched. " They want to claim her?"
Di Yan shook his head. " They want to control her."
" No one controls our daughter," Yueli growled.
" Then we go," Di Yan said, calm but cold.
" Together."
She looked up at him, eyes full of wild fire and quiet fear. " You sure?"
He kissed her hand. " You're my vow,
Yueli. Her safety is my oath. Let them come."
Yueli grinned. " Then let's make some noise."
Behind them, their daughter giggled — and suddenly burst into shimmering golden flames that didn't burn but pulsed with divine power.
The air shimmered. Even the spirit wolves backed away.
Yueli and Di Yan watched their daughter,
eyes wide.
"… she just triggered her first divine shift," Yueli whispered.
Di Yan's lips parted. " She's not just powerful. She's awakening the old magic."
And just like that, the stakes changed.
No longer just a family.
Now, they were a prophecy.
And the world would either kneel— or burn.