From time immemorial, in the starfield of Kun Xu, its age lay veiled beyond the reach of mortal reckoning. Perhaps only the Seven-Hued Immortal Revered, once lord of this cave-heaven, held the secrets of its genesis.

Throughout Kun Xu’s eons, from the moment Wang Lin drew breath upon the Vermillion Bird Star, until these two thousand years hence, the starfield had weathered two great wars. The first, a brutal conflict against the Luo Tian, claimed countless lives in its chaotic tide.

Yet, it paled in comparison to the second. The Great War of Inner and Outer Realms transformed Kun Xu into a desolate wasteland. Cultivators and mortals alike, all living souls, were consumed by despairing cries amidst the storm.

Once vibrant cultivation stars crumbled to stardust, their pre-war splendor now replaced by a haunting silence. A perpetual haze of cosmic dust shrouded the heavens.

Scattered amidst the devastation, a handful of resilient stars—cultivation worlds, barbaric spheres, or abandoned relics—remained, untouched by the tides of war. In their unique way, they had preserved their serenity. Amongst these lay a single cultivation star, turning gently in the vast expanse. A verdant jewel, cloaked in a tapestry of lush forests.

This world pulsed with a spiritual energy so potent that even the celestial Tian Yun Star of old could not compare. Unburdened by orbiting satellites, it was instead guarded by five ethereal rings, each shimmering with a different color.

These rings danced in an intricate ballet, a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues, creating a mesmerizing, dreamlike aura. From afar, the star appeared a vision of captivating beauty.

Upon its surface thrived a vast mortal population, numbering perhaps in the billions. Untouched by the horrors of war, they lived in blissful ignorance, a rarity in Kun Xu, a sanctuary within the ravaged Inner Realm.

Perhaps it was due to the potent spiritual energy, but sickness was scarce. The mortals were blessed with robust health and striking beauty. Generations of life upon such a world had also subtly shifted their blood, imbuing a greater number with the potential to tread the path of cultivation.

This was the Five Elements Star!

And upon the Five Elements Star stood but a single sect: the Gui Yi Sect. The name, meaning “Return to One,” hinted at the unification of the five elemental forces.

Within the Kun Xu Starfield, the Five Elements Star was an anomaly. Though present in the cosmos, it was elusive, almost impossible to find. Even the Cultivation Alliance, without precise coordinates, would search in vain, their divine sense met with the same nothingness one encounters when gazing upon a Nether beast.

This singularity had shielded the star from the ravages of war. Yet, even in isolation, fate sometimes intervened. During the conflict between the Inner and Outer Realms, a small band of extra-realm cultivators, numbering in the hundreds, stumbled upon the star, never to be seen again.

Such was the Five Elements Star: enigmatic, unfathomable.

Wang Lin held its coordinates, a gift bestowed by Na Duo years ago, along with an invitation. Astride his Nether beast, he now journeyed through the void, a jade slip in his hand guiding him toward his destination.

“Na Duo’s invitation was extended over a millennium ago. A thousand years can change much…” Wang Lin sighed, withdrawing his spirit from the jade slip. He imparted his will to the Nether beast, urging it onward into the depths of space.

Memories stirred within him as he drew nearer. His acquaintance with Na Duo had begun with a simple storage bag, followed by perilous hunts and the revelation of his extreme domain.

“Na Duo possessed a Five-Hued Extreme…” Wang Lin murmured, his mount carrying him deeper into an unfamiliar region of space.

It was a realm veiled to the probing senses, as if detached from Kun Xu itself. No matter the cultivator’s power, their divine sense could not pierce the veil.

Then, rising before him in all its splendor, he saw it: the Five Elements Star, its rings shimmering like the petals of a celestial flower.

Wang Lin could not help but be enthralled by its radiant beauty. He had witnessed countless cultivation stars, some steeped in dark power, but this one was unique, unparalleled in its loveliness.

“This star does not belong to the cave-heaven…” Wang Lin whispered, his eyes closing. As the master of the Heavenly Dao, he could feel the thoughts of the Nether beast beneath him.

The reason the star remained hidden from senses, its existence seemingly separate from Kun Xu, was because it was never meant to be within this realm.

“The foreign cultivators… With some power I know not, they brought this star from the Immortal Astral Continent…” When Wang Lin opened his eyes, their gaze was clear, filled with newfound understanding, now fused with the Heavenly Dao.

Rising from the back of the Nether beast, he strode into the void, leaving the beast to drift in its wake. He walked toward the luminous star.

As he drew near, the five radiant rings surrounding the Five Elements Star flared with brilliant light. With a sudden burst of energy, they began to spin rapidly, creating a vortex of sound meant to bar his entry.

Wang Lin paused, gazing at the star caught within the swirling bands of energy. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke, his voice calm and resonant.

“Na Duo, I, Wang, have come to fulfill an ancient promise.”

His words echoed through the cosmos, penetrating the rings and reaching deep into the heart of the Five Elements Star. They reverberated across the world’s sky like thunder, shaking the earth and ringing in the ears of every living being, a sound of celestial authority.

Instantly, all activity ceased. Mortals and cultivators alike, even the savage beasts of the forests, felt a tremor in their very souls. They heard Wang Lin’s voice echoing within their minds.

Wang Lin remained steadfast, awaiting a response.
From within the heart of that celestial sphere, after an age of silence, a voice rasped, a chilling tremor of shock and deep-seated dread woven into its timbre.

“Elder Nado has long sequestered himself in the Silence, a thousand years hence, withdrawn from worldly affairs. We cannot rouse him. For what purpose do you seek him?”

Silence descended once more, heavy and pregnant with unspoken power. Finally, Wang Lin, a name whispered in hushed tones across the star-fields, stirred. “Who are you?” he inquired, his voice a low murmur that nonetheless carried the weight of distant galaxies.

“I am Yin Dongshen, Vice Sect Master of the Returning-to-One Sect,” the raspy voice replied, each word carefully measured, laced with caution. “While our Sect Master and Elders are in seclusion, I oversee all affairs of the sect. I know of your identity, esteemed guest, but Elder Nado remains inaccessible. I must request that you depart.” The words, though polite, trembled with an undercurrent of threat.

Wang Lin gazed upon the shimmering Pentagrams of energy that guarded the planet, their hues swirling with elemental might. After a long moment, his expression remained impassive, his voice calm and unwavering.

“He knows I am here,” he stated, and with deliberate steps, he approached the swirling barrier.

A shriek of fear tore through the silence as Wang Lin moved. “Your stature is great, honored one, but our Five Elements Star is not to be entered lightly! Should you force your way through, I will unleash the Five Elements Unification Formation! The array is without mercy!” The raspy voice trailed off as a wave of raw, domineering spiritual energy erupted from the heart of the planet, a tempestuous surge that silenced the speaker and roared across the starscape.

“Five Elements Formation! If you can breach it, you may step upon our world! What need have we for idle boasts? Dare you enter? Then proceed! Dare you not? Then begone!” The defiant will echoed, shaking the very fabric of reality.

Wang Lin, unmoved by the challenge, continued his inexorable advance. The instant his form touched the intertwining currents of the barrier, a deafening cacophony erupted around him.

The noise was cataclysmic, as if a thousand celestial powers had been unleashed upon him in a single instant. These powers, emanating from the Five Elements Aura, assailed him with the fury of their essence. He was bathed in searing flames one moment, plunged into glacial depths the next. Gilded blades of energy tore at him, earthen walls sought to crush him, and ethereal vines choked him with verdant life.

As Wang Lin stepped into the heart of the array, upon the eastern reaches of the Five Elements Star, a sight of formidable grandeur was revealed. Nine majestic peaks, soaring into the heavens, formed a protective circle, the mountain gate of the Returning-to-One Sect!

These peaks pierced the sky like nine colossal swords, radiating an aura of chilling menace that extended across a million miles. Within this desolate domain, devoid of mortals or beasts, the ground lay scarred and blackened.

At the center of the nine peaks stood a towering spire, a colossal structure that dwarfed even the mountains. Ninety-nine stories high, it was the embodiment of the Returning-to-One Sect!

The entire sect resided within this colossal tower, an arrangement unlike any other upon the myriad planets of the star-fields.

Suddenly, streams of light erupted from the tower’s lower thirty stories, countless figures swarming into the air, their ranks densely packed around the perimeter. These were the sect’s disciples, their cultivation varied, most still bound within the First Step, the Second Step were fewer.

They turned their gaze towards the heavens, their expressions largely contemptuous.

Following closely behind, nearly a hundred elder cultivators emerged from the middle thirty stories of the tower. Their eyes gleamed with ancient power, their cultivation formidable, most having achieved the Second Step. They settled themselves upon the nine peaks, their expressions placid yet watchful, their eyes trained skyward.

Within their gaze remained traces of that disdain!

They did not believe that any could so casually penetrate the sect’s formidable Star-Guarding Array!

High atop the tower, within the tenth story, four figures sat in meditative repose. One, garbed in black robes and marked by a mole beneath his right eye, possessed an air of arrogant power. He scoffed.

“Even if he is Wang Lin, what does it matter? Within this Cave Dwelling Realm, only the Seven-Colored Soul poses a threat to us! This Five Elements Array… even I would only be able to endure for the span of an incense stick, stopping before the Fire Gate! Though his cultivation may surpass mine, he cannot possibly pass all five trials!”

“I, however, hope he does pass all five trials,” a woman said, her voice sharp and vindictive. She sat beside the black-robed elder. “If he does, the array will be fully unleashed, triggering the Nine-Cycle Five Elements Unification Art! I wonder how many cycles he can endure within that inferno…”