“The Mighty Zhan Xingye… his Dao has fallen…” Wang Lin spoke after a moment of silence, his voice heavy.

At these words, Lie Yunzi staggered, his face draining of color as he instinctively retreated a few paces, stunned. Grief swiftly consumed his features, his eyes losing their light.

“Ancestor… his Dao fallen…” For the entire Zhan clan, the mission and pride of every generation of patriarchs stemmed from their ancestor, Zhan Xingye. For countless years, nearly every clansman had yearned for their ancestor’s return.

Zhan Xingye was the Zhan clan’s glory. Now, with Wang Lin’s pronouncement, that glory shattered!

Yan Leizi, standing beside him, also paled. Though not born of Luo Tian soil, he had resided there long enough to become a part of it, and had heard tales of Zhan Xingye’s illustrious deeds. It could be said that the Zhan clan’s current standing in Luo Tian was entirely due to their ancestor’s lingering influence!

Zhan Xingye!

Lu Fuzi set down his cup, shock rippling across his face. He had met Zhan Xingye long ago. Even then, the man had reached the pinnacle of the Nirvana Shatterer realm, a being akin to the heavens!

Lu Fuzi had even received Zhan Xingye’s grace in the past. This was why Lie Yunzi was among the four disciples he taught. Besides repaying that past kindness, it was also a gesture of goodwill towards the vanished Zhan Xingye!

Now, hearing Wang Lin’s words, he inhaled deeply and fell silent.

Lie Yunzi’s mind reeled from the news. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he bowed deeply to Wang Lin, lifting his head with bloodshot eyes.

“Please, senior, tell us how our ancestor met his end!” His voice was slow, yet it carried an icy chill. He firmly believed his ancestor’s demise was no natural one. Though his Zhan clan might not be able to avenge him now, they could not bear not knowing the culprit!

Even if it took generations, they would pass down the resolve to avenge their ancestor, once they knew who had slain him!

Lu Fuzi also turned to Wang Lin in silence.

“Have you ever heard of the existence of the Seven-Colored Realm within our world…? Within that Seven-Colored Realm lies a Dao Fruit… nourished by the thoughts of billions of beings and the realms of countless cultivators, bearing seven Dao Fruits… the remains of the mighty Zhan Xingye were found by me within the Cloud Sea’s Seven-Colored Realm…”

“The one who slew him was the Palm Sovereign of the Outer Realm’s Ancient Star System!” Wang Lin said slowly, a flicker of reminiscence in his eyes.

As Wang Lin explained the Seven-Colored Realm and his conjecture about the Palm Sovereign’s Dao-seeding, Lie Yunzi gasped. Yet, the killing intent in his eyes did not fade; instead, it was replaced by a fierce battle spirit! A battle spirit the Zhan clan would carry on!

Yan Leizi’s mind trembled. Wang Lin’s words about the Seven-Colored Realm triggered a terrible memory.

Lu Fuzi was visibly moved. He abruptly stood, his eyes flashing as he clasped his fist to Wang Lin. “Daoist Wang, this matter is of grave importance! The Seven-Colored Realm is like a malignant tumor festering within our world. If the Outer Realm invades, I fear this Seven-Colored Realm will bring unimaginable calamity upon us!

“To absorb the Dao thoughts of every cultivator within our world for its growth… what audacity! I must immediately travel to the Cloud Sea Star System to inform the Demon Sect, so they can rally all forces within our world to find and destroy the remaining six Seven-Colored Realms!” Lu Fuzi’s expression was grave. He clearly understood the immense danger hidden behind this matter. Without Wang Lin’s warning, it could lead to utter annihilation when resisting the Outer Realm invasion!

Especially the thought of a scenario where the majority of cultivators within the world suddenly had their Dao thoughts collapse and die during a great battle made Lu Fuzi’s Dao heart tremble.

This possibility was not unfounded!

Wang Lin nodded. He had intended to return and share what he knew with the world, to contribute his strength to the impending war.

After hearing about the Seven-Colored Realm, Yan Leizi remained silent, his face shifting between light and shadow. The memory stirring in his mind grew clearer.

As soon as he spoke, Lu Fuzi immediately glanced at him, having already noticed Yan Leizi’s odd behavior. He now waited for his answer.

Yan Leizi bowed to Lu Fuzi and Wang Lin, speaking in a deep voice: “I was once hunted by the Cultivation Alliance and fled from the Alliance Star System, which is how I came to Luo Tian…” He paused, looking at Wang Lin.

“There were many reasons, involving my personal affairs, so I won’t elaborate. Back when I was still an elder of the Cultivation Alliance, I accidentally saw a strange world within the headquarters of the Cultivation Alliance…”

“Senior Wang Lin, do you know if there were ‘Marked Ones’… ‘Lost Ones’ within the Seven-Colored Realm you mentioned earlier?”

Wang Lin’s expression hardened, and he nodded.

“Then I’m certain… there should be a Seven-Colored Realm within the Cultivation Alliance’s headquarters!” Yan Leizi said firmly.

A flicker of cold light flashed in Lu Fuzi’s eyes as he looked at Wang Lin and clasped his fist. “Daoist Wang, I cannot entertain you today. I must depart quickly to the Demon Sect…”

“I will take responsibility for the Seven-Colored Realm in the Cultivation Alliance’s headquarters!” Wang Lin rose, speaking calmly.

“Good! With Daoist Wang’s intervention, that Seven-Colored Realm in the Cultivation Alliance will surely be destroyed!” Lu Fuzi nodded.

The feast was brief, but the shock it brought to Lu Fuzi and the others was no less than the earlier battle. After exchanging polite words, Lu Fuzi flicked his sleeve and stepped into the void ahead.

Zhou Jin and Ling Dong were returned to Wang Lin’s Heavenly Furnace. As Wang Lin prepared to leave and handle his final matter in Luo Tian, Yan Leizi hesitated before gritting his teeth and clasping his fist to Wang Lin.

“Senior, I am very familiar with the Cultivation Alliance and hold a deep grudge against Chong Xuanzi. If senior is going to the Cultivation Alliance, may I accompany you?”

“That would be good, but my movements are unpredictable. Though I will go in the near future, I cannot pinpoint the exact time…” Wang Lin hesitated slightly before speaking.

“That is no matter. I can go there first and wait. After senior arrives at the Cultivation Alliance headquarters, you can simply spread your divine sense to find me. I implore senior to consider our past connection and not refuse me,” Yan Leizi pleaded earnestly, looking at Wang Lin.
Very rarely had the Thunderflame Sovereign stooped to ask for aid. Yet now, confronted by this scion of a bygone age, the words he uttered held the weight of supplication. A tempest of conflicting emotions brewed within his ancient gaze.

Wang Lin regarded the elder, memories of their tumultuous past surging to the fore. He vividly recalled the Thunderflame Sovereign’s desperate battle against the wounded Clear Sky in the Realm of Thunder, his ruthless borrowing of the parasitic beast, and the audacious sacrifice of nearly half the Realm of Thunder to forge a formidable treasure.

“It shall be done,” Wang Lin declared, his voice a low rumble after a protracted silence.

With a flourish of his sleeve, he strode forward, vanishing into the heart of the celestial array, leaving behind only the Thunderflame Sovereign and the Crimson Cloud Daoist, their expressions etched with profound complexity as they watched his departure.

“I grow old… truly old,” the Thunderflame Sovereign sighed, the weariness of ages heavy in his tone.

“The future of the Realm Within belongs to him,” Crimson Cloud murmured, memories of his encounters with Wang Lin swirling like eddies in a forgotten stream.

Across the vast expanse of the Luo Tian Starfield, Wang Lin’s figure became a razor of light, each stride devouring unfathomable distances. He returned to Luo Tian, his four errands nearly complete, only one remained.

This final task was not one of vengeance or settling karmic debts, but a preparation for the coming war against the invaders from beyond the realm. Wang Lin sought to amplify his strength, and he had set his sights on a singular entity within the Luo Tian Starfield.

An entity that had once filled him with awe, the memory of which still sent tremors through his very being. In his younger days, he had lacked the power and qualifications to claim it. But now, Wang Lin possessed the confidence to seek it out, to capture it.

He intended to forge it into his own personal Guardian Beast, bound to his Ancient God essence!

Even at the Sixth Star of the Ancient God, he could have taken such a beast, but none had captured his imagination. Though the fierce Ji Qiong had stirred his interest, he had been too weak to obtain it.

Furthermore, even Ji Qiong paled in comparison to the creature that haunted his dreams. As for the many savage beasts of the Cloud Sea, even those of the Thirteenth Order could not hope to earn Wang Lin’s favor.

“Though I have never battled it, that fleeting glimpse of its power revealed a being that rivaled even the Third Step! Even Hope would be powerless before it! This beast… I *must* possess it!”

As he journeyed, a fierce light kindled in Wang Lin’s eyes, and he stepped forward, cutting through the endless starscape, intent on reaching the star system where he had first laid eyes on the creature. But suddenly, Wang Lin halted in his tracks.

“Without realizing it, I have stumbled upon this place…” A touch of melancholy shaded Wang Lin’s features. Before him lay two Cultivation Stars.

Thousand Illusions and Crimson Cloud!

A thousand years ago, Wang Lin had emerged from the rift in the Land of the Demons into Luo Tian. The first Cultivation Star he had visited was Crimson Cloud…

There, he had walked with Wang Ping, shared a lifetime… explored every mountain, crossed every river, and braved the vast sea from the vantage point of a solitary boat!

He had gifted Wang Ping a heart that embraced the heavens and earth, a lifetime of wealth and imperial glory… the pinnacle of mortal power. But he could not give him a complete, corporeal form…

A century of father-son devotion washed over Wang Lin as he gazed upon Crimson Cloud, bringing with it the faint sting of old wounds.

His eyes drifted to the star of Thousand Illusions…

The events with the Hua Clan played out in his mind as though they were mere yesterday, and the memory of Liu Mei, a source of constant complexity, arose with them…

A sigh echoed through the starscape. Wang Lin, lost in silent contemplation, turned away from Thousand Illusions and stepped towards Crimson Cloud…

Crimson Cloud remained largely unchanged from a millennium ago. Time seemed to have flowed past it like a gentle stream, leaving it untouched. But while the world remained, those he had known were long gone…

The friends of his past were, for the most part, lost to time.

Autumn had already claimed portions of Crimson Cloud, a chilling wind rustling through the land, carrying with it the mournful dance of fallen leaves, painting a tapestry of loneliness beneath the moon’s pale glow…

Night fell.

Within a mortal city on Crimson Cloud stood a courtyard. Shadow cloaked its interior, and before the gates, two dim lanterns swayed in the wind, their flickering light struggling to keep the encroaching night and autumn chill at bay.