## ⚔️ *Heavenbreaker Arc*
### *Return to the Starysky Palace*
### **Chapter 172 — The Palace that Changed**
The ancient gates of **Starysky Palace** opened with a deep, rumbling cry as Yang Lin and his companions stepped out from the Secret Realm.
Five years had passed within—five years of blood, trials, and growth.
Outside, only half a year had gone by.
Yang Lin's eyes gleamed with the calm of someone who had seen the collapse of worlds. His mortal cultivation still rested at the **Void Dao Realm, 3rd Layer**, yet his inner divine soul pulsed with light far beyond any known limit.
"Five years..." Qin Lian muttered, clutching her sword. "It felt like a lifetime."
Yang Lin glanced sideways. "It was."
The group's boots pressed against the jade ground of the outer mountain steps. But Starysky Palace was not the same. The once serene skies were now split by glowing lines of power; vast spirit towers floated, bound by chains of light. New disciples in vibrant robes moved in formation—each wearing colors that spoke of their rank.
"White, green, yellow..." Qin Lian whispered, her eyes tracing upward.
And there—standing at the highest stair—was **a woman in violet**.
---
### **Chapter 173 — The Purple Star**
She stood silently, long hair shimmering with a faint purple glow.
Her name was **Ling Yue**, and her presence alone quieted the wind.
Once, she had been a spirited companion of Yang Lin—someone who laughed too easily and trained too little. Now, her aura was sharp, honed through endless cultivation.
"Yang Lin…" she said softly, her voice carrying down the stairs. "You really returned."
Yang Lin nodded faintly. "It seems you've changed."
Her lips curved in a gentle smile. "Everyone has. But you... you look the same. Just quieter."
Behind her, disciples whispered.
"Is that him? The one who vanished in the Ancient Realm?"
"They say he defeated the Moonfiend in one strike…"
Yang Lin ignored them. His gaze remained locked on Ling Yue. For a fleeting second, he could feel it—the same warmth she used to show—but now buried beneath layers of restraint and duty.
---
### **Chapter 174 — The Blue Disciples**
"Enough chatter."
A cold voice sliced through the murmurs.
Descending from the sky was a woman in a **blue robe**—the mark of the sect's highest disciples.
Her sword was thin, flawless, and sharp enough to cut the horizon itself. Her name was **Xu Qingyan**, and she was famed as the proudest genius of the current generation.
"Ling Yue," she said, eyes narrowing at the purple-clad girl. "Step aside. I will test him."
Ling Yue frowned. "Senior Sister, that's not—"
But Xu Qingyan had already unsheathed her sword.
A streak of azure light tore through the air, heading straight for Yang Lin.
He didn't move.
Instead, he lifted a single finger.
*Clang!*
The sword-light shattered. The mountain trembled.
Disciples gasped in silence as the Blue Disciple staggered a single step back, her eyes wide.
"You…" she whispered. "You're only at the Void Dao Realm, 3rd Layer—how?"
Yang Lin's expression didn't change. "Realm doesn't define strength."
The words hit like thunder. Even the clouds paused their drift.
---
### **Chapter 175 — A Stir in the Sect**
Rumors spread like wildfire.
*The lost disciple has returned.*
*He defeated a Blue Disciple bare-handed.*
*He might even surpass the Sect Master's chosen heir.*
Yang Lin walked through the familiar halls of jade and mist, the memories of his earlier days returning in waves. He saw the training field where he first fought for his place, the library where he studied formation seals. But now, the palace pulsed with an entirely different power—new formations, new leaders, and a new hierarchy.
"Things changed fast," Qin Lian said beside him.
Yang Lin simply replied, "They always do."
A sharp aura approached.
Another woman, also clad in blue, landed before him. Her eyes were calm yet piercing, her strength barely concealed. This was **Ye Ruyan**, the strongest female disciple of the sect—and in fate's design, destined to become his **seventh wife** in the distant future.
"So, you're the one causing the commotion," Ye Ruyan said coolly.
"Not intentionally," Yang Lin replied.
"Good," she said, smirking faintly. "Because I like men who don't boast."
---
### **Chapter 176 — Heavenbreaker Prophecy**
Inside the main hall, the elders gathered.
A massive mural of the heavens burned behind them, depicting the rise and fall of countless stars.
An ancient elder spoke, "Yang Lin… five years ago, when you vanished, the Heavenbreaker Prophecy began to stir."
Yang Lin frowned. "Heavenbreaker?"
The elder nodded gravely. "A being born under two heavens—one mortal, one divine. His return will shatter the boundary between realms."
Qin Lian stepped forward. "You think that's him?"
The elder's eyes fell on Yang Lin, glowing faintly with golden runes.
"We don't think," he said slowly. "We know."
---
### **Chapter 177 — The Silent Peak**
Yang Lin walked alone to the Silent Peak that night, where stars reflected off the spirit ponds like shattered glass.
Ling Yue followed quietly behind.
"You shouldn't wander alone anymore," she said softly.
"I've done worse."
Silence lingered between them.
Then she whispered, "Do you ever… miss it? The days before all this?"
Yang Lin looked at her. "Sometimes. But those days are gone."
Her gaze dropped. "Then… maybe I'll help you find new ones."
He turned away before his expression could be read.
The stars flickered faintly, as though listening.
---
### *The Prophecy's Shadow*
### **Chapter 178 — The Gathering Clouds**
The moonlight poured over Starysky Palace, cold and silver.
Yang Lin sat cross-legged beneath the **Silent Peak**, eyes closed, his breath merging with the rhythm of the heavens. Around him, ten thousand spirit threads twisted like galaxies forming and collapsing.
From afar, Ling Yue watched in awe.
Even at *Void Dao Realm, 3rd Layer*, his cultivation pressure made the surrounding air feel unreal.
"His qi… it's not human," she whispered.
A shadow appeared beside her — Ye Ruyan.
"Stay back," she said calmly. "When someone walks too far ahead, it's not admiration that follows, but calamity."
Ling Yue frowned. "You sound jealous."
"I don't get jealous," Ye Ruyan replied, her eyes still fixed on Yang Lin. "But I recognize danger when I see it. And that man… is the kind that Heaven itself will try to erase."
---
### **Chapter 179 — Sect in Turmoil**
By morning, rumors had become doctrine.
The name **Yang Lin** echoed through every peak and courtyard. Some whispered worshipfully, others with fear.
Inside the **Elder Pavilion**, arguments broke out.
"He carries the signs of the Heavenbreaker!"
"Blasphemy! The prophecy is a curse!"
"If he remains, Heaven will punish us all!"
The Grand Elder raised his hand. Silence fell.
"Let the Sect Master decide," he said.
But the Sect Master—**Mu Tianya**—had vanished half a year ago. Only his words remained: *"When the Heavenbreaker returns, the balance of realms shall tilt."*
Yang Lin, meanwhile, simply trained.
He ignored politics, ignored envy, ignored everything except the pulse of power that was beginning to stir within his core.
---
### **Chapter 180 — Confrontation of the Blue Peak**
That afternoon, Yang Lin climbed to the **Blue Peak**, where the most talented disciples trained.
The moment he stepped onto the jade platform, sword energy filled the sky.
Xu Qingyan waited there, her expression cold but restless.
"I didn't lose last time," she said. "You blocked one strike. That's not a victory."
Yang Lin smiled faintly. "Then try again."
Her sword howled. The peak trembled. Dozens of sword shadows filled the air like a storm of light.
But as they descended, Yang Lin moved only once — lifting his hand and pressing his palm forward.
*Boom!*
The sword storm shattered into harmless rain. The formation of the entire Blue Peak quivered. Xu Qingyan fell to one knee, panting, the ground beneath her cracked.
"Your sword," Yang Lin said calmly, "lacks purpose."
She glared at him. "And what's yours?"
Yang Lin's eyes drifted toward the sky.
"To break Heaven itself."
---
### **Chapter 181 — The Purple Heart**
Late that night, Ling Yue found him again, sitting atop the Moonstone Tower.
Her eyes were softer this time, uncertain.
"You keep saying things like that," she whispered. "Breaking Heaven… Do you even know what that means?"
Yang Lin chuckled quietly. "No one needs to *know* Heaven to defy it. They only need a reason."
"And yours?" she asked.
He looked down at his hand — the faint crack of divine energy pulsing beneath his skin.
"Because Heaven has already started watching me."
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, softly—
"Then I'll stay beside you, even if Heaven falls."
He turned slightly, meeting her eyes. For the first time in years, the emotion in his gaze flickered—not warmth, but something older, heavier, like memory.