“May your path be blessed, my Lord…” Her voice, gentle as the falling rain, carried on the wind-whipped drops. Mu Bingmei, a vision framed by her crimson parasol, watched Wang Lin through the watery veil. No biting chill clung to her words, only a lingering warmth.

She had not departed as expected, drawn instead to this final farewell. A single glance, a stolen moment, before fates whisked them away to realms unknown.

Wang Lin could not fathom the depths of her heart. Mu Bingmei was no simple maiden; a reason, veiled in secrets, must hold her rooted to this spot.

He would not, *could* not, force her hand.

The days bled away under the mournful gaze of the rain, and at twilight on the last day, the heavens wept with renewed fervor. Rain lashed down, blurring the horizon, each drop a shimmering bead on an endless curtain.

Wang Lin rose, stepping into the sky, his form luminous against the gloom. Behind him, those who sought passage followed, becoming streaks of vibrant color against the backdrop of the storm.

High above, he cast a final glance toward the land below. There, beneath the crimson umbrella, stood Mu Bingmei, her gaze fixed upon him, a shimmering enigma through the downpour.

The grace of her stance beneath the sheltering silk, the silken whisper of her long gown, the dark tendrils of hair whipped by the wind—all painted a melancholic masterpiece upon the canvas of departure.

He lingered in the air, his gaze locked upon her.

“If I yet walk this world, I shall return…” His voice, low and resonant, sliced through the sound of the rain.

“If I yet walk this world, I shall await you…” Mu Bingmei lowered her parasol, obscuring her face, her voice a bare breath of promise.

Wang Lin raised his hand, and the power of seven ancient Sources surged within him, coalescing in a blinding flash of light. From that torrent of energy, he forged a blade of crystalline brilliance.

The blade pulsed with the ancient power of his Sources, humming with the essence of the Dao.

“I know not when I shall traverse the realms to return. Perhaps a thousand years, or ten, perhaps even unto the very shores of death. Take this blade, and guard yourself well!” With a sigh that carried on the wind, Wang Lin turned and strode into the heavens.

His companions followed, leaving trails of light. Li Qianmei spared a backward glance at Mu Bingmei before following the radiant tide.

Upon the earth, Mu Bingmei watched the streaks of light pierce the sky. Tears traced paths down her cheeks, blurring the world before her. She stood as a wife at the doorway, bidding farewell to her lord as he marched off to war.

“Farewell…” she whispered, words only she could hear. Clutching the Source-blade, she began her journey back into the rain-swept world.

Above, Wang Lin felt a serene calm descend as he looked upon all that was familiar. He harbored a growing conviction that the trials of the Realm of the Caves were far from over.

*With the seals in place, only a being akin to a Grand Empyrean could shatter the barrier. Even those wounded beings that remain, along with the guardians Lan Meng Dao Zun and Nan Yun Zi, should be enough to prevent an invasion.*

*I have a theory that needs further examination…*

*Zhu Que has departed, and with him the First Generation Vermillion Bird. If there is any truth to their link, his fate is now sealed. What remains of the Second Generation remains to be seen…*

He chose not to venture into the Fallen Land.

*There is something more to the Fallen Land, and the compass of Tian Ni…*

He had long suspected that he was missing something, but now was not the time to dwell on such mysteries.

*And there is Chi Hunzi, whom I freed… And the enigmatic figure from the Realm of the Wind Immortal, who saved me during my battle with the Water Daoist… he must be somewhere out there. The opening of the gates to the Caves may draw them out into the light.*

*So many mysteries…*

He closed his eyes, his pace steady and resolute. He carried these questions, these doubts, these mysteries as keepsakes, knowing that he would unravel them upon his return from the Immortal Astral Continent.

“The Immortal Astral Continent is not my home. My home resides here… This departure is the pilgrimage of a wanderer, and I will one day return!” His eyes flashed open, and a light surged from within.

“If death does not claim me, I shall return to this realm. And when I do, I shall lift the veil upon its deepest mysteries.” He would not rush to solve them. Instead, he kept them as a reminder of all that he was fighting for.

A promise to himself, a haunting whisper in the winds of fate.

In the vastness of the void, dozens of streaks of light surged forward, led by Wang Lin toward the Gate of the Caves in the Roaming Heavens. Each traveler was skilled, and moved as quickly as possible to their new home.

Li Qianmei lagged slightly behind, but with Wang Lin’s aid, kept pace.

On the final day of the allotted time, Wang Lin and his company arrived at the Gate of the Caves, which loomed in space. Bands of gold radiated outwards, a beautiful sight to behold.

Xuan Luo sat in meditation at the foot of the door, which was so large that it seemed to prop up the very stars. A heavy presence emanated outwards, touching everything around it.

The moment that Wang Lin and his company arrived, Xuan Luo’s eyes shot open. His gaze swept over Wang Lin and his companions.

“A few days early, but no matter. These souls are worthy of rebirth.” Xuan Luo’s voice echoed through the void, relieved by the low count of travelers. Less than twenty souls.
He had thought, perhaps hundreds, even thousands, would seek rebirth at once. Such a multitude would strain Xuan Luo’s power, for the greater the number, the greater the difficulty. This smaller gathering, then, was preferable.

In truth, Wang Lin had not widely proclaimed the opportunity for departure. Had he done so, many more would surely have clamored to leave this place. He refrained, primarily, because of Xuan Luo.

Wang Lin desired to incur no further debt. This single act stretched him to his limits, and he would not burden Xuan Luo with excessive strain or injury caused by too great a throng.

Xuan Luo rose, and with a swift, double-handed incantation, he cleaved the very heavens. Waves of power emanated from him, rippling across the star-strewn void. A thunderous roar, at first muted, soon intensified until it became a deafening cacophony that swallowed all other sound. Within this booming tide and swirling energy, Xuan Luo’s robes billowed as if filled with a raging gale, and his hair streamed wildly about him.

From behind him, a colossal, crimson sun vaguely materialized. Its arrival dimmed the golden light of the surrounding stars, which seemed unable to compete with its infernal brilliance.

As the sun blazed into existence, Xuan Luo’s right hand snapped forward, seizing the void itself.

“Spirit of the Dragon Emperor of Heavenly Unity! By my name, Xuan Luo, I command thee forth!” Xuan Luo’s voice resonated with an unnatural power. Under its sway, the celestial roar redoubled, and a vast vortex erupted amidst the swirling energies. It spun with impossible speed, seeming capable of drawing the entire cosmos into its gaping maw.

The vortex’s depths were a swirling abyss of absolute black, akin to a passage into another world.

As the vortex reached a critical point of rotation, a savage, draconian bellow echoed forth, tearing from its core with unfettered fury. The dragon’s roar reverberated through the heavens, transforming into a deafening hum that vibrated in Wang Lin’s very bones.

*ROAR!*

The sound intensified, flooding the starfield, and turning the faces of those behind Wang Lin ashen with terror as they gazed upon Xuan Luo.

Though the roar sent a tremor through Wang Lin’s spirit, he stood unmoving, his eyes fixed upon the vortex.

He could not see within the vortex, yet he could imagine the struggle taking place within. A great dragon thrashed and clawed, striving to tear free and unleash its rage upon the cosmos.

At last, when the roar threatened to shatter the very fabric of the starfield, the vortex detonated in a final, earth-shattering boom. A colossal head emerged, forcing its way through the collapsing portal. The vortex, unable to withstand such power, fractured and dissolved into motes of ethereal light that scattered outwards like shockwaves.

The head was a dragon’s head!

A single, massive horn jutted from its brow. Two barbels, each hundreds of feet long, streamed through the void. Scaled in shades of violet and black, the dragon possessed a face of savage ferocity, its eyes burning with icy, malevolent light.

Together, these features comprised a monstrous being that would inspire dread in any who dared gaze upon it.

Most strangely of all, the tip of the dragon’s horn was not sharp, but formed a squared, regal shape, as if capped with an emperor’s crown.

The head alone was nearly a thousand feet in size. As it burst free, the dragon twisted its immense body, and the starfield thundered as the beast strove to fully emerge!

“This dragon is my Dragon Emperor of Heavenly Unity, one of my nine divine weapons! Taken from the eastern wilderness of the Immortal Gang Continent, a land teeming with the most savage of beasts, this dragon was one of its apex predators!

It possessed the power of a Sky Tribulant cultivator, yet I slew it, stripped its soul, forged its flesh, and used its bones to create this weapon! This weapon is a whip, and with this Dragon Whip, I shall tear open the rules of Immortal Gang, opening a path for your rebirth!” Xuan Luo’s voice reverberated through the cosmos. He raised his right hand and seized the long dragon.

The dragon lifted its head and roared, hurtling through the void as its size grew exponentially: two thousand feet, three thousand, five thousand, until it stood ten thousand, tens of thousands of feet tall, hurtling towards Xuan Luo! In Xuan Luo’s hand, the beast contracted rapidly, shrinking into a hundred-foot long whip of crimson dragon scales!

The whip emanated an astonishing pressure. Even Wang Lin, upon seeing it, felt his pupils contract with a primal fear. He sensed that not even he could withstand the force of its lash!

Its power was beyond imagining.

(To be continued!)