‘Tis said that life and death are the most unknowable mysteries of this world, for no mortal can glimpse beyond the veil. When one shall face their final hour remains hidden, and so the enigma of mortality inspires fear in the deepest recesses of the soul.

Yet, life and death are but two sides of the same coin, expressions of a single truth. To trace their origins is to understand the dance of cause and effect.

The seeds sown yesterday bear fruit today, a fate from which none can escape.

So finds Liu Mei, seated cross-legged within the ancestral阁楼 (阁楼 – a multi-storied building) of the Huan family on Qianhuan Star. She gazes upon the unfamiliar surroundings, her fingers tracing the contours of her pouch, a small comfort in this alien place.

It is as if the contents of this pouch are her only companions in this solitude.

Liu Mei’s touch lingers, and a fleeting shadow of pain crosses her eyes, swiftly replaced by a mask of cold indifference.

Within the pouch, something stirs, emitting a faint pulse.

Sensing this subtle tremor, Liu Mei pricks her fingertip, offering a drop of blood to the pouch’s depths. The disturbance gradually subsides, until only silence remains.

“The treasure I prepared for him…it seems it will go unused,” she sighs, a whisper lost to the empty room.

On Qianhuan Star, a storm of change is brewing. An ancestor of the Huan family, long departed these shores, has returned after millennia, bringing with him a disciple of prodigious talent. In three months’ time, the family intends to perform the sacred Rite of Blood Transfusion, elevating this disciple to the ranks of their direct lineage.

This news has spread like wildfire, engulfing all the lesser cultivation stars under Qianhuan’s dominion before gradually fading into the cosmic ether.

Ran Yun Star is but one such tributary.

Within the residence of the Fang family, Wang Lin remains secluded since the departure of Sun Tai, his form still and silent in meditation. From Sun Tai’s pouch, he has secured over fifty thousand immortal jades, seemingly the limit of what Sun Tai could acquire.

Combined with his previous hoard, Wang Lin now possesses nearly three hundred thousand jades. His eyes gleam with determination as he murmurs, “It should barely suffice!”

He rises, and with a single stride, vanishes from the room. He reappears in a desolate wasteland, a hundred thousand leagues from Sun Tai’s city. His spiritual sense sweeps the landscape, and he then slaps his storage bag. Immediately, countless immortal jades surge forth, blanketing the sky in a shimmering expanse.

Wang Lin sits cross-legged, his hands weaving intricate seals. He casts a series of marks into the air, causing the descending jades to settle in a vast array stretching across ten leagues.

This formation is nameless, born of Wang Lin’s own research into the third form of the Dao of the Yellow Springs. It is capable of absorbing the power of all the jades simultaneously, channeling their explosive energy to accelerate his cultivation.

As the three hundred thousand jades descend, Wang Lin once again strikes his pouch. The Seven Star Sword Formation emerges, guarding the perimeter, while the Immortal Guardian, a shadow that clings to Wang Lin’s form, melts into the environment, ready to eliminate any intruder.

He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and rests his hands upon his knees, chanting, “Shatter!”

The word becomes a spell, a reverberating wave that echoes across the wasteland. The surrounding jades erupt in a chain reaction, shattering into dust. A dense, grey haze blankets the heavens, obscuring the sun. From within this cloud, an unimaginable force is unleashed.

The sheer potency of this energy is terrifying, forming a swirling vortex of immortal power that rises from Wang Lin’s position, piercing the clouds.

A ripple of raw energy spreads in all directions, stirring the heavens and unleashing peals of thunder.

The vortex of immortal power grows exponentially as more and more jades explode, feeding its insatiable hunger. It seems poised to tear Ran Yun Star asunder.

At this moment, only three beings on Ran Yun Star sense the cataclysmic power unleashed. The first is Sun Xi, drawn by his proximity.

Torn from his meditation, Sun Xi’s eyes snap open, filled with alarm.

The second is a middle-aged man, far removed on the opposite edge of Ran Yun Star in a glacier. He resides deep within an ancient ice floe, absorbing the frigid essence of the surrounding ice. As the immortal vortex rages to life, he is compelled to open his eyes, his gaze piercing the ice to locate the vortex of immortal energy.

“Is this a warning, perhaps?” The middle-aged man frowns, but ultimately dismisses it.

The third is in the heart of Ran Yun Star in the ancestral home of the Ran family.

Within the Ran family’s ancient estate, a white-haired elder sits with eyes closed, receiving reports on the results of the recent pill auction. When informed that their Tier 8 pills were dismissed by the opponent for a single jade, the elder huffs with dissatisfaction.

He is about to reply, but the surge of the vortex of immortal power causes him to lurch. He surveys in the direction of the storm, his face darkening.

After a pause, he whispers, “What does he intend?”

Within the eye of the vortex, Wang Lin weaves his fingers into a new seal, his eyes snapping open. He roars, “Devour!”

The word crashes like a thunderclap, threatening to shatter the vortex itself. As Wang Lin opens his mouth, the swirling energy is sucked inward at an impossible rate.

For a fleeting instant, an image of the Yellow Springs manifests around Wang Lin, forming an invisible force that solidified

Like a cosmic whale consuming the ocean, the vortex is compressed into a form and absorbed into Wang Lin’s maw. The surging energy tears through his meridians, stretching them to their limits. When it reaches his nascent soul, it is instantly consumed.

Wang Lin’s body becomes a bottomless abyss, while his nascent soul is the black hole at its heart, devouring all that comes near.

The massive vortex is reduced as it is pulled into Wang Lin’s body, then is gone. Wang Lin’s face flushes, his eyes shimmering with electric light. The sounds of snapping energy dance across his skin.

With the vortex dispersed, balance returns to the realm. There is no trace of the maelstrom except for the absence of clouds for thousands of miles.

The Dao of the Yellow Springs slowly fades away, disappearing without a trace.

Wang Lin inhales deeply, rising to his feet, his eyes shining.
The path to Ascendancy, to stand amongst the Immortals, lies within the comprehension of a single, elusive concept. Yet, this very comprehension cannot be forced, ripening in its own time. One might grasp it in the blink of an eye, or spend an age of centuries in pursuit.

“It is time to attend to certain…trifles.” Though his desire was to meditate in tranquility upon Raincloud Star, some were determined to shatter that peace. If they wished to embroil him in their affairs, they would need to offer a compelling incentive. He believed his recent display would leave the three interlopers with a clear understanding. A faint, chilling smile touched Wang Lin’s lips. With a thought, he recalled the Seven-Star Sword Array to his storage bag, and the formless Celestial Guard wraith coalesced once more into his shadow.

In a single stride, Wang Lin performed a grand teleportation, his divine sense expanding to encompass the entirety of Raincloud Star. He locked onto the aura of an Ascendant cultivator, and vanished.

Within the ancestral halls of the Ran clan, the elder patriarch’s face twisted with alarm. His eyes flared with intense light, and he blurred from existence, reappearing ten thousand leagues beyond the Ran family estates. He immediately wove a hand seal, a crackling surge of lightning gathering in his palm. Without hesitation, he slammed his hand into the void.

A thunderous boom echoed across the heavens as the elder discharged the lightning from his palm.

Palm Lightning – one of the ancestral patriarch’s Ascendant divine techniques!

The bolt of pure energy hurtled into the emptiness, only to be met by a chilling snort from the unseen depths. Wang Lin materialized, his body still. Yet, his shadow flickered, the Celestial Guard wraith sweeping before him. The Palm Lightning shattered into nothingness.

In the same instant, the wraith streaked before the Ran patriarch, lightly touching him. The elder coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body shooting backward like a falling star. As he hurtled through the air, more blood gushed forth, his face ashen. He frantically reached into his storage bag, swallowing handfuls of restorative pills.

All this transpired in the space of a breath, so swift that the Ran patriarch was consumed by terror, a profound dread taking root in his heart.

“What is his true cultivation level?” It was terrifying! He had shown mercy. Had his intent been to kill, he would have been obliterated! Could his cultivation have reached the pinnacle of Ascendancy?! The elder sucked in a sharp breath.

The wraith returned to its place as Wang Lin’s shadow. Wang Lin cast a cold gaze upon the Ran patriarch and spoke evenly, “Was it you who sought to drag me into the events of forty years past?”

The elder trembled, remaining silent for a moment, then grit his teeth, “Honored Daoist, I was mistaken. It was only because…”

“I do not wish to hear excuses. If you desire my protection, you must offer a suitable incentive! Your current offering is insufficient!” Wang Lin clasped his hands behind his back, his expression serene.

The elder inhaled deeply, thoughts swirling within him. He quickly responded, “What does the Honored Daoist require?”

“Nine tenths of your clan’s immortal jade. All of it is to be given to me!” Wang Lin stated calmly.

The elder fell silent, torn by indecision.

Wang Lin glanced ahead and remarked in an even tone, “You two as well, come forth.”

Where Wang Lin’s gaze rested, two spectral figures materialized. It was none other than Sun Xi, and the middle-aged man from within the glacier. Both wore expressions of utter shock. The scene of the Ran patriarch nearly being killed by a single touch had sent tremors through their souls.

“You there, seven tenths of your clan’s immortal jade as payment for my protection!” Wang Lin pointed at Sun Xi.

Sun Xi’s expression was serious, but he nodded immediately. “Honored Daoist, I agree! If it means escaping the shadow of the past, I accept your terms!”

“As for you, nine tenths of your immortal jade as well. Every last piece shall be given to me!” Wang Lin’s eyes settled on the middle-aged man who had resided within the glacier.

“Furthermore, I require the remaining pills and storage bags from forty years past, including all the possessions of those of the Huan clan who died at your hands. Give it all to me, without missing anything!”

“And should the immortal jade prove insufficient for my needs, it is your responsibility to acquire more. If you cannot fulfill my needs, then I will take no part in this matter!”