Gradually coming out of his trance, the old man let out a dismal sigh. It was too late for regrets now, he did not have time to lament, lest all of their sacrifices become meaningless. He didn't have much time left…he had to make the most of every moment!

Stepping into the manor, the old man came face to face with a youth dressed a simple nightgown.

“AH!” The youth exclaimed in shock, falling back on his rear end in terror.

The youth was named Lin Ming, and was the last surviving descendent of his, and the old man's, lineage, on this continent. Lin Ming looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, with long dark hair, coiled in a messy bun on the top of his head. Although his current appearance was slightly unkempt, it was still obvious that the youth was quite the looker, with dark green eyes, sharp brows, full lips, and a tall nose.

Earlier, Lin Ming had been meditating silently under a large ginkgo tree, planted in the center of manor's courtyard, when he was suddenly jolted awake by the little girl's piercing screams. Out of curiosity and concern, Lin Ming had stealthily crept up to the gate in an attempt to make heads and tails out of the situation outside, but before he could take a peek from behind the broken gates, a ghoulish old man appeared in front of him like a ghost, scaring him witless.

Taking a proper look at the old man, Lin Ming noticed that the old man appeared to be standing unsteadily on his feet and looked rather lifeless, but when the youth met with his gaze, he could feel fearsome majesty behind the old man's empty gaze, causing the youth's whole body to tense up uncontrollably. This sensation…even those men, from back then, weren’t as scary as the old man before him right now!

“You! Who are yo-” Gritting his teeth and summoning the last bits of courage he had left, Lin Ming stood up to face the old man, but his words were quickly cut short when he abruptly collapsed onto the ground, his gaze dull and listless.

“I pray that in your hands, the illustrious Lin clan of those days can once more be reborn…” The old man muttered lightly as he walked past the youth, and a jade green light emerged from between his brows, landing on the youth’s forehead, before sinking in and disappearing inside of him.

After stepping into the lone abode within the manor, with the young girl huddled in his arms, the old man returned after a joss stick’s time, alone.

*****

A few shi after the old man had left the manor, the firmament above was still as dark as before, faded stars still blanketed the night sky, and the pale moonlight still shone through, past the half-opened curtains, onto the figure of a little girl lying atop a small bed. The little girl's eyes were closed in peaceful slumber, the very picture of peace and tranquility.

Suddenly, the little girl’s body shook slightly, and a dazzling red light emerged from between her bosoms as series of blood-red brands began to appear and spread across her chest. From the center of the blood-red brands, right above where her heart sat, a fist-sized ruby pagoda emerged. Expelling black mist out of its crack, the crystal slowly floated away from the little girl.

“Daddy…” the little girl muttered, sensing a familiar aura from within the crystal.

Her eyes fluttering open gently, the little girl reached out slowly with her right hand, towards the ruby crystal, seemingly in some weird trance. In response, black tentacles emerged from within the black mist that surrounded the ruby crystal and clawed at the little girl’s outstretched hand. Lashing out at an incredible speed, the first tentacle struck the little girl’s hand and gouged out a piece of flesh from her opened palm, splattering brilliant red ichor on the wooden floorboards below. However, perhaps it was due to the strange state she was in, the little girl was not deterred in the slightest by the hideous gash on her palm and the heart-wrenching pain that accompanied it, her hand continuing to reach out towards the ruby crystal.

In the next moment, a second tentacle reached the little girl’s hand, tearing off another chunk of her flesh, revealing dazzling, jade-like crystalline bones. Without pause, the third tentacle struck the little girl’s arm, then a fourth, a fifth, sixth, seventh…

The little girl was struck by dozens of tentacles before her fingers grazed the ruby crystal, by then, her blood had long dyed the small room red, and bits and pieces of her flesh and bones were strewn across the ground. When the little girl’s mangled hand finally managed to firmly grasp the ruby crystal, the ruby crystal reacted and began to glow brilliantly as it ceaselessly drew in streams of the little girl’s blood, from the countless wounds on her arm.

The blood-red glow from the ruby crystal slowly began to spread out, gradually coming into contact with the little girl's flesh, blood, and bones scattered on the ground. Turning the little girl's flesh, blood, and bones into motes of blood energy, the blood-red glow then quickly guided it into the ruby crystal, which greedily absorbed it all. With the little girl's blood energy, the ruby crystal began to expand, its form changing …

Gradually, the blood energy that stained the room were all assimilated into the ruby crystal, now in the shape of a worn and tattered pagoda, appearing like something a five-year-old child could carve, out of boxwood, with a dulled knife. But by now, the little girl had become deathly pale, if the ruby crystal continues to draw blood from the little girl, she could very possibly die! As if it could sense the little girl’s current condition, the ruby crystal quickly stopped draining blood from her.

Slowly separating itself from the black mist, the ruby crystal floated towards the little girl’s chest. Upon making contact with her body, the ruby crystal sunk into the little girl. The brand across her chest began to shrink into the spot where the ruby crystal fell into, leaving a blood-red brand in the shape of a ‘♦’ on her left breast, right above the little girl’s heart.

Focusing on the odd tremors coming from the ruby crystal that was now within her heart, the little girl could feel it beating in harmony with her heart. Along with the cordial beating of the ruby crystal and her heart, a warm energy emerged from the little girl’s chest, flowing throughout her body, healing her mangled arm at a visible rate, and returning a bit of color to her lifeless countenance.

*THUMP*

As the little girl was a bit too focused on the ruby crystal and exploring the changes in her body, she had failed to notice that the black mist had congealed into the shape of a small boy.

“Uwah!” a sharp cry of pain rang out from the boy as his crown collided with the hard wooden floor.

*****

As all these things were happening to the little girl, the old man was slowly limping along a long and wide corridor, crafted from black steel and decorated magnificently by innumerable brilliant pearls. The old man's path was lit up by dazzling golden orbs that floated along the corridor's walls, their numbers seemingly stretching far, far beyond the eye could perceive.

Suddenly, the old man fell to his knees, doubling in pain as his body expelled a venomous purple smoke. The purple smoke surrounding the old man gradually coalesced into a violet seal, upon which the characters ‘終神’ were inscribed.

*Cough* *cough* *cough*

Breaking into a violent coughing fit, the old man coughed out several mouthfuls of corrosive black blood. In moments, the old man seemed to have aged by dozens of years, his already leathery skin sagging even further, and his greying hair turning snow white.

Forming a series of hand seals with both hands, the old man's eyes began to glow a brilliant jade-green. Accompanying the changes in the old man’s pupils, a bright red glow emerged from within his body, forming a vibrant halo around him, taking the form of a dazzling phoenix perched over him, resisting the might of the purple smoke and violet seal.

"ARGH!" The old man bellowed with the last of his strength, and the phoenix let out a thundering screech as it fully spread its wings, completely dispelling the purple smoke around him. But, the phantasmal beast was unable to do anything to the violet seal above the old man, and it remained there above him, unaffected by the pristine light the phoenix radiated.

“The Death God Seal…how regretful, to think that that person's heritage would still exist." A sonorous voice sounded, echoing about the large corridor, as an illusory golden spirit, in the shape of an imposing middle-aged man dressed in splendid silver armor, formed. “Fortunately, the seal infesting you is lacking in intent, possessing only the Death God Seal's barest form…if you were struck by that person’s Death God Seal, there would be no hope for you…”

“Senior…” the old man uttered faintly as he stared at the golden spirit before him.

Pointing at the violet seal, the Death God Seal, above the old man, the golden spirit whispered a few incantations, causing bright golden runes to flicker into existence, enveloping the Death God Seal, and dragging it back into the old man’s body.

In an instant, the old man’s condition improved drastically, traces of vitality once more seeped out from within his beating his heart. The old man’s snow-white hair quickly turned black, and the countless scars that marred his body began to heal and fade. Within an incense stick’s time, the old man had transformed into a dashing young man, with inky black hair, jade-green eyes, and sharp features, his current appearance somewhat reminiscent of the little girl’s and the youth's.

“I can only suppress the seal for so long…you have three hundred years.” The golden spirit explained, “seek the ‘Dazzling Peacock Manual’ and obtain the ‘Marvelous Peacock Rod’. With these two things, along with the ‘Phoenix Soul Sutra’ in your possession, perhaps you can buy enough time to break the seal…”

"Senior, before I go, may I-" The now young man abruptly interjected, sounding slightly impatient.

“No…you may not,” the golden spirit interrupted, "I know that you seek to right the grievances your people faced in this place, using the time I bought you, but you do not have that luxury. The time you have will shorten every time your ‘Inner World’ stirs…"

“But senior, my dau-” The young man continued.

“Enough,” the golden spirit cut off the young man once more.

Pointing at an empty space before the young man, a small mote of golden light appeared on the tip of the golden spirit's forefinger. Floating slowly as it revolved and expanded, the mote of light transformed into a large orbicular gate almost three zhang wide, before coming to a halt half a zhang away from the young man.

"Go, your daughter will be fine here…but if you further hesitate, you will not be…" The golden spirit whispered, its voice growing distant as its illusory form began to fade. "Past this spatial gate is the outskirts of ‘Marvelous Peacock’. I await your success…my master’s successor…”

Watching the spirit fade away, a hint of resolve emerged from within the young man’s pupil, gripping his fists so tightly they shook, he stepped past the gate, into the turbulent spatial rift.

Be well, Qingtian…Wait for me, beloved…I, Lin Longtian, WILL return!