The starscape lay tranquil, a boundless obsidian sea in windless slumber. The scattered starlight twinkled, mirroring a mother’s eyes, stirring a profound homesickness within the heart of the traveler.

Especially in the absence of beloved kin, those shimmering eyes blurred in his vision, coalescing into a wave of sorrow and yearning that lingered in the depths of his soul, becoming a silent sigh.

Even a cultivator is but a mortal, subject to the whims of emotion, haunted by memories and clinging to that which is lost.

“They wronged me! Your punishment was too lenient! I demand you transform Xu Liguo into a pig – no, a fallen leaf! So I may trample him, crush him beneath my heel until he is no more!”

“And Liu Jinbiao! He dared to deceive me! Hmph, the price for deceiving this King is steep! To make him my thrall for a thousand years is too kind! Turn him also into a leaf, that I might grind him into dust!” The madman, tethered to Wang Lin’s wake, harangued him relentlessly, his words a buzzing drone that wove through the air.

Seeing that Wang Lin’s gaze was fixed on the distant stars, indifferent to his pleas, the madman grew restless. He unleashed a torrent of roars upon Wang Lin, then began circling him like a caged beast, howling as he turned. His intent was clear: he would not relent until Wang Lin obeyed his whims.

Wang Lin walked on in silence, his path drawing him ever closer to the Crimson Bird Star. Even with his eyes closed, he could navigate the Kun Xu Starfield to that world. Part of it was due to his cultivation, but more so because that Crimson Bird Star held within it, the lingering echoes of his heart’s sorrow.

The madman’s incessant prattle grew more intense, an unbroken stream throughout their journey. He seemed immune to fatigue, continuing his circling and howling.

“Turn them into leaves! I must trample them!”

“Enough!” After countless repetitions, the madman finally succeeded in shattering Wang Lin’s reverie. He raised his right hand, seizing the circling madman and halting him in his tracks.

“Be silent,” Wang Lin commanded, gazing at the deranged being.

The madman, ensnared in Wang Lin’s grip, stared back, his eyes wide. “Turn them into leaves!” he bellowed.

Wang Lin’s brow furrowed.

“I will not have it otherwise! Transform them into leaves! Leaves, I say!” The madman’s rage poured forth, a child demanding a toy from its parents, screaming without restraint.

“In truth, you saw through their ploys, recognized their deception all along…” Wang Lin spoke softly, his voice laced with serenity.

“Eh… This King… This King saw nothing of the sort!” The madman stammered, his eyes darting about as he shook his head vigorously, his movements mimicking the back-and-forth sway of a child’s rattle.

Wang Lin fixed him with a knowing gaze, then released him and continued his journey.

“The blood you gifted Xu Liguo and Liu Jinbiao was nothing but refuse. All of it combined, once refined, would not equal half a drop of your true blood!”

“They deceived you, yes, but you, in turn, deceived them. Do you think you can play such games before me? My path, Wang Lin’s path, demands fairness. Their punishment is sufficient. Cease your prattling.” Wang Lin’s words drifted back to the madman, his back turned.

The madman blinked, a flush creeping onto his face. He chuckled sheepishly. “This King, so clever, could never be deceived! Though, truth be told, Xu Liguo and Liu Jinbiao did possess a certain skill… They nearly tricked me! But I knew my blood was precious, from that time with what’s-his-name…”

Muttering to himself, the madman saw Wang Lin drawing away. He scrambled to catch up, his voice fading into a mumble. After walking in silence for some time, he looked at Wang Lin with a puzzled expression, sensing once more the aura he had felt when emerging from the Abyssal Beast.

They journeyed onward, wrapped in silence, until a sight emerged before them: a cultivation star, vibrant with life and overflowing with spiritual energy.

It was but a small world in the grand expanse of the cosmos, yet the instant Wang Lin beheld it, his body trembled. He stopped, his feet rooted to the spot.

He stared silently at the cultivation star, the familiar world etched into his very being. A kaleidoscope of faces filled his vision, familiar visages that painted a portrait of his life on the Crimson Bird Star.

The homesickness in his eyes deepened.

“Things change, people change…” a phrase often used to describe the passage of time, but now, in Wang Lin’s perception, even the unyielding elements themselves seemed altered. It was no longer a simple matter of things and people changing; it was a transformation of the very essence of both.

He stood transfixed, gazing at the Crimson Bird Star, ringed by a vast formation that pulsed with power, a shimmering barrier that expanded in all directions, its waves resonating through the starscape.

Wang Lin remembered, when he departed, that this formation had not existed.

It had been erected only a few decades prior. After a long silence, Wang Lin sighed and took a slow, deliberate step forward. The madman, his curiosity piqued, followed close behind, his eyes fixed on the Crimson Bird Star. As they walked, several streaks of light appeared on the horizon, hurtling toward the Crimson Bird Star. Within those streaks were four cultivators, three men and one woman, an elder and three youths. Their faces were etched with reverence, as if they were pilgrims approaching a sacred shrine. They flashed past Wang Lin and the madman, their destination the formation surrounding the Crimson Bird Star.

“This is the Crimson Bird Star, the homeland of the Sealed Exalted!” the elder spoke solemnly as they neared the formation.

“Upon entering the Crimson Bird Star, remember to avoid conflict! This is a holy land in the Kun Xu Starfield, even within our realm, guarded by many powerful ancient beings protecting the world for the Sealed Exalted!” the elder cautioned. The three younger cultivators nodded, their gaze upon the Crimson Bird Star filled with even greater reverence.

Wang Lin walked until he stood before the formation, hundreds of yards from the four cultivators. He stared at the Crimson Bird Star through the shimmering barrier, his heart aching with longing.

The madman, bored by the silence, began to miss Xu Liguo and Liu Jinbiao, whispering to himself in a low voice.
“Indeed, those two knaves were not entirely unkind to this King…” He muttered, almost to himself. Suddenly, his gaze swept outwards, alighting upon four figures some hundreds of feet distant. His eyes gleamed with a sudden, wicked light.

“Ho there, fair maidens! Tell this King your sweet names, and rich rewards shall be yours!” The madman, eyes ablaze with mischievous intent, raised a hand and skipped towards the four travelers.

His abrupt shout startled the party. The woman amongst them, taken aback, glanced nervously behind her, as if expecting more travelers to appear from the distant landscape.

“Why do you turn? This King speaks not to you, but to the three blossoms at your side. Maidens, what are your names?” The madman bellowed, his face alight with childish excitement.

At his words, the two young men in the party scowled, their gazes hardening into icy glares. Just as they were about to retort, the elder of the group, a man with a brow furrowed by long years, raised a hand to silence them. He did not look at the madman, but rather his eyes were fixed on Wang Lin, who stood silently beside him, his gaze lost in the memories that swirled around the sacred soil of Vermilion Bird Star.

“Venerable friend,” the elder began, his voice measured and calm, “You have undoubtedly come to pay homage to the hallowed birthplace of the Immortal Sovereign. This is sacred ground. I implore you to restrain your companion, lest he bring dishonor upon us all.” Without another glance at Wang Lin, the elder swept his sleeve and led his three disciples towards the protective array that shimmered around Vermilion Bird Star.

The three disciples cast venomous glares at the madman, especially the two young men, their faces flushed with anger and embarrassment.

The madman pouted, a look of wounded innocence on his face. “If you will not speak your names, then so be it. Why must you glare at this King so? This King merely seeks to know your names…” Wang Lin, his expression unreadable, placed a hand on the madman’s shoulder and steered him towards the array. He did not choose to bypass the protective barrier, but to enter through its gates.

For he had returned home, and would pass through the proper portals. There was no reason to avoid them.

The elder and his three disciples reached the array first. As they stepped within its shimmering embrace, the array pulsed with light, and two ethereal figures materialized, ancient and wise, their eyes like piercing stars. They gazed serenely upon those seeking entry.

“This old one is Dao Dezi of Zhaohe Mingmei Star, bringing three disciples to pay homage. I beseech the Holy Guardians to open the array and grant us passage.” The elder bowed deeply, his face solemn with respect.

“Vermilion Bird Star is open to all cultivators within the Boundary. Do you understand the rules?” one of the spectral figures asked, his voice deep and resonant.

“I do. Nothing may be taken from Vermilion Bird Star. Nothing may be damaged upon Vermilion Bird Star. No one may remain upon Vermilion Bird Star for more than three days,” the elder replied, nodding.

At these words, the two ethereal figures performed a simultaneous hand seal, and a wave of power flowed outwards. The array shimmered, and from it emerged a path of swirling clouds, a celestial staircase leading deep within the array and connecting to the highest peak of Vermilion Bird Star itself!

The elder bowed once more, then led his three disciples, their faces a mixture of reverence and barely contained excitement, onto the cloud-woven steps and began their ascent towards the heart of the sacred star.

Wang Lin, with the madman in tow, followed calmly, stepping onto the celestial staircase. Together, they walked towards Vermilion Bird Star.

The two spectral guardians did not intervene. They merely watched Wang Lin and the madman with keen eyes, until the party had disappeared into the array. Then, one of the spectral elders frowned.

“I have a strange feeling that I have seen this man somewhere before…”

“Indeed! I share your feeling! Yet I cannot recall where we might have encountered this white-robed cultivator.” The two figures pondered for a moment, then shook their heads. Their forms slowly dissipated, and the array around Vermilion Bird Star gradually returned to its tranquil state, the shimmering lights fading into nothingness.

Following the cloud staircase, Wang Lin soon saw the land before him. Vermilion Bird Star lay spread out before them, its beauty and majesty revealed. The cloud staircase ended upon its highest peak, forming a celestial ladder!

(And then a sudden, frantic note appears):

The pursuers are relentless, fiercely relentless, armed with implements of violation, descending like a storm in the night, leaving a chill of terror in the very bones…

Protect me from this indignity! Grant me your favor, your strength! I am being hunted!!!