The blood had barely dried on the shattered stones where the Blood Veil Envoy fell.
Yet already, Lin Xuan was moving.
No rest. No celebration.
Only purpose.
With the chaos essence he absorbed still swirling inside his veins, he returned to the ruined Celestial Formation Grounds, guided not by maps or elders, but by instinct—by the pulse of the Chaos Core within his chest and the whispers that came each time he touched the stars.
---
[Quest Activated: Find the Forgotten Pillar]
Progress: 0%
Hints: Hidden beneath the central axis of the formation. Requires Chaos Affinity to reveal.
---
The night air carried a faint tremor, like the heartbeat of the world. The once-inert starlight carvings glowed faintly under his footsteps, reacting to his presence.
He stepped to the center.
There, beneath a broken obelisk, he knelt and pressed his palm to the cracked stone.
The Chaos Core flared.
The formation responded.
A deep, grinding click echoed through the ground.
And then, stone gave way.
The floor split apart in four massive wedges, revealing a stairway spiraling downward into pure darkness.
---
The Descent
The air grew colder as Lin Xuan descended.
With each step, the markings on the walls grew more intricate—constellations he couldn't name, runes that shimmered in colors not found in the natural spectrum.
And then, he reached it.
A pillar, untouched by time.
Twice the height of a man, forged from star-forged jade and chaossteel. Floating runes orbited it slowly like moons around a planet.
He approached.
The pillar pulsed.
And his mind was pulled inward—
---
The Vision: The Starforged War
Lin Xuan stood amidst a battlefield of heaven and void. Celestial armies—draped in silver and gold—clashed with robed figures wielding chaotic power. One side shouted for order and purity, the other fought for balance and freedom.
In the center stood the original wielder of the Chaos Dao—his face hidden by a shifting mask.
He raised a hand, fusing starlight and void into a single strike.
Planets shattered.
Suns were consumed.
Then silence.
The voice came like a whisper in Lin Xuan's soul:
> "The Celestial Formation was never meant to control the stars. It was meant to free them."
---
Lin Xuan Awakens
He gasped—falling to one knee.
The vision faded, but its meaning burned into his bones.
This formation was not a defensive relic.
It was a key.
A gateway.
And the Forgotten Pillar was one of seven—each hidden across realms, each bound to the soul of a Chaos Wielder.
If he could find them all…
He could access the Celestial Nexus—a realm that predates both gods and demons.
A realm where the Chaos Dao was born.
---
[System Update]
New Legacy Path Discovered: Chaos Nexus Awakening (1/7 Pillars Resonated)
Next Pillar Location: Scattered Sky Ruins (Realm Access Required)
Optional Objective: Restore the Celestial Formation to 15% Functionality
Skill Acquired: Nexus Pulse – Passive Detection of Ancient Formations and Energy Nodes
---
Back at the Sect – Trouble Brews
Yue Lian found him meditating in the temple later that night.
"You're changing," she said. "Your qi… it no longer feels mortal."
Lin Xuan opened his eyes. "That's because I'm not simply mortal anymore."
She hesitated. "They're calling for you in the elders' court. They want answers about the envoy. The explosion. The formation."
He stood. "Then they'll get answers. Just… not the ones they're expecting."
---
In the Elders' Hall
Lin Xuan entered the stone chamber where five elders, the Sect Master, and three inner disciples awaited.
One of them stood.
"You've been keeping secrets," he growled. "You disappear, the envoy dies, and now the ancient formation reactivates for the first time in centuries? Who are you really?"
Lin Xuan stepped into the center calmly.
"I am Lin Xuan. Reborn of chaos. Heir to the Nexus. And if you stand in my way—"
He raised a single finger.
The lights in the room dimmed. The walls cracked slightly from sheer pressure.
"—you'll be the first to fall when the heavens descend."
---
In the Celestial Realm – A Crack Appears
Far above, in the golden city of the upper heavens, a tear opened in the scrying pool.
A figure in divine armor looked down, startled.
"The Chaos Pulse… It's active again?"
Another nodded gravely. "The Nexus is stirring. We must awaken the Heavenly Tribunal Envoys. If he opens the gates…"
"…we all fall."
---
[New Arc Unlocked: Nexus Awakening Begins]
Main Objective: Seek the Second Pillar in the Scattered Sky Ruins
New Threat: Heavenly Tribunal Interference Pending – 45 Days
New Skill Progression Available: Celestial-Grade Chaos Techniques