Kindling

Even with Wei Yuan's composure and thick skin, he stood dumbfounded for several full breaths before finally opening his mouth to speak. Yet before he could utter a word, the woman said, "Shut your mouth! You have no father." Wei Yuan obediently kept quiet. The woman then signaled for him to follow. A fractured, splintered portal materialized before them, leading to parts unknown. Stepping through, she vanished from sight. Wei Yuan glanced at his surroundings. Feng Tingyu and the others were all looking at him with odd expressions—not of shock, but of pure bewilderment. Not a single person had turned their gaze toward the black-robed woman, nor was anyone looking at the portal. A thought suddenly occurred to Wei Yuan: Could it be that none of them could see her? Staring at the portal shattered into countless jagged fragments, Wei Yuan felt his scalp tingle. He had the distinct impression that stepping through would slice him into ten thousand pieces, but steeling himself, he walked in anyway. The moment he crossed the threshold, Wei Yuan felt his body cleaved into countless segments by those sharp shards. Every single piece was clearly severed from the whole, yet miraculously maintained a coherent sense of unity. Once through the gateway, the world before him transformed in an instant, and his body reassembled into one piece. Even so, he only appeared whole; the cleaved segments remained independent from one another. It was an unimaginably magnificent world. There was no sun, nor were there rays of light; one could not tell whence brightness arose, nor where darkness lay hidden. The earth was desolate, utterly devoid of living things, save for a few faint wisps of mist-like vapor lingering over the craggy terrain of scattered rocks. As far as the eye could see, ruin and decay stretched to infinity. In the distance, a mountain range stood fully a million zhang tall, winding across the earth without any discernible end. Wei Yuan swept his divine sense across it, extending hundreds of thousands of li, yet he was still far from seeing its terminus. As far as vision reached, the range only grew taller and more immense. However, the mountains were dark gray and ashen black, stripped of all color. Over the peaks lay a layer of grayish-white whose texture was unlike snow, resembling calamity ash instead. Traces of riverbeds remained carved into the mountains and the plains, but the channels were choked with dark mud, viscous and foul-smelling. Had the great river not been over a thousand li wide, Wei Yuan might not have noticed its surviving traces at all. The ground was a somber black, dotted with mounds of dark gray mud of varying sizes and heights—some rising ten thousand zhang high, others merely several hundred. There was no wind, no spiritual energy, and no natural worldly origin qi. The sky was an ashen black, distinct from the void of the cosmos. A faint, eerie glow emanated from the celestial vault, the earth, and the mountain ranges alike, casting dim illumination over this world of dead silence. The entire realm was like a colossal beast dead for untold ages—cold, lifeless, stripped of all vigor, yet profoundly magnificent. Even extending his divine sense to its absolute limit, Wei Yuan could only take in the barest fraction of this slumbering behemoth. "Over here." The cold, indifferent voice sounded directly within Wei Yuan's consciousness, guiding him in a specific direction. Wei Yuan followed the sound, flying toward an isolated precipice at the far end of the immense mountain range. This sheer peak was somewhat jarring, towering far above its surroundings. Looking from afar, Wei Yuan could not shake the feeling that the winding terrain resembled the skeletal remains of a gigantic dragon spanning the earth, while the solitary peak was a single horn thrusting toward the heavens from the dragon's skull. The summit of the peak was equally craggy and jagged. The black-robed woman sat casually upon a boulder, blending seamlessly with the sheer cliff behind her. Had she not called out, Wei Yuan would never have spotted her. Wei Yuan approached and bowed deeply, then quietly waited for her to speak. The woman lightly waved her hand toward the vast expanse of heaven and earth. "From the mortal perspective, this is your father, and I am your mother." "You are..." Wei Yuan remained thoroughly baffled. Her explanation explained nothing at all. A seam parted between the black-robed woman's brows, revealing a third eye that shot a thin beam of light into Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness. Immediately within the ancient full moon, a clump of soil erupted, and the little Laurel fairy shot into the sky like a cannonball, fleeing in disarray. A great swath of shadow surged within the moon, gradually revealing a three-eyed avian head. For the first time, a vivid spark of life flickered within its eyes as its icy gaze swept across the entire mindscape world. At this moment, Ji Liuli, Bao Yun, Feng Tingyu, and the others were hard at work within the Splendor of the Many Realms, doing everything they could to analyze the glazed brilliance that had just struck, as well as the mysterious immortal art that had abruptly dispersed it. Princess Ningguo and the Sixth Princess were also in the Splendor of the Many Realms, handling tasks within their abilities while honing their divine intent. Thus, every single one of them was seen by the three-eyed avian head, without exception. The entire mindscape world fell dead silent. Every living being was gripped by an abrupt sensation of imminent doom and looming catastrophe, feeling as though moving even an inch would cause parts of their body to fall off. Fortunately, the three-eyed avian head appeared for only a fleeting instant before dissolving back into shadow and withdrawing into the depths of the ancient full moon, showing itself no more. Though the avian head had vanished, the beings within the Splendor of the Many Realms were left with lingering dread, only gradually resuming their activities after a long moment. Laurel silently deleted the blueprint for the Taiyin Spirit Residence that she had spent ages designing. It was meant to be a grand, magnificent complex accompanied by a newly raised mountain, but now, she felt terrified even at the thought of building a tiny thatched hut. In the otherworldly realm beyond, a massive shadow loomed behind the black-robed woman. It was an avian head spanning fully ten thousand zhang, though only its central eye flickered with faint light; the other two remained tightly shut. The avian head surveyed the entire world. Suddenly, an indescribable, overwhelming sorrow saturated heaven and earth. Wei Yuan could not resist it, and hot tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. After a brief gaze, the avian head lowered once more and sank into the mountain range. Yet in that final instant, Wei Yuan caught a faint glimpse of two other slumbering bird heads. The black-robed woman remained silent for a long time, seemingly processing the shock of that monumental grief, before speaking: "The Heavenly Dao here has shattered, and time holds no meaning. Thus, I know neither when I last awoke nor what time it is now. "Because you offered up two immortal true spirits, I possessed the strength to strike once. The one seeking to destroy you possesses exalted status, yet suffers heavy constraints from heaven and earth; for the near future, there is no need to fear him. However, unless more true spirits are provided, I cannot strike again. The more true spirits you offer, the less it will cost me to act." Seeing the light dimming in her eyes, Wei Yuan hurriedly asked, "What did you mean when you spoke of 'father and mother'?" "...Back then, when this realm approached its destruction, it gathered the final remnants of its life force to condense a batch of seeds. I imparted life into them and cast them across the myriad realms to serve as kindling for future revival. You are one of them. Mortal parents are merely the eggshell protecting your growth; once you break free from the shell, they are of no further use." Casting aside his inner shock, Wei Yuan pressed on: "How was this realm destroyed? Are there any historical records?" This was of paramount importance. With history, one could understand the realm's development, the major events that transpired, the cause of its destruction, and the lessons to be drawn. Only with this knowledge could one formulate targeted strategies to face the calamities to come. Yet at this question, the black-robed woman showed unmistakable hesitation: "History... records... No. The Great Dao is shattered, and cause and effect are erased. There is no longer any history... left here..." Her immortal power drained away with alarming speed. Her speech grew slower and slower as she drifted backward, merging into the stone cliff behind her. Wei Yuan suddenly felt a powerful force of repulsion, floating into the air against his will and flying back toward the portal from which he had arrived. Fortunately, Wei Yuan reacted quickly. Before rising off the ground, he snatched up an ordinary black stone, only to be cast back through the gateway. Crossing the threshold, the sensation of being cut into pieces vanished, and he became whole once more. The portal disappeared and everything returned to normal, but the black stone in his hand suddenly fractured into hundreds of pieces. Every shard was separated from the others yet mutually tethered, forming a self-contained whole akin to a miniature grotto-heaven world. Around him, everyone was staring at Wei Yuan, many faces just beginning to register astonishment. With a thought of his divine sense, Wei Yuan gauged the time in this realm—less than a single breath had elapsed. The crowd bore mixed expressions: confusion, expectation, and above all, lingering dread and terror. Aside from a rare few genius dharma idols, the overwhelming majority of cultivators had been utterly shaken by the surging Glazed Light River. Across Qingming, high-level cultivators and commoners alike had felt the shadow of impending doom; countless people had frozen where they stood or collapsed to the ground, weeping. Qingming's morale was noticeably on the verge of collapse, leaving a large swath of scholars lost in despair. They had firmly believed that human resolve could overcome heaven, let alone immortals. Yet before that boundless glazed immortal light that seemed coterminous with the universe itself, they were stunned to realize how infinitesimal mortals were before a true immortal! In the eyes of supreme figures, mortals were not even ants—a footstep upon ants crushed only a small patch, but beneath immortal arts, hundreds of millions of mortals were reduced to nothing but calamity ash. Wei Yuan knew things looked dire. Running all the information through his mind, he immediately declared, "There is no need for concern! Though the enemy was sinister and treacherous, shamelessly launching a sneak attack, our side is under the protection of a supreme power of the Immortal Heaven! Whatever mighty figure or immortal lord stood against us could not even withstand a single finger from her ladyship, and fled with grievous injuries! "The fairy's exalted title is the Nine Heavens Mysterious... Maiden!" Wei Yuan hit the brakes in the nick of time, switching "Mother" to "Maiden" so that outsiders would not divine the karmic ties between mother and son. As expected, spirits across Qingming were instantly lifted! General knowledge of cultivation was now taught in the academies, having become an essential pillar of Qingming's compulsory education. Consequently, everyone possessed at least some awareness of the exalted titles of the Immortal Heaven. Though none knew what the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden truly was, the title sounded formidable—and in truth was formidable, having annihilated the Glazed Light River in a single strike. The only regret was that none had caught a glimpse of her true countenance. Wei Yuan had displayed quick wit in making this declaration. According to the black-robed woman, their adversary was in an unusual state, unable to wield immortal power at will, meaning there should be no follow-up after that strike. Wei Yuan had thus claimed outright that the enemy supreme figure was gravely wounded and unable to fight on. His words yielded an immediate effect, sending popular morale soaring! Wei Yuan promptly assigned tasks through the Splendor of the Many Realms, dispatching scholars across every city to proclaim that Qingming enjoyed the protection of a supreme entity and had won a sweeping victory in the magical clash. Anyone who dared cast doubt on the triumph was to be arrested on the spot. Anyone opposing Wei Yuan at such a juncture was either an enemy spy or a contrarian determined to oppose everything. Wei Yuan assumed most would be enemy spies and only a minority contrarians. Yet on the very first day, over a thousand people were detained; upon thorough interrogation, only a handful proved to be enemy spies, while the overwhelming majority were simply contrarians. Wei Yuan then issued a series of further commands. Half a shichen later, a Qingming force deployed in central Ganzhou and erected over a hundred long-range missiles. After double-checking the directives, the commanding general issued the order. Flames billowed across the entire encampment as immense, devastating long-range missiles soared into the sky, streaking toward the Lu clan ancestral grounds! Through these missiles, Wei Yuan made his stance unmistakably clear: the Lu clan was finished!