For three nights, the Sect of Broken Stars trembled with new rumors.
Disciples whispered of shattered halls, dead assassins, and the ancient formation that now pulsed with otherworldly light. Lin Xuan's name passed from mouth to mouth—not as a peer, but as something other. Something dangerous.
Some called him a prodigy.
Others, a curse.
He didn't care.
Because Lin Xuan was no longer just a cultivator.
He was a seeker of the Chaos Nexus.
And he was running out of time.
---
Preparation for the Journey
In the quiet of his quarters, Lin Xuan packed his satchel with essentials: high-grade spirit stones, blood-sealed pills, and one remaining Chaos Jade from the envoy's broken blade.
The System pulsed as he reviewed his status:
---
[Current Progress]
Realm: Foundation Building (Early)
Chaos Core: 93% Evolution
Nexus Resonance: 1/7
Chaos Techniques: Celestial Chaos Burst, Chaos Step, Star-Forged Palm, Soul Barrier
Blood Veil Sword Art: Fragmented (1/4)
---
[New Objective: Locate the Second Pillar]
Location: Scattered Sky Ruins – Entry Point Hidden Beyond the Cloudveil Gorge
Requirement: Open the Void Gate using Chaos-Infused Starlight Key
---
Lin Xuan closed his eyes and meditated once more. The image of the Forgotten Pillar still burned behind his eyes.
When he rose, he was silent.
Focused.
Deadly.
---
A Final Conversation – Yue Lian
Before dawn, as he made his way toward the gorge, he met Yue Lian waiting in the forest path—leaning against a pine tree, arms folded, gaze distant.
"So, you're leaving."
Lin Xuan nodded. "The Sect can't protect me from what's coming."
"Or maybe," she said, "you're the one they needed protection from."
He didn't deny it.
She stepped forward, slipping a charm into his palm—shaped like a crescent moon with a faint spiritual aura.
"It's a soul anchor," she said. "If you fall in a place between worlds… it might bring you back."
He held her gaze. "Thank you."
Yue Lian glanced away. "Don't die."
Then she turned and vanished into the morning mist.
---
Cloudveil Gorge – Gateway to the Unknown
The gorge was a tear in the land—jagged cliffs and swirling clouds that obscured the ground far below. No birds flew here. The qi felt twisted, like time and space were slightly… bent.
In the center stood a ruined arch—etched with ancient glyphs no longer legible.
Lin Xuan approached and placed the Starlight Key—infused with Chaos energy—into the carved slot.
The stone screamed.
The wind howled.
And then—reality tore open.
A rift of silver light yawned wide, revealing a swirling void passage within.
---
[Void Gate Activated: Scattered Sky Ruins]
Warning: Dimensional Instability Detected
Known Threats: Spatial Beasts, Ancient Constructs, Time Echoes, Fragmented Realms
Chaos Compatibility: High
---
Lin Xuan stepped through.
---
Realm Shift: The Scattered Sky Ruins
He emerged into a world that felt half-dream, half-nightmare.
Floating islands drifted lazily through open sky. Ruins of titanic structures—once part of a forgotten civilization—jutted from the clouds. Gravity shifted unpredictably, and storms of color tore through the horizon.
This was no ordinary realm.
It was a world broken by battle—possibly from the same war shown in his visions.
He took one cautious step—and the island beneath his feet shifted, revealing a massive skeletal beast buried beneath the stone.
The bones still radiated suppressed Divine Qi.
And they were humming.
---
Echoes of the Past
As he pressed deeper into the ruins, Lin Xuan began hearing whispers—not in his ears, but in his soul.
> "…starbearers… chaos forgers… we failed them all…"
> "…one survives… Nexus must not awaken…"
He paused by a shattered obelisk. The markings on it shimmered briefly as he passed.
[Nexus Pulse Detected]
Second Pillar Proximity: 2.4 km – Below Current Altitude
Caution: Interference from Realm Fragment Detected – Expect Combat]
---
Ambush – The Sky-Rotted Wraiths
Lin Xuan didn't make it far before the sky around him screamed.
From rips in space, Sky-Rotted Wraiths descended—twisted remnants of failed cultivators, their spiritual forms corrupted by time and dimensional chaos.
Ten of them.
Fast. Hungry. Screaming.
Lin Xuan stood still.
Then moved.
Chaos Step.
Star-Forged Palm.
Chaos Burst.
One by one, the wraiths disintegrated under his attacks, but they were endless—reforming from fragments of sky itself.
Until Lin Xuan summoned something new.
He wove both starlight and chaos into a rune of suppression, etching it midair with his qi.
"Chaos-Seal of the Void."
The wraiths froze—then imploded into dust.
Silence returned.
---
System Update
[Second Pillar Location Confirmed – Sealed Under the Shifting Star Temple]
Coordinates Set. New Objective: Unseal the Temple and Withstand Temporal Collapse]
New Skill Unlocked: Chaos-Seal of the Void – Temporary nullification of corrupted spiritual forms]
---
Far above, the stars shifted unnaturally.
In the Celestial Realm, an old divine seer snapped his brush in two.
> "The second resonance has begun…"