The edict, pinned above all others, forbade reply upon pain of banishment to the Shadow Realm, without recourse or plea.

Beyond the shimmering veil of light, a visage both gruesome and terrible took form – skinless and raw, a tapestry of blood and sinew. Yet, Wang Lin, having once delved into the earth-fire’s heart on the celestial plains of Tianniu, recalled a vision: the Immortal Ancestor sealing a celestial beast.

The face now peering from the darkness, though distorted and monstrous, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Immortal Ancestor of his vision!

The lightscreen pulsed, buckled under the relentless assault of the fiend’s roar. Wang Lin, his face grim, retreated, his feet finding purchase upon the solid earth. Even as he did, the fifty-foot barrier constricted, shrinking to a mere thirty feet, forcing him and the Heavenly Venerate Haizi into uncomfortable proximity.

For half an hour the monstrous figure beat against the barrier, then, with chilling stillness, it retreated into the inky black, its gaze fixed upon the two within.

“This barrier,” Haizi murmured, her lip trembling, her eyes fixed upon the shrinking dome above, “will not long contain us.”

Wang Lin remained silent. The image he’d witnessed spoke of some dark secret festering within this severed hand. How else to explain the apparition of the Immortal Ancestor?

“Your master is the Grand Empyrean Jiudi,” Wang Lin broke the silence, his gaze piercing. “Have you heard tales of the Immortal Ancestor?”

“The Immortal Ancestor?” Haizi returned his gaze, aware he had recognized the hand, yet held his tongue. She seemed lost in thought.

“I recall my master speaking once. In ages past, the Immortal Clan resided upon a single continent. The Immortal Ancestor, through his power, sealed away spirits that descended from the heavens, and thus birthed the seventy-two plains.

“With the sealing of the seventy-second spirit, the Immortal Ancestor vanished, his fate unknown. Even his descendants searched in vain. Yet, my master once muttered, as if to himself, that the Ancestor was not merely lost… He suspected the Ancestor met with some transformation. He did not elaborate, for the topic seemed to trouble him greatly.”

These words struck Wang Lin with the force of revelation. He fell into a deep reverie.

“It is possible… that this severed hand is indeed the Ancestor’s. If that be true, then who dared sever the hand of the Immortal Ancestor? The shattering of the Immortal Severing Blade, many theories surround it… Could its destruction be linked to this severed hand?

“And why does this hand reside within the seal of the Mountain-Sea Tree? This seal has stood for countless ages. Surely the Grand Empyreans have sensed its presence. Why then has it only now emerged… especially since this is the domain of Grand Empyrean Daoyi! Would he not have known?

“Or perhaps…” A spark of terrible realization ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes.

“Perhaps Daoyi, and the others, have long been aware of the strangeness of this Mountain-Sea Tree seal, even the secret it guards, yet dared not act…” Wang Lin, ever given to deduction, gasped, his mind reeling from the implications of his theory.

“Heavenly Venerate Haizi,” Wang Lin continued, his voice low, “your master is Grand Empyrean Jiudi. Why would you choose to dwell so far from the central plains, here amidst the Mountain-Sea?”

“You suspect me?” Haizi’s eyes narrowed, her gaze becoming sharp and penetrating.

*A cunning woman,* Wang Lin mused, knowing his words had unveiled much.

He offered no explanation, simply met her gaze.

The fair maiden fell silent, her expression shifting, as if wrestling with a profound puzzle. At last, a glimmer of understanding dawned upon her face, and she looked upward, a strange light in her eyes.

“My master instructed me to come to this southern plain, to make my abode within the Mountain-Sea,” she spoke softly, a furrow in her brow.

Wang Lin’s eyes flickered. Her words confirmed his suspicions. If true, then a dark conspiracy was afoot.

“From whence did you hear of the Mountain-Sea Tree Spirit within this place?” she asked, her voice laced with urgency.

“I learned of it from a Heavenly Venerate of Grand Empyrean Wufeng’s lineage, who spoke of wooden constructs in the Mountain-Sea…” Wang Lin replied, his mind racing.

“I once resided in the Mountain-Sea, in a cave I carved, but never lingered long. Two centuries past, my master abruptly ordered me to settle here… You were guided here by a follower of Wufeng… And this is the territory of Daoyi.” Haizi’s radiant beauty was now overshadowed by a pall of dread.

Wang Lin smiled faintly. Haizi, it seemed, was unraveling the twisted skein of events.

“My master used me as bait, here in the Mountain-Sea, to draw forth the power sealing this severed hand within the Mountain-Sea Tree!” Haizi spoke slowly, her eyes closed in despair.

“That I can understand. My master raised me, taught me the Dao. Even if I am but bait, I bear him no ill will. But why would Grand Empyrean Wufeng take an interest in you? To subtly lead you here… what is his purpose?” Haizi’s eyes opened, pinning Wang Lin with their gaze.

Wang Lin merely shook his head, his expression unreadable. But within his heart, a terrible understanding was taking root.

“My origins, though perhaps unseen by the average cultivator, and even by most Heavenly Venerates, hold no secrets from the Grand Empyreans!

“The servant of Wufeng who guided me here, likely did so with the same intention as Jiudi: to test my true identity!

“Though Jiudi used his disciple as bait, he was relatively gentle, merely bidding her to dwell here, silently attracting the Mountain-Sea Tree Spirit. But Wufeng has no connection to me. He cares not for my life! I am expendable, both to test my origins and draw out the severed hand!

“They care not whether I hail from the Cave Worlds, but whether I am truly a cultivator of the Ancient Kingdom!”
For nigh three millennia had Wang Lin walked the path of cultivation, and within the Realm of the Cave Dwelling, it was through his keen intellect and meticulous deductions that he had averted countless perils.

Perhaps his mind was not as fiendishly brilliant as some, yet he possessed the singular gift of weaving together disparate threads of information, unraveling the tapestry of truth.

“I wonder,” he mused, his gaze lowered, a glint of frost in his eyes, “what role does Grand Empyrean Dao Yi play in all of this?”

“Master dared to reveal this to the Gui Yi Sect,” Wang Lin reasoned, “he must have confidence. I believe he has ensured that, save for this single vulnerability, none shall discover that I am the sole disciple of Grand Empyrean Xuan Luo! As long as this identity remains veiled, even my origins from the Realm of the Cave Dwelling shall be of no consequence! But I must remain patient. These are but speculations, after all.”

Lost in contemplation, Wang Lin lifted his gaze to regard Heavenly Venerate Hai Zi, her face an exquisite mask, eyes closed, revealing not a flicker of her thoughts.

“If Grand Empyrean Jiu Di truly uses her as bait,” Wang Lin pondered, “then she must possess some singular peculiarity. There must be a reason behind it!” He connected the threads of his earlier suspicions, feeling a degree of certainty. Yet, questions lingered – what secrets lay hidden between the severed hand and the Immortal Clan, secrets so alluring as to entice a Grand Empyrean?

Drawing his thoughts inward, Wang Lin closed his eyes, immersing himself once more in absorbing the essence of the Mountain-Sea Tree spirit. Regardless of what the future held, strengthening his own power and cultivation was the key to resolving any future crisis.

Time, in this tranquil confinement, continued its ceaseless flow.

Three years drifted by, and when tallied with the previous span, Wang Lin and Heavenly Venerate Hai Zi had been trapped here for a full seven years.

Throughout those three years, the blurred form of the severed hand had appeared nine times, each appearance accompanied by furious roars and violent assaults upon the shimmering barrier, causing it to shrink with each blow.

This very day marked the ninth assault! Amidst the barrier’s trembling, a faint cracking sound echoed, as if it had reached its very limit. Its radius, diminished by three years of relentless pounding, had now shrunk to a mere three *zhang* after the ninth attack!

This confined space brought Wang Lin and Hai Zi into unnerving proximity. Wang Lin could even detect the faint fragrance emanating from her body.

Three *zhang* was a paltry distance, barely the length of Wang Lin’s Bone Yin Saber when unsheathed, a testament to the chamber’s claustrophobic dimensions.

This closeness prevented Hai Zi from continuing her meditative state, and a delicate blush colored her cheeks as she struggled with the discomfort. Her gaze toward Wang Lin became increasingly complex.

Just as Wang Lin could perceive her fragrance, so too could Hai Zi feel the warmth emanating from his body.

“The space… it is too small…” Hai Zi lamented, her expression a mixture of disquiet and irritation. “If we find no solution, the barrier will not only shatter at any moment, but will shrink further…”

Wang Lin furrowed his brow. Throughout his life, save for a handful of women, he had rarely been in such close proximity to a stranger. He found the situation highly unsettling, the constant presence of her scent adding to his unease.

The accumulated effect of seven years of confinement, coupled with Hai Zi’s beauty, which rivaled even that of Mu Bingmei, caused Wang Lin to sigh inwardly.

“This cannot continue…” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with resolve. Yet, at that very moment, as the barrier buckled and hairline fractures began to spiderweb across its surface, the ethereal form of the severed hand reappeared, launching another furious assault. The cracking sounds intensified, and the fissures on the barrier widened and spread.

With each impact, the barrier shrank further!

Three *zhang*, then two, then one…

Then, a mere half *zhang*!

With only half a *zhang* remaining, Hai Zi was pressed against Wang Lin’s right side, their bodies separated only by the thin fabric of their robes.

Darkness enveloped them, and the severed hand outside the barrier, for reasons unknown, ceased its assault, plunging the chamber into silence. Only Hai Zi’s breath, soft and fragrant, filled the small space, brushing against Wang Lin’s cheek.

“Wang… Wang Lin…” Hai Zi whispered, her voice like a sigh, the scent of her breath caressing his face.