Beneath the wilted branches of trees as old as the mists of time, blanketed in the depths of the Yinlin woods, the rebels under the command of Wei Lan trained.
Rows of brave men, once peasants, warriors, and wanderers who had no purpose in life before joining the resistance against the Jinlian Sect, took their stances while Wei Lan watched over them with a keen eye. His figure stood tall at the training grounds, a dark silhouette against the drifting fog, and although he wore a neutral expression, something gnawed at his consciousness, something he couldn't quite put a finger on.
Each rebel moved in near-perfect unison, their breaths sharp and their strikes honed, yet Wei Lan's eyes never softened. He expected more, demanded more, not because of cruelty, but because vengeance did not tolerate weakness. To defeat the Jinlian Sect, they needed to practice more, cultivate more, just like Kaolin had told him that day he saved his wretched existence.
Right then, as his mind drifted to the one person he tried to avoid thinking about, a sudden lurch beneath the surface of the earth briefly faltered the flow of qi in an earthquake that sent an immense shockwave running through the air, causing the rebels to halt mid-training.
Wei Lan's brows furrowed, but before he could call out, the tall gates at the northern edge of the grounds flew open with a bang. Guo Lan stumbled in, breath short and hair slicked with sweat. Urgency was evident in his every move as he revealed the reason behind his sudden arrival. "Wei Lan!" he shouted. "Commander Taohua's here! You must hurry! It's urgent!"
"Urgent?"
"It's… it's about Master." He hesitated before adding, his voice higher now and desperate to get Wei Lan moving. "I said, hurry!"
Hearing this, Wei Lan stopped inquiring further, but not before he turned to face the rebels, although the strain in his voice gave away that he was indeed alarmed to hear Guo Lan mention Kaolin. "All of you, continue. Do not break form until I return."
Then, with his robes sweeping through the dirt, he followed Guo Lan into the heart of the sanctuary. They moved quickly, their footsteps echoing down the hall, past rows of unlit lanterns and walls carved with oaths of resistance and wards.
At the end of the passage, framed in the arch of the open gate, stood Commander Taohua. His posture was rigid from years beneath the banners of Yueluo Gu stained with blood and honour. But this time, something in his stance was different, and Wei Lan knew that something was off right away. The way the earth shuddered beneath him moments ago, the subtle shift in the air, and that strange feeling of unease that had followed him ever since he woke up meant something wasn't as it was supposed to be.
Taohua, "You must set off to Huan-Yue!" he said, without wasting time. "Now! Before it's too late!"
Wei Lan's chest tightened upon hearing this, and yet, for a moment, he could not move or say anything. But only a moment. He turned to Guo Lan with his heart in his mouth, his chest rising and falling in a rapid beat.
"Do you think you can take care of the sanctuary while I'm away?" His voice was strained under the weight of the harrowing thoughts of what might have happened to Kaolin. "And make sure my men are safe?"
"Don't worry. Go at once!"
Wei Lan nodded, relieved. Then, without wasting more time, he summoned and gathered his qi, exiting the sanctuary and launching himself into the welkin, in the direction of the floating city of Huan-Yue with unprecedented speed.
The skies above Shenzhou blurred as Wei Lan cut through them with force. His robes whipped violently around him, and his qi left an ablaze trail behind him. There was no hesitation in his movements, only urgency and dread clawing beneath the calm surface of his hardened face.
By the time Huan-Yue came into view before him, the rays of the descending sun had long since dimmed behind a veil of rising storm, unlike anything he had ever witnessed before, as if the sky had split open and the wrath of the heavens had fallen upon them all.
He landed at the heart of the palace with such force that the cloud layer beneath him cracked, thus drawing all attention to himself, and in a flash, before he could take another step, spears and swords were drawn as the Jinlian Guards surrounded him in a ring, determined not to let another trespasser pass.
One mistake or reckless move, and the whole court would become a bloodbath. Wei Lan knew that very well, yet he stood his ground and did not back off. He wasn't here to spill blood, even though he hated the Jinlian Sect more than anybody else; he was here to find out what had happened to Kaolin.
"Where's he?" he demanded, raising his voice and repeating himself when the Immortal guards failed to reply. "I said, where is he!?"
No one answered this time either, although the air thickened as the surge of qi around him only grew stronger and more intense by the second, trembling with the threat of violence. The guards were now visibly tensed and antsy, fearing Wei Lan's wrath, which they had heard untold stories and legends about. They knew what Wei Lan was capable of – that, if he so chose to, he could bring the entire palace crumbling.
Yet no one replied, not a single soul. And just as Wei Lan's patience began to wear thin, the sea of armoured guards parted as a familiar voice called out his name, one he recognised, and the raging storm in his chest lifted, if only slightly, as the last person he expected to see appeared before him.
"Zhenhai…?" he whispered, like he couldn't believe his eyes. "But how—I don't understand…"
Zhenhai met his bewildered eyes with a smile, one that was so gentle that Wei Lan couldn't help but relax out of relief. Something in the Immortals' serene expression told him that he could trust him, that he could set aside his worries. For now, at least.
"It's a long story, I'm afraid, one I cannot reveal right now," Zhenhai said. "But if you're here to see Kaolin, then all you have to do is follow me."
"Follow… you?"
Without explaining further, Zhenhai brushed past him and soared into the leaden sky, which erupted with thunder and lightning from all directions. Wei Lan followed suit, unsure of what awaited him, yet he knew that Zhenhai, despite being a member of the Jinlian Sect, was not a bad person.
Together they soared through the thick air laced with dark energy, cutting through layers of clouds and leaving the towering spires of Huan-Yue behind them for each passing second.
Time seemed to stretch as the wind howled past them, carrying with it the heavy scent of thunder and rain, and after what felt like forever, Zhenhai gradually slowed, descending, and Huan-Yue disappeared beneath a sea of mist and mountain peaks covered in crisp snow.
They landed at the edge of a vast and crystal-clear river on the outskirts of Mount Qixian, which was untouched by the high winds and the passage of time, filled with boundless energy unlike any other. Wei Lan recognised the river right away, yet it wasn't until this moment that he understood that this place wasn't just a legend, but an actual place. The Lingjiang River.
Known far and wide by its otherworldly appearance and shimmering glow rising from the bottom and blending with the jagged silhouette of Mount Qixian that pierced the clouds above and shielded the mysterious river from prying eyes, the Lingjiang River was truly a one-of-a-kind place.
Wei Lan's heart skipped several beats as he scanned the serene landscape, eyes searching for any sign of Kaolin. But the place was silent. Empty. He turned, confusion creeping into his voice in search of answers.
"He's not here. Where is he? You said you'd take me to—"
"The Lingjiang River is the remnant of the great war between the ancient Gods and Demons," the Immortal explained. "It is the only place where a broken soul can be purified and restored… Where the body can heal."
Wei Lan stepped closer to the river's edge. "Are you saying," he couldn't help the frown forming on his forehead. "That Kaolin is inside the river?"
"Had I not brought him here, his physical body would've dissolved to nothing. Here, he might restore what was lost… and return."
Wei Lan looked away, his face contorting under the moonlight, as he mumbled to himself rather for the Immortal to hear. "I can't believe that thick-head wasted the Divine Bone like this, as if that would bring Yue'er back…"
Zhenhai, "Yue'er?"
Wei Lan hesitated before meeting Zhenhai's curious look. "It's his wife… or was his wife, from fifteen thousand years ago," he paused for a second, unsure of how to form the words lingering on the tip of his tongue, "and the soul that now belongs to you, His Highness."
Zhenhai's frown deepened as he pieced together the puzzle of the memories he had of Kaolin he could not recall, as well as Kaolin's unwavering determination to save his life despite risking his own in return.
Wei Lan snapped him out of his thoughts. "How long?" he said. "How long will it take for the river to restore his soul?"
"The time required is unknown even to me," Zhenhai said. "It could take years. Or thousands. It all depends on what the heavens will grant him now that he has sacrificed his destiny to save me."
Wei Lan's voice hardened. "Years? Do you truly believe Huan-Yue stands a chance once the Demon God's army rises? When the Jinlian Sect's allies march for war and join forces with the Demon God!?"
Zhenhai did not answer, or rather, he couldn't. The sins of his clan had not only isolated Huan-Yue but also caused a lot of allies to turn against them. It was only natural that they would side up with the Demon God, and so, only the heavens could now decide their fate.
So, he closed his eyes instead of replying to this very relevant question and clasped his hands together in a prayer. Wei Lan watched this solemn act closely before breaking the silence, his voice laced with doubts and disbelief.
"You think your prayers will be heard?" he scoffed. "Those gods of yours are they even capable of mercy? After everything they put the people of Shenzhou through, the burdens they placed on Kaolin?"
A gentle smile appeared on the Immortal's lips as he dropped his gaze, patting Wei Lan's shoulder once, before vanishing into a swirl of wind and light, soaring back into the skies alone. Wei Lan, however, remained by the Lingjiang River, watching the ripples for a while before he too bid farewell one final time to his master and beloved friend.
Then he looked up at the velvety welkin far away from the storm that raged beyond the mountains, untouched by the sins of the Mortals and Immortals alike under the protection of Mount Qixian – towards that place seven levels high in the sky, where the fallen Gods and Goddesses remained hidden in plain sight, watching without moving a finger yet in control of the wheel of fortune.
"If you're listening, then listen well to my words: I shall not forget, nor forgive. Should anything happen to Kaolin, I'll seek vengeance upon every single one of you, destroy what remains of your celestial spirits, and make sure… you'll never resurrect in any lifetime to come!"