As the sun rose in the sky, down in the bustling streets of Quickel City, a young man dressed in green robes strode swiftly past the ornate wooden pillar doors of a mansion, his expression a mix of excitement and thoughtfulness.

  Luo Qing, a direct descendant of the Luo branch family, had just returned from an unexpected encounter at the Immortal Pavilion Shop—one that he wouldn't have anticipated.

  He didn’t stop at the main hall but made his way directly toward one of the inner courtyards, where his uncle, Luo Feng, often spent his time cultivating.

  After walking for a few minutes, he arrived at an open courtyard where a tall middle-aged man stood beneath an ancient willow tree, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at the koi pond before him.

  The man's long green robes swayed slightly in the breeze, blending with the tranquil surroundings. Despite his calm demeanor, the air around him pulsed with a quiet but overwhelming presence—the kind only a Nascent Soul cultivator possessed.

  Hearing hurried footsteps, Luo Feng turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as Luo Qing approached.

  “You’re in quite the hurry,” Luo Feng said, his voice steady. “What happened?”

  Luo Qing cupped his hands respectfully, taking a deep breath. “Uncle, at the Immortal Pavilion today… I sensed something incredible. A woman—her aura carried traces of one of the thirteen primal lotuses.”

  Luo Feng’s fingers twitched slightly before he fully turned to face his nephew. His expression remained calm, but his gaze sharpened. “Which one?”

  "The Immortal Lotus."

  “I confirmed it using my Sacred Purity Wood Art,” Luo Qing said, his voice brimming with certainty. “It was faint, but unmistakable. She might..."

  Luo Feng raised a hand, silencing him, his gaze turning cold as he asked, “You’re sure of this information?”

  Luo Qing stopped in his tracks and smiled slightly.

  Thinking back to his encounter with the girl, he became even more certain; he hadn't given direction to her out of the goodness of his heart, but rather to confirm what he felt.

  Already realizing the mechanism of the second-floor teleportation formation, he followed right after her to appear behind her and use his technique.

  The Sacred Purity Wood Art: one of its abilities is to create a resonance with wood-type energies, allowing him to perceive even the most concealed traces of wood spiritual essence.

  The moment he activated it, he felt a faint but undeniable pulse of the Immortal Lotus aura lingering around the woman. It was fleeting, almost imperceptible, but it was enough.

  Luo Qing’s smile deepened as he met his uncle’s gaze. “I am certain, Uncle.”

  Luo Feng remained silent for a long moment, his hands still clasped behind his back. If this was true, then their family had just stumbled upon an opportunity beyond imagination.

  “The Immortal Lotus…” he murmured, his mind racing. "It is said to be one of the most coveted of the Thirteen Primal Lotuses, granting its wielder unparalleled regenerative and purifying abilities. If I have even a fraction of its power..." His eyes gleamed with calculation.

  Luo Qing took a step closer. “Uncle, this could change everything for our family. If we claim that power for ourselves...”

  Luo Feng raised a hand once more, silencing him. “Foolish,” he said sharply. “Something of this magnitude cannot be approached with reckless ambition.” He turned his back to Luo Qing, staring into the koi pond. “Was she aware of your probing?”

  “She didn’t react when I probed. Either she didn't show or she didn't know, but I am sure that she is suspicious of me."

  Luo Feng remained silent, his gaze fixed on the rippling koi pond. His fingers tapped lightly against the small jade ring on his index finger, a habit he had when deep in thought.

  After a long pause, he finally spoke.

  “We need to know what we are dealing with, who she is, what she knows, and why the Lotus aura lingers around her.”

  He turned back to the pond, watching the fish swim lazily beneath the surface. “I want you to find out everything about her; the shadow organization Whispering Dawn should be able to get the job done."

  Luo Qing bowed slightly. “I will not fail, Uncle.”

  Luo Feng waved him away dismissively.

  ***

  "Sigh."

  Meng Lin exhaled as she finally finished deciphering the remaining five books from the ruins of the Tempest Wind Domain.

  The first book, The Forgotten Art of Spirit Binding, was merely an ancient technique of binding spirits to objects, detailing both the benefits and dangers of creating such weapons.

  Although it was Meng Lin's first time hearing about actively binding spirits to weapons, she quickly understood why the practice had fallen out of favor.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The process required subjugating a spirit, which could lead to unpredictable consequences if the spirit resisted or harbored grudges.

  Furthermore, maintaining control over a bound spirit demanded a continuous flow of spiritual energy, making it impractical for most cultivators.

  The second book, Essence Refinement Through Flames, delved into advanced alchemical flame techniques.

  As an alchemist, Meng Lin was particularly interested in its insights on enhancing pill refinement through flame control.

  The book mentioned an ancient method of refining spiritual herbs directly with rootless flames, which caught her attention.

  With herself possessing a High Tier Rootless Flame, she quickly got the hang of the process after reading it a few more times.

  The third book, The Interconnecting Subspaces, explored the relationship between eight subspaces, likely Domains like the Nether Cloud Domain and Tempest Wind Domain.

  Meng Lin didn't really glimpse anything noteworthy but still took note of a few theoretical concepts that might prove useful in the future.

  The fourth book, Heaven's Eye, revealed a technique that allows a cultivator to perceive hidden truths, requiring a rare innate eye ability called Divine Sight.

  Meng Lin wasn't really interested in it because of her spiritual consciousness, although she acknowledged its potential usefulness for those lacking strong spiritual perception.

  The book described how cultivators with Divine Sight could see the flow of Qi, detect weaknesses in formations, and even glimpse traces of past events imprinted in space after cultivating Heaven's Eye.

  While the technique itself was beyond her reach, Meng Lin skimmed through the details out of curiosity.

  After finishing her reading, she closed the book and set it aside, her mind already shifting toward practical application.

  The final book, The Fall of the Blood World, detailed a brief diary of an Ascension Realm cultivator, which she suspected to be the owner of the ruin she had entered.

  The diary itself was fragmented, with many pages missing or faded beyond readability. However, from what she could decipher, it recounted the final days of a cultivation world.

  The cultivator described ominous changes in the flow of spiritual energy, the emergence of strange anomalies, and the growing instability of the world's foundation.

  One passage stood out to Meng Lin:

  "The sky cracked and three men appeared; the land wept a sea of blood. We who have reached the peak stand helpless against the men. Our Primal Qi turned volatile, and the Immortal Plane remained silent. I fear… this is the end."

  Meng Lin’s heart skipped a beat as the mention of the sea of blood sent a ripple of recognition through her. She immediately thought of the God Blood Sea.

  As someone who had an encounter within the God Blood Sea, Meng Lin felt an unsettling connection between the two.

  As she read further, her eyes narrowed as the entries grew more fragmented and frantic. The tone shifted drastically, becoming more chaotic, as if the cultivator’s mind was deteriorating.

  The words written on the page were in an erratic rush.

  “I saw one, one of the men; that man is definitely from the Immortal Planes. I am sure of it now; from the Heaven Cleansing Sect, a Dao like that can only be found there. They're trying to use the world, use us, to reach the realm of the absolute. His Daoist title... they call him—”

  The page was torn at this point, the ink fading, but the final line still stuck in Meng Lin's mind.

  She closed the book, a deep sense of intrigue settling in her mind. The idea of using an entire world to advance further in cultivation seemed crazy to her; however, it had most probably succeeded.

  'The realm of the absolute,' Meng Lin couldn't help but think back to what her master said when she talked about the realm above the Ascension Realm, the Half Immortal Realm.

  "Now all that remains is this Luan continent."

  Shaking her head, Meng Lin turned her thoughts elsewhere. Although the history seemed distant, something about it unsettled her deeply.

  She reached her hand out, and in it appeared a small pendant.

  Its cracked surface was cool to the touch, and a faint pulse of energy radiated from within. Frowning slightly, she channeled a thin stream of her spiritual Qi into the pendant, testing its response.

  At first, nothing happened, which was within expectation, but she felt a sudden pull that jolted her awake. The pendant stirred and greedily absorbed her Qi.

  Shocked, Meng Lin tried to pull back, but the suction only grew stronger. Her brows furrowed in alarm, and she instinctively began to circulate her Qi, stabilizing its crazy flow into the pendant.

  Slowly, she allowed her Qi to be swallowed by the pendant, dropping down from 100 percent to 90... 80, until it was down to half when suddenly, her vision blurred.

  An overwhelming force seized her body, and before she could react, darkness consumed her completely.

  ***

  Meng Lin opened her eyes and found herself standing in a world of pitch black.

  If it wasn't for the feeling of gravity, she would have thought she was in outer space because it was too quiet.

  The lack of Qi also felt like a force pressing against her, like an unseen weight. She steadied her breath, her senses sharp as she scanned her surroundings.

  Skreech!!

  A screech reached her ears and sent chills down her spine. It was distant yet felt uncomfortably close, as if it came from every direction at once.

  Meng Lin’s gaze shifted, and her spiritual consciousness expanded outward to probe the darkness. Immediately, she shifted her legs before jumping to the side as she felt a giant claw brush past her hair.

  Meng Lin’s heart pounded as she landed on the side, immediately circulating the Formless Cultivation Method before she took in the figure within her spiritual consciousness.

  A large shadowy figure hovered just meters from her, its shape vague without clear definition, constantly shifting in the pitch-black space.

  'The shadow that the pendant had sealed? Could this be within the pendant?' Meng Lin thought as she watched it lunge once again.

  Meng Lin also reacted, going on the offense as her body gradually began to float, turning into a shifting mist while a giant axe appeared in her hand.

  The shadowy figure’s claw slashed through the air, its claws passing through her right shoulder as Meng Lin felt a small excruciating pain tear through her body.

  The pain caused her to pause in surprise; although she didn't feel any physical damage done to her right shoulder, the attack had been so powerful that she felt a strain at the attacked location.

  It was the first time something like that had happened, and it shocked her slightly. Nonetheless, she quickly pushed aside her thoughts as she felt the shadow’s claw remain embedded in her form for a moment longer before it passed through the mist.

  With a swift motion, she raised and swung her giant axe in retaliation. The dull blade arced through the air, creating a massive gust as it moved toward the creature.

  However, the shadowy figure reacted in time, raising another claw, its claws releasing a threatening dark aura wherever the claw passed.

  The two attacks came dangerously close to one another, yet instead of a colossal clash, the axe passed right through the claw, solidifying in the next instant as it rammed into the body of the creature.

  Screeeech!!

  The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed, the axe running across the body of the shadow while a surprised expression appeared on Meng Lin's face.

  Meng Lin's axe began to turn to mist, slipping through the creature along with her entire body before landing a few meters away from the creature, her face in shock.

  She exhaled deeply as her thoughts began to turn. It was very taxing on her when she wanted to be intangible; just that short exchange had depleted as much as 20 percent of her Qi. If this keeps up, it won’t last long.

  Skreech!

  The shadowy figure didn’t give her a moment to recover. It twisted its form unnaturally, its upper body turning a full 180 degrees as its claw lashed out, the dark aura around it doubling as it slashed out four crescent-shaped claws.

  Meng Lin barely managed to shift her body into mist once more, the attack phasing through her before she reformed a few steps away.

  However, the instant she reformed, an unbearable pain tore through her body, as if countless claws had shredded her from the inside out.

  Her vision blurred, and a sharp, suffocating pressure pressed against her chest.

  Her Qi, which was already strained, was now completely depleted. A cold sweat dripped down her forehead as she staggered, her legs nearly giving out beneath her.

  It was the first time in a while she felt completely empty and exposed. It took all she had to barely hold on to the giant axe, which was tilting slightly.

  However, it didn't last long as immediately after, her body began to glow in a blue light as a chaotic force erupted where she stood.

  She had entered the Brute Qi State.

  A deep, primal force surged through her veins, replacing the emptiness left by her depleted Qi.

  The pain from before faded, and her muscles tensed, her grip on the axe tightening as the weapon stabilized in her hands. Her breathing evened out, but her expression darkened.

  The shadowy figure hesitated for the first time, its eerie form flickering as if sensing something. But it did not retreat. Instead, it gathered even more of its dark aura, preparing to strike with even greater force.

  Meng Lin exhaled slowly, steadying herself. The Brute Qi State was not something she used often, but now, she had no choice. Her Qi was completely gone.

  With a single, explosive step, she leaned backward. The space beneath her pulsing as she used all her might to throw her axe, the sheer force of the motion bending the surrounding space.

  Her Brute Qi state surged, amplifying her power. The raw force tore through the air, a shockwave ripping through the space around her. It was just shy of the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator’s casual strike.

  But for Meng Lin, that was enough.

  Boom!!

  The axe was launched with explosive force, tearing through the air. It blurred as it instantly appeared before the shadowy figure, leaving a trail of crackling energy in its wake.

  The shadowy figure recoiled, its form flickering, but it was too late. The axe struck with an earth-shattering impact.

  Boom!!

  The axe slammed into the shadow with explosive force. The impact shattered the creature’s form instantly, tearing it apart like brittle glass.

  Dark shards exploded in every direction, scattering into the void as if melding with the dark space that surrounded the area.

  Meng Lin exhaled, her body still radiating blue light. The Brute Qi State hummed around her, and she couldn't help but smirk at the lingering power coursing through her veins.