I want to tread the heavens

The thunderstorm subsided before dawn, leaving only damp patches on the ground and a chilly, damp air. The mess and signs of a struggle in the courtyard were, with astonishing perseverance, barely managed to clean up and cover up by Uncle Rong and Fa Cai, who had struggled to his feet, before daybreak. Torn window paper was temporarily patched with oilcloth, the shattered remains of a wooden cabinet were stuffed into the stove, and the suspicious ashes and bloodstains on the ground were repeatedly wiped away with a damp cloth until nothing seemed amiss.

But some traces cannot be concealed.

Uncle Rong leaned against the newly erected wooden bed, his face ashen. Each breath was hoarse, like a broken bellows. His clothes were soaked with purplish-black blood, which had dried and hardened into lumps. On his left arm, where the Yin energy of the Soul Puppet had corrupted his skin, the skin had turned an ominous bluish-black, with wisps of black energy moving beneath his skin like living things. Last night's forced exertion of his essence and blood to fight the demon had worsened his already collapsing body, bringing him to the brink of exhaustion.

Ling Xiao remained unconscious, but his high fever had subsided somewhat, and his breathing, though weak, had become more steady. Fa Cai lay beside him, his back bearing several scorch marks from where the Soul Puppet's gray shadow had grazed him. His fur was curly, and he appeared somewhat listless, but his amber eyes were more alert than ever before, constantly watching for any movement inside or outside the house.

The oppressive silence was broken by a very slight, yet rhythmic knocking on the door.

Three long notes, one short note, repeated twice. This was the secret code used by Guo Yun's trusted nanny.

Uncle Rong's cloudy eyes snapped open, a sharp glint in them. He moved his fingers with difficulty. Fa Cai immediately got up, silently slipped behind the door, listened intently for a moment, and only after confirming that there was only a faint breathing sound did he pry open the latch with his nose.

The door opened a crack, and the old woman slipped in, quickly closing the door behind her. She glanced at the devastation inside, a flicker of pity crossing her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and whispered to Uncle Rong, "The old lady requests that Steward Guo Rong and Young Master Ling Xiao come to the study immediately for a discussion. If Young Master Ling Xiao is unable to come, you can convey her message, but the old lady says... there are some things that need to be said in person."

Uncle Rong was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Wait a moment."

He struggled to sit up, each movement aggravating his injuries, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He walked to the bedside, looked at the unconscious Ling Xiao, a flicker of struggle crossing his eyes, but finally leaned down and whispered in Ling Xiao's ear in a low voice only the two of them could hear, "Xiao'er... wake up... it's time to go..."

Perhaps it was a deep-seated connection, or perhaps it was a strong survival instinct, but Ling Xiao's eyelashes trembled a few times, and he actually slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was initially unfocused and blank, but it quickly sharpened as he saw Uncle Rong's horrific state and the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Uncle Rong...you..." He tried to sit up, but this triggered a violent cough and excruciating pain throughout his body.

"Don't move, listen to me." Uncle Rong held him down and quickly explained the old woman's purpose and the urgent situation that required a decision after last night's monster attack. His voice was hoarse but clear. "Guo Yun wants to see us; it might be our last chance. Can we go?"

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, suppressing the metallic taste in his throat and the dizziness. His eyes regained their sharpness and determination, like the edge of a tempered blade: "Yes."

Supported by the nanny and with the help of Uncle Rong, Ling Xiao was half-carried and half-supported, wrapped in a large cloak to cover his bandages and pale face, and quietly left the courtyard. Fa Cai wanted to follow, but was stopped by Uncle Rong's stern gaze, and could only pace anxiously inside the house. Finally, he climbed out of the back window and followed from a distance, discreetly.

The Guo family's inner courtyard was exceptionally quiet in the early morning, washed clean by a night of torrential rain. They encountered several early-rising servants on the way, but the matrons had already turned them away. They took the most secluded path and soon arrived at the back gate of Guo Yun's secluded courtyard.

Inside the study, the doors and windows were tightly shut, the curtains hung low, and only a palace lantern cast a soft glow. Guo Yun had dismissed everyone and sat alone behind the large sandalwood desk. Today, she was not dressed in finery, but only in a dark blue casual robe. Her gray hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, and her face bore an undisguised weariness. However, her eyes, in the dim light, were as sharp as ever, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

She looked at Ling Xiao, who was being helped in and could barely stand, and Uncle Rong, who could only stand upright by leaning against the door frame, his breath faint but his spine still straight. A complex look flashed in her eyes, which eventually turned into a heavy calm.

"Sit down." She pointed to two cushioned chairs in front of the desk.

The old woman helped Ling Xiao sit down, and Uncle Rong also slowly sat down. Every movement aggravated his injuries, but his expression remained unchanged.

"I am already aware of what happened last night." Guo Yun got straight to the point, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable weight. "The demonic traces have reappeared, pointing directly to this place. Guo Dahai's lineage also harbors deep hatred for you because of the Grand Competition, and has been making frequent moves in secret. The Guo family, you can no longer stay here. In fact... even your old homeland may not be a safe haven."

Ling Xiao and Uncle Rong remained silent, neither denying it. The facts were undeniable.

Guo Yun's gaze fell on Ling Xiao's face, as if trying to see through his pale, sickly appearance to the secrets deep within his bloodline: "Ling Xiao, the punch you used to injure Guo Xiaoyue last time didn't unleash ordinary lightning power. Guo Rong, the technique you used to kill the demon last night was definitely not an Old Earth martial art. You are not from the Old Earth, are you?"

Uncle Rong's hands, resting on his knees, tightened almost imperceptibly. Ling Xiao raised his head to meet Guo Yun's gaze without flinching: "Third Elder has discerning eyes. We... are indeed from outside."

"Purple Star Domain? Heavenly Palace?" Guo Yun slowly uttered the two words, her eyes blazing.

Ling Xiao was shocked, and Uncle Rong also looked up abruptly, his eyes flashing with shock and murderous intent.

"No need to be nervous." Guo Yun waved her hand, a bitter and reminiscent look on her face. "Three hundred years ago, the Guo family was just an insignificant body-refining clan in the old land. Our ancestor fell into an underground fissure during an earthquake and landslide, barely surviving. There, he encountered a mysterious cultivator who was also seriously injured and had fallen from the sky."

She paused, a strange light flashing in her eyes: "That senior claimed to be from the 'Purple Jade Starfield,' but his Daoist name is now lost to history. He was severely injured, his Daoist foundation on the verge of collapse, yet he still used immense supernatural powers to remove the Earthly Fiend Poison from our ancestor's body, leaving behind half a scroll of foundational cultivation techniques and several protective items to help the Guo family establish themselves here. Before leaving, he said that if any fellow 'Starfield' members, wearing the 'Key of Star and Moon,' were to come here in distress, he hoped that the descendants of the Guo family would remember the karma of this day and protect them, thus forming a good karmic bond. This instruction is recorded in the family genealogy and passed down orally from generation to generation, known only to the successive patriarchs and the three elders."

She looked at Ling Xiao's neck, which was half-hidden by his clothes, but the outline of a jade pendant was vaguely visible: "Although I haven't seen the whole thing around your neck, the aura it occasionally exudes is quite similar to the 'Star Key' described in the family genealogy as 'warm and gentle like the moon, containing starlight.' And the lightning power you finally unleashed is also vaguely mentioned in the fragments of the family genealogy, related to a certain emperor of the Heavenly Palace who is known for his lightning."

Ling Xiao and Uncle Rong exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and disbelief in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected that the Guo family and the Starfall Clan had such a connection! This explained why Guo Yun had shown them unusual attention and tolerance from the very beginning.

"So, the Third Elder took us in because of ancestral precepts?" Ling Xiao's voice was hoarse.

"At first, yes," Guo Yun said frankly. "But later, after observing you for a long time, I realized that your resilient character and Uncle Rong's loyalty and integrity showed you were not wicked. So I thought I'd go with the flow and forge a good relationship. But I never expected..." She sighed, "Your origins are far greater than I imagined, and the troubles involved far exceed what the Guo family can handle. The Demon Clan... they are terrifying beings that all the realms fear."

"If that's the case, did the Third Elder summon us here today to hand us over in order to protect the Guo family?" Uncle Rong's voice was hoarse, but there was no fear in his eyes, only a cold understanding.

Guo Yun looked at him, then suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with a sense of vicissitude and resolve: "If you wanted to hand you over, the best time would have been after the demonic attack last night. Why would I wait until now, and why would I bother telling you these old stories?"

She slowly stood up, walked to an inconspicuous bookshelf beside the desk, moved a few scrolls of bamboo slips aside, revealing a recess in the wall behind it. She took out the Yang Pendant from her bosom, the one that had resonated with Ling Xiao's jade pendant, and gently placed it into the recess.

With a soft "click," the wall silently slid open to both sides, revealing a deep, downward-sloping stone staircase, just wide enough for one person to pass through. A pure, gentle, yet ancient and weathered spiritual energy emanated faintly from the depths of the staircase.

"This is..." Ling Xiao felt the warm resonance emanating from the jade pendant around his neck, and his heart stirred.

"The entrance to a hidden branch of the core of the Guo family's spiritual vein." Guo Yun turned around, looking at them intently. "It's also the place where that senior from the Star Domain recuperated and ultimately... passed away. Before he died, he used his last strength to set up an array deep within the spiritual vein, combining it with a naturally formed 'earth aperture,' and left a will stating that it might lead to the outside world of the Star Domain, or that there might be something he left behind, waiting for someone with the right destiny. However, the array requires a 'Star Key' and specific conditions to activate, and the internal situation is unknown and fraught with danger. For three hundred years, generations of Guo family ancestors have tried to explore it many times, all to no avail, even losing several skilled individuals. Over time, it was designated a forbidden area and sealed away here."

She looked at Ling Xiao and said, word by word, "Ling Xiao, this may be your, and the Guo family's, only way out and opportunity right now. If you can find a way to leave the old land or gain enough power to protect yourselves, then leave quickly. If not... at least, it's the core of the Guo family's spiritual vein, protected by an array, much safer than the outside world. Perhaps you can temporarily escape the pursuit of the demons and internal enemies, buying you time to recover and grow."

"Why help us to this extent?" Ling Xiao asked, puzzled. "This has gone beyond the scope of the ancestral teachings' 'protection,' and may even bring annihilation to the Guo family." He knew that once they hid in the core of the spiritual vein, Guo Dahai and the demons would not let it go, and the Guo family would inevitably be implicated.

Guo Yun's gaze fell upon the brightening sky outside the window, her voice low and resolute: "Because the Guo family has reached a point where change is imperative. Guo Dahai's lineage colludes with external forces, eliminating dissidents. If this continues, the Guo family will inevitably perish from internal strife or the clutches of evil. As the Third Elder, I cannot stand idly by and watch our ancestral legacy crumble. My assistance serves two purposes: first, to fulfill our ancestral teachings and settle our karmic debts; second, to place a bet on you, Ling Xiao, that you are no ordinary person, and that if you achieve something in the future, you will remember the kindness shown to you today and offer some assistance to the Guo family; third..."

She paused, a sharp glint in her eyes: "...We also need to use your situation to force out those demons and monsters, and clean house! I will make arrangements in secret. If the demons or Guo Dahai dare to attack the Guo family because of you, then that will be perfect; we'll have a legitimate reason to eliminate internal troubles!"

Uncle Rong looked intently at Guo Yun, this woman who appeared frail but possessed astonishing courage. She was taking a risk, but it was the only possible way to break the deadlock. She had staked the future of the Guo family on Ling Xiao.

"What do you need us to do?" Ling Xiao took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

"First, recover from your injuries and regain your mobility as soon as possible. Although this place is secluded, it can't be hidden for long. At most three days. At midnight three days from now, I will open the entrance and send you in. Second," Guo Yun's gaze was solemn, "once you're inside, everything will be up to you. I know nothing about what it's like inside, what dangers it holds. There might be opportunities, but it's more likely to be a dead end. You need to be mentally prepared. Third, if you really find a way out, you need to do one thing for me before you leave."

"What is it?"

"If possible, destroy or shut down the spatial nodes or teleportation arrays connecting the interior to the outside world," Guo Yun said in a deep voice. "That senior fell in with serious injuries back then, and the spatial passage is not stable. If it is left, it will eventually become a hidden danger. Moreover, I also need to give an explanation to the clan—the passage has been destroyed, and your whereabouts are unknown, and your fate is uncertain. Only then can this matter be completely resolved and the subsequent turmoil be quelled."

Ling Xiao and Uncle Rong exchanged glances, both seeing resolve in each other's eyes. This was the best option at the moment, perhaps even the only chance of survival in this desperate situation.

"Alright." Ling Xiao nodded emphatically, his face paler from the exertion aggravating his injuries, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness. "Three days is enough. Thank you for your kindness, Third Elder!"

"No need to thank me." Guo Yun shook her head, took out two jade bottles from the desk drawer, and handed them to Uncle Rong. "These are two 'Blood Marrow Pills.' They are potent, but can stimulate potential and repair some serious injuries in a short time. The price is damage to one's foundation. Do not take them unless absolutely necessary. Also, for the next three days, you will stay here in this secluded room to recuperate. I will announce to the outside world that Ling Xiao's injuries have worsened and he needs to rest in seclusion, without seeing anyone. I will have my trusted confidants bring him food and medicine."

She pointed to a side door behind the bookshelf, next to a deep stone staircase, which was covered by a curtain. Inside was a simple room with a faint spiritual aura.

Uncle Rong accepted the pills, carefully put them away, helped Ling Xiao to his feet, and bowed deeply to Guo Yun. This time, it was a gesture of heartfelt respect.

"I will come again at midnight three days from now." Guo Yun waved her hand, signaling the nanny to help them into the quiet room. "Remember, time is short. Hurry up."

The stone door to the quiet room slowly closed, isolating it from the outside world.

Inside the study, Guo Yun stood alone by the window, gazing at the pale dawn breaking in the east. She stroked the warm, smooth jade pendant in her hand, and after a long while, murmured to herself:

"Ancestor, the karma you left behind, your descendants have now repaid. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, life or death, depends on the will of Heaven, and also on... the fate of that child himself."

The first rays of dawn illuminated the white hair at her temples and the unwavering determination in her eyes.

A high-stakes gamble concerning life and death, and the rise and fall of a family, has already begun.