The golden hand stopped in the air and turned into a big black hole.The black hole sucked the silver ship inside very fast, moving it away from the stars. Everything turned into a quiet white room with no walls.Lin Feng stood on the front deck, his boots staying very still on the wood. His hand held his gold scepter tightly, his eyes turning into two sharp golden circles."The air is completely gone, Lin Feng," Lanying said, her voice sounding like a tiny bell inside his head. Her silver robes were glowing with a bright star shield."The ship cannot find the front gate anymore," Princess Xuan'er said, her blue hair floating in the quiet air like water under ice."We are standing inside the Mind-Box of the old world," Lin Feng said straight. His baritone voice was flat, plain, and colder than ice."Who made this big white room?" Mistress Yue-Mei asked, her black gown staying very still against the floor boards."The grand master of the deep sky," Lin Feng said.Suddenly, a giant wood

The sapphire star did not burn with the wild, chaotic fury of a terrestrial sun. It revolved in slow, deliberate majesty, casting a cool, cerulean daylight across the three concentric rings of floating palaces, terraced gardens, and crystalline bridges that formed the heart of the High Domain.Down within the middle ring, where the trade vessels of the celestial aristocracy usually docked in orderly lines, the arrival of the silver ship caused no panic, no sirens, and no deployment of armored legions. In the Upper Realm, violence was considered a vulgarity reserved for the lower worlds. Here, control was maintained through the quiet, suffocating perfection of absolute administration.The silver vessel drifted into the Berth of Harmonious Measures. As the hull settled against the mooring pilings of petrified white cedar, four hundred heralds draped in seamless gray silk bowed their heads in synchronized deference, their long ivory tablets tucked neatly into their sleeves. To them, ever

The giant gates in the high sky opened up at last. The clean water and stolen life energy began to flow back down to the mortal earth.On the high stone dock, the old master Sima Zhi stood near Lin Feng's silver ship. He looked at the falling streams with calm, quiet eyes."The high city will not shine like gold anymore, Lin Feng," Sima Zhi said softly. "Our bright lights will fade without the stolen energy.""A house does not need stolen lamps to stand strong," Lin Feng answered plainly. "The sky took what belonged to the earth. Now the debt is paid."Princess Xuan’er walked up the wooden ramp of the ship, holding three rolled letters in her hands. Her blue hair moved gently in the fresh breeze."The trade paths are completely open, Lin Feng," Xuan'er said with a bright smile. "The ships in my home province can sail freely again. No one will take their life away."Mistress Yue-Mei smiled as she leaned against the ship’s railing, her dark silk dress moving with the wind."The nine lor

The small pear seedling stood straight in the center of the dark, rich soil, its four bright green leaves catching the warm afternoon sunlight.Nina knelt on the damp grass, her tiny hands patting the soft earth around the stem with earnest care. She smoothed the dirt flat, looking up at Lin Feng with wide, questioning eyes to make sure she had done it right."Like this, Daddy?" she asked, her voice light and clear. "Will the baby tree be warm now?"Lin Feng knelt beside her, his large fingers gently guiding her hands to leave a small hollow near the base so the water would not run away."It is very warm, Nina," Lin Feng said softly. "When the roots have good soil and quiet space, they grow deep into the ground. Even when the winter wind blows hard, a tree with deep roots will never fall."Uncle Lu stepped forward with a wooden ladle, dipping it into the bucket of fresh well water. He handed the handle to Nina, helping her small fingers hold the weight as she tilted the cool, clear wa

The basalt hull of the Tortoise of the Deep moved through the gray water like a shadow slipping over ice.But to their surprise, there was no sound of waves lapping against the sides. The sea had no tide, no currents, and no wind to stir its surface. It lay flat and wide under a pale, sunless sky, stretching out into the horizon until water and air melted into the same motionless mist.On the flat stone deck, the living roots of the iron-cypress tree pulsed with a gentle, pale-green light. Small white flowers dotted the dark wood, giving off a clean, sweet fragrance of spring earth that kept the heavy, lifeless damp of the ocean at bay.Nina sat on a thick wool blanket near the center of the deck, her little boots tucked under her knees. In her lap lay the white ash rattle, quiet for now. She leaned over the smooth wooden rail, her chin resting on her forearms, watching the gray water slide beneath the ship."Daddy," Nina called softly, her voice small against the immense emptiness.L