Lord Sword Sovereign Ling Tianhou’s gaze flickered, and he spoke slowly, “What manner of fate has stirred your heart, O Greedy Wolf, to such fervent interest?”

Greedy Wolf pondered for a moment, then with a grimace, lifted his head to fix his gaze upon Ling Tianhou. “Has the Sword Sovereign ever heard tell of an edict proclaimed by the Alliance of Immortals tens of thousands of years past? They sought a certain artifact, a mere pearl, and offered as reward a complete, sublime Immortal Art! A Sublime Art, mind you! Such generosity the Alliance has never shown since its very inception, and from what I glean, there exist no more than ten such complete arts within their hallowed halls!”

Ling Tianhou’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Your wounds… they are tied to this pearl?” he inquired, his voice betraying nothing.

Greedy Wolf nodded, a bitter smile playing upon his lips. “Let us not speak of days gone by. My power was insufficient then, but if the Sword Sovereign were to lend his hand, I am certain it would be seized with ease!”

Ling Tianhou raised his head, his gaze lost in the distant void. After a long silence, he spoke, his voice measured and deliberate. “This matter, we shall discuss after the closing of the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate. But before then, Greedy Wolf, I have a task for you.”

Greedy Wolf’s eyes flickered with suspicion. “What is it, Sword Sovereign, that requires my attention?”

“You shall enter this Eastern Sea Daemon Gate and safeguard my twelve disciples, ensuring their safety until they have completed the secret task I have set for them. If you accomplish this, then I shall aid you.” Ling Tianhou stated calmly.

Greedy Wolf’s face darkened. He flung his sleeve back, exclaiming, “Ling Tianhou, you would aid me? What is the meaning of this?!”

Ling Tianhou turned to face Greedy Wolf, his expression unyielding, his voice even. “Greedy Wolf, when Ling Tianhou strode the stars, you had yet to wander the paths of cultivation. Your schemes are transparent to me. Had you not been driven to desperation by the wielder of this pearl, would you have journeyed so far to seek me out on this planet of Tianyun? I suspect that if I were to send you away today, before long, you and I would be locked in a battle to the death!”

Greedy Wolf brooded, then after a time, a sly smile crept across his face. “The Sword Sovereign is too kind. So long as Greedy Wolf stands, I shall ensure the safety of your disciples! Though I have heard whispers of the mysteries of the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate, and I fear that my wounded state may not allow me passage…”

“Set your mind at ease,” Ling Tianhou said, his tone dismissive. “You are wounded, and it is I who opens this Daemon Gate. You shall pass.”

Greedy Wolf nodded, offering no further protest.

Even as they spoke, a vast cloud of rainbow light shimmered through the distant stars, drawing ever closer.

Greedy Wolf’s eyes narrowed, and he vanished as if he were a shadow melting into the darkness. A careful observer would note that he had become a mere wraith, clinging to the very back of Lord Sword Sovereign Ling Tianhou, utterly still.

Even before the rainbow cloud descended, a palpable sense of peace and harmony washed over the celestial expanse. Bathed in the iridescent light, Tian Yunzi, clad in white robes, strode forth from the void.

As he approached, Tian Yunzi greeted those he deemed his allies with a warm smile, and behind him strode nine figures of exceptional bearing.

Each of these nine were clad in different robes, yet each possessed a gaze that could pierce the darkness, and cultivated strengths that were far from ordinary.

Among them was Chen Tao, the sixth of the Purple lineage, who had once vied with Wang Lin for the title of one of the Seven Chosen of Tianyun!

Now, Chen Tao wore a robe of deep purple, and potent waves of power emanated from his form. He appeared as a honed blade, barely contained within its scabbard, its power lurking just beneath the surface.

Tian Yunzi and his entourage advanced with practiced grace, and the surrounding cultivators bowed low, parting before them as if they were the waters of a river. The spectacle was even more lavish than the arrival of Sword Sovereign Ling Tianhou.

In the blink of an eye, Tian Yunzi and his company stood before the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate, a mere hundred paces from the Sword Sovereign. All around them, the eyes of countless cultivators were drawn to this focal point.

Beyond these common folk, many renowned old monsters watched from their respective domains, their eyes glinting with interest, as if they were viewing a grand performance starring Sword Sovereign Ling Tianhou and Tian Yunzi.

It could be said that nearly every powerful cultivator from the planet of Tianyun and the surrounding star systems had gathered here. The concentration of power assembled outside the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate represented the greatest might of this Rank Seven Cultivation Nation.

The five-thousand-year-cycle spectacle was only a day away!

When the Daemon Gate finally opened, the momentous tide that all who beheld it for the first time would never forget would raise this voyage into the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate to an unimaginable level, and that was only the beginning of the brutal trials to come!

Tian Yunzi’s countenance remained serene. Many cultivators approached to pay their respects, and amidst their amiable conversation, his eyes scanned the crowd, as if searching for a familiar face.

The nine Tianyun Sect disciples who stood perpetually behind him also engaged in conversation with those they knew, except for Chen Tao, who remained silently vigilant, his gaze sweeping across the assembled masses.

“Why has he not come?” Chen Tao muttered, his brow furrowing slightly.

The final day before the opening of the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate slowly waned.

Today marked the commencement of this grand spectacle, the dawn of the Eastern Sea’s opening, which only occurred once every five millennia!

The expanse known as the Eastern Sea, a floating void filled with debris, had begun to stir with a strange energy. The countless floating objects that filled the void seemed to writhe and twitch with ever-increasing speed.

This subtle change drew the attention of every cultivator present.

Suddenly, Chen Tao’s eyes sharpened, and he turned his gaze towards the distance, a slow smile spreading across his face.

Several streaks of light hurtled towards them, their arrival barely registering with the gathered cultivators. But Chen Tao’s eyes were locked onto one particular figure, a silhouette draped in purple.

“Seventh brother…” Chen Tao whispered, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable light.

Tian Yunzi cast a casual glance in the direction of the approaching purple figure, smiled faintly, and remained silent.

Wang Lin saw Tian Yunzi and his group from afar. As he flew, he clasped his hands together in front of Sun Yunshan in a gesture of farewell. “Brother Sun, I must now join my sect. We shall part ways here, but if fate allows, we shall meet again within the Eastern Sea Daemon Gate!”

Sun Yunshan looked travel-worn, having rushed to arrive on this final day. Upon hearing Wang Lin’s words, he smiled warmly. “Once inside, I hope that Brother Wang will watch over me!”
“A trifle!” Wang Lin murmured, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. With a single stride, his form dissolved into a wisp of azure smoke, hurtling towards the distant citadel where the venerable Tian Yunzi held court.

The amethyst silhouette, once Wang Lin, moved with the swiftness of a thunderbolt. Even before his arrival, a resonant boom echoed through the air. His expression remained serene, though a glint of ashen light danced within his eyes. His presence, in that moment, was no less imposing than the subtly dangerous Chen Tao.

His sudden departure drew the attention of several cultivators. As they recognized the violet hues of his robes and the corresponding sigil at his waist, those with keen ears whispered his name, their eyes widening in realization.

“Wang Lin, the Seventh Scion of the Violet Branch of Tian Yun Sect!”

Yao Xixue, who sat in tranquil meditation atop a blood-red jade dais, abruptly opened her eyes. Her gaze swept across the expanse, fixing upon the distant figure of Wang Lin. After a moment of scrutiny, she averted her eyes.

“Father tasked me with observing this new disciple of Tian Yunzi, though I cannot fathom why,” she mused inwardly. “His cultivation appears unremarkable, and he possesses no immediately discernible talents. Yet, Tian Yunzi himself chose him to enter the Eastern Sea so soon after his arrival. Truly, it is a curious thing.”

Wang Lin, unfettered, swiftly reached Tian Yunzi’s location, where he stood respectfully. In a level voice, he announced, “Disciple Wang Lin comes before his Master.”

Tian Yunzi smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Stand behind me, my son. Witness this quinquennial spectacle. Perhaps, within the churning tide, you will find the treasure destined for you.”

With these words, Tian Yunzi cast a profound glance upon Wang Lin, then fell silent.

Wang Lin nodded in understanding and took his place amongst his nine fellow disciples, forming a neat row behind their master.

The eyes of these nine swept over Wang Lin. Save for a flicker of curiosity in Chen Tao’s gaze, they regarded him with a detached indifference, as if he were a mere stranger.

Wang Lin, in turn, did not dwell on his peers. He noted only that the group consisted of three women and six men.

Ling Tianhou, the esteemed Sword Saint, felt a familiar pull when Wang Lin materialized. During Tian Yunzi’s grand birthday celebration, a similar sensation had stirred within him, though he could not place where he had seen the youth before.

“Hm?” A soft exclamation came from behind Ling Tianhou, uttered by the fearsome Gan Lang.

“Do you know this boy?” Ling Tianhou inquired softly.

“I do not know him, but I sense a familiar presence clinging to him. He must be a descendant of someone I once knew,” Gan Lang replied, his eyes flashing with a brief and hidden intensity.

Wang Lin’s arrival also piqued the interest of the renowned elders gathered nearby. Their attention stemmed from a single truth: Tian Yunzi did not choose his disciples lightly. The sect master valued destiny above all else, and his disciples were always touched by fate.

The question remained: did this fate serve Wang Lin, or another amongst his students?

Suddenly, a low rumble echoed across the Eastern Sea, a sound like pebbles tossed into a placid pond, creating ripples that spread across its surface.

In that instant, the gaze of ten thousand cultivators converged upon the spectral forms drifting within the heart of the Eastern Sea. Silence descended upon the assembled throng. Some among them had witnessed this quinquennial tide many times, yet the feeling of awe and wonder never diminished, growing more intense with each passing cycle.

Nearly every cultivator who had beheld the tides harbored the same conviction: in ages past, the Eastern Sea must have been a place of unparalleled power and grandeur.

For nothing else could explain the phenomenon of the tides, a mystery that continues to shroud all of Tian Yun Star.