A league beyond Apricot Blossom Village, amidst a scatter of forgotten greenery, lay a field of desolate tombs. There, amidst the silent stones, appeared the figure of Wang Lin. He stood for a long moment, gazing upon the lonely markers, before a subtle gesture drew forth a pouch of holding.

From within, he retrieved a small vial of purest white jade. Holding it aloft, he sighed, his voice barely a whisper. “Sun Tai… our debt is paid. I vowed to return your ashes to your homeland. Today, Wang makes good on that promise.”

As he spoke, the vial slipped from his grasp, soaring towards a patch of bare earth some distance away. Upon impact, it vanished into the soil, and a mound of earth slowly began to rise. With a flick of his wrist, Wang Lin inscribed arcane symbols in the air, glittering with ethereal light. An inscribed headstone materialized above the newly formed grave, the words “The Tomb of Sun Tai” etched in a flourishing script.

“We who tread the path of cultivation see centuries, millennia, drift by. All kin fade, generation after generation, until even those who remain bear only the faintest echo of blood. To walk this path is to embrace uncertainty, a life of hardship.”

“One walks the treacherous road to immortality, yet when one looks back, the lanterns of home are lost to sight, and ahead, only an impenetrable mist remains.” Wang Lin sighed again, his eyes filled with a weary understanding as he gazed upon Sun Tai’s final resting place.

“Today, you lie far from your home, and I am here to deliver your remains. If one day I, Wang Lin, should fall, I wonder if there will be anyone to bear my ashes back to Vermillion Bird…” He paused, lost in thought, before turning to depart. “This, then, is karma.” His steps never faltered, and he gradually faded into the distance. Yet, a haunting melody lingered in the air, an echo that clung to his heart. “Apricot trees, blooming white…”

“Cultivation… cultivation. Mortals yearn to become immortals, dream of treading the path of the gods. But they know not how many who achieve this envy the simple lives of men. How many, like Sun Tai, meet their end in foreign lands, their ashes scattered by the wind, unable to find their way home. How many parents and kin pass on without ever seeing their children return…” He wondered, if given a choice, a chance to begin anew, would those on the path of cultivation still take that fateful first step?

“That children’s song… how many generations of sorrow and longing resonate within its simple verse? Outsiders cannot comprehend it, but cultivators hear it, and their hearts ache… The name of this song must surely be… ‘Do Not Cultivate’.”

Wang Lin was gone, dissolved into the very fabric of reality. Only the lingering song, the weight of his contemplation, remained etched upon the world. Beneath the vast expanse of stars, Wang Lin walked onwards, bearing a heavy heart. Though his journey had been brief, it left him with an unease he could not easily shake.

Between the western and northern domains of the Alliance, a buffer zone had been established by the Luo Tian cultivators. Situated closest to the battlefields of old, a single cultivation star remained, bearing the scars of war. Though its spiritual essence was diminished, Lie Yunzi cared little.

He sat in meditation upon a mountain peak on the star, a young man stood beside him, his face etched with grim anticipation. Though he also sat in meditation, his gaze was fixed upon the distant void, as if awaiting some unseen signal. Should Wang Lin be present, he would recognize the youth as Xu Ting, who had narrowly escaped death in the great war.

Around Lie Yunzi, thirteen blood orbs floated, remnants of the fallen Luo Fu.

Few Luo Tian cultivators inhabited this desolate star, Lie Yunzi being the most powerful among them. His presence here, in conjunction with the thirteen blood orbs, served as a crucial line of defense against any renewed assault from the Alliance.

His divine sense resonated within the thirteen blood orbs, their combined power granting him an unprecedented range of perception. Nothing within countless leagues of the starry void could escape his notice.

Wang Lin emerged from the shimmering fabric of space outside the cultivation star. He had come seeking Lie Yunzi, fulfilling the second task laid upon him. As Wang Lin departed the void, a divine message had pierced his mind, sent by none other than Lie Yunzi himself.

On the cultivation star, Lie Yunzi slowly opened his eyes. At that moment, the thirteen blood orbs around him trembled, and within each, a crimson eye flashed into existence.

They fixed their gaze upon a single point, their combined power coalescing into a wave of pressure capable of collapsing the stars themselves.

A faint smile touched Lie Yunzi’s lips. “You have come.” He perceived the changes within Wang Lin, yet he did not question or comment. He was not like Yan Leizi, able to see through the veils of illusion.

Xu Ting’s eyes flashed with a cold light, and he openly expressed his hatred, his gaze fixed upon Wang Lin as he fully materialized into existence.

Where the thirteen blood eyes converged, Wang Lin’s form became visible. His expression remained calm, as if oblivious to the crushing pressure that surrounded him. Ignoring Xu Ting’s animosity, he bowed his head towards Lie Yunzi. “Xu Mu greets Senior Lie Yunzi.”

Lie Yunzi waved his hand, and the crimson eyes within the blood orbs vanished, their strange power fading. Wang Lin, his composure unshaken, stepped forward, taking his place upon the mountain peak, standing opposite Xu Ting.

“Xu Mu!! You…” Xu Ting hissed.

“Insolence!” Wang Lin cast a chilling glance towards Xu Ting, an unspoken blade that pierced his very soul. Xu Ting felt as though his mind had been shattered, his face paling with horror. He trembled uncontrollably, feeling as if Wang Lin’s simple words carried the weight of the heavens themselves, causing his blood to boil and his very spirit to shatter. His heart pounded with an almost deafening rhythm.
The mere sight of Wang Lin filled Xu Ting with an unsettling sensation, akin to standing before a revered elder of his clan. A profound sense of inferiority washed over him, stifling any rebellious thought. Even more terrifying was the echo of Wang Lin’s voice, carrying within it an aura far more potent than the celestial heavens themselves. He trembled, feeling as insignificant as an ant beneath the foot of a colossal giant. Should this titan unleash his full roar, Xu Ting knew his mortal coil, his very essence, would crumble into dust.

Spitting forth a mouthful of blood, Xu Ting’s eyes widened in horror. Without hesitation, he stumbled backward, his mind reeling as he stared blankly at Wang Lin. He couldn’t fathom the source of this oppressive power. Meanwhile, a glint of understanding flashed in Lie Yunzi’s eyes, a subtle “hmm” escaping his lips as his gaze upon Wang Lin grew significantly more cautious.

Ignoring Xu Ting’s disarray, Wang Lin approached Lie Yunzi, clasped his fist in respectful greeting, and spoke calmly, “Senior, I am curious as to the task for which you summoned this humble one.” Wang Lin’s voice remained even, but Lie Yunzi’s apprehension only deepened. His perception of Wang Lin had irrevocably shifted, no longer viewing him as a mere junior.

This was precisely the effect Wang Lin intended – a calculated show of strength. He was no fool; he understood Lie Yunzi’s intentions. In the past, he lacked the leverage to negotiate. Now, however, the scales had tipped.

“During the sealing of the Celestial, I showed you the Zhan Clan’s prized Zhan Word Calligraphy! I promised you a glimpse of the second. I summoned you and Xu Ting here precisely for that purpose, so you may both behold it!” As Lie Yunzi spoke, he raised his left hand and with a tearing sound, a rift appeared in the void before him.

From within this tear emerged a streak of black light, revealing a black scroll enveloped in the darkness. It flew towards Lie Yunzi’s outstretched hand, hovering silently. “This is the second of my Zhan Clan’s three Zhan Word Calligraphies!” With a forceful gesture, Lie Yunzi presented the scroll, his piercing eyes locking with Wang Lin’s, hinting at a flicker of anticipation.

Wang Lin accepted the scroll with his right hand, but instead of immediately opening it, he smiled faintly. Looking up at Lie Yunzi, he declared, “Senior Lie Yunzi, I cannot simply view this second painting for free!”

Lie Yunzi’s expression darkened, but the echoes of Wang Lin’s earlier roar still resonated in his mind. After a moment of contemplation, he burst into laughter, nodding. “Very well, Xu Mu, you have spirit! What is it you desire? Speak!”

Wang Lin pointed towards the thirteen floating blood spheres of the Luo Fu array that hung in the sky. “To view the second painting, I desire one of these Luo Fu!”

Lie Yunzi considered this, a curious smile playing on his lips. “Is that something you are capable of wielding?”

Wang Lin merely smiled, choosing not to answer the question directly. Instead, he stated calmly, “Before coming here, I made a pact with my brother. He will seek me out in a few days, so that we may journey together to a certain location.”

Lie Yunzi studied Wang Lin intently for a long moment, then laughed heartily. “Granted!” With a wave of his hand, a blood sphere detached itself from the array and descended rapidly, shrinking until it was the size of a fist. Lie Yunzi flicked it towards Wang Lin. Wang Lin cautiously caught it, examined it, and then stored it within his pouch. “Now, you may behold it!” Lie Yunzi stated gravely.

“Since fellow disciple of the Thunder Immortal Sect, Xu Ting, is to share in this fortune, it would be proper for him to view it first. After all, Xu Ting was the first to see the initial painting.” With a flick of his wrist, Wang Lin tossed the scroll to Xu Ting.

Xu Ting, still reeling from the shock, instinctively caught the scroll in a daze. As he unfolded it, a deafening roar, like the rumble of thunder, erupted from within. A wave of overwhelming battle intent surged forth, crashing down upon Xu Ting!

Xu Ting shuddered as if struck by a violent gale. He felt as though the scroll contained an ancient beast, now unleashed. The creature’s boundless rage, fueled by countless millennia of pent-up fury, threatened to engulf and consume him whole.

A flicker of almost imperceptible anxiety crossed Lie Yunzi’s face. For a cultivator of his caliber and age, such unease was exceedingly rare. He knew all too well that throughout his clan’s history, many gifted individuals could gaze upon the first painting, but faltered before the second. Even before the second was fully unfurled, they were overwhelmed by the unimaginable battle intent, suffering grievous injuries, crippling ailments, or even…complete annihilation of both form and spirit!