CHAPTER 167 — THE MARK AND THE BLOOD
The sky did not fully heal.
The golden fracture sealed halfway—like an eye that refused to close.
And then—
It looked back.
A thin beam of concentrated gold descended from the fracture, not violently, not explosively.
Deliberately.
It did not target Zehell.
It did not strike the Dean.
It did not shatter the canyon.
It struck Long Hao.
Directly in the chest.
There was no time to dodge.
No time to intercept.
The beam pierced through his stabilized aura as if it had been invited.
His body locked mid-breath.
Black-gold energy surged outward reflexively—but instead of repelling the light, it absorbed it.
The beam vanished.
The sky went silent.
The golden silhouette above dimmed slightly.
And then—
It spoke.
"ECLIPSE VARIABLE — MARKED."
The words carved themselves into reality.
Long Hao staggered back two steps.
His heart hammered violently.
Heat spread across his sternum.
He looked down.
There—
Over his heart—
