The heavy silence that descended upon the Moonspring Gardens pavilion after the Northern Dominion delegation's hasty departure felt thicker than the densest spiritual fog. Long Hu stood amidst the now-brilliant Frozen Heart Orchids, his hands still trembling, the vivid, horrifying image of Elder Theron's past encounter with the shadowy cosmic entity branded into his mind. The threat was not distant; it was woven into the very fabric of the realms, infecting even seemingly neutral parties.
A rustle of silk. Empress Xianxia stood before him, closer than she had been in the Sanctum, her gaze piercing, demanding. There was no more pretense of detached amusement. Her eyes, usually pools of serene starlight, now burned with a cold, calculating fire, reflecting the urgency of the moment.
"What did you see?" Her voice was low, cutting through the silence like a sharpened blade. It was not a question of curiosity, but a demand for immediate, unvarnished truth.
Long Hu flinched, the sheer force of her will pressing down on him. He knew she saw his trembling, his fear. But the horrifying vision, the overwhelming scale of it, still choked him. He swallowed, fighting for air, for composure.
"A shadow," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "Not a cultivator. Not a demon. A shadow that... consumed. It touched him, Theron. A mark, like the frost I just purified. It wasn't about power. It was about... decay. Devouring." He gestured vaguely, desperately, trying to convey the incomprehensible horror. "His aura, the elder's, it resonated with it. An old, deep connection."
Xianxia listened, her expression unreadable. Her eyes, however, widened almost imperceptibly as he described the "decay." Her hands, usually held in perfect poise, subtly clenched. This wasn't a cult. This wasn't a rogue immortal. This was something that preyed on the very essence of existence, a cancer in the spiritual fabric of the cosmos.
"A cold, consuming force, you say?" she mused, her voice almost to herself, her gaze distant, as if already spanning galaxies. "That matches ancient, forgotten legends... of the Void Devourers. Beings thought to be mere myth, confined to dead realms." Her eyes snapped back to Long Hu, sharper than ever. "You don't just purify. You detect its very presence. Your unique essence acts as a spiritual filter."
He felt a shiver, not of cold, but of profound unease. A filter. A sensor. He was not just her apprentice; he was becoming her unwitting tool against a cosmic horror. The realization was sobering.
"This changes things," Xianxia stated, her voice devoid of emotion, yet ringing with authority. She began to pace, her elegant strides measuring the pavilion's space. "My personal vengeance, as gratifying as it promises to be, pales in comparison to a threat that could unravel the very fabric of the Nine Heavens. This is no longer a game, Harem Lord."
Long Hu stared, shocked by her blunt acknowledgment of his past title, and the chilling shift in her tone. The air between them, usually charged with the tension of master and captive, now hummed with a different energy – an alliance born of mutual threat.
She stopped before him, her eyes locking onto his, a possessive fire burning in their depths. "From this moment forth, your duties extend beyond purification. You are my vanguard. My eyes and ears against this... Shadow. You will accompany me to the Grand Conclave of Heavenly Lords. Each major realm sends a delegation. Each delegation must be screened. By you."
His breath hitched. The Grand Conclave? A gathering of the most powerful beings in the Azure Heaven Realm, filled with ancient grudges and subtle power plays. He, a powerless amnesiac, would be publicly examining their most valuable spiritual tributes. The very thought was terrifying.
"Master Tian," Xianxia called, her voice echoing with a new, steel-edged command. "Prepare for immediate departure to the Conclave grounds. And ensure Apprentice Long Hu is equipped with appropriate attire. He will need to present... respectably."
Master Tian, who had been observing the entire exchange with an inscrutable expression, simply bowed low. "As Your Majesty commands."
Xianxia's gaze returned to Long Hu, a faint, almost predatory smile touching her lips. "This 'cosmic jest' has taken an interesting turn, wouldn't you agree? Your weakness has become my greatest asset. Welcome to the true game, Long Hu." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a dangerous, intimate whisper. "And remember, if you fail to detect what lurks, it will not just be your end. It will be the end of us all."
The words hung in the air, a chilling promise and a terrifying new purpose. Long Hu was no longer just the Empress's apprentice, nor merely the victim of her revenge. He was now inextricably bound to her, thrust into the heart of a cosmic battle, his shattered past a key to humanity's survival. The Grand Conclave awaited, and with it, the terrifying possibility of facing the very shadow that had consumed his former life.