“The Sovereign’s incense burns!”

A thunderous echo reverberated through the ancient Imperial City, silencing the palace. All eyes focused on the robed figure standing before the grand cauldron in the heart of the plaza.

Ji Du no longer possessed the countenance of youth. He exuded a mature aura, standing tall, gazing skyward, the echo of the earth-shattering cry still ringing in his ears.

The heavens were a flawless azure, devoid of any cloud, a gentle breeze caressing his skin, bringing a sense of serenity.

Before him stood the grand cauldron, its incense sticks awaiting his touch to ignite.

He was the center of all attention, beheld by countless members of the Shi Gu clan. Even those within the Shi Gu lineage, dwelling in cities beyond the Imperial City’s reach, were led by their city lords to turn their gazes towards the heart of the empire.

Even in the imperial cities of the Dao Gu and Ji Gu clans, gazes seemed to pierce through the distance, focused on this momentous event.

“Shi Gu Sovereign… Father, I am to become the Sovereign!” Ji Du whispered, his eyes finding the distant statue of their ancient ancestor. He drew a deep breath, and with a flick of his grand sleeves, stepped forward. With a wave of his right hand, a roaring flame erupted, engulfing the Sovereign’s incense. The moment the incense sparked to life, another cry shook the palace.

“Hail the Sovereign!”

The assembled clan, save for Ji Du’s father who stood in the palace, dropped to one knee in obeisance.

As the flames consumed the Sovereign’s incense, a wisp of azure smoke ascended, causing the heavens to shift and the winds to howl. A deafening rumble echoed from the sky as a colossal rift tore open, unleashing a chorus of roars.

From the rift emerged a towering ancient god, his form reaching tens of thousands of feet in height. Beside him stood ancient demons and ancient fey, bearing a massive war drum. They floated slowly down from the heavens, suspended in the air.

Ji Du ascended, rising to the side of the drum. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand and struck the war drum with a mighty blow.

*Boom!* The muffled sound of the drum reverberated outward, carrying a solemn weight that spread through the palace, the city, and the entire domain of the Shi Gu clan.

“The First Bow!” The thunderous cry echoed once more as the clan prostrated themselves.

“Hail Sovereign!” Their voices melded into a single, tidal wave of sound that surged forth, amplified by even greater cries echoing from every corner of the Imperial City.

Even in the far-flung cities of the Shi Gu lineage, the same cries erupted in unison, carried on the resonance of the war drum!

*Boom!*

The second drumbeat echoed as Ji Du’s hand fell again.

“The Second Bow!”

“Hail Sovereign!” The voices intensified, eclipsing all other sounds save the drumming.

“Father, I have become Sovereign!” Ji Du’s right hand fell upon the war drum for the third time.

Within the Ancestral Temple, Wang Lin remained motionless, his eyes closed. Yet, in that moment, he was granted a vision of another realm.

The sky was dim, the land obscured by a light mist, revealing only the ruins of a forgotten age.

Wang Lin walked through this place, unsure if he trod upon the earth or the void. He studied his surroundings, advancing slowly.

He did not know how long he had traveled, perhaps a day, a year, or a lifetime… until he saw a mountain rising in the distance.

Upon that mountain, iridescent snowflakes swirled. Within the snow, he glimpsed a familiar figure, cradling a corpse, howling towards the heavens.

Their long hair flowed in the iridescent snow, its color indistinguishable, shifting in the wind.

At the sight of this figure, Wang Lin’s heart lurched. His breath hitched. He focused not on the howling figure, but on the corpse they held.

He could see only the hanging strands of dark hair, obscuring the face of the corpse. He could not discern their gender. His face paling, he surged forward with all his speed towards the mountain.

But despite his desperate flight, he could not close the distance. The gap between him and the mountain seemed an insurmountable chasm of existence.

The howls intensified, filled with immeasurable grief and rage. The sky above began to buckle and crack, as if the power of this cry could shatter the heavens.

The sound pierced Wang Lin’s ears, causing him agonizing pain. Though it was lesser than the burden he had endured from the Ancient Dao God, in that moment, it felt like the most terrible pain in all the realms.

“Heaven and Earth!” The figure on the mountain cried, a roaring lament.

“What use is the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth?!”

“What use is the worship of all beings?!”

“What use is the Limitless Kalpa Sutra?!”

“If Heaven and Earth are thus, why not destroy them all?!”

“If all beings are thus, why not obliterate them?!”

“If this Kalpa Sutra is thus, why not cease its transmission?!”

“So be it! I shall, in my own way, cause the Azure Heavens to close their eyes, the Great Earth to fall into slumber, the Yellow Springs to reverse their flow, the Cycle of Rebirth to cease, and the Sky… to know no more!”

The voice resonated with terrifying will, shattering the surrounding space and shaking Wang Lin’s very soul. His body began to disintegrate, as if being banished from this place.

In the instant before his form vanished completely, he saw the figure on the iridescent mountain, still wailing in grief, take a single step into the sky. As their foot fell, the sky collapsed, and they carried the corpse into the void beyond.

The echo faded, and Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. He remained in the Ancestral Temple, his withered form appearing as if it were rotting. Before him, his Yuan Shen, equally faded, opened its eyes and met his gaze.
He could not discern the visage of the fallen one, nor capture the echo of their voice, lost as it was in a haze of familiarity tainted with a chilling strangeness.

Silence reigned, broken only by the distant, reverent murmurs that seeped in from the outside: “Hail, Imperial Lord!”

Wang Lin, however, remained deaf to the pronouncements. His eyes, clouded with bewilderment, slowly cleared. After a long, heavy silence, he wrestled with his thoughts, forcing them away from the haunting image. It was a difficult battle, won only after repeated attempts.

In the ensuing quiet, Wang Lin knew he must occupy himself, lest his thoughts take root and drive him to the brink. “No… it cannot be… no…” he whispered, gritting his teeth. He raised his right hand, pointing towards his own nascent soul. The spirit ignited, casting a brilliant light throughout the ancestral temple.

Bathed in this radiant glow, his spirit swelled, quickly consuming the chamber, but it did not cease there. It continued to expand, engulfing the entire temple, reaching towards the ancient ancestor statue.

Within the palace walls, the drums resonated.

“Ninth Bow!”

“Hail, Imperial Lord!” The unified voices of the ancient clan echoed with deafening force as a blinding light erupted from the distant ancestor statue.

Ji Du, standing at the edge of the battlefield beneath the heavens, spun around at the sound of the drums. He saw the ancestor statue, its twenty-seven halos blazing with impossible brightness. From beneath the statue, a spectral form began to rise, quickly consuming half the monument’s body.

“Father!” Ji Du exclaimed, his eyes alight with elation and surprise.

Simultaneously, this phenomenon unfolded before the eyes of every soul within the Imperial City. They watched, captivated, as the spectral figure enveloped the statue entirely, matching its size.

It was a superposition, yet within this merging, the ancestor’s features blurred, becoming strangely unfamiliar, subtly resembling Wang Lin himself.

This was because his spirit, in its expansion, was covering and obscuring the ancient statue!

“Gu Dao split his spirit thrice, and now he has achieved it! I wonder what boon he shall receive from the ancient ancestor’s gift…” Xuan Luo mused, a smile of contentment gracing his lips as he gazed upon the ancestor statue.

Upon Mount Origin, Song Tian, who had abstained from Ji Du’s ceremony, stood in the air, his gaze fixed upon the distant statue. The same thoughts swirled within his mind.

“What blessing will he gain from the ancient ancestor’s gift…” Song Tian pondered, anticipation flickering in his eyes.

As this spectacle held the attention of all, even eclipsing Ji Du’s coronation, the twenty-seven halos surrounding the ancestor statue erupted with incandescent light, whirling in a unified spiral towards the heavens.

The halos ascended, piercing the sky, creating ripples in the azure expanse. As the final halo vanished into the celestial veil, the very fabric of reality shifted!

The Nine Harmonies, a melody of celestial perfection, echoed throughout the Ancient Imperial City.

Words could not capture its exquisite beauty. Woven into the essence of the world, it merged with the spreading ripples. A shadowy light descended from the heavens, within which a crimson hue grew from a faint glimmer to a vibrant, blood-red glow.

It was a single drop of blood!

This blood pulsed with the essence of souls, and its arrival plunged the entire Ancient Imperial City into a hushed stillness.

“Soul Blood!” Song Tian, standing on Mount Origin, recoiled at the sight of the blood, his heart reeling with disbelief.

“It is indeed Soul Blood! Three drops can birth an entire ancient clan. He had already received one drop, and now… a second! Even I did not anticipate Wang Lin would receive a second drop!” Xuan Luo gasped, his breath catching in his throat.