One day hence, Wang Lin, accompanied by Yo-an and the Four Great Generals, departed for that hallowed ground of the Ancient Celestial Realm.

The Ancient Celestial Realm, accessible only beneath the tempest of a Celestial Tribulation, demands passage through the very rifts torn by that tribulation, both for entry and for exit. This chasm, a guardian of the Ancient Celestial Realm’s seal, proves a formidable barrier to those of the Immortal Continent bearing celestial blood. Escape is nigh impossible, save by the combined might of many, as was the case when the Sealed Exalt was thrust forth from its grasp.

Within, the Celestial Inverse Bead holds the key, perhaps the only key that matters!

Before entering the Ancient Celestial Realm, Wang Lin held many conjectures regarding its structure. Now, emerging from its depths, understanding dawned. He stepped through the rift, watching as it slowly contracted behind him, vanishing without a trace. A sigh escaped his lips.

He gazed upon the star-strewn sky, and for the first time, it appeared illusory, almost unreal.

The truth, that the realm within and the realm without were merely a Celestial Sovereign’s dwelling, was a secret Wang Lin could not share. For who would believe him? And even if belief were granted, madness would surely follow.

He stood in silence, contemplating the vastness.

Outside Suzaku Star, the mists of the Celestial Tribulation had long since dissipated. Yet, thousands of cultivators, including Situ Nan, remained, awaiting Wang Lin’s return.

The moment his silhouette materialized amidst the stars, a chorus of cheers erupted. Their eyes burned with fervent devotion as they chanted his name, hailing him as the Sealed Exalt.

The title weighed heavily upon Wang Lin, and a sense of disorientation washed over him.

“Sealed Exalt… Even the last Sealed Exalt was but a servant of the Celestial Sovereign. He was not of this realm, but hailed from the Immortal Continent, possessing celestial blood… He came not to aid us, but to lay the groundwork for his master, the Celestial Sovereign… A man of obsolete principles, perhaps he developed compassion for the people of this realm during his time here, thus explaining his later actions…

But in the end, he does not belong. He is, and always will be, an outsider…”

The chants echoed in Wang Lin’s ears, distant and muted. With his newfound knowledge, the title of Sealed Exalt held little meaning.

His silence was soon noticed by the assembled cultivators. The chanting gradually ceased as all eyes focused upon him, watching his slow approach.

He looked upon the sea of faces before him, and a wave of bitterness washed over him. He longed to tell them the truth: that they, all of them, were merely living within a dwelling. That the sky they saw was not the true sky, nor was the earth beneath their feet the true earth.

That the wars waged against the Outer Realm were but a game in the eyes of another. That the very powers they cultivated, the paths they pursued, were naught but illusions.

All was false, all was unreal.

Only the blood, the pain, and the countless skeletons left to rot through the ages were real.

But how could he speak these words? How could he burden these thousands of zealous cultivators with such a cruel and heartless truth?

In that moment, Wang Lin felt a kinship with the Scattering Spirit Ascendant of the Seven Million Worlds. Their experiences were eerily similar.

Yet, the Scattering Spirit Ascendant was more fortunate, for he believed he had found the true world, that he had escaped the confines of his prison.

Situ Nan noticed Wang Lin’s silence and the confusion in his eyes. Perplexity etched his features. He wondered what Wang Lin had encountered within the rift that had transformed his triumphant return into such despondency.

“Situ, have you wine? I wish to be drunk once more… one last time…” Wang Lin approached Situ Nan, his eyes filled with a weary resignation, and spoke in a soft voice.

“I do,” Situ Nan replied, nodding without question.

“If you wish to drink, then I shall drink with you!”

Upon a nameless peak on Suzaku Star, Wang Lin and Situ Nan sat side-by-side, watching the approaching dusk as they silently drank.

None dared disturb their solitude. The thousands of cultivators remained on Suzaku Star, meditating and gathering their strength. They waited for Wang Lin to descend from the mountain, to lead them to Luo Tian and quell the looming threat, to protect the realm within!

“Situ, why do men live?” Wang Lin asked, taking another swig of wine, his eyes clouded with confusion.

“To draw breath,” Situ Nan replied after a moment of silence. He lowered his wine jug, observing Wang Lin with a furrowed brow, and asked, “What was that rift?”

Wang Lin shook his head, a bitter smile playing on his lips, and took another long drink.

“Do you remember our last drunken bout, many years ago?” Wang Lin asked, gazing at Situ Nan with a nostalgic glimmer in his eyes.

“That was when I was lost, when I did not wish to cultivate. I did not understand the purpose of cultivation. Cultivation, cultivation, brought no joy… only weariness and endless life-or-death situations. I have killed so many, so many…” Wang Lin laughed, the sound hollow and strained.

“During that drunken haze, I told you that I did not understand why men pursued the path of cultivation. Was it for longevity? But what good is immortality when you watch the people around you grow old, when you witness the death of your loved ones, the fading of family, the closing of your friend’s eyes? What remains in the end but a cold heart?

A weary body. What good is such a life, such an existence, even if it were to last forever? Is that what longevity truly is, Situ? You led me down this path. You told me this was longevity!” Wang Lin drained his wine jug and tossed it aside.

“A cultivator does not sever the seven emotions and six desires… When we were still on Suzaku Star, and you were but a Qi Condensation cultivator, you told me that you could not bear to leave your parents, that you could not bear to cut ties with the mortal realm. You did not wish to sever them… That is what I told you.”
Since you cannot sever the ties that bind you, and harbor no desire to do so, such torment is your inevitable fate. Death would be a release, yet you remain, having ascended to such heights through two millennia of cultivation, reaching a pinnacle of power. This is the source of your bewilderment, the reason you seek from me the meaning of immortality!”

“Immortality, immortality,” the elder bellowed, “There is no true immortality in this realm! To my eyes, the pursuit of so-called immortality is naught but the yearning to extend one’s fleeting existence, to amass power and ensure a life of unbridled freedom, where none may dictate one’s path!”

“Nay, ’tis fear that drives us, a terror of the inevitable oblivion that compels us to chase the impossible dream of unending life! Do not claim ignorance, Wang Lin, for you know this to be true!”

“Look at yourself now! You ventured into that fissure, what horrors did you witness there? Tell me, now!” Situ Nan roared, draining the wine jug and hurling it aside.

“The coal… I never reached the true peak. Even were I to ascend to such a height, what then? I understand, I comprehend. Yet, unlike you, I never desired this path of cultivation. In my youth, it was for my parents, for the yearning in their eyes, for fear of their disappointment, that I gritted my teeth and sought entrance to Heng Yue Sect!”

“But what came of it? Fate, cruel and twisted, used my devotion to their desires as the very instrument of their doom! And so, my cultivation became fueled by vengeance. I embraced the darkness, becoming a demon, slaughtering the entire Teng family, leaving rivers of blood in my wake!”

“After my vengeance was sated, I was lost. I watched Da Niu grow, witnessed the passing of his parents, observed the span of his life, and I knew not what to do, nor where my path lay…”

“Then came Wan’er’s death, and I cultivated for the sole purpose of resurrecting her…”

“I desired strength, survival, I could not bear the thought of her fading before my eyes. I sought to wrest her back from the clutches of fate! And so, I became a Sealed Exalted, my name echoing through the realms beyond the borders.

“But this was not my desire! None of it! I never wished to be a Sealed Exalted! I still loathe this path of cultivation!” Wang Lin stared at Situ Nan, seized another jug, and gulped down half its contents, the wine streaming down his chin, staining his robes.

“You!” Situ Nan gazed at Wang Lin, seeing the turmoil in his eyes, and found himself unable to speak. With a sigh, he slumped down, drowning his own sorrows in wine.

“Fine, if you refuse to share what you beheld in that fissure, I shall not pry!”

Silence descended, broken only by the sound of their drinking. Until, far in the distance, the heavens began to lighten, a hint of dawn painting the sky.

“The fissure… it led to the Ancient Immortal Realm…” Wang Lin whispered.

Situ Nan started, leaping to his feet, and looked towards the sky, as if his gaze could pierce the heavens and reach the now-vanished fissure in the starry expanse.

“The Ancient Immortal Realm!! It was truly there, the realm of legends!! Did you see the true immortals?” Situ Nan gasped, his eyes wide with wonder.

“I did. And I slew one of them!” Wang Lin replied, bitterness etched on his face, as he drank deeply from his jug.

Situ Nan stared, dumbfounded, at Wang Lin. After a long moment, he blinked and gave a wry smile.

“And then? Knowing your nature, you would not have simply departed after such an act. Did you delve into the immortal’s memories?”

Wang Lin remained silent, his eyes troubled, as he drained his jug, tossed it aside, and met Situ Nan’s gaze.

“I searched the immortal’s memories. I learned a secret, concerning the realms within and beyond, the truth of all that exists…”

“Situ, if I were to tell you that all this, the realms within and without, is but a lie, that even what seems real is but an illusion… would you believe me?”

“If I were to tell you that you, I, all the friends we have known, the world we were born into, are but prisoners in a cage… would you believe me?”

“If I were to tell you that the path of cultivation, the very essence of our being, is but a path laid out for us by another… would you believe me?”

“If I were to tell you that the world we inhabit is but a dwelling, a dwelling of an Ancient Immortal, or perhaps a realm created to gather incense offerings… would you believe me!”

“What are you saying?!” The wine jug slipped from Situ Nan’s grasp, crashing to the ground.