"Shit…" Lian murmured.
He was surrounded by darkness; no matter where he looked, there was nothing. No ground. No sky. Only a vast, endless void.
"Where the hell am I…?"
As he drifted downward, his legs suddenly touched something solid.
The last thing he remembered was being saved by Bo… entering his quarters… and after that, after that nothing.
No matter how hard he tried, nothing came.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"…Water?"
Lian froze, sharpening his hearing.
"Where is that sound coming from…?"
He focused, then turned.
"Mmm… It's coming from there."
He began walking toward the sound of water droplets.
With every step, a white light bloomed ahead of him. The ground beneath his feet changed; it felt cool and soft.
It turned into Grass.
The darkness peeled away.
A vast sky opened above him, bright blue, light clouds rolling lazily as sunlight poured down. And then he saw them.
Thousands upon thousands of azure dragons, swimming through the air using their flame clouds.
Da. Da dam.
Lian's heart leapt.
As he continued forward, five colossal mountains came into view, all of them floating in the sky, ancient and immovable.
"Is this… the old realm, before creation?" he wondered.
Atop each mountain rested a treasure.
Five in total.
Each one absorbed heavenly energy, drawing it in like a living thing.
His gaze drifted—and then he saw it.
Something familiar, though its form was slightly different now. A pull stirred deep within him, irresistible, drawing him closer.
A seven-colored lotus.
The moment he focused on it, the lotus inside his body vibrated violently, responding as if answering a call.
The mountain that bore it was vast, and countless other flowers bloomed around the great lotus. Each flower shone with different hues, each exuding a distinct kind of heavenly Qi, gentle, fierce, pure, tyrannical—every nature existing in harmony.
"I see now…" Lian thought.
"The one inside me must be only a fragment… a piece of that greater whole."
His gaze shifted to the other mountains.
On one stood a spear, radiating overwhelming murderous intent. A serpent coiled tightly around its shaft, hissing silently. The mountain itself was hollow at the peak, crimson lava oozing from within. Twisted trees clung to its surface, their bark dark and scarred.
On another mountain hung a giant bell, shimmering with ancient runes. Each vibration sent invisible ripples through the air. Trees grew there as well, strange ones, branches heavy with golden coins that chimed softly as they swayed.
Another peak was crowned with a snow and frost banner, exuding unbearable cold. The entire mountain was frozen solid, its breath like death itself.
The final mountain bore a massive golden cauldron, filled with a luminous golden liquid. The mountain floated higher than the rest, and all vegetation growing there was gold—leaves, stems, even the soil gleamed with metallic brilliance.
As his gaze pulled away, Lian realised he was not alone.
Mythical beasts roamed freely around him.
Qilin strode across the plains. Phoenixes soared beside the azure dragons. Great deer wandered calmly, and elegant cranes glided through the sky.
And in the distance,
Humanoid figures lived among them, side by side, without fear.
"…This isn't real, is it?" Lian thought.
He reached out, trying to touch one of the creatures.
His hand passed straight through it.
"But why am I seeing this—"
Suddenly, the clouds split apart.
Something dark fell from the sky like a dying star.
It slammed into one of the azure dragons as it plummeted, the impact crushing scales and bone before both vanished beneath the clouds. When it finally struck the ground, the space Lian had been standing in began to wither, reality itself peeling away like rotting bark.
"What the hell is that?"
Lian rushed forward, but no matter how hard he tried to focus, his eyes refused to grasp it. The thing remained a blur, as if his sight rejected its existence.
All the creatures reacted at once.
Beasts surged toward the impact site, forming a wide circle. Even the humanoid figures approached slowly, cautiously—keeping their distance, eyes filled with dread.
"KKKkkckkskkkr—"
The sound blasted outward.
Lian was hurled back, his mind rattling, unable to understand a single syllable, yet every instinct screamed danger.
The shadow extended a hand.
It seized a Qilin.
Before the beast could even cry out, its essence was ripped away, drained in an instant. The Qilin collapsed—empty, barren, lifeless.
Then the shadow shifted.
Its form twisted and reshaped itself, taking on the likeness of the Qilin it had just consumed.
That was when everything attacked.
Dragons roared. Phoenix fire scorched the heavens. Divine strikes shook the earth.
It did nothing.
Shadowy tentacles erupted from its body, piercing through beast after beast, swallowing their essence, will, and existence; it devoured without resistance.
Doom!
Absolute terror crushed Lian's chest as he watched the scene unfold.
Then,
Space rippled.
Rifts tore open in every direction.
The creature began to shrink as towering humanoid figures appeared at the edges of the fractures, struggling to break through. Yet each time they stepped forward, thunder struck, hurling them back as if the heavens themselves refused their entry.
"KKkkkkrghghhh—"
The creature spoke again.
Its form writhed, rising slowly, almost as if it were laughing.
But then the figures standing at the edges of the spatial rifts, at the gates leading into the starry sky, began forming hand seals one after another.
The creature cowered.
The four great mountains trembled violently. Cracks spread across their peaks, veins of light rupturing through stone and soil. Then, one by one, they collapsed, exploding into fragments that scattered in every direction.
Golden lines appeared.
They stretched across the heavens, intersecting, weaving together as the sky itself began to change. Lian felt the scenery shift violently, heavenly energy surged, rushing toward the runes that were forming, flooding them with terrifying pressure.
Then he heard it.
Or thought he did.
"It's a shame that we must seal an innocent world," a hoarse voice murmured.
"But it must be done," another replied. "We cannot allow that thing to wreak havoc unchecked. Think of how many worlds would fall if it were to break free."
"It is better to thin the spiritual energy here and change the rules of cultivation," a feminine voice echoed calmly. "Even if it costs us greatly. It must be done for the sake of all living beings."
"And if we scatter the world anchors," another voice added, "it will take it billions of years to gather them again. By then, we will be more than ready."
Lian watched as the world turned, as vast runes were branded across the sky itself.
"Seal complete."
The voices spoke in unison.
The ground vanished beneath him.
He began to fall, his consciousness slipping away.
"When the world anchors meet again, the seal will be undone."
The voice echoed as darkness swallowed him whole.
—
Lian's eyes snapped open.
He was back in his room.
His gaze darted around wildly as he clutched his chest, his heart pounding.
"What the hell was that… a dream?"
No.
It was far too vivid.
His breath came uneven as fragments of the vision replayed in his mind.
"Are they the ones that took master Fu…?"
"Is there… a greater realm out there?"
His heartbeat spiralled out of control.
"Puhhh—no." He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down. "There's no point thinking about things like that now. Even if there is a greater realm… there's nothing I can do."
His eyes hardened.
"First, I need to see Master Bo."
"I'm far too weak right now. Everything else can come later."
He stood, steadied himself, and stepped out—heading toward the Mission Pavilion.