Lord Zhong, a name common as dirt, yet in the Sixth Star Domain, it was synonymous with ruthless ambition. As an Elder of the Hua Qing Sect, his cultivation had reached the fearsome Shattered Nirvana stage.

His command over arcane arts was legendary, matched only by his temperament. To cross Qian Gui Zhong meant a swift descent into oblivion for any lacking the power or backing to withstand his wrath.

A millennium past, a minor sect of the Sixth Star Domain learned this lesson in blood. For the accidental slaying of one of Zhong’s disciples, he descended upon their mountain haven. He, alongside a handful of his brethren, extinguished the sect’s lineage, painting the peaks crimson. That day etched his name into the annals of infamy, known to every sect in the Sixth Star Domain.

Now, his face a thunderous mask, he sat cross-legged atop a colossal, dragon-shaped serpent. The beast glided through the Fifth Star Domain, a retinue of Hua Qing Sect’s most devoted disciples trailing in his wake.

“To think the rumors were true!” The very notion sent tremors of anticipation through Qian Gui Zhong. Months prior, the Hua Qing Sect had stumbled upon whispers of a Nirvana Void Pill recipe and a jade tablet granting entry into the ranks of the Heaven Piercing Sect. This revelation sent shockwaves through their halls. As a native of the Cloud Sea Star Region, Qian Gui Zhong knew all too well the cataclysmic event that had unfolded here eons ago.

A hundred thousand years had passed since the Heaven Piercing Sect, poised to ascend into the Ninth Star Domain, discovered a spatial rift teeming with perilous enchantments. Undeterred, they amassed their warriors, led by elders whose cultivation had brushed against the Celestial Tribulation, and delved into its depths. Countless lives were extinguished as they shattered the barriers one by one.

Finally, in the rift’s deepest recesses, they found a skeleton.

Beside the bones lay three artifacts: a single pill, a shattered sword, and a fragment of a beast’s bone. Upon laying eyes on these relics, the Heaven Piercing Sect elders were seized by a ravenous hunger. They hastily retreated, eager to return to their sect.

For their discovery held power beyond measure, enough to shake the foundations of the Cloud Sea Star Region, and elevate the Heaven Piercing Sect above even the hallowed halls of the Ninth Star Domain!

But treachery lurked within their ranks. The news was leaked, and the Sect became besieged. The entirety of the Eighth Star Domain erupted in a frenzy. Countless ancient behemoths, long sequestered from the world, emerged from their secluded dens, drawn into the bloody conflict.

Yet, the Heaven Piercing Sect, a power capable of challenging the entire Eighth Star Domain, met the onslaught with defiance. A storm of blood and fire engulfed the skies.

The Seventh Star Domain was drawn into the vortex. Even the Fifth Star Domain felt its tremors. A calamity that would scar the Cloud Sea Star Region was unleashed. The very memory of it sent shivers down Qian Gui Zhong’s spine, even after a hundred millennia. Ultimately, the Ninth Star Domain, which seldom meddled in lower affairs, intervened, tilting the scales against the Heaven Piercing Sect. At that moment, the Sect fractured!

The majority, unwilling to spill more blood for the artifacts, bartered the pill and the sword for continued existence. They swore fealty and continued their planned ascent into the Ninth Star Domain.

A defiant faction, however, clung to the beast bone fragment and fought tooth and nail against the scavengers, only to vanish into the tides of history.

The beast bone recipe was lost, its fate unknown. Some whispered that the Ninth Star Domain had seized it, while others believed it lay hidden in the vaults of one of the Eighth Star Domain sects that had hunted the remnants of the Heaven Piercing Sect.

Regardless, the saga faded into legend, and the secret of the beast bone recipe remained buried, until a thread of a clue emerged within the Hua Qing Sect.

This thread, no matter how fragile, sent shockwaves through their ranks. They sealed all knowledge of it, even going so far as to massacre those who had learned too much.

For the implications were too great. A single misstep could bring ruin upon the sect. The bloody lesson of the Heaven Piercing Sect served as a stark warning. Compared to that ancient power, the Hua Qing Sect was but an ant. They had no claim to the beast bone, yet they dared to dream. Their ambition was not to hoard it, but to offer it to an Eighth Star Domain power, in exchange for immeasurable benefits and eternal protection. With their blessing, they would rise to become the undisputed masters of the Sixth Star Domain.

But first, they needed to prove the thread’s authenticity. To reveal it to the wrong party would invite the wrath of the Eighth Star Domain, a risk they dared not take. So they resolved to seek verification first.

But to do so required the utmost secrecy. They could not allow any whisper to escape, nor could they risk attracting the attention of rival Sixth Star Domain sects. The clue pointed to a sect in the Third Star Domain, and a large-scale expedition would surely arouse suspicion. Thus, they chose the reliable Shi Luoxing, their most trusted disciple, to lead nineteen others on a clandestine mission.

Shi Luoxing’s cultivation, while commendable, was not the highest in the Sixth Star Domain. His departure would be less likely to raise alarms. And so it was. Until Shi Luoxing reached the Third Star Domain, no suspicions were aroused.

But even Shi Luoxing could not have foreseen the truth. The clue was real! And with unnerving ease, he acquired the beast bone fragment and the jade tablet.

However, as he made his return, his secret was somehow exposed, drawing the attention of the Five Poison Sect. And somehow, sects of the Sixth Star Domain came to know of the find.

“Shi Luoxing, you must hold on!” Qian Gui Zhong channeled his power into the dragon serpent, propelling it through the stardust toward the savage continent.

His party was only the vanguard. Behind them, the full might of the Hua Qing Sect was mobilizing.

As they sped forward, Qian Gui Zhong’s eyes narrowed. Within the reach of his spiritual senses, he detected a lone cultivator astride a black ape the size of a fortress.

In their rapid advance, they had passed many, but the savage continent drew close, heightening Qian Gui Zhong’s vigilance.

His gaze remained fixed on the white-haired cultivator, as did the eyes of his disciples.

The tangible weight of their attention bore down upon Wang Lin, his face pale, his movements arrested in mid-air. He knew his cultivation was veiled, hidden from easy scrutiny. To avoid suspicion, he allowed his inner power to seep outward, projecting an aura of a mere peak Nirvana Scryer.

Qian Gui Zhong dismissed the figure. He was consumed by the urgency of reaching the savage continent. The cultivator had a panicked look of surprise.

According to his star charts, a handful of savage continents lay scattered nearby. It was likely that the cultivator had simply come from another continent.

Without a word, Qian Gui Zhong urged his serpent onward, followed by his disciples.

Wang Lin released a silent breath. These cultivators, although unknown to him, emanated the power of the Sixth Star Domain. Their destination was the savage continent.

Suddenly, a flash of light tore through the void, an object moving at impossible speeds. A jade scroll!

It was a message, sent with a technique known only within sects, far surpassing the speed of any cultivator. Safeguards ensured that only those with the proper hand seals could access its contents, lest it crumble.

The scroll passed Wang Lin in a blink, landing in Qian Gui Zhong’s grasp. The Elder’s expression darkened. With nimble fingers, he invoked his sect’s secret incantation, probing the scroll’s depths with his consciousness. The information sent a jolt through his very being.

The message, sent by the second wave of reinforcements, contained a single, devastating truth: Shi Luoxing’s life tablet in the sect’s Hall of Heroes had shattered! Shi Luoxing was dead!

Qian Gui Zhong’s face twisted in fury, his grip crushing the scroll. His gaze snapped back to Wang Lin. He did not single out Wang Lin as the sole suspect, but in this moment of crisis, with Shi Luoxing slain by an unknown hand, everyone within striking distance of the savage continent was now a suspect!

“Seize him! Bring him to the savage continent!” Qian Gui Zhong commanded, and eight of his elite disciples surged toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin feigned shock, bowing politely with a touch of controlled terror, “Esteemed Daoists, what is the meaning of this?”

“Do not force our hand! You will accompany us at once!” The eight disciples were composed of seven Soul Transformation cultivators, and one at the Scrying Nirvana Stage.

Ordinarily, they would have shown respect, as Wang Lin’s revealed cultivation was far beyond their own. But with their Elder’s order, and with so much at stake, they abandoned all pretense of courtesy.

(Author Note: The author then goes on to apologize for being sick and unable to write. It’s left out because it isn’t relevant to the story.)