The moment Lin Ye pierced through the outer layer of writhing flesh, the physical world vanished entirely. He was swept away—plunged straight into the collective mental dimension shared by hundreds of souls trapped within the so-called “Valley’s Heart”. There was no up, no down, no horizon here—only a churning, endless sea of deep crimson, where faces rose and fell like debris in a storm, appearing and sinking again at random. Eyes wide with terror, mouths open in silent cries, each one carried the imprint of their final moments. All their suffering flooded into Lin Ye’s awareness at once, crashing through him like a dam-burst flood. The crushing loneliness of being cast aside. The sting of betrayal by those meant to protect them. The sharp, endless pain of procedures without end. He dropped to his knees upon the surface of this mental sea, gasping for breath that would not come. The sheer weight of it was enough to shatter the mind of any ordinary cultivator in an in

The sky above the Hidden Dragon Valley tore open—not in metaphor, but in reality. A jagged, violet-tinged rift split the heavens, pulsing with light that did not belong to this world. Descending from within it came a figure floating with terrifying grace, his black robes billowing in a wind that did not touch the earth below. His presence pressed down over the valley like a vast, heavy weight, thick as lead and cold as the void between stars. Valerius. He touched down gently in the centre of the clan’s main plaza, where cracked jade and fallen pillars lay scattered. His expression was calm, almost serene, yet his eyes burned with a terrifying, unblinking intensity. He was not alone. Behind him drifted dozens of high-rank Hollow Ones—twisted, silent, abominations of shadow and flesh. And at his right hand stood Julian and Viper, their forms altered beyond recognition, more like puppets stitched together from grafted Void-flesh than living people; their e

The emergency medical bay aboard The Iron Wing reeked of sharp antiseptic mingled with the acrid scent of scorched metal. Lin Ye lay stretched upon a makeshift operating table, his chest rising and falling with heavy, laboured rhythm—each breath an effort. The gash through his left shoulder had been bound cleanly by Elara’s steady hands, but the true harm ran far deeper: internal ravaging left behind by Valerius’s Void energy, a corruption that would not simply heal. His blood still ran dark, near-black, proof that corrosive residue from beyond the veil continued to course through his meridians, eating away at his spiritual foundations. In the far corner, Ratna sat perched on a folding stool, watching him—her gaze clear, alert, yet utterly empty of recognition. To her, he was not the person she had shared everything with. He was Subject Alpha: the mysterious man tied to the shattered relic, the one who wielded terrifying gravity-bending power, a stranger who somehow drew her in witho

They touched down at the bottom of a silent, remote glacial valley, far from any regular airship route. The wind here was not merely cold — it carried shards of ice-magic sharp as glass, stinging skin and lungs with every gust. Drawing breath felt like swallowing sawdust. Lin Ye, Goran, Elara, Krog, and Ratna wore heavy thermal garments lined with heat-amplifying sigils crafted by Old Rat; they radiated gentle warmth, yet still could not fully hold back the bone-deep chill. Rising before them, piercing the clouds, stood a colossal structure built from transparent blue ice clear as diamond. This was the Ancient Ice Fortress — a remnant of a civilization lost even before the Lin Clan was founded. Its walls were smooth, seamless, reflecting pale sunlight in swirling patterns that were as mesmerising as they were unsettling. “There is no ordinary way in,” Elara said, running her scanner along the freezing surface. “No lock, no hinge. This is not a door — it

The Ice Heart Chamber transformed instantly into a chaotic arena of death. Valerius, wielding his full might as a semi-divine entity, unleashed wave after wave of biting cold energy that froze the very air in its wake. Spears of ice materialised from the moisture of their breath, spinning like shrapnel and lancing toward them from every direction. Goran braced his great shield, absorbing blow after shattering blow. “He is too strong! Physical attacks won’t touch him!” he shouted over the howling wind. Elara tried to strike from the shadows — but Valerius’s spiritual perception covered every corner of the room. He simply swept his hand through the air, and a shockwave blasted her out of concealment, hurling her hard against the wall. Krog charged, axe raised high, striving to draw Valerius’s fire. But Valerius merely glanced at him, curled a finger — and Krog’s feet locked fast to the floor, frozen solid in place. The giant beast strained