As Wang Lin gazed upon the celestial dance of the five planets, within the towering spire at their heart, on the ninth level, the golden-robed elder’s grimace melted away, replaced by a sinister smirk.

“The Nine Revolutions Heart Wheel,” he hissed, “even on the Immortal Continent of Xiangang, few can unravel its mysteries. The crux of this array lies in the heart. The swifter the heart’s beat, the more impervious the weave!”

“You spoke before of this man’s cunning on Vermillion Bird. His wit, honed sharp. Now, after so many years, he lives and his power has magnified. He must have endured trials of life and death, forging his mind into a demon’s edge! The cleverer the mind, the less it can struggle in the grasp of the Heart Wheel! It stands now at the first revolution; with each turn, the killing intent sharpens. When it reaches the ninth, he shall be imprisoned here for all eternity, until his spirit is drained unto death!”

Standing nearby, a disciple named Yiban, having heard these words, offered a bow, respect shining in his eyes. “With the Ancestor as guardian, surely he cannot escape.”

The elder gave a hearty laugh, but as his gaze lingered upon his right arm, a flash of venom flickered across his eyes. Even now, the pain lingered, not even the flow of immortal energy could fully subdue it.

Meanwhile, beyond the five planets, Xuan Luo, the Grand Celestial Sovereign, who had been silently observing, narrowed his eyes.

“Though its potency is unremarkable, to those ignorant of its true form, the Nine Revolutions Heart Wheel presents a formidable challenge. This child is unlikely to prevail. Still, I will observe a while longer. Should he be ensnared, I shall intervene.”

Xuan Luo shook his head, not expecting Wang Lin to overcome the famous array of the Returning Sect. Yet, in his heart, a faint ember of hope lingered. A flicker so small, it amused him to find it there.

“It is best not to expect too much. Even the Dao Ancient Emperor of this era, if entering this array unawares, would surely be trapped.”

Near the five planets, Wang Lin stood, his expression grave, transfixed by the colossal spheres. But the more he stared, the faster they spun. At first, the motion was gentle, but now it accelerated, causing a piercing pain behind his eyes and a sickening vertigo. Even in the mere moments of observation, his spirit was rapidly draining. He snapped his eyes shut, but even in darkness, his consciousness perceived the planets, whirling ceaselessly.

“What sorcery is this?!” he cried, snapping open his eyes, his face paling. Whether he looked or did not, whether his eyes were open or closed, whether he gazed elsewhere or ignored them entirely, his consciousness was perpetually aware of their motion!

Nine breaths passed. On the tenth, the planets surged in speed. The dizziness grew, and the loss of his spiritual energy became uncontrollable. Wang Lin had never experienced such a strange phenomenon. He could not understand the nature of the arcane bindings.

His eyes glinting with a cold light, Wang Lin hesitated no longer. He took a step forward.

“Even if these stars are deceptive, they are close. I will disregard the illusion and enter directly.” Wang Lin moved with blinding speed, but after that step, his pupils contracted. He should have crossed the threshold, yet he seemed to have stepped in place. The planets still whirled before him, as if Wang Lin’s movement spurred them on.

Silence fell over Wang Lin. As the second set of nine breaths elapsed, the array transitioned to its third revolution. The planets accelerated again. Seen through Wang Lin’s eyes, the spinning planets became a blur.

“What is this array? Such deception!” A mounting unease prickled within Wang Lin, an unease that had not come suddenly, but as if it had lurked within him all along. At that moment, the planets in his vision suddenly surged in speed.

The escalation warped them into formless shadows, like spiraling vortices that engulfed his vision.

Wang Lin’s face turned ashen. The unease grew. With each acceleration of the planets, so too did his agitation.

“This is wrong!” Without hesitation, Wang Lin retreated, but regardless of his speed, the distance between him and the planets did not shrink in the slightest! This impossible change sent a shockwave through him. The unease intensified. The fourth set of nine breaths had passed, and the planets had entered the fifth revolution.

As they spun faster, now completely divorced from any resemblance to celestial bodies, they transformed into a vortex of swirling rings, rapidly interlocking with each other. Wang Lin shuddered. His chest constricted. He felt as if the very stars were spinning around him, yet he alone stood still.

But it was precisely this contradiction that caused Wang Lin to feel alienated, as if he did not belong. He staggered, his face deathly pale, his eyes bloodshot. He stared at the vortex with a mixture of unease and madness.

But as the madness took hold, the vortex accelerated once more, to an unimaginable speed. Wang Lin lost his footing. His body began to move, to turn with the spinning galaxies.

High above, in the tower’s ninth level, the golden-robed elder watched with malicious glee, his eyes filled with contempt.
The Wheel had turned five times, and there was no escape. Even the Elder himself, should he tread within and reach the fifth rotation, would find himself ensnared, unable to break free. Only the slow draining of mind and spirit, the forfeiture of years, awaited him. To attempt to breach the Five Planetary Fortress was an act of utter folly!

Nardo, though a smile played on his lips, gazed at the towers piercing the heavens with a lingering unease. His understanding of the Ninefold Heart Wheel, while less profound than the golden-robed elder, was borne of personal experience, from a time long past.

He knew well the horrors within. In his youth, he had succumbed to the third rotation, rescued unconscious by his ancestor, recovering for what felt like an age. Since then, he held the Ninefold in a dread-filled reverence. Beyond the Five Planets, the Great Celestial Xuan Luo shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips.

“It is best not to harbor hope, for even the smallest seed blossoms into disappointment. Still, to endure five rotations is a feat of some merit… Very well, let him taste a bit more. At the ninth, I shall intervene.” A sliver of disappointment lingered in Xuan Luo’s heart, yet he understood. Had he not become a Great Celestial, had he been ignorant of the Immortal Continent’s Returning Sect’s famed array, he, too, might have fallen prey to its wiles.

Within, Wang Lin coughed a mouthful of blood, his face ashen. Each drop was born from the attrition of his very spirit. His body rotated slowly, but he fought against it with every fiber of his being.

Veins bulged on his forehead, madness and frustration swirling within his mind. He stared, unblinking, at the Five Planetary Vortex, its rotation reaching a fevered pitch. He stood rooted to the spot. He understood that whether he watched or not, the vortex would continue its relentless spin.

He knew that to contemplate or not, the vortex would not cease. He realized with horrifying clarity that if his body yielded to its pull, this Five Planetary Vortex would draw his entire being into its heart, consuming him utterly, leaving only death in its wake.

“Each passing nine breaths, the Five Planets increase their rotation…” Wang Lin endured the vertigo, the agonizing pain, forcing his mind into a semblance of calm, desperate to find a solution.

“Nine breaths… and change. My anxious thoughts… accelerate its spin… the madness within me… fuels its speed…” The more Wang Lin pondered, the more he analyzed, the faster the rotation became, defying his attempts at serenity.

He fixed his gaze upon the vortex, knowing that the harder he fought for calm, the more essential it was to dissect this phenomenon. He needed to understand what force compelled his senses, his very perception, to revolve in tandem.

The sixth set of nine breaths passed, then the seventh, and finally… the eighth.

Within the Five Planetary Tower, in the ninth level, the golden-robed elder laughed, a sweeping gesture sending Nardo out of the tower, into the open sky.

“The ninth rotation! He is doomed! Nardo, come, let us retrieve his corpse!” The elder’s laughter abruptly ceased, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Slower… the rotation has slowed! Impossible! This is the ninth rotation! This…”

Terror gripped Nardo, the smile vanishing from his face, replaced by utter horror.

Beyond the Five Planets, Great Celestial Xuan Luo shook his head, suppressing his disappointment. He raised his hand, intending to intervene, but the moment his hand moved, his eyes sharpened. Slowly, he lowered his arm. His heart, still for countless eons, pounded violently. Within the array, as the first breath of the ninth rotation arrived, Wang Lin slammed his eyes shut.

“The mind… it is the mind! My mind stirs, therefore the spirit moves, the body reacts, everything is in motion! Thus, the Five Planets appear to move! All of this… it is because my heart lacks tranquility!” The bloodshot in Wang Lin’s eyes faded, the madness dispersed, the frustration vanished. Only a tranquil stillness remained.