“I am but a novice, and lack the wisdom to comprehend,” Lord Wang declared, his voice ringing with a touch of defiance, “Why others receive two blessings, whilst I, Wang, am granted only this…this fiery carapace!” He stood tall, no longer merely Wang Lin, but a respected elder of the Great Soul Sect.

This slight, he would not endure. Not even the Grandmaster of the Returning Dawn Sect could escape his righteous indignation. He would demand answers!

“Your cultivation is the least amongst them,” a voice, heavy with authority, echoed from the towering edifice. “A suit of armor is sufficient. This matter was settled in accord between this sect and the Great Soul Sect. Though you may not understand, you must accept. If you find no joy in this Five Elements Fire Carapace, then I shall reclaim it.” As the words thundered forth, the floating armor erupted in a swirling inferno, the flames rushing back towards the great hall.

“If this was the result of accord, then let proof be shown!” Wang Lin countered, his gaze fixed upon the imposing structure.

In answer, a ghostly light emerged from the hall’s depths. Within its ethereal glow lay a single strand of silver hair, which, upon its release, exploded in a spectral form… the very visage of the Ancient Azure Ox!

“The matter of this blessing is as it is decreed,” the Ox’s spectral form declared, its voice resonating with ancient power. “I shall not change it. If Wang Lin does not comply, let this serve as proof for judgment!”

Wang Lin regarded the apparition, recognizing it not as a mere doppelganger, but as a fragment of divine awareness, a brand of the Ancient Ox himself.

“You have received your proof; be gone!” the Grandmaster’s cold command reverberated from within the hall.

Wang Lin remained impassive, his countenance betraying nothing. If this injustice was truly a pact between the Great Soul Sect and the Returning Dawn Sect, then perhaps the agreement he had made with the Ancient Azure Ox need no longer be considered.

He fell silent, standing as if nothing had transpired, showing no outward sign of regret for the stolen fire carapace.

“I shall now invoke an ancient art, opening our ten-thousand-year-old formation to send you four to the Viridian Marshes!” the Grandmaster announced. “Before this, you shall surrender a wisp of your life essence. With these tethers, I can retrieve you from the Marshes upon completion of your task!”

The words “life essence” sent a shiver of unease through Wang Lin. While such a connection allowed for swift return, it also meant the loss of freedom, each step observed, each choice potentially dictated.

Yun Yi, a disciple sworn to the Returning Dawn Sect, hesitated not. With a swift strike to his brow, he released a portion of his soul, forming it into a luminous sphere which he sent towards the hall.

The elder, Bian Yun, paused briefly, then followed suit, offering a strand of his own life force to the unseen powers within.

Tang Jia, too, succumbed after a moment of contemplation. For the glory of her sect, she would sacrifice all, and this, after all, was the price of their mission, the key to their return from the Viridian Marshes.

With the three tributes given, Wang Lin stood alone.

He gazed at the hall, and after a long silence, spoke with measured words.

“I refuse this arrangement. I shall return to the Great Soul Sect, seek audience with the Ancient One, and only then make my decision. Farewell!” He turned and began to retreat from the square.

“You may depart, but the carapace remains!” the Grandmaster’s voice boomed, and a hand, formed of swirling shadows, materialized in the sky, reaching for Wang Lin.

A cold glint appeared in Wang Lin’s eyes. His mind raced, sifting through a multitude of possibilities. The sudden shift in events left him struggling to discern the truth.

The Ancient Azure Ox’s altered demeanor, the Returning Dawn Sect’s blatant antagonism… something was amiss, something hidden.

He felt a chilling premonition that if he surrendered the carapace, he would never leave the Returning Dawn Sect. Without its power surging through him, he would be vulnerable.

This feeling was strong, and he knew, deep down, that the fire carapace was not for his personal gain. His original plan was to fulfill the Ancient Ox’s three conditions, repaying the debt incurred, and then bequeathing the carapace to Tianniu Continent before departing alone.

The armor belonged not to him, but to all of Tianniu.

But now, with this sudden treachery, Wang Lin’s heart was filled with dread. What had transpired in Tianniu during his absence?

Uncertainty gnawed at him, and he knew he could not surrender the carapace. With it, he stood a chance. Without it, he would fall into an abyss.

‘This began the moment I arrived at this forsaken sect,’ he thought. ‘First, the obvious injustice. If I spoke out, I would fall into their trap. If I remained silent, this matter of life essence would still arise… forcing me to comply!’

‘In the end, this is directed at me!’

‘There’s something wrong here! The Returning Dawn Sect knows my origins, knows I am from the Cave Worlds, and they know of Xuan Luo. Yet, they still dare to do this…’ He could not understand it, but time was running out. He faced a choice: surrender the armor and face the unknown, or stand and fight. He chose the latter.

As the shadowy hand lunged, and as Bian Yun, Tang Jia, and Yun Yi stood in stunned silence, the Tianniu totem on Wang Lin’s right cheek erupted in a blinding darkness. The darkness enveloped him, weaving itself into threads of pure night that swirled around him, coalescing into a suit of obsidian armor that concealed all but his flowing white hair.

In that instant, Wang Lin’s cultivation soared from late-stage Astral Transience to nascent Void Tribulation! With a roar, he raised his right hand, unleashing the power of the Spirit Devouring Mark. The massive six-fingered demonic seal slammed against the approaching hand.

The clash shook the very foundations of the Returning Dawn Sect. The six-fingered seal shattered, but the shadowy hand wavered, a portion of it dissipating. The remaining power crashed into Wang Lin, sending him reeling backward, blood dripping from his lips.
A proclamation, a decree of dire consequence, echoed across the celestial reaches of the Tianshui Continent: “Wang Lin has betrayed the Sky-Oxen Isles! Let the Scattered Soul Mandate be known! Any cultivator of the Sky-Oxen Isles who slays this rogue shall be rewarded handsomely! The victor shall claim a Fire-Attuned Five Elements Armor, a pennant of the Great Soul Gate’s formidable Ghost Sail, and a single Sky-Oxen Pearl!”

Wang Lin, propelled backward by the force of the declaration, grit his teeth. A bitter truth blossomed within him – these very treasures, it seemed, had once been intended for his own merit.

The words struck Bian Yun like a physical blow. Disbelief contorted his features. Without hesitation, the Sky-Oxen totem etched upon the right side of his face flared with an unearthly light. Ethereal threads spun forth, weaving around him until, in a blinding flash, he was clad in an armor identical to that once worn by Wang Lin – the Sky-Oxen Soul Armor. His cultivation soared, bursting through the confines of the mid-stage of Void Tribulation, reaching the heights of the late stage. With a roar, he plunged after Wang Lin.

It was the promise of the Sky-Oxen Pearl that fueled his reckless pursuit!

The Sky-Oxen Pearls, discovered by the Great Soul Gate and the Returning-to-One Sect during the founding of the seven Sky-Oxen Caverns untold ages ago, numbered but seven. Each contained a myriad of arcane properties. They could be wielded as potent artifacts, and more significantly, possessed the ability to manipulate the flow of time within their confines, allowing cultivators to hone their skills in accelerated spans.

But these attributes paled in comparison to the Pearl’s true value: it could harbor a Sky-Oxen Soul. This allowed the wearer of the Sky-Oxen Soul Armor to maintain its power even far beyond the boundaries of the Sky-Oxen Isles.

With a Sky-Oxen Pearl at one’s command, one could don the Soul Armor anywhere on the Immortal Astral Continent, even within the hallowed grounds of the Ancient Clan. For the Pearl *was*, in essence, the very soul of the Sky-Oxen.

Wang Lin had never heard of the Sky-Oxen Pearl. Had he, he would have recognized a stark and chilling similarity between it and a certain artifact of his own possession.

Of the seven Sky-Oxen Pearls, the Returning-to-One Sect held three, and the Great Soul Gate possessed four. For millennia, they had remained locked away, treasured as the very cornerstone of the sects, used to fortify their mountain gates and to weave a sanctuary wherein disciples could cultivate for ages unburdened by the ravages of time.

This sanctuary could only be perfectly coalesced with the combined power of three Pearls. Therefore, the sector that had offered the Pearl as reward was the Great Soul Gate!

Furthermore, the Ghost Sail, guardian of the Great Soul Gate, concealed the sect’s ultimate secret. A subordinate pennant of this formidable array allowed one to unleash devastating power even from afar.

These two treasures were enough to drive any cultivator mad with desire! Hence Bian Yun’s crimson eyes and relentless chase.

Tang Jia reeled as the proclamation resonated within her. After a moment of profound contemplation, she bit her lip, summoning a vortex of shadows around herself that coalesced into her own Soul Armor. Her cultivation exploded, reaching the mid-stage of the Void Tribulation. With a swift motion, she surged forward, joining the hunt.

Only Yun Yifeng remained behind, his face a mask of shadowed contemplation. Yet, as Tang Jia took flight, he parted his lips and cast a secret message into her mind:

“The karma is real!”

Yun Yifeng nodded towards Tang Jia, his expression somber.

Tang Jia shuddered, her gaze momentarily torn between Yun Yifeng and the allure of the prize. She then turned and sped towards the horizon, her pursuit forever altered by Yun Yifeng’s words.

Once she was gone, Yun Yifeng turned toward the grand hall and sank to one knee.

“Sect Leader, I demand answers! I have revealed to you everything I know of Wang Lin’s identity and his connection to the Celestial Venerable Xuan Luo…”

Silence descended upon the hall, heavy and deep. At length, a weary sigh echoed forth from its depths.

Wang Lin hurtled through the territory of the Returning-to-One Sect, his expression grim, his spiritual sense outstretched. He soon detected an unsettling truth: the sect was eerily silent, almost lifeless. His flight met no resistance, no obstacles. Even the very barriers of the Returning-to-One Sect seemed to have been deactivated.