The very fabric of existence warped, yet even within the hallowed halls of a Celestial Emperor’s grotto, Wang Lin could not stem the tide of change. In his left eye, infernal flames raged; in his right, lightning crackled with untamed power.

A shift, subtle yet absolute, overtook his perception. The world before him fractured, the familiar dissolving into the unknown.

The deep pit, once a tangible void, shimmered, faded, and vanished entirely. In its place, a tapestry of inky, interwoven lines emerged, crisscrossing the void, a skeletal framework of reality itself.

These very lines, it became clear, were the true substance of the pit. Stunned by this revelation, Wang Lin hung motionless in the air, a flicker of bewilderment in his gaze.

He turned his head, his sight falling upon the pit’s edge. With his gaze, the solid rock dissolved, reforming into the same intricate latticework of dark strands.

A primal urge welled within him. He reached out a hand, attempting to grasp at these ethereal lines, but a surge of ancient, unfathomable power erupted from their depths. His reaching hand was repelled, the force slamming back against him, a resounding echo in the silent grotto.

With a resounding crash, Wang Lin stumbled backward, yet no trace of dismay marred his features. Understanding dawned in his eyes.

Drawing a deep breath, he ascended from the pit, casting his gaze upon the surrounding landscape. The architecture of the grotto, once familiar, now stood transformed.

The buildings, the blossoming flora, all disintegrated beneath his gaze, reassembling themselves into a vibrant spectrum of intersecting lines, each a different hue, each a different thread in the cosmic weave.

The very world around him had undergone a profound and irreversible metamorphosis.

“No wonder figures such as Bei Luo could traverse the ninety-nine realms within the bottle… Si Tu Nan, if he so desired, could surely do the same… Even Floating Wind Master could likely breach the confines of a bottle-world.”

“Were I to enter the bottle-world now, though unable to weave through all ninety-nine realms, I could undoubtedly shatter and traverse several…”

Those venerable masters, having achieved the Nirvana Scryer realm, possessed the ability to discern the very laws of existence. Their attainment granted them a nascent grasp upon these laws, allowing them to navigate between realms.

“My attempt to seize the lines was met with resistance because my cultivation is lacking… I have yet to reach the heights of Nirvana Scryer… I have yet to command these laws.” Wang Lin murmured, his gaze sweeping across the transformed landscape, a profound understanding taking root in his heart.

Even the invisible wards and barriers of the grotto now stood revealed, stark and undeniable. As Wang Lin’s gaze swept over them, the Heavenly Devil Bead within his mind stirred, whirling into motion and manifesting as a fist-sized vortex upon his brow.

Slowly, the bead emerged from the swirling portal, drifting before him. Around the Heavenly Devil Bead, the air twisted and writhed, as if the artifact did not belong, rejected by the very essence of the grotto.

In that instant, Wang Lin’s consciousness merged completely with the Heavenly Devil Bead. A deafening thunderclap echoed in his ears, a blinding flash consumed his vision, and an irresistible force tore his spirit free from the confines of the grotto, launching him skyward.

At the heart of the Demon Spirit Land, a radiant column of light erupted from the earth, piercing the heavens.

Wang Lin beheld the sky, a vast expanse of azure that swiftly dissolved into a multitude of cerulean lines, intertwining and swirling in endless patterns.

He saw the clouds, the earth, the plants that clung to its surface, and the countless inhabitants of the Demon Spirit Land. He saw the rivers carving through the land and the mountains reaching towards the sky.

Enveloped in the strange power emanating from the Heavenly Devil Bead, Wang Lin’s consciousness expanded, dissolving into the world, witnessing the laws of creation laid bare before him.

Everywhere he looked, he saw only laws, each manifested as a line of vibrant color, a single thread in the grand tapestry of existence.

With each passing moment, Wang Lin seemed to transform into a breeze, sweeping across the Demon Spirit Land, before once more ascending into the heavens, carried aloft by the otherworldly energy of the Heavenly Devil Bead.

Another resounding boom reverberated in his mind as the power of the bead tore through the barrier protecting the Spirit Ascension Land, a barrier impenetrable to even the celestial might of Tian Yunzi himself.

It was as if, before the Heavenly Devil Bead, nothing could stand in the way, or dared to impede its progress!

Before Wang Lin lay a vista of inky, starlit void!

Countless motes of cosmic dust drifted in the star-strewn expanse, and distant nebulas pulsed with otherworldly light. Wang Lin, lost in a trance of understanding, gazed into the abyss, sensing the profound laws contained within the cosmos.

Distant stars glittered like celestial jewels, meteors traced fleeting paths through the darkness, and clouds of dust billowed in the void, all were revealed to Wang Lin.

Laws… all things in heaven and earth were bound by laws!

His spirit melded with the starry expanse, Wang Lin’s understanding deepened, growing exponentially as his consciousness expanded. This expansion far surpassed the reach of mere divine sense, its scope immeasurably greater.

It was akin to the first time he stood before the gates of the Heavenly Devil, stepping halfway into that wondrous realm, becoming one with the ethereal nothingness. Now, in the real space of the cosmos, Wang Lin once again tasted the path of enlightenment.

But this time, he sought not the path of existence, but the very laws that governed it.

His spirit swept outwards, endlessly expanding. In an instant, it traversed countless cultivation stars, each one leaving him untouched in his reverie, unaware of his current state.

As his spirit passed over each star, every living creature, from mortal to cultivator, plant to beast, was laid bare to his awareness.

The myriad laws of heaven and earth unraveled like threads, each one caught in Wang Lin’s sight as his spirit swept through the cosmos.

Not a single cultivator, not even those who had attained Nirvana Scryer or Soul Searched, sensed the passage of Wang Lin’s spirit.

For he was shielded by the power of the Heavenly Devil Bead, and as long as he maintained this state of reverie, no one, not even the Broken Nirvana, could perceive his existence!
As his spiritual essence unfurled, it spread from the dust of the Demon Spirit Land, an ever-widening circle reaching across the cosmos. Time, it seemed, had become an infinite ocean, its currents swirling without end. Ages passed in a breath, and then, across nearly half the expanse of the Star System Alliance, Wang Lin’s divine awareness held sway.

He did not falter. With the power of the Heaven Defying Bead as his guide, his essence expanded once more, ever larger, ever broader, penetrating deeper into the tapestry of existence.

He beheld countless cultivators, witnessed beasts of unimaginable ferocity, and even glimpsed faces from his distant past.

None could halt his passage. He was lost in a transcendent state, unraveling the secrets of the heavens and earth. His spiritual strength soared, and his cultivation drew ever nearer to its zenith.

The transition from the late stages of Peeping Nirvana to its ultimate perfection was not inherently difficult for any cultivator who had reached that level. It required only the comprehension of enough of the universe’s laws, a saturation point beyond which enlightenment bloomed.

Yet, this was a process measured in eons. Only through countless lifetimes of experience, through witnessing the totality of creation, could one hope to succeed. But Wang Lin, guided by the Heaven Defying Bead, achieved what no other could. In a single heartbeat, his essence permeated the entire Star System Alliance, granting him a glimpse into the infinite dance of cosmic order.

His awareness continued its boundless expansion. He perceived a sea of fire blazing across the void, driven by the roar of a colossal Vermillion Bird radiating intense heat.

Behind the Vermillion Bird, a multitude of crimson streaks blazed, each containing red-robed figures, both male and female. Leading them were six elders, their auras shimmering with power.

A thousand strong, these cultivators trailed in the wake of the Vermillion Bird, each possessed of formidable strength.

A sense of familiarity stirred within Wang Lin as his gaze brushed the great bird. In that instant, the Vermillion Bird’s eyes flared with fiery brilliance. The massive creature shuddered and released a piercing cry that reverberated across the stars.

Then, as Wang Lin’s spiritual essence moved on, a haze of confusion settled upon the Vermillion Bird’s eyes.

The bewilderment was mirrored amongst its followers, especially the six elders at the fore, who exchanged perplexed glances.

They could not fathom why the Vermillion Bird True Spirit had emitted its cry, and no amount of contemplation could reveal the true answer.

Onward moved Wang Lin’s essence, piercing the center of the Star System Alliance. A field of dark violet asteroids stretched before him, concealing a deeper secret.

There, adrift in the void, stood an immense, circular edifice, guarded by hundreds of smaller structures. Black lightning crackled around them, a display of ominous power.

This was the gateway to the headquarters of the Cultivation Alliance, and only those who passed through it could hope to reach its hidden sanctum.

Wang Lin’s essence pierced the veil, sweeping across the strange place and entering the heart of the Cultivation Alliance itself.

The Alliance’s headquarters existed within a pocket dimension, carved from the remains of the long-lost Rain Immortal Realm.

One hundred and seventy-three colossal cultivation stars formed the Alliance’s grand design, with one hundred and seventy-two arranged in a slow, rotating ring, like a celestial river in perpetual motion.

The headquarters resembled a miniature Star System Alliance.

Within, countless cultivators moved silently, a ghostly procession.

At the heart of the ring lay a vast, swirling vortex of purple energy, its mere sight enough to unravel the minds of the unwary. Few knew what secrets dwelled within.

Above this vortex, the one hundred and seventy-third star remained stationary, suspended in the sky and drawing sustenance from the purple energies below.

The vortex was so vast that cultivators within it would appear as mere specks of dust. Even the final cultivation star was insignificant compared to its swirling depths.

Upon that star, within a hidden chamber, sat a man of middle age, handsome and exuding an air of otherworldly grace.

The chamber was bare save for an ancient copper bell hanging from the center of the ceiling.

Wang Lin’s essence swept through the chamber. The man betrayed no awareness, yet the bell rang with a sudden, clear chime.

The man’s eyes snapped open, and two beams of intense light shot forth.

But Wang Lin’s essence had already moved on.

In the northern reaches of the Star System Alliance, a great battle raged. Tens of thousands of Luo Tian cultivators clashed with the forces of the Cultivation Alliance, the formidable Yan Leizi among them.

The Alliance forces, too, possessed individuals of extraordinary power. The battle was but a beginning, yet already countless lives had been lost.

Wang Lin’s essence passed over the scene of carnage, witnessing the slaughter, yet it did not linger.

His arrival went unnoticed, his departure unseen. Amidst the blood and destruction, Wang Lin’s essence slipped away unnoticed.

Nothing could hold him back from his path, from the enlightenment that now consumed him. His cultivation crept ever closer to the perfection of Peeping Nirvana, a journey that would have taken others countless lifetimes compressed into mere moments.
As awareness unfurled like a silken banner across the Starfield Alliance, it touched upon a hidden place. There, veiled from prying eyes, orbited a planet of ochre dust. Death clung to its surface, a silent shroud stifling all life. Even the ethereal essence known as spiritual Qi, the lifeblood of cultivators, was scarce.

Yet, for millions of miles around, no cultivator dared tread. The place was whispered of as a forbidden zone, a land where fates met ill ends.

Even the sweeping awareness of Wang Lin found resistance, a subtle but undeniable barrier.

But the instant his consciousness brushed against that desolate sphere, it plunged inwards, drawn into the planet’s heart. Within, a transformation awaited.

For nested deep within this lifeless world lay a teleportation array, colossal and awe-inspiring in its scale. This gateway led to the legendary realm spoken of in hushed tones throughout the Starfield Alliance: the sole Ninth-Tier Cultivation Kingdom!

Kun Xu.

Named for the mythical Kun, this kingdom was an enigma, its secrets guarded jealously. Kun Xu was not merely a single cultivation star, but a sprawling continent, a self-contained world of immense power.

It was the sacred ground, the ultimate aspiration, for nearly all cultivators within the Starfield Alliance.

The moment Wang Lin’s awareness breached the veiled borders of Kun Xu, a land few dared to dream of reaching, an ancient man seated in meditation beside a tranquil lake, his eyes snapped open. He rose with a suddenness that belied his age, his gaze piercing the heavens.

“Who treads within my Kun Xu? Reveal yourself!”

This elder was the first to sense Wang Lin’s presence, his voice calm yet imbued with an unimaginable power. The very laws of existence seemed to bend to his will, ready to shift at his spoken command.

Yet, his words failed to stir Wang Lin from his entranced state. Shrouded in the power of the Heavenly Defiance, Wang Lin’s consciousness swept through Kun Xu, grasping only fragments of its true majesty. Then, abruptly, his awareness jolted to a halt.

He beheld two women.

One sat atop a windswept peak, her beauty understated, yet undeniably captivating. Dressed in a simple green robe, she gazed into the distance, a wistful melancholy painting her features.

Beside her lay a massive tiger, its coat as dark as midnight. A palpable aura of raw power radiated from the beast. It occasionally glanced at the woman, mirroring her distant gaze.

But its attention was more frequently drawn to the dense jungle below, where several female tigers lurked amongst the trees. A primal yearning shone in its eyes, a silent plea to plunge into the verdant depths.

“When will I be free to leave this place?” the woman whispered, her words carried on the breeze, seemingly directed towards the beast at her side.

“When you possess sufficient strength, I will grant you your freedom,” a voice, cold as glacial ice, echoed from behind. The woman stiffened, and even the great tiger recoiled, hastily averting its gaze from the beckoning jungle.

The source of the voice was another woman, clad in an elegant gown of azure blue. Her beauty defied mortal description, so radiant that the very stars seemed to dim in her presence.

Her allure was breathtaking, capable of stunning even the most seasoned cultivator. To call her the fairest woman in the Starfield Alliance would invite no argument.

Yet, beneath her flawless visage lay a chilling aura, a barrier of ice that few dared to approach. No warmth, no passion, seemed capable of melting her frigid exterior.

And intertwined with this coldness was an air of unyielding nobility, an arrogance that placed her at the very pinnacle of existence. Where she stood was the center of all attention, the embodiment of unrivaled power and status.

“Zhou Ru greets her Master,” the first woman murmured, her voice laced with reverence.

The breathtaking woman in blue, her beauty a match for the sun and moon, regarded Zhou Ru with an unchanging, glacial expression. She prepared to speak, but at that very moment, Wang Lin’s awareness washed over them. His consciousness, unburdened by past sights, halted with earth-shattering force.

The pause ripped him from his strange trance.

It was these two women who caused his awakening.

While others might not recognize the unparalleled beauty before him, Wang Lin’s heart was gripped by an unbearable anguish the instant he beheld her.

How could he not know her…?

With Wang Ping still cradled within the Heavenly Defiance, how could Wang Lin ever forget the woman whose actions had been so vile? He wished to, but some wounds fester for a lifetime.

The appearance of this woman and Zhou Ru triggered Wang Lin’s return from that other place. As he awoke, the beautiful woman’s eternally frozen expression shattered.

Her icy composure crumbled, and she lifted her gaze to the heavens, a look of stunned recognition etched across her face. As if from those heights, she beheld a haunting visage, a memory branded upon her soul.

“Liu Mei…” A faint whisper seemed to echo across the heavens, reaching the ears of the beautiful woman, causing her to stumble back, as if struck by an unseen force.

As Wang Lin’s consciousness recovered, the Heavenly Defiance pulled him back with unimaginable speed. In a heartbeat, he vanished from Kun Xu.

Like a cosmic tide receding, his awareness, which had swept across the Starfield Alliance, retreated in an instant, leaving behind only echoes.

The ancient elder in Kun Xu, who had first sensed Wang Lin’s presence, stared into the distance, a thoughtful expression settling upon his face.

And in the northern reaches of the Starfield Alliance, amidst the ongoing conflict, the sudden withdrawal of Wang Lin’s consciousness sent a shockwave through the ranks, leaving炎雷子 and others with expressions of stark alarm.
“Wang Lin!!” The eyes of Yan Leizi widened in disbelief, a sight rarely witnessed upon that warrior’s countenance. He was not alone in his astonishment. All who knew Wang Lin felt a tremor in their very souls, a psychic quake born of the impossible!

Within the hallowed halls of the Cultivation Alliance, upon a planet adrift in the swirling vortex at its heart, a middle-aged man in a secluded chamber started abruptly, his gaze filled with a profound shock.

“Who *is* this person?!” he exclaimed, his voice tight with urgency.

Across the star-strewn void, within a blazing constellation known as Firelo, the Vermilion Bird screeched its primal cry anew, redoubling its pace, driven by an unseen force.

Elsewhere, a gaunt figure draped in simple green robes traversed the cosmic expanse with a chilling serenity. His destination: the headquarters of the Cultivation Alliance.

Trailing in his wake, a horrifying testament to his power, was a cloud of countless severed heads, their blood forming a macabre nebula, the stench of carnage clinging to him like a shroud.

As he walked, his eyes flashed with sudden awareness. He lifted his head, peering into the distant reaches of space, and a flicker of something akin to approval touched his impassive face.

“Wang Lin… The boy has broken through. That aura… it must be the Tian Ni Pearl. He can glean insight from it… I can now rest easy knowing this. I can venture to the Cultivation Alliance without regret, seeking the secrets of the Celestial Realm’s collapse, to uncover the source of the madness that once consumed me!”

Wang Lin’s consciousness, which had expanded outwards, contracted with furious speed, drawn back as swiftly as it had been unleashed. It retreated to the Demon Spirit Land, to the Immortal Emperor’s cavern, back into Wang Lin’s mortal coil.

Wang Lin shuddered, as though his soul had returned to its rightful place. Before him hovered the Tian Ni Pearl, its luminescence gentle. It drifted towards his brow, merging once more into his flesh, disappearing within.

Lost in the aftermath, Wang Lin slowly closed his eyes. A wave of power, befitting a peak-stage Nirvana Scryer, erupted from within him. On this journey of perception, Wang Lin had witnessed a tapestry of celestial rules, achieving a profound completion within his cultivation.

After what felt like an eternity, Wang Lin opened his eyes, his gaze reflecting both cold detachment and a deep complexity. He looked towards the ceiling of the cave. During the moment his soul was expanded by the Tian Ni’s power, he had seen so much… But it was the image of a woman that stirred his tranquil heart, filling it with conflicting emotions.

“The Liu Mei of my past… she must have been but a fragment of her…”