From two millennia of cultivation, Wang Lin had forged but three divine abilities. *Remnant Night*, even in its partial execution, possessed the power to shake the heavens. Yet the primal rules of *Grand Beginning* remained elusive; only at the very instant of sunrise could its full, untamed might be unleashed without causing irreparable harm.

Even with Wang Lin’s current cultivation, forcing *Remnant Night* – altering the celestial sphere, displacing planets, twisting the natural order to turn day into night and night into dawn, and compelling the force of first light – would need be approached with the utmost caution.

As for the *Fleeting Moon* ability, though seemingly less potent in raw power than *Remnant Night*, its manipulation of the very essence of time was unmatched. No being in all of creation could defend against or resist its touch, for time touched all things, silently, inexorably, like the very weave of the heavens.

*Remnant Night* shattered the sky, *Fleeting Moon* glimmered across ages, and *Dream of Dao Antiquity*… Wang Lin’s third divine ability was born from the brink of death, after his battle with Dao Child. Within the celestial artifact Tian Ni, he received the aid of a Sovereign of Sealed Realm, stepping into a realm so profound, so utterly alien, that even now he could scarcely comprehend it – the realm of Dao. Within that realm, two divine abilities surfaced in Wang Lin’s mind. The first, the domain of the demonic spirit, had grievously wounded Tian Yunzi during his Tribulation of the Heavens and Men, and even more severely injured the Ancient Devil’s life-saving eight-star Ancient God technique: *Dream of Ancient Times*. The second was the art of *Scattering of Dao*, first witnessed in the Seven-Colored Realm, wielded by the old man of the Sealed Extermination Clan. The strength of these two abilities was etched into the deepest recesses of Wang Lin’s memory, impossible to erase, woven into the very fabric of his being. For ten years within the realm of Dao, Wang Lin meditated on these terrifying arts of *Dream of Ancient Times* and *Scattering of Dao*.

*Dream of Ancient Times*, an Ancient God’s technique, should have been impossible for a mere cultivator to wield. Even Wang Lin, a descendant of the Ancient Gods, could not have accomplished it, but in the Seven-Colored Realm, the old man of the Sealed Extermination Clan opened a gateway to the very essence of Dao itself.

However, the art was too vast, too complex for Wang Lin to grasp under normal circumstances. Yet, within the realm of Dao, with unwavering will and perseverance, he harnessed the power of the realm itself to merge *Scattering of Dao* with *Dream of Ancient Times*, creating the *Dream Dao* ability. Long ago, outside the rift of the Cloud Sea Demon Sect, Wang Lin had demonstrated its power, nearly shattering the Dao Heart of an elder undergoing the Tribulation of the Heavens and Men without the elder even realizing it. Had Wang Lin not revealed his hand, the elder’s Dao Heart would have shattered, his very foundation of existence destroyed. *Dream Dao*, though complex in theory, was in practice the manifestation of a heart-demon – the ability to transform another’s Dao into a heart-demon, and then use that demon to destroy their very foundation, bringing about their self-annihilation. Even those without comprehension of Intent had heart-demons, and that was what Wang Lin’s art exploited. Such arts were exceedingly rare, even among third-step cultivators. To possess even one was a stroke of immense fortune. Even one as powerful as Dao Lord Blue Dream possessed but a handful.

*Dream of Dao Antiquity* returned to another’s memories! Though Wang Lin could not scatter one’s Dao as the old man of the Sealed Extermination Clan had done, he could use this ability to plant a false memory within the target’s mind. That false memory would forever exist within the target’s soul, impossible to erase, becoming their reality! This was the planting of a heart-demon. The breath that left Wang Lin’s lips, his very Dao-breath, landed on the Emperor Furnace, rapidly permeating and merging… Sima Mozi turned, gazing at the spectral figure behind him, his eyes wide with shock. The figure had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years, becoming a part of his very being, yet never once had it spoken. She… should have been dead… the source of his deepest pain… The white silk cloth was the very noose she used to end her life, the plum blossom stain upon it the very blood he spat out in sorrow and remembrance… Sima Mozi trembled. This sudden event, this unexpected voice, left him stunned, forgetting the beast bone in his hands, forgetting to place his palm upon its imprint.

The firefly glow between his brows flickered more intensely, like a candle flame. “Little Sister… is that you… are you speaking?” Sima Mozi stared at the spectral image, his eyes glistening, blurring with tears.

“Brother, brother, come look! Purple orchids are blooming here…” “Brother, stop sleeping! You promised to take me to play today…”

In the Cloud Sea Star Territory, on a floating continent, there was a mortal village. A girl of seven or eight, pouting, kept nudging the sleeping boy beside her.

“Little Lan, let me sleep a little longer. I was out late last night with Tiger and them, stealing eggs from the Xu family. I’m tired…” The boy, a year or two older, opened his eyes briefly, mumbled a few words, and then closed them again, snoring softly.

Time flowed silently by, year after year… “Brother, Tiger bullied me today! He… he kissed me without asking!” On a village path, a young man and a young woman walked in the fading sunset, their shadows lengthening.

The young man carried a herb basket on his back, trudging along and yawning. The girl beside him, dressed in patterned cloth, looked about thirteen or fourteen. She clutched a sprig of grass in her hand, tugging at it fiercely as she spoke.

“Brother! Are you even listening to me?!” The girl glared at the young man, her voice loud.

“I heard you, I heard you, Little Lan. Our parents are gone, and Tiger has taken good care of us all these years. I think Tiger is a good man. You’re not getting any younger, why don’t you just marry him?” The young man yawned again, turning to look at his sister.

“You! How can you say that as my brother?! You just want to get close to Sister Hong Hong! I don’t have a brother like you!” The girl stomped her foot, glaring fiercely at the young man.

The young man blushed, chuckled awkwardly, and quickly changed the subject, talking about things that would attract the girl’s attention. Before long, the two were laughing again, walking further and further away.

Time, like a wheel, turned without pause, carrying away the memories of youth… “Brother, Sister Hong Hong already has a lover…” The girl, now in the prime of her youth, was like a beautiful flower in full bloom.

The young woman looked at the skinny young man before her, biting her lip and speaking softly.

The young man was thin and not very tall, his skin slightly dark, appearing to be afflicted by some illness. However, his eyes were bright, like sparks, burning forever in the young woman’s heart.

Over the years, the young woman knew that her brother, though he didn’t always say it, was very good to her. Anything she desired, her brother would go to any length to obtain it for her.

The young man smiled, revealing his white teeth. His smile seemed to brighten his spirit. Hearing the young woman’s words, the young man reached out and stroked his sister’s hair, speaking softly, “Don’t think too much. Your brother isn’t so fragile. My dream is to become an immortal. A few days after you and Tiger get married, I’ll leave for a while, and go seek out a master to cultivate with in the immortal mountains!”

The young woman’s face flushed red. She lowered her voice, saying, “I hate Tiger. I told him that if Sister Hong Hong doesn’t marry you, I won’t marry him!”

The young man laughed heartily, his eyes filled with tenderness. He said softly, “Alright, you’re getting older now, and you’ll be a married woman soon. Don’t always act like a child. My dream really is to become an immortal. I don’t want to live my life here plainly…” The young man raised his head, gazing at the dark sky.

“My life, Sima Mo, will never be so ordinary… Little Lan, you wait for your brother. When I succeed in my Dao, I will help you and Tiger achieve longevity. Maybe by then you’ll have a few nephews, haha.” The young man’s face beamed with happiness.

The young woman stared blankly at the young man before her. Since their parents had passed away, her brother had become her pillar, always protecting her. Her eyes reddened, and the young woman lowered her head, saying softly, “Brother will definitely succeed. Little Lan will always wait for brother to come back.”

“Alright, when you get married, brother will prepare many dowries for you, and make sure you marry off in style.” The young man looked at his sister, his eyes filled with love.

The festive music echoed through the humble village on a day a few days later. The young woman, wearing a wedding dress and veil, lifted a corner of the veil as she stepped onto the bridal sedan, gazing into the distance, her expression showing a hint of anxiety.

“Where did brother go… why isn’t he back yet…”

The village wedding attracted the attention of all the neighbors, and it was very lively. Many children played around the sedan chair, singing happy songs.

The elderly people around them also wore kind smiles, watching the joyous scene.

No one noticed that at that moment, on the road outside the village, a group of ten or so horses were galloping closer. On the horses sat a dozen burly men, each with a ferocious look on their faces, talking and laughing loudly as they advanced.

The sound of the horses’ hooves echoed like the rumbling of dragons, spreading across the earth, causing the ground to tremble, reaching the village from afar… Not far away was a mountain, which was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. It was said that immortals lived there. At that moment, a skinny young man was walking down the mountain path with a smug smile on his face.

He carried a herb basket on his back, filled with various grasses and leaves, including a ginseng! The ginseng was as thick as a baby’s arm, with very long roots, and some spiritual energy emanated from it.

“This ginseng king is probably a hundred years old. I wasted several days to get it. It should be enough as Little Lan’s dowry.” The smile on the young man’s face grew stronger. At that moment, he was halfway down the mountain. He casually looked down at the village, but with that one glance, the young man suddenly trembled, his body frozen in place.

Looking at the village from afar, flames soared into the sky. The bitter memories were still fresh and painful, with needle marks all over his left hand. He would have to change to his right today.