Five droplets of crimson blood, and one, an ethereal ichor of violet soul, blazed with a radiant light above the brow of the Sky Citadel’s ancient effigy. At the very instant the Celestial Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó unleashed the Nine Suns’ might, sealing this hallowed ground with a blood-red solar sigil, the six crimson jewels ascended towards the heavens.

The firmament rippled under the sanguine sun’s gaze, birthing a colossal vortex, its heart seemingly tethered to the void itself. With earth-shattering howls, the six blood droplets plunged into the swirling abyss, vanishing from the sight of nearly a million ancient clansmen.

Last to disappear was the violet soul-blood. Its very presence sent tremors through the souls of all who beheld it, their faces contorted in disbelief, awe, and reverence.

As the otherworldly violet glow faded into the vortex, consciousness returned to each being, the initial shock now amplified, engulfing their minds and bodies like a raging tide.

“Violet soul-blood… gods, my eyes have witnessed the violet soul-blood! In our ancient kingdom, only nine have ever been recorded!”

“Legends speak of the Ancient Ancestor bestowing nine droplets of soul-blood upon his three sons. From them, the three great lineages of the Ancient Clan were born. Our Dào Clan is descended from the Ancestor’s third son… yet now…”

“A tenth droplet appears… who among us is enduring the Third Calamity’s First Trial? The Ancient Vein Sky Blood – never has a soul-blood bearer been spoken of in ancient texts! This is soul-blood! Such an event… it is beyond comprehension! This is a matter of utmost importance for our kingdom!”

“The Third Calamity holds three trials. First, the Ancient Vein Sky Blood. This individual has obtained nine droplets, and now possesses a soul-blood… if this is but the First Trial, what wonders will be bestowed upon him in the Second, the Divine Threefold Splitting of the Ancient Path?”

“And the final trial, the Ancestral Benediction! To be so recognized by the Ancient Ancestor… it defies belief. What shall he receive in this Third Trial? Could it be the Ancestral Legacy itself, untouched by any in ten thousand millennia?”

Whispers of wonder and speculation echoed, filling the Sky Citadel with a low hum. All were shaken by the sight of the soul-blood. Yet, by the Celestial Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó’s seal and his supreme authority, all were forbidden from uttering a word of this event beyond these walls.

For this matter threatened to unleash a cataclysmic wave upon the Immortal-Astral Continent. The Ultimate-Ancient and Primal-Ancient lineages would instantly descend to investigate. Conflict could even erupt over this revelation.

The significance of a tenth soul-blood droplet was too immense for the Ancient Kingdom. Should the chosen one obtain two more, he could, like the Ancient Ancestor’s three sons, create a fourth lineage of the Ancient Clan!

Even the Immortal Clan would tremble at this news, dispatching observers if not outright armies to scrutinize the matter.

All because of a single droplet of soul-blood!

As the six droplets vanished into the vortex, as the effigy’s brow became devoid of any crimson light, Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó raised his hand and swept it across the blood-red sun that enveloped the citadel.

The sun unleashed an even greater brilliance, dividing into nearly a million shards, each merging into the bodies of the assembled Dào Clan, forging a seal of silence upon their lips.

With this done, the encircling sun dissipated, and normalcy returned to the sky. A gentle breeze blew through, as if to dispel the tension and wonder that had permeated the air.

Casting a final glance into the distance, Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó strode forth without hesitation, vanishing in an instant. He would journey to the Immortal Clan, to the Seven Paths Sect, to the grotto-heaven where his Dào Clan scion awaited, to bring him home!

With Xuán Luó’s departure, the Sky Citadel fell into a long silence. Then, the Imperial-Robed Man, his face a mask of grim displeasure, turned on his heel and departed. As he left, the others slowly dispersed, their minds still reeling.

The day’s events were buried deep within their hearts, etched into their gazes as they looked towards the horizon where Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó had vanished. Those gazes held a mixture of complexity, envy, jealousy, but above all, anticipation!

They awaited the return of Grand Sovereign Xuán Luó, and the appearance of the one who had caused such awe. They longed to know his face, his name, his destiny.

“Our Dào Clan, the weakest of the Ancient Kingdom’s three lineages… may the Grand Sovereign’s return change all that…”

After all had dispersed, the Imperial-Robed Man returned to the heart of the Sky Citadel, to his Dào Clan Palace. An immense structure beyond mortal reckoning, adorned with jade carvings and extravagant ornamentation.

The palace servants were many, yet their faces were pale and cautious. Their fear stemmed from the terrifying aura emanating from the Imperial’s secluded palace in the eastern district.

An aura of barely suppressed rage.

Thunderous booms reverberated, shaking the palace to its foundations. Then, with a deafening roar, the Imperial’s abode collapsed, sending forth a maelstrom of stone and debris. Nearby servants and guards, unable to escape, perished with agonizing screams, their bodies torn asunder by the deadly fragments.

The stench of blood filled the air. Amidst the ruins, a figure emerged – the Imperial-Robed Man himself, his eyes serene, his expression unreadable. Without a glance at the devastation behind him, he spoke.

“Clean this up. In three days, I wish to see a new palace.”

As his words echoed, hundreds of wispy, smoke-like figures materialized around him, bowing low.

With a flick of his sleeve, the Imperial-Robed Man vanished, appearing atop the palace’s highest tower. He stood there, facing the wind, looking down upon the palace and the colossal effigy of the Ancient Ancestor that loomed over the horizon.

“I am the Dào Clan Emperor, the direct descendant of the Ancient Ancestor, his very blood flowing through my veins. What right does a mere inheritor of a forgotten lineage have to warrant such favour from Xuán Luó!?”
“Soulblood…” The Emperor, garbed in crimson and gold, spoke with a serene facade, yet his right hand clenched into a fist, white-knuckled. Then, a slow smile crept across his lips.

“Well, well. This does indeed make things more…interesting. I shall see what tempest this upstart can conjure. Even with soulblood coursing through his veins, he shall kneel before me!”

The smile deepened as he turned his gaze from the distant horizon. With a flourish of his hand, he conjured a crimson orb, no larger than a clenched fist.

Within this sphere swirled countless wisps of ethereal mist, a slow, mesmerizing dance. Deep within, a soul sat in meditative repose, though its form was veiled by the swirling vapors, allowing only the faintest glimpse of a woman.

And this soul was not whole, but a mere fragment.

“Ye Dao!” the Emperor intoned, his voice echoing in the otherwise silent chamber, addressing the red orb in his hand.

“At your service, Majesty!” came a response, as a shimmering distortion materialized behind the Emperor, coalescing into an old man garbed in ebony robes. He bowed low, one knee touching the ground.

“Have you found her?” the Emperor asked, his voice still calm.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I have scoured the entirety of the Ancient Kingdom, yet found no trace of this woman. Messengers have been dispatched to the Immortal Clans, and news shall arrive soon.”

“And the Grand Seer offers nothing?” The Emperor’s brow furrowed.

The kneeling man, his face etched with grim determination, replied in a measured tone, “Though it was the Grand Seer who gifted her essence to Your Majesty, even he cannot discern her whereabouts. He merely divined that this woman holds immense value to you, that possessing her will grant you dominion over the complete Ancient Kingdom!

“He told me only that her soul was plucked from the very fabric of destiny, during a communion with the celestial winds while contemplating the future of our empire. It was taken from a shard of divine essence in a strange and uncharted realm…”

The Emperor fell silent, his gaze fixed upon the crimson orb in his hand, a strange light kindling in his eyes.

“She is plain of feature, unworthy of my gaze. But if she is indeed as the Grand Seer foretold, then I shall take her as my Empress! Continue the search among the Immortal Clans. And if she cannot be found, then scour the entire Ancient Kingdom, seeking any woman whose essence might resonate with this soul.”

“It shall be done, Majesty!” The black-robed man rose, prepared to depart, but hesitated, his face troubled. After a moment’s contemplation, he spoke once more.

“Your Imperial Majesty, the Grand Seer offered one final pronouncement before his seclusion…”

“Speak!” The Emperor commanded, his voice resonating with power as he continued to study the crimson orb.

“He said… his visions might hold truth, or they might be false. As he plucked this soul from the ether, he saw two divergent destinies. In one, Your Majesty would unite the Ancient Kingdom; in the other, you would meet your demise…

“And in both of these visions, besides Your Majesty, there was another figure. His image was obscured, yet the Grand Seer remembers him bearing a crown of white hair!”

“Intriguing. You are dismissed.” A chill descended into the Emperor’s eyes, a subtle smile playing on his lips as he gazed upon the orb.

“Who might you be, fair soul…? And what connection binds you to the white-haired wraith glimpsed by the Grand Seer…?”

Within the crimson sphere, the seated soul remained still, its form lost within the swirling mists, seemingly oblivious to the pronouncements and machinations surrounding it.

A gust of wind swept through the chamber, stirring the Emperor’s robes and caressing the orb in his hand. The mists within stirred as well, briefly revealing a clearer image of the woman’s face. But just as her features were about to fully coalesce, a hand clenched around the orb, obscuring them once more.

Meanwhile, in the Cave World, within the cloud sea, a colossal vortex howled, its crimson light reflecting upon the form of Wang Lin, who stood bathed in its bloody glow.

His eyes narrowed, fixed upon the crimson core of the swirling chaos. He could now see drops of blood emerging from the very depths of the vortex!

**(To be continued…)**