Heaven’s Forsaken System

Chapter 12: The Chains of Fate

Shen Liang stood in the dim cavern, his body still weak from the abyssal energy surging through him. His pulse quickened as footsteps echoed off the stone walls. Whoever was approaching wasn't trying to stay hidden.

His instincts screamed at him to be ready. He flexed his fingers, watching as dark tendrils of Abyssal Grasp flickered over his hands like wisps of smoke. This power, raw and untamed, had become part of him now.

[System Notification: Abyssal Affinity Stabilizing – Side Effects Unknown]

He forced himself to stay calm as a figure emerged from the shadows.

A woman in celestial robes stepped forward, her golden eyes locked onto him with quiet intensity. The sigil of the High Sect gleamed against her chest.

"Shen Liang," she said coolly. "You were never meant to walk out of here."

He smirked, though his muscles tensed. "Funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you."

The air around them grew thick with tension as the woman lifted her hand. A chain of divine light materialized, humming with celestial power. It pulsed as if alive, shifting between solid and radiant energy, waiting for its wielder's command.

[System Alert: Divine Binding Detected – Extreme Threat Level]

Shen Liang's smirk wavered. She wasn't just any sect enforcer—she had come prepared. They knew.

He shifted his stance, drawing upon his own power. The Abyssal Grasp pulsed in response, dark tendrils slithering over his fingers as he prepared for battle.

"You wield the power of the abyss," the woman said. "Unstable. Corrupting. You should not exist."

Shen Liang's eyes narrowed. He had heard enough of this before.

"Maybe," he admitted. He clenched his fists, the abyssal energy clashing against her divine chains. "But neither should chains that control the will of others."

With a sharp breath, he struck first.

The collision of their powers sent a shockwave through the cavern. Shen Liang's Abyssal Grasp lashed out like living shadows, while the woman's celestial chains twisted through the air, glowing with divine radiance. The stone beneath them cracked from the sheer force.

The woman remained composed. With a flick of her wrist, the chains moved like lightning, striking at Shen Liang's limbs. He barely dodged, activating Phantom Step to vanish and reappear a few feet away. But the air around him felt tight, constricted, as though reality itself was shifting against him.

[System Alert: Spatial Distortion Detected – Movement Impaired by 30%]

Shen Liang gritted his teeth. She wasn't just using raw strength—she was manipulating the very space around them, boxing him in.

"You are fast," she observed. "But you rely on borrowed power. Do you even understand the force you wield?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he let the abyss flow through him, its weight settling deep into his bones. This power was dangerous, unstable—but it was his. And he would master it his way.

He exhaled sharply and raised his hand. The darkness thickened around him.

[Abyssal Domain Expansion – Initiated]

The cavern dimmed as if swallowed by an unseen void. The woman's celestial chains flickered, their radiance faltering against the encroaching darkness.

Her eyes narrowed. "Foolish."

With a single gesture, she tore through the void.

Shen Liang's domain shattered like brittle glass.

A sharp pain lanced through him as his control wavered. He fell to one knee, barely catching himself before collapsing. The celestial chains wrapped around his arm, burning with holy fire.

The woman stepped forward. "You cannot control what you do not understand."

Shen Liang clenched his jaw. He refused to be bound. With sheer force of will, he pulled against the chains, abyssal energy flaring around him. The shadows in the cavern trembled as if responding to his defiance.

[Emergency Protocol Activated – Abyssal Resonance Unleashed]

A deafening pulse of energy erupted from within him. The chains cracked. The woman's expression changed for the first time—surprise.

Shen Liang didn't hesitate. He surged forward, his fist cloaked in abyssal fire, and struck at her core.

The impact sent her flying backward, crashing into the cavern wall with a force that shook the chamber.

The battle was far from over.