When a Soul Fell from the Heavens
In a world ruled by the Nine Clouds, the sky was never merely the sky.
Spirits dwelled among the clouds. Immortal sects hid within the mountains, while spiritual beasts roamed across the land—creatures so rare that some had become nothing more than legends in the eyes of mortals.
People believed that every human possessed a single soul.
But they were wrong.
Sometimes...
a soul that should never have awakened would awaken.
It was a quiet night on Mount Langyu.
The moon hung above the mountain peaks, while snow covered the ancient trees in a layer of pale, shimmering white.
Inside a quiet pavilion, a young man sat before an open window.
He wore simple white robes, and his long black hair was neatly tied behind his back.
His features were calm—so calm that it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking.
His name was Lan Yucheng.
One of the youngest disciples of the Heavenly Cloud Sect.
And perhaps the most difficult of them all to approach.
Lan Yucheng trusted no one.
Not because he had never met anyone worthy of his trust...
but because he had learned long ago that trust could be more dangerous than a sword.
He raised his eyes toward the heavens.
Suddenly...
one of the stars flared brightly.
That alone was not unusual.
But the star did not simply shine.
It fell.
A streak of white tore across the night sky before disappearing behind the mountains.
Lan Yucheng frowned.
He stood.
At that very moment, the sect bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then the strikes came faster.
An alarm.
Lan Yucheng’s expression changed.
He fastened his sword and left the pavilion.
By the time he reached the sect’s main courtyard, the disciples had already gathered.
Voices filled the air.
“What happened?”
“Did someone attack us?”
“I saw a light fall behind the mountain!”
But Lan Yucheng paid no attention to them.
His gaze remained fixed on the sky.
Then the Sect Elder’s voice rang out.
“No one leaves the sect.”
Silence descended over the courtyard.
The elder continued.
“We have detected a powerful spiritual disturbance in the western mountain.”
He paused.
“But we do not know its source.”
One of the disciples raised his hand.
“Could it be a spiritual beast?”
The elder shook his head.
“No.”
His voice became more solemn.
“It is a human soul.”
Whispers spread through the disciples.
A human soul?
In the mountains?
In the middle of the night?
It was impossible.
But before anyone could ask another question...
a voice came from behind them.
“What a boring sect.”
Everyone turned.
A young man was standing on top of the courtyard wall as though he had been there from the beginning.
His black hair was slightly messy, and an irritating smile played across his face.
He jumped lightly to the ground.
Then he looked around.
“All this noise over a single soul?”
One of the disciples shouted,
“Who are you? And how did you get in here?!”
The young man smiled.
“Two questions at once? That’s a lot to ask from someone who doesn’t look like he uses his brain very often.”
The disciple’s face reddened with anger.
Lan Yucheng, however...
simply stared at the stranger in silence.
This young man was not one of their disciples.
And no one had sensed his arrival.
That could only mean one thing.
He was strong.
The stranger walked toward him.
For a moment, his smile disappeared when his eyes met Lan Yucheng’s.
Then it returned.
“You.”
Lan Yucheng said nothing.
“You look less boring than the others.”
“You look more annoying than them.”
Silence.
Then several disciples burst out laughing.
The young man stared at Lan for two seconds.
Then he laughed.
It was a clear, genuine laugh, without even a trace of offense.
“I like you.”
Lan Yucheng raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t ask.”
“But I’m going to decide that I like you anyway.”
“Don’t.”
“Too late. I’ve already decided.”
And for the first time in a long while...
Lan Yucheng felt that his quiet night had come to an end.
The young man spoke.
“My name is Xing Yan.”
He pointed at himself with absolute confidence.
“Remember it well, because you’ll be hearing it a lot.”
Lan Yucheng looked at him coldly.
“I hope not.”
Xing Yan smiled.
“I hope otherwise.”
Moments later, the ground trembled.
The smile vanished from Xing Yan’s face.
From the western mountain...
a black light appeared.
No.
It was not really light.
It was a dark spiritual aura rising toward the heavens.
Lan Yucheng stared at it.
Then he spoke.
“Something is wrong.”
Xing Yan answered,
“I know.”
The two looked at each other.
And in that very moment, a voice came from the mountain.
A woman’s voice.
Weak...
distant...
but unmistakable.
“Help me...”
Everyone froze.
Then the voice came again.
But this time, it spoke a name.
Only one name.
“Lan...”
Lan Yucheng’s eyes widened.
Xing Yan...
was no longer smiling.
The soul had not called Lan Yucheng by his full name.
It had only said:
“Lan...”
As if she had known him for a very long time.
Even though Lan Yucheng...
had never heard that voice in his life.
Or so he believed.
Xing Yan looked at him.
“Do you know her?”
Lan remained silent.
Then he tightened his grip around his sword.
“We’re going there.”
Xing Yan smiled.
“I knew you’d say that.”
“I never said you were coming.”
“And I never said I was going to wait for your permission.”
Lan Yucheng sighed.
Then he headed toward the mountain.
Xing Yan followed.
That night...
their journey began.
A journey that would lead them across the World of Nine Clouds...
and reveal to them that some souls did not return to life because they sought revenge.
But because they...
wanted to remember who had killed them.
