## The Twelfth Scroll: Immortal Gang, Tenth Sun, Chapter 1886: A Bounty of Reparations

Clutching the obsidian stone, which he knew was no common space-shard, Wang Lin raised his gaze to Du Qing and offered a respectful bow.

“Many thanks, Brother Du!”

Du Qing waved his hands dismissively, his eyes darting nervously. He leaned closer, whispering, “What… what does it hold?”

Wang Lin offered only a cryptic smile, shaking his head in silence. Instead, he looked towards the heavens, his voice a low murmur.

“No matter. Brother Du, should fate decree, our paths shall cross again. Farewell!” With a sigh that carried the weight of worlds, Wang Lin took a single stride towards the sky. In a blink, his form dissolved into the very air, leaving no trace.

Du Qing watched him depart, a dawning understanding creeping into his mind. He shook his head, a silent acknowledgment of the weight he carried. Then, with a burst of arcane energy, he transformed into a streak of light, heading towards the Great Soul Sect, to deliver to Old Ox his entrusted charge, now fulfilled.

Wang Lin, now one with the fabric of existence, slipped away from the Seven Dao Sect. When he materialized again, he stood amidst a desolate desert, a barren expanse rarely seen upon the celestial Bull Continent.

Night had fallen, and a biting wind howled across the sands, capable of freezing a mortal solid. But to a cultivator, it was merely an inconvenience, and to one of Wang Lin’s stature, a gentle caress.

His gaze remained fixed on the obsidian stone, still cradled within his palm. He hesitated, his brow furrowed in contemplation. Should he dare to unlock its secrets?

Though its true nature remained unknown, the lingering aura of the Soul Devouring Dao hinted at the means of its unraveling.

At last, resolve hardened his features. He opened his hand, and from within, the three-inch homunculus born of the Soul Devouring Dao flickered into existence beside the black stone. Without hesitation, the tiny figure merged with the object.

A chorus of crackling sounds echoed through the desolate night, carried by the mournful wind. Thin cracks spider-webbed across the surface of the stone, multiplying until, in the space of ten breaths, it shattered completely.

From within burst forth four orbs of incandescent light!

At the sight of these radiant spheres, Wang Lin’s heart lurched, and he stood frozen, breathless.

Within the first orb resided a golem, no larger than a clenched fist. It sat in meditative repose, lacking any discernible features. Yet, its very form shifted rapidly between humanoid and intricate, earthen armor.

The raw power of the Five Elements, particularly earth, emanated from it in waves, seeming to resonate with the surrounding desert, stirring the sands into a gentle dance.

Wang Lin knew little of the Armors of the Returning Sect, but he had witnessed a few, both within the Caverns Realm and amongst the disciples rewarded by the Sect Lord at the Sect’s gate.

Yet, none of those armors, neither in form nor aura, could compare to this celestial construct. Even with his limited knowledge, Wang Lin could see that it belonged to a different realm entirely.

This humanoid armor was undoubtedly a treasure coveted even within the Returning Sect. What price, Wang Lin wondered, had Old Ox paid to secure such a gift for him?

He remained silent, lost in thought.

The second orb contained a small, black banner – a soul-sail. It emanated a dreamlike aura, capable of ensnaring the unwary in illusions from which they might never escape.

Wang Lin recognized the aura, a familiar echo of the Great Soul Sect’s prized soul-sails, which formed the core of their formidable mountain-protecting array. If he was not mistaken, this was the very prize offered by the Returning Sect Lord to any who would slay him – a sub-banner from the Great Soul Sect’s mountain-protecting array!

Gazing upon the miniature soul-sail, a tide of complicated emotions washed over Wang Lin.

The mountain-protecting soul-sails were of paramount importance to the Great Soul Sect, yet Old Ox had, without warning, placed one in his very hands.

Once again, Wang Lin found himself speechless.

Within the third orb floated a mottled brown orb, similar in size and even possessing an echoing aura to his own Celestial Opposition Pearl, Tian Ni. For a fleeting moment, Wang Lin even felt as if he were looking upon his own Tian Ni, now fused to his very soul.

“This is…” Wang Lin stammered, caught off guard. He peered more closely, and after long contemplation, he discerned more and more similarities to his Tian Ni, but they were not identical.

The two orbs, while sharing a common thread, were as different as a firefly and the radiant moon, two stars viewed from afar, one destined to become a sun, the other, merely a glimmer in the darkness.

From this brown orb, Wang Lin sensed the essence of the Celestial Bull. Though he did not recognize the artifact, he had a strong suspicion that it held a profound connection to the Celestial Bull itself.

Upon the Celestial Bull Continent, anything associated with the Celestial Bull was considered a treasure of immense value, never to be given away lightly, and certainly never to be allowed to leave the Continent. Yet now, this orb was being offered to Wang Lin, and despite its light weight, it sat heavily upon his heart.

The fourth and final orb held a shard of ancient turtle shell, covered in a dense web of glyphs. They were blurred to the naked eye, but as he swept his divine sense across them, Wang Lin abruptly turned to face the Great Soul Sect.

In his mind’s eye, he could almost see the old man sitting upon Qing Tian Peak, smiling at him, raising his right hand in what seemed like a silent farewell.

The turtle shell contained a map of the entire Eastern Continent, albeit a fragmented one. It lacked detail, and as the distance from the Celestial Bull Continent grew, it devolved into mere outlines and brief descriptions.

Yet, to Wang Lin in this very moment, the map was invaluable!

In addition to the map, the turtle shell contained a detailed description of the Celestial Bull Orb, revealing many secrets to Wang Lin as he read.

Inscribed within the turtle shell, not in the form of a spirit message, but carved into its very essence, were the words of Old Ox:

“May your journey be safe… in three hundred years, return and visit the Great Soul Sect…” There was no explanation, no justification, nor any mention of the three conditions he had previously demanded. With these simple words, the tangled threads of destiny between the Celestial Bull Continent and Wang Lin were severed.

Wang Lin’s face was a mask of complex emotions. Finally, with a long sigh, he gathered the humanoid armor and the soul-sail sub-banner. He held the Celestial Bull Orb, and imbued it with a strand of his Celestial Bull soul, so that he could carry it to any corner of the heavens.
Finally, with utmost care, he stowed away the tortoise shell, his gaze lingering once more upon the direction of the Great Soul Gate. He clasped his hands, offering a deep bow.

“I shall return…” Wang Lin murmured, turning to face the heavens. With a single stride, he stepped into the sky, guided by the directions etched upon the tortoise shell, charting a course towards its edge, for he sought the Eastern Serenity Sect!

The Eastern Serenity Sect resided in the northern reaches of the Eastern Continent, within the Great Sacred Domain, separated from the Celestial Bull Domain by five continents! A vast distance indeed, where ordinary flight consumed the passage of years. Even with Wang Lin’s mastery of Space Compression, the journey to the Great Sacred Domain, hindered by the inability for continuous use, would likely span a year or two.

Furthermore, passage to the Eastern Serenity Sect necessitated traversing a perilous land – the Emerald Demon Continent! To circumvent it would squander even more time, making the separation greater than those five continents, layered upon treacherous ravines and perilous lands.

After a moment of contemplation, a glint flickered within Wang Lin’s eyes. He harbored a suspicion, a hunch that the upheavals within the Great Soul Gate and the Returning Unity Sect were inextricably linked to the Emerald Demon Continent. Though its truth remained uncertain, should it prove correct, then surely there would be those awaiting his arrival within the boundaries of the Celestial Bull Domain.

Thus, the path through the Emerald Demon Continent, though seemingly fraught with peril, might well be the safest. After all, few would dare suspect Wang Lin would venture alone into the heart of the Emerald Demon Continent…

With his decision made, Wang Lin altered his course, employing Space Compression to vanish into the Aether Sea, dissolving into the very fabric of heaven and earth. Along the way, he proceeded with the utmost caution, making his way towards the Aether Sea.

During the periods when Space Compression was unavailable, he refrained from transforming into a rainbow streak and dashing across the sky. For now, all within the Celestial Bull Domain were his foes, be they cultivators of the Celestial Bull Domain or the Emerald Demon Continent. Any who saw him, any who recognized him, would spark a deadly conflict.

For the ordinary cultivators of the Celestial Bull Domain knew only of the Soul Edict, and remained ignorant of its true nature.

But Wang Lin harbored no desire to spill the blood of Celestial Bull Domain cultivators. And so, whenever Space Compression was impossible, he sought refuge, a secluded spot for meditation and concealment, patiently awaiting the cooldown before resuming his journey.

This course of action naturally slowed his progress. Months passed before he crossed the Extreme Heaven Grasslands and approached the Aether Sea, now just a single Displacement away – a distance of roughly three months by flight.

The Celestial Bull Domain had by this time entered the frigid embrace of winter. Snowflakes danced from the sky, blanketing the land in a seemingly endless expanse of ice.

Wang Lin still needed more than half a month for his Space Compression to be available once more. During those months of secluded meditation, his wounds had fully healed. He stepped onto the snow-covered ground, his gaze fixed upon the frigid wind, and began to walk forward, one step at a time.

Not far ahead, amidst the snow-kissed twilight, lay a mundane city, its scattered lights casting a gentle glow, its chimneys releasing wisps of smoke that danced with the twilight snow, a scene of quiet serenity and beauty.

This was the first time Wang Lin would enter a mortal realm within the Immortal Astral Continent. While not directly within the Aether Sea itself, this place was close to the Sea’s outer edges and had somehow escaped its annihilation.

The Aether Sea’s collapse would have claimed no mortal lives. After all, tales of the Aether Sea had circulated for ages, causing both the Emerald Demon Continent and Celestial Bull Domain to treat its borders as forbidden ground, forbidding any mortals to reside there.

If the collapse, if the Aether Sea Immortal Pellet, had burst forth closer to the Celestial Bull Domain, the city before him would have been obliterated in an instant.

The snow fell heavier.

The wind howled like a spectral beast prowling the skies, scattering the rising smoke before it could coalesce, forcing the ordinary folk of the city to lower their heads, huddled in their cotton-padded garments, and scurry towards home.

And it was during this time that Wang Lin walked into the city.