"What the hell is this, old man?!" Sheng Hong roared.
He shook violently, blood surging out of his pores like living serpents, stretching and writhing as they rushed toward the star-forged chains, trying to corrupt them.
It was all for nought.
The blood was absorbed, swallowed whole as if the chains themselves were starving. Sheng Hong was dragged inch by inch toward the starry void, his struggles growing more frantic.
"It's already too late, Sheng Hong," Master Fu said calmly.
"These chains capture body, soul, and fate. No matter how you struggle, you cannot resist them. Even your Law of Chaos is meaningless before Heaven's judgment."
Sheng Hong's scream was torn away as the chains tightened.
"Huff…" Fu exhaled softly.
"I was getting worried," he thought.
"I feared my little nephew might truly die here."
His gaze drifted downward.
"But I suppose Heaven's Gate would never allow its disciples to perish in vain. And since that child seems to have some connection to them… I'm sure they will save him as well."
As the chains pulled tighter, Fu's vitality was drained away. His flesh withered, his skin tightening against bone, his once-strong body turning frail in moments.
"Ah… I remember now," Fu thought faintly.
"There is still something I must entrust."
He turned his fading gaze toward Lian.
"Nephew… would you do me a favour?"
"When you escape this place, take my Guzheng to the Azure Crane Family. Tell them you seek Venerable Chen and that Fu sent you."
Before Lian could speak, he could even form a question.
Master Fu was pulled into the void.
The space sealed shut.
He was gone.
As if he had never existed.
Silence fell.
...
Those still alive finally dared to breathe. Hearts slowed. The terror eased, just for a moment.
Then,
BOOM!
The space fractured violently.
Reality cracked like shattered glass, and the survivors were suddenly dragged toward the ruptures as the world became turbulent and unstable, threatening to tear them apart.
Wang Gu gathered Qi at the tip of his finger, preparing to strike his Heart Channel and forcibly unlock his seal, but before he could move, a loud voice boomed across the fractured space.
"You don't have to be that excessive, you know."
The voice came from behind them.
Bo was already there.
He stood suspended in the air, Master Fu's Guzheng slung over his back. His face was flushed red, his body swaying slightly as if he had just staggered out of a drunken haze.
"You kids are really a nuisance," Bo grumbled, eyes darting over their bodies.
"Do you know how many times the seals placed on you have already alerted me that you were on the verge of death?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Tch. But I suppose it couldn't be helped. Two supreme monsters fighting—look at the damage they caused. Don't they have any concern for the consequences?"
With a flick of his wrist, Bo threw the Guzheng toward Lian.
The instrument spun wildly in the air before Lian barely managed to catch it, the strings humming faintly beneath his grip.
"Come along, you little brats."
Bo released his Qi, blanketing the array plate beneath them in a protective layer. With his left hand, he drew the blade from his waist.
The moment the blade moved.
Shhhk!!!
He sliced through the air.
Reality parted like cloth, and a pathway opened, leading away from the collapsing space.
"Master Bo… you really came," Lian murmured, his gaze lifting to meet Bo's.
"Yeah," Bo sighed. "Didn't even get a break after finishing my big mission."
With a sweep of his sleeve, Bo drove them into the void.
Darkness swallowed them instantly.
Lian felt himself being dragged forward at unbelievable speed, his body stretched and compressed by violent spatial currents. Every now and then, through the distortion, he caught fleeting glimpses of blue-tinged creatures, massive shapes like whales, diving in and out of the void as if swimming through an unseen ocean.
The journey lasted barely a minute.
Then,
They emerged.
Sword Peak.
The familiar silhouette of Heaven's Gate rose around them.
"Huuu…" Bo exhaled deeply, shoulders sagging.
"That really took a lot out of me. It's hard enough to travel through the void alone—but dragging people along when the space is that unstable?" He shook his head. "That really takes a toll."
Bo waved his hand dismissively.
"Everyone who doesn't belong on this peak go. Leave."
Xai Bao and Wang Gu immediately took deep bows.
"We thank you for your kindness, sir," they said in unison before retreating down the stone stairs.
Bo's gaze lingered on Lian.
"Mmm…" he muttered. "You've gotten stronger, haven't you?"
"No… I am weak," Lian replied quietly.
Bo snorted.
"I'm not talking about your martial arts. Those are a complete mess."
He took another gulp from his gourd.
"I'll have to teach you properly from now on."
Lian lifted his head, puzzled.
"I'm talking about your will," Bo continued, eyes narrowing slightly.
"I can feel it. Something happened your soul wouldn't feel this solid otherwise."
Bo's gaze shifted.
"And you too, Ming," he added casually. "Your foundation's decent, but you're missing a technique that actually suits you."
He stared at both of them.
"Tsk… go recover first," Bo said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm sure the Mission Pavilion will want a full report of what happened; might as well earn your credits."
His gaze settled on Lian.
"After you're done there, come to my place. I want to show you something."
And just like that, he vanished.
"See you, Bo Ming," Lian said, turning toward his quarters.
Bo Ming nodded and headed toward her own residence.
The moment Lian stepped inside his room, his legs gave out.
He collapsed to the floor.
Though most of the poison had been flushed from his system, his body felt terribly heavy, as if every bone had been weighed down by lead.
His vision blurred.
And as consciousness slipped away.
Old Fu's voice echoed in his mind, faint but resolute.
"Go to the Azure Crane Clan."
But Lian had never even heard of such a place.