The Forbidden Veil, scarred by a long, ragged fissure, writhed as the rent swiftly knit itself back together. Soon, the wound would vanish completely, sealing this place, barring another cataclysmic assault of arcane artifacts, into eternal imprisonment with the very fabric of Time.

Within the breach, a small mountain arose. Old Cangsong, swift as a lightning bolt, sped towards its peak, the azure-robed woman close on his heels. Their pace was relentless, bringing them to the mountain’s foot in the blink of an eye. Mid-slope, a stone gate loomed, twenty feet in height, emblazoned with a thunderbolt sigil.

“Here lies the prison of the Beast Souls!” Cangsong’s thoughts echoed, a mental shout. He darted to the gate’s edge, his right hand seizing a silver pendant—shaped, fittingly, as a thunderbolt—from his enchanted pouch.

He hurled the charm forward. Blinding silver light erupted, mirroring the sigil’s own sudden radiance. The mountain trembled, and with a grinding roar, the great stone gate creaked open, spewing forth dust that veiled the air.

As the gate parted, a chorus of soul-rending roars burst forth, the Beast Souls’ enraged bellow a tide of raw psychic energy that swept outward in untamed fury. “Fellow Daoist Zhao, haste is paramount! Retrieve the Beast Souls while this old one seeks a glimpse of the Dao Scripture!” Cangsong cried, bowing to the woman in azure. “Should you desire, perhaps you might join me, find insight!”

The woman pondered, then shook her head slowly.

Cangsong pressed no further, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards the summit. Though unfamiliar with this accursed place, the map he’d gleaned marked the Scripture’s location with unwavering clarity.

Her eyes narrowed, the azure-robed woman watched Cangsong depart, suspicion etching lines on her brow. She trusted not a word he spoke, yet the unfolding scene seemed without flaw, especially the volatile Beast Soul energies that pulsed from the newly-opened vault, confirming the old fox’s claims.

After a moment’s hesitation, she approached the cavern’s mouth, her consciousness probing the darkness within. A flicker of interest ignited in her gaze, and after weaving a series of protective wards around the entrance, she stepped inside.

Meanwhile, Cangsong reached the summit. A quick glance downwards confirmed the woman’s entry, and a cold smile touched his lips.

“I did not lie; Beast Souls are indeed imprisoned. I care not if you follow, or even spy on me.” He turned his gaze away, his right hand forming a rapid incantation. The stone gate, halfway down the mountain, thundered shut, trapping the woman within, her enraged cries and desperate blows echoing within.

Time was short. Should the Veil reseal itself, escape would become nigh impossible. Cangsong, standing at the peak, drew a deep breath, his face alight with zealous anticipation. He had waited an age for this moment. He fell to his knees, palms raised to the heavens, uttering strange, indecipherable words.

The incantation was eerie, defying understanding, yet as the words flowed, the rainbow hues in the sky intensified, piercing the lingering mists and showering the mountain in vibrant light.

The colors coalesced into a shimmering bridge, arching out into the void.

Cangsong quelled the tumult in his heart and rose, stepping onto the iridescent path. In moments, he reached its end. Within the void, a swirling vortex of rainbow light pulsed. He plunged in.

Chaos reigned within the vortex, a kaleidoscope of color emanating from a colossal stone tablet before him. The stone radiated an indescribable power, an oppressive aura demanding abject worship.

Cangsong succumbed, collapsing to his knees, murmuring arcane phrases. Runes erupted upon his skin, writhing before converging upon his eyes, sealing them in an arcane prison. Then, he lifted his gaze to the tablet.

At its base lay a skeleton, or rather, the upper torso of one. Both arms were spread wide, impaled on the stone by rainbow spikes.

It was a sorcerer’s remains, but within this chromatic realm, untouched by the shifting lights and ethereal mists, the bones remained a stark, piercing black.

Miniscule words flickered across the ebon bones, a dense tapestry covering every inch.

Beneath the skeleton lay a circular array, large as a room, etched with countless runes. At its center, beneath the severed spine of the skeletal torso, sat a jade vial. Cangsong’s eyes locked onto it, burning with avarice.

He knew the text upon the bones was the Dao Scripture, but he had no intention of studying it. All this was a ruse, a play to trick the azure crone.

“Study the Scripture, and become a Marked One? I live too well to perish in this forsaken place!” He licked his lips. The vial beneath the skeleton was his true quarry.

As he watched, a bead of ichorous black liquid welled from the severed spine, a single drop falling into the vial with a soft ‘thunk.’

Cangsong surged forward, grasping for the jade. But the moment his fingers brushed against it, his body convulsed, releasing torrents of white mist that the vial devoured.

He showed no alarm, as if expecting this. With a flick of his left wrist, a portal materialized, spilling forth a multitude of imprisoned souls.

Near a thousand apparitions emerged, each bound by thin, interconnecting threads.

As the souls appeared, Cangsong chanted another bizarre spell, seizing a soul with his left hand.

It dissolved with a shudder, but another took its place, only to follow the first into oblivion within ten breaths. The souls were utterly consumed, transformed into white mist by the ravenous vial.

Then, Cangsong bit his tongue, spraying a cloud of crimson mist. From his mouth, four golden slivers shot forth, transforming into miniature swords, plunging towards the array surrounding the vial. As they struck, the blood-mist infused them, four dull thuds echoing as they lodged into the corners of the array.

With a roar, Cangsong ripped the vial free, leaping back.

He unleashed a maniacal laugh, flinging his left hand as he retreated. The golden swords flew from the array, piercing the kaleidoscopic void. “Fellow Daoist Zhao, have you seen enough?”

The void writhed, and the azure-robed woman materialized, hands incanting, swirling shields and barriers forming to intercept the golden blades.

But the swords were strange. As they struck the shields, they dissolved, becoming rivulets of molten gold, piercing the barriers and flowing towards the woman.

She recoiled again, but the golden liquid exploded, transforming into a rain of molten droplets, descending from all directions.

“Fellow Daoist, I know not how you escaped, but you should not have followed! This is the Dao Scripture’s home; contemplate it well!” Cangsong shrieked, whirling to leap from the world of color and onto the rainbow bridge leading back to the mountain.

Once he reached the peak, he could flee, leaving the woman trapped here forever as the Veil resealed. Her only escape would be to abandon her physical form, and find enlightenment among the Scripture, merging her soul into its fabric. But that would be a fate worse than death, becoming just another one of the Marked, imprisoned eternally in that desolate place.

But at that instant, a cold snarl echoed through the void. An image flickered into existence before Cangsong – another woman in azure, but this one ancient, her face etched with wrinkles. Her appearance froze Cangsong in his tracks!

Two azure-robed women named Zhao! One a beauty of forty seasons, the other an aged crone. Yet, despite the disparate ages, a shocking resemblance was apparent.

“This is no simple clone… but a dark ritual of Yin and Yang,” Cangsong gasped, his mind reeling. He recalled a forbidden art from the Cloud Sea Domain, one so ancient and heinous that few had ever dared to attempt it.

The technique was legendary and vile, defying both morality and reason. Its difficulty was such that success was unheard of, yet here, before his very eyes, someone had mastered the threefold convergence!

Known as Gathering Yin Ancestry, the technique involved a female cultivator forming a pact with a man and begetting a daughter. Using an arcane art, mother and child would exist as one. Then, years later, the mother-daughter pair would form a bond with a man, begetting another daughter and fusing their spirits again. This unnatural union was how they increased their cultivation base and strengthened their divine senses!