Wang Lin departed, taking Zhou Ru with him, and severing the tangled threads that bound him to Liu Mei. The memories of yesteryear, once vivid and bright, he buried deep within his heart, a tomb he never wished to disturb.

Mu Bingmei, in the end, did not seek out Wang Ping. Wang Lin cared not to fathom her thoughts, nor would he try. As he turned to leave, it was as though a celestial veil descended, severing their connection and casting them into separate worlds. With the activation of the arcane array, the distance between them seemed to stretch, growing ever more vast, until even in dreams, their paths could no longer converge.

If the furthest distance in this world is not death, but oblivion, then the chasm between Wang Lin and Mu Bingmei was far more profound, a distance that could not be forgotten.

He longed to forget, but the memories clung to him like shadows. He yearned to search, but the path forward was obscured. All that remained was the ceaseless flow of time, marked by the bloom and fall of blossoms, the eternal cycle of day and night.

Mu Bingmei watched silently as the array’s radiant light intensified, obscuring the retreating figure. Tears welled in her eyes once more. She desired to see Wang Ping, to touch the child’s skin, to hold him close. Yet, she could not… or rather, she dared not.

Her Dao Heart, already fractured by the specter of Liu Mei, demanded she sever all ties, purging the imperfection from her soul. Though such action would leave her incomplete, it would also leave her flawless.

But seeing Wang Ping, Mu Bingmei feared the consequences. Would her Dao Heart achieve ultimate perfection, or would it shatter into a thousand pieces? She could not know.

Had her life belonged solely to herself, she might have walked forward without hesitation, regardless of right or wrong. But as the Holy Maiden of Kunxu, her destiny was not entirely her own. “Let it end here…” Mu Bingmei murmured, biting her lip. As she turned to leave, her figure, cloaked in a profound solitude, seemed even more desolate than Wang Lin’s. The sky was a canvas of blue, and Mu Bingmei’s heart mirrored its hue, a deep and melancholic shade, as vast as the distant horizon.

The cosmos was draped in darkness, its celestial tapestry of stardust unable to pierce the shadows that consumed Wang Lin’s aching heart. He allowed the pain to spread, to engulf his very being, hoping that in enduring the agony, it would eventually cease to sting.

He sent Zhou Ru to the New Rain Realm, parting ways amidst her tearful reluctance. Wang Lin caressed her head, a gentle smile gracing his lips, reminiscent of the days when he had nurtured a small child, a paternal tenderness growing within him. In Zhou Ru, he saw echoes of Wang Ping, and of Li Muwan. “Be good here, child. Do not neglect your cultivation. You have grown into a woman.” Wang Lin gazed at the elegant maiden before him, his eyes filled with affection.

“Uncle…” Zhou Ru’s tears flowed freely, like a rushing stream. She clung to his robes as she had in her youth, as if fearing that if she let go, Wang Lin would never return. “Uncle doesn’t know if bringing you here was right or wrong, but I couldn’t bear to leave you with Mu Bingmei, for my heart would be ever troubled.”

Suppressing his inner torment, Wang Lin offered Zhou Ru a tender glance. This child had walked beside him for so long.

“If… if Uncle never returns from this journey, Little Ru, you may seek out your master.” Wang Lin closed his eyes, then turned, releasing his robes from Zhou Ru’s grasp. He transformed into the wind, fading into the horizon. “Uncle…” Zhou Ru’s tears stained her garments. Hu Juan, standing behind her, sighed softly and took Zhou Ru’s hand, whispering, “Your uncle will return.”

In the eastern region of the Alliance Star System, within the territory of the Four Sacred Sects, the return of the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor signaled a powerful consolidation. The Four Sacred Sects were merged into a single entity, no longer separate. There would be no more individual Sacred Emperors, only one, known as the Sacred Sovereign!

This integration by the Azure Dragon Sacred Sovereign caused much division within the Four Sacred Sects, but the Sovereign’s formidable power silenced all opposition.

The Ancient Sacred Artifacts of the Black Tortoise and White Tiger Sacred Sects were no longer held by their respective sects, but instead rested in the hands of the Azure Dragon Sacred Sovereign. The methods of using the Artifacts, and the cultivation mantras of each sect, were no longer secrets.

Wang Lin appeared in the eastern region of the Alliance Star System shortly after this consolidation. He was discovered almost immediately by the Azure Dragon Sacred Sect.

Wang Lin calmly gazed upon the patrol of Azure Dragon Sect cultivators ahead. They lowered their heads as his gaze swept over them. Wang Lin did not speak, but walked past them, gradually fading into the distance.

Only after he was gone did the patrol exchange glances. One of them retrieved a jade slip and hastily reported the encounter to an elder. “He is no longer the Sacred Emperor. Why must we treat him with such deference?” A disgruntled voice whispered within the patrol. As Wang Lin re-entered the Alliance’s eastern region, he sensed an unsettling atmosphere. Everywhere he went, the Four Sacred Sect cultivators regarded him with strange expressions, yet none dared impede his progress.

Soon, a crimson starfield appeared before him, the domain of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect.

But as he was about to step inside, he paused and turned to face the void behind him.

Several streaks of light streaked through the void, stopping before Wang Lin as seven figures materialized. Among them were two Vermillion Bird elders, one White Tiger elder, and four Azure Dragon elders, all with considerable power.

Wang Lin’s gaze remained calm. He recognized them all as those who had participated in the rescue of the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor. The two Vermillion Bird elders averted their gazes, a hint of shame in their eyes.

“Wang Lin, the Azure Dragon Sacred Sovereign requests your presence!” The speaker was an Azure Dragon Sect elder. He looked at Wang Lin with an apologetic expression. He did not understand why the Sacred Emperor had taken such actions upon his return, but he had no power to stop him, only to accept it.

“Are the people I left in the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect safe?” Wang Lin asked slowly. As soon as he heard the elder’s words, he had already guessed what had happened.

The elder did not refer to him as the Sacred Emperor, indicating the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor had spoken ill of him. However, the title “Sacred Sovereign,” combined with the strange occurrences he had witnessed, made Wang Lin wary. “They are all safe,” answered a Vermillion Bird Sect elder.

Wang Lin glanced at the elder, remembering him as the one who had inquired about his plans upon becoming the Sacred Emperor. He nodded and stepped into the burning starfield. The Azure Dragon elders frowned and followed him inside. “Wang Lin, the Azure Dragon Sacred Sovereign commands you to come to him!” The Azure Dragon Sect elder, his voice laced with authority, pursued him into the starfield.

Wang Lin ignored him. Upon entering the burning starfield, he unleashed his divine sense, using the flames to amplify its reach. He took several steps, covering great distances, dispersing his divine sense to encompass the entire starfield.

But he found no trace of Da Tou or his companions. Wang Lin’s expression grew grim. He turned, his eyes gleaming with a cold light, and stared at the seven elders who had followed him. “Where are they!” Wang Lin demanded, quickly regaining his composure. He knew that anger would not solve the problem. He had to remain calm.

“Wang Lin, as a member of the Four Sacred Sects, must the old man have to ask a third time for you to see the Sacred Sovereign!” The Azure Dragon Sect elder’s expression darkened. If it were not for Wang Lin’s former status and the years of grace granted by the Vermillion Bird Sacred Emperor, he would have already attacked. “Without me, the Azure Dragon Sacred Sovereign in your mouth would still be trapped in the Rain Realm!” Wang Lin retorted. “You…” The Azure Dragon Sect elder stared at Wang Lin, his face becoming even more menacing.

“Without the Vermillion Bird Old Sacred Emperor, even your Azure Dragon Sect would have long since vanished. If the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor wishes to see me, let him come himself!” Wang Lin had no intention of leaving the burning starfield. With the raging flames here, he could amplify their power using his cultivation.

The Azure Dragon elder laughed in fury, but the others around him grew silent.

“The Vermillion Bird Sacred Emperor died for the Four Sacred Sects. This old man also deeply admires him.” A somber voice echoed through the heavens and earth. The voice seemed to contain a divine power, instantly causing the flames in the starfield to flicker. The seven elders straightened up and retreated, clasping their hands in unison, “Greetings, Sacred Sovereign.”

A surge of azure light burst forth, rapidly solidifying. The surrounding flames seemed to be stirred by a pair of invisible hands, scattering outwards and revealing a void. The Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor materialized within the void, surrounded by the azure light.

Compared to his disheveled state in the Rain Realm, the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor seemed like a different person. He wore a flowing azure robe, and carried his hands behind his back, exuding an aura of overwhelming power that enveloped the surroundings.

“You have come to return the Ancient Sacred Artifacts, have you not? Bring them to me.” The Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor extended his hand, looking at Wang Lin with a flat expression, his eyes devoid of emotion, filled with icy indifference. “Where are my friends!” Wang Lin took a few steps back, looking at the Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor. Under the Sovereign’s oppressive aura, he felt as though his entire being was on the verge of collapse, but he stubbornly endured. The Azure Dragon Sacred Emperor smiled slightly, but the smile was extremely cold. “I have not harmed them. There is a Stone Rock Star outside the Four Sacred Sects. All outsiders have been sent there.”

“I can relinquish my title as the Vermillion Bird Sacred Emperor, I can give you the Ancient Sacred Artifacts, I can leave this place and never return, but I must take one thing!” Wang Lin had never intended to possess the Ancient Sacred Artifacts. He grasped at the void, and a white flaming rock appeared in his hand, containing a drop of Sacred Artifact blood.