Prologue

This was a realm of utter chaos, where time twisted and space lay shattered. There was no color, no sound—only a boundless, primordial confusion. It seemed minuscule, containing nothing but a haze of chaos. Yet it also felt immeasurably vast, for within the chaos lay infinite possibilities.

It existed, solitary and hidden, in a secretive void. Surrounding it were perilous currents of chaos and deadly spatial rifts, making discovery nigh impossible. Quietly, it grew and transformed, evolving slowly in a corner unknown to all...

Suddenly, a trace of color appeared within the chaos—a faint, almost imperceptible azure that brought a spark of vitality to this dim world. The blue grew brighter and brighter, as if a force had been building to its limit. With a soft pop, a tender blue sprout broke through the shackles of chaos and emerged.

The appearance of the blue sprout seemed to shatter an ancient balance. Where once there had been only timeless, colorless chaos, now life stirred, and the world began to evolve.

Time flowed on, bit by bit...

Across the endless starry sky, a single figure strode forward, each step traversing the void. In just a few strides, she stood before the turbulent currents and splintered rifts.

She was a young woman of striking beauty, adorned in resplendent attire, her features refined and delicate. Strangely, she appeared frail, as if a mere breeze could topple her. Yet the chaotic currents, brimming with magnetic particles and lashing wildly through the void, never so much as brushed her presence.

Facing the spatial rift, she raised a hand and gently brushed aside the surging chaos. As her palm's phantom shadow fell, a wisp of chaotic energy leaked out. She arched a brow in surprise. "The Azure Lotus of Chaos—it truly exists!"

Having confirmed the truth, joy flashed in her eyes, but quickly gave way to gravity. "Though this information was hard-won, I doubt I am the only one who knows... The Azure Lotus of Chaos—how could I possibly claim such a treasure for myself in peace? Or is this all a trap, laid by another?"

In the next instant, her expression changed. Forming a complex seal with her hands, layers of phantom images surged around her. With a single glance, one might feel as though falling into a dream.

Yet the dreamlike sensation lasted only a heartbeat. Suddenly, an overwhelming will descended, fierce as celestial fire. In a flash, flesh and soul alike seemed threatened with annihilation.

The young woman’s brows knit further, making her appear even more vulnerable, yet in that moment her body vanished. In her place swayed a fragrant herb, whose gentle motion blurred the line between dream and reality, dispersing the searing heat as if it had never existed.

All these exchanges happened in a breath, the matter decided in a flash.

The young woman withdrew, and before the spatial rift, an elegant man in red had appeared, holding a flaming fan. No one could tell exactly when he had arrived.

Upon seeing him, the woman’s heart sank, but her expression betrayed nothing. "So it's you. Lord Yansheng, what do you seek here?"

Lord Yansheng seemed the very essence of fire, a heat that flowed endlessly yet never consumed itself. He smiled. "Jiangli, let us not play games. Do you truly believe that only the two of us know about the Azure Lotus of Chaos?"

Jiangli arched a brow, waiting for him to finish.

Yansheng continued, "With such a treasure emerging, do you think the old monsters could sit still? We may have arrived a moment early, but in a few breaths, others will follow."

Jiangli pondered only briefly before responding forthrightly, "Then speak plainly. Time is short."

"Excellent!" Yansheng tapped his flaming fan against his hand. "Let’s join forces. You are of the spiritual herbs—naturally, you desire the lotus itself. I am a divine beast of fire; the lotus means little to me. What I seek is the chaos. Cooperation benefits us both."

"Agreed," Jiangli replied without hesitation, as if she had been waiting for his proposal. "What next—"

"Well, well," a gloomy voice interrupted, laced with mockery. "After ten thousand years, have you grown so naive?"

Both Jiangli and Yansheng frowned. A shadow appeared silently.

Clad in black ceremonial robes and a crown with hanging tassels, his face was hidden, but his sovereign aura could not be concealed.

"The King of Samsara..." Lord Yansheng intoned the words slowly.

The King of Samsara, adorned in his ceremonial crown, gave a cold humph. "What now, do you wish to cooperate with me as well?"

Jiangli and Yansheng fell silent. One was a spiritual herb, the other a divine beast of fire. Their aims did not conflict—one desired the lotus, the other the chaos—so alliance was natural. The King of Samsara was different. He cultivated the way of ghosts; the vital life force within the Azure Lotus was his true desire. That would make sharing difficult.

Yansheng maintained his smile, lightly tapping his fan. "Old ghost Samsara, do you truly intend to face both of us alone?" His tone brimmed with confidence.

In the mortal realm, there were barely a hundred ascendant cultivators, most trapped at the threshold of tribulation. Among the pinnacle, they had known each other for tens of thousands of years and were intimately familiar with each other's strength. For him to defeat the King of Samsara alone would be challenging. But for the King to take on both of them—impossible.

Yet the King replied, "Why should I face you alone? Are you so certain you can destroy me within a few breaths?"

As he finished, another powerful aura pressed down upon them, its edge so sharp it threatened to reduce all before it to dust.

Not far away stood a figure in purple robes, who had arrived unnoticed.

"Ziying..." Yansheng narrowed his eyes, mind racing. The King of Samsara, progenitor of the ghost path, and Lord Ziying, supreme in the sword, had both appeared. With these two present, he and Jiangli stood no chance of seizing the Azure Lotus quickly—nor of escaping unscathed. Worse, others would surely follow. And from the King's words, it seemed he intended to ally with Ziying.

"Well, isn't this lively!" Before Yansheng could settle his thoughts, another voice rang out. The black void split open, and a boyish monk, looking about fifteen or sixteen, slipped through the rift, rubbing his bald head and grinning. "You all got here fast—this monk nearly missed the party!"

"Wuchen!" Jiangli’s gaze swept over to Yansheng, knowing their nascent alliance was already doomed. With no chance to seize the initiative, what use was an alliance now?

Yansheng could only smile wryly. "Old monk, I thought you'd reincarnated again. What brings you here to join the fray?"

The boy monk, named Wuchen, patted his head. "There are parties one can skip, but this is not one of them. If I left you all alone, you'd try to pocket everything for yourselves!"

The reply was a cold, disdainful snort from the King of Samsara. "Wuchen, you do overestimate yourself."

"Isn't that so?" A clear, pleasant female voice responded, but it was not Jiangli. The crowd looked up and saw a man and woman approaching hand in hand. The man was handsome and elegant, the woman regal in high-coiled hair and tinkling ornaments. Both appeared to be in their late twenties, composed and noble—a pair of celestial companions.

They strolled forward, and in a few steps, stood before the assembly.

"Wuchen, there's still the matter from fifty thousand years ago. How do you intend to settle it?" the woman asked, half-smiling.

The little monk sealed his lips with one hand and tore open a rift with the other, vanishing inside.

The man smirked. "Did you think you could simply escape?" His right hand grasped at the void, tearing it apart piece by piece.

A cry rang out—Wuchen’s voice, though his form remained concealed.

The man made another slow gesture, but the tearing of space spread rapidly, stretching for miles in an instant.

Amid the fragments of the torn void, flashes of a monk’s robe appeared, but Wuchen always eluded capture.

"Come now, old Jian, must you be so hasty?" Wuchen’s voice floated out. "If you fight me now, won’t you just let the others profit?"

The man said nothing, nor did he halt. The woman only smiled sweetly, touching her finger to the air. An ancient, round mirror appeared, plain and palm-sized, its surface bright as the moon, set in an unadorned metal frame. Yet none present dared underestimate it.

The Bright Moon Heart Mirror—the spiritual treasure forged by Patriarch Chengjun himself! The very body of Lady Mingxin, Celestial Sovereign!

Yansheng could not help but glance at Ziying, who had remained silent and unmoving.

In the mortal realm, ascendant cultivators had their unique titles: male human cultivators were called True Lords, females Celestial Ladies; spiritual beasts and herbs who attained human form were Sovereign Lords; and the most extraordinary of all, the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, were Celestial Sovereigns. Thus, Yansheng was Sovereign Lord of the Bifang, Jiangli was Sovereign Lady of the Mayweed, while Mingxin and Ziying were incarnations of the supreme spiritual treasures—the Bright Moon Heart Mirror and the Ziying Sword, both forged by patriarchs of old.

Such artifacts were extraordinary. If Mingxin brought out the Bright Moon Heart Mirror, none present but Ziying could withstand her full attack. Only a fellow spiritual treasure could stand against her directly.

This act made clear that Mingxin intended to stand against Wuchen without compromise. Her companion, Jian Bufan, was a once-in-ten-millennia genius, rising to the pinnacle of the realm in only ten thousand years. With the added might of the Bright Moon Heart Mirror, if the two truly sought to destroy Wuchen, he would be hard pressed to escape.

Of course, ascendant cultivators were not so easily slain. Who among them had reached such heights without secret techniques for survival? Over the ages, they would split off strands of consciousness, ensuring that even if their soul was destroyed, rebirth was possible. Wuchen was especially notorious for his cunning. No one believed he lacked hidden means.

While Mingxin and Jian Bufan clashed with Wuchen, Ziying remained motionless. Yansheng glanced his way. "Ziying, won’t you intervene? Mingxin, after all, is your greatest rival among the spiritual treasures!"

Ziying was unmoved. "So you can reap the benefits while we fight? I think not."

"How dull," Yansheng sighed. He tapped his flaming fan, then abruptly vanished from before the rift.

Ziying twitched his gaze. A sword of violet mist struck as silently as a dream, slicing through Yansheng’s shielding aura and severing a fiery red sleeve.

Yansheng grunted, his form flickering as he retreated into the chaos. Jiangli seized the opportunity, following at once—her form shifting into a swaying herb before vanishing through the rift.

"So the game begins?" The King of Samsara tossed his jade scepter and followed in pursuit.

With this sudden flurry, Mingxin and Jian Bufan lost interest in settling old scores. Their eyes met; together, they followed Ziying into the chaos.

"Heh heh!" Wuchen’s figure reappeared, rubbing his bald head as he strolled toward the chaos. "Profiting from chaos—profiting from chaos indeed!"

Before he could finish, and before he could enter the chaos, he froze. A mocking voice rang in his ear. "Old monk, after all these years, you’re as sly as ever."

Wuchen paused, then laughed ruefully. "I should have known—you’d never miss out on a good thing like this."

"Sorry to disappoint you. In fact, I’ve been here all along."

Wuchen narrowed his eyes. "Huaisu, what are you plotting this time? Why stop me?"

"Naturally, for something good! Unless you’d rather fight me for the treasure before even seeing it?"

Wuchen hesitated, for he knew what others did not: in terms of cunning, she was his match. No one else would dare join forces with him.

"Miss this chance, and there won’t be another," a figure emerged nearby, voice growing clearer.

She wore pale robes and a feathered crown, her bearing elegant and refined. If not for her delicate features, she could have been mistaken for a man. This striking woman nodded and smiled. "Well?"

Wuchen’s mind raced, but in an instant he decided. He pursed his lips, saying, "And if we seize the treasure, what then? You’re not exactly known for keeping your word."

She laughed lightly, unconcerned. "Honor? At our age, who is so naive? With our cultivation, a vow of inner demon binds everything; without it, nothing holds. Best to let things flow as they will. Only three outcomes: you trick me and take the Azure Lotus, I trick you and claim it, or we split it fairly. Which will it be? We’ll see when the time comes!"

"Deal!" he replied—better to settle matters after than to squabble beforehand.

Huaisu smiled, revealing a scroll in her palm, and stepped into the chaos.

After Huaisu and Wuchen entered, more ascendant cultivators appeared, one after another, all stepping into the chaotic realm. The prelude to a battle that would shake the mortal world had begun.