C857 Central World
Late at night, deep within the Fireheart Mountains in the southern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, a handsome middle-aged man reclined in a grand hall atop a dormant volcano. He was engrossed in a book that sparkled with the light of stars.
"Master..." Chu Yao approached silently, bowing with utmost respect.
"Mm," Zhong Chichen acknowledged, his attention shifting from the book to his disciple with a look of surprise.
Chu Yao's eyes widened in astonishment as he saw the book his master was perusing. Its pages were filled with tiny, differently shaped stars that shone like the night sky itself. The words on the pages were like a myriad of stars, each one brimming with mysterious wisdom. He did not recognize any of the star-like characters.
A profound respect for Zhong Chichen, his master and father-in-law, swelled within him.
Noticing Chu Yao's amazement, Zhong Chichen smiled casually. "This is an ancient tome of the Starborn. Deep within the Star River, the Starborn are revered as beings of supreme intelligence. They have a penchant for delving into ancient history to unlock the universe's deepest secrets."
"It's said that the Starborn's power is intrinsically linked to their wisdom," he added before inquiring, "What brings you here?"
"I've just received word from the Yu family in Asvetaesi. That young man, Yu Yuan, he claims to be..." Chu Yao hesitated, bowing his head, unable to meet Zhong Chichen's gaze. He spoke in a low, slightly anxious voice, "He claims to be the God of Medicine, Hong Qi's hand-chosen disciple!"
His shoulders shook ever so slightly, betraying the waves of emotion crashing within him.
Zhong Chichen remained silent.
After what felt like an eternity, Chu Yao, still wrestling with his unease, looked up. Zhong Chichen had moved to stand beneath the dome of the hall, gazing up at the stars that seemed to watch over the mountains once home to the Skyblight Cult.
Chu Yao's voice was tinged with apprehension as he murmured, "It's baseless. I suspect he's fabricating this under Luo Yue's instruction!"
"True or false, time will reveal all," Zhong Chichen murmured, his voice echoing with a wistful sigh.
Chu Yao paused thoughtfully before speaking, "Master, it's been many years since you've practiced medicine. Your mastery of the Pill Way has brought you to the pinnacle of the Unbound Realm. Why have you stopped?"
He was eager to add that if his master were to advance just one step further, to the Primordial Spirit Realm, both the Order of Healing and his master would experience a rebirth in the vastness of the Everlands.
This was particularly true now, with the Star-Spawned Terror invading and the Otherkin revealing themselves amidst the chaos.
"I dare not."
Zhong Chichen looked down from his elevated position, casting a glance at his prudent and steady son-in-law.
He had chosen Chu Yao because he saw in him a reflection of himself, among Hong Qi's disciples. Chu Yao was someone who wouldn't engage in a battle without assurance of victory, nor would he undertake meaningless endeavors.
The Primordial Spirit Realm?
Was it truly so simple to ascend? With the multitude of cultivators in the Unbound Realm, how many could reach the Primordial Spirit Realm in a few hundred years?
And when he considered the nagging suspicion that haunted his thoughts, he became even more hesitant.
...
Atop the First Peak of the Everlands, bathed in the glow of resplendent stars, a Vampire Insect as thick as a finger braved the biting cold winds. After an indeterminate amount of time, it had managed to scale the heights of Skyreach Peak.
As the tallest mountain in the Everlands, devoid of birds and beasts, the peak was a place few could reach. Not just for a mere Vampire Insect, but even for cultivators below the Solar Spirit Realm, it was nearly insurmountable.
Yet, on this deep night, one such insect persevered to the summit.
At the peak, Zu Ann, with a face of ancient features and a crest atop his head, sat beside a pond transformed from the Mirror of Fates. His eyes, shining with an intense brilliance, watched the peculiar insect with a frosty gaze.
The Vampire Insect, no thicker than a finger, quietly transformed into the current leader of the Colddeath, Ann Wen, clad in a long red robe with pale skin and an eerily handsome visage.
"Old Zu, to avoid detection, I exerted great effort to ascend Skyreach Peak," Ann Wen said dramatically, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. "You knew it was me when I was only halfway up. Why didn't you lend a hand?"
"I feared being struck by your blood poison, not even knowing how I'd die," Zu Ann stated icily.
"Ha! Zu Ann, could it be that you've misunderstood me? I am Ann Wen, the revered leader of the Colddeath. Why would I stoop to such lows? Moreover, we have no past feuds or recent quarrels. What reason would I have to poison you?" Ann Wen, his essence formed from a mere drop of lifeblood, chuckled.
"Out with it, why have you sought me out?" Zu Ann remained unswayed.
"Oh, it's nothing serious. There's just been a spate of odd occurrences lately, and I thought it might be good to have a chat." Ann Wen's smile was broad. "You and I, Zu Ann, have long been ready to take the next step, and you, being the eldest in the late period of the Unbound. Why, why the delay?"
He was well aware that Zu Ann had been a prominent cultivator in the Unbound realm even before he and the Evil King Yu Xi were born. For centuries, Zu Ann, in the late period of the Unbound, was considered the foremost beneath the Primordial Spirit Realm. Such a being's failure to make a breakthrough, to not seek the Primordial Spirit Realm, was utterly perplexing.
"Delay? I have no desire to procrastinate. I gathered all the necessary magic items to break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm a millennium ago," Zu Ann said, his face somber. "I haven't proceeded because I wasn't the one they chose. It's because there has never been a place for me."
"What do you mean?" Ann Wen asked earnestly, his expression turning serious. "My visit is on behalf of a dear friend who has found the courage to advance in the Land of Terror. Not long ago..."
He was referring to White Bone, and he suspected Ann Wen would be aware, so he ventured the question.
"Tian Zang has informed me," Zu Ann replied.
With those words, Ann Wen grew more convinced that Zu Ann held some earth-shattering secret unknown to him, a secret that had compelled Zu Ann, the enigmatic elder, to take a stand against the Everlands without a second thought.
His journey here was also to witness Yun Hao of the Skyblight Cult, who had surprisingly and willingly ceded territory rightfully belonging to the Terror Claws.
He realized that a new situation was emerging, one that the five great supreme powers were utterly incapable of stopping.
He had come to seek confirmation of his new idea.
"Reflect on the state of affairs in the Land of Terror. Concurrently, the number of Ghost King positions is almost constant," Zu Ann revealed a secret that left Ann Wen too stunned to speak. "It's the same with the primordial spirit slots in the Everlands."
"In this world, at any given time, there's a finite number of primordial spirits that can exist. If the old ones don't die, the notion of new ones forming is nothing but a fool's dream."
"And the primordial spirit is eternal, undying," Zu Ann added with a humph.
Ann Wen, the leader of the Colddeath sect, absorbed Zu Ann's teachings atop Skyreach Peak. After much contemplation, he respectfully performed a deep bow to Zu Ann and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for enlightening me."
...
Dawn was breaking over Fiendpeak. Yu Yuan stood silently, attuned to the Crucible of Evil deep within the mountain, which was amassing a multitude of Banes, growing stronger by the second.
In a nearby valley, Zhou You and Yan Qiling were collaborating to construct an impressive new teleportation circle.
The former Terror Claws and Skyblight Cult lacked the power and resources to create such an expansive and mystical teleportation circle within their sect.
But now, with Zhou You, Yan Qiling, and the support of the Boulderdawn Sect's resources, they made it possible.
They skillfully arranged the crystal stones imbued with space magic, which slowly took the shape of a nascent spiritual altar.
Beneath the surface, meticulously crafted channels pulsed with pure, untainted spiritual energy.
Standing next to them was an Otherkin elder, aglow with starlight and leaning on a dragon-headed bamboo cane, fluently discussing something with Zhou You and Yan Qiling in the human tongue.
The elder's robe, speckled with numerous stars, bore a resemblance to the attire of the Starmoon Sect's cultivators.
"Members of the first level Starborn from the extraterrestrial Star River are rumored to possess profound wisdom," Luo Yue whispered in explanation.
Crack!
In a red mountain, a towering Stoneborn stood at the entrance of a cave, freshly cleaved from the rock.
His entire body glowed a fiery red as he laughed with excitement.
The whole mountain trembled slightly, and soon, numerous Stoneborn emerged from the openings.
They were drawing power from the stones of the mountain to enhance their own strength.
"Everlands! Everlands!"
"This Central World truly is a paradise for all beings!"
The Stoneborn clansmen shouted joyously in their native tongue.
Suddenly, over a dozen Otherkin with silver scales emerged from a deep pool.
As the Silverscale Tribe members stepped onto the water's surface, their silver scales gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, exuding a sense of sharpness.
They exchanged glances and chattered excitedly in their unique language.
From a weed-choked, damp forest, a delightful melody that could induce hallucinations wafted through the air. A dozen or so exquisite women with human torsos and serpentine lower halves were seen, their hair thick as arms trailing behind them.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize that their hair was actually composed of delicate spirit snakes.
These were the enchantresses from the Star River, the second level Otherkin of the extraterrestrial realms.
"Is it possible to establish another Skyreach Consortium here?"
Yu Yuan squinted his eyes, surveying the diverse Otherkin scattered across the mountains, and suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
