I want to tread the heavens

Above the wellhead, the aftershocks of the complete collapse of the Earth-Defending Returning Origin Array had not yet subsided, and the suffocating pressure of the Demon General remained as tangible as a physical substance. Yet, in this despairing silence, the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle let out a resolute roar.

"Buzz—Boom!!"

The eerie blue tail flames were no longer tentative flickers, but a completely violent outburst! The water in the icy pool evaporated instantly, and the rubble at the bottom of the well melted into a glassy state under the intense heat. This ancient shuttle, dormant for three hundred years, was like a ferocious beast awakened, carrying the violent power of Ling Xiao's recent breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage and the still-boiling killing intent in his bloodline. It suddenly broke free from the last trace of spatial confinement and soared fiercely into the sky from the well opening!

The shuttle trembled violently, its old outer shell groaning under the strain of high-speed friction and the aftershocks of demonic energy, yet it stubbornly tore through the air, piercing straight towards the rift in the sky that had been forcibly ripped open by the demons and was not yet closed.

Inside the cockpit, Ling Xiao was pressed firmly into the pilot's seat by the immense G-force, a purplish-gold bloodstain at the corner of his mouth—the price for forcibly controlling the "Devouring Heaven and Annihilating Palm" backlash. But his eyes, having just undergone bloodline awakening and shed all childishness, now shone with a terrifying light, devoid of any panic, only an almost cold focus. His hands gripped the control stick like iron clamps, the power of meteors and the remaining Devouring Heaven power dangerously balanced within his meridians, precisely inputting every minor adjustment command.

The creature gripped the metal bracket next to the passenger seat with its four claws, producing a screeching sound. Its silvery sheen flickered, but the message it conveyed was exceptionally clear: "Fly! High! Bedbug... shake it off!"

The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle soared into the clouds, and the scene of the old land below instantly unfolded, only to shrink rapidly again.

Ling Xiao subconsciously turned his head and looked down through the small, reinforced glass porthole covered with tiny cracks.

The familiar courtyard of the Guo family was now just a black dot in the scorched earth, its outline almost indistinguishable. But at the edge of that scorched earth, several figures were clearly imprinted in his vision—

Uncle Rong, leaning on his broken sword, knelt on the ground, covered in blood. In that instant, as if by telepathy, he suddenly raised his head. His usually stern and rigid face, crisscrossed with blood, blossomed into a faint yet incredibly pure and utterly content smile. There was no sorrow of parting, only the pride of a fledgling eagle finally soaring and the serenity of having no regrets in this life. His lips moved slightly, and even from ten thousand meters above, Ling Xiao understood the two silent words: "Go."

A little further away, Guo Yun, supported by her nanny, had a broken phoenix-headed cane and disheveled white hair, but she still tried her best to straighten her spine and waved vigorously towards the sky, a final farewell and blessing.

Further out, a small, chubby figure stumbled and broke through the servants' obstruction, rushing up the hillside. It was Guo Xiaohu. His face was streaked with tears and snot, and he waved his chubby arms at the ever-shrinking point of light in the sky, shouting something with his mouth wide open, crying his heart out, yet clumsily trying to remember the trajectory of the receding light.

Ling Xiao's heart clenched suddenly, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and a surge of bitterness and heat rushed to his eyes.

That was the old land where he had lived for seven years. There was humiliation and indifference, but there was also the smoke from the chimney of the small courtyard, Uncle Rong's silent protection, Fa Cai's mischievous antics, Xiao Hu's silly smile, and Guo Yun's secret protection... These ordinary and even somewhat rough details were the entire foundation of him as "Ling Xiao of the Old Land".

But now, that one is broken.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed the overwhelming heat that threatened to spill from his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with a deep, calm stillness, like a stagnant pool reflecting the bizarre and chaotic void outside the window. The impulsiveness and weakness of his youth were forever left on that burning earth.

Farewell, old land.

He murmured to himself, his voice hoarse, yet filled with an unwavering resolve. It was no longer a child's longing for his hometown, but a seeker's severing of ties with the past.

The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle plunged into the rift in the sky, completely breaking away from the old earth realm.

A violent spatial turbulence struck instantly, tossing the shuttle around like a small boat in a raging storm. On the monitoring array, the coordinates representing the Old Land rapidly dimmed and receded, until they completely disappeared into the chaotic void. In its place, the red pointer on the Starfall Compass trembled as it pointed towards the unknown depths of darkness—the direction of the Xunfeng Minor Realm.

The alarm blared, and although the fire in the damaged engine on the left was extinguished by Fa Cai, the power output had dropped to 30%, and the light of the Star Stone in the energy core had dimmed considerably.

Without pausing, Ling Xiao endured the burning pain in his meridians, skillfully switching to the backup energy circuit, correcting his course, and dodging an oncoming surge of void energy. Every movement was precise and efficient, revealing a maturity beyond his years.

Fa Cai swayed as he climbed back to the passenger seat, shook his slightly dizzy head, looked at Ling Xiao's cold profile, nudged his arm with his nose, conveying a hint of flattery and concern: "Hungry... but even more afraid... of falling. Ling Xiao... don't cry... I'm here."

Ling Xiao's tightly clenched lips curved almost imperceptibly as he raised his hand to rub Fa Cai's fluffy head. The feel was the same, but his state of mind was different.

"Yes, with you." He responded softly, his gaze never leaving the vast, boundless, and perilous sea of ​​stars ahead. "From now on, we'll have to rely on ourselves."

The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle adjusted its posture, trailing a slightly disheveled flame tail, yet resolutely entered the vast void. Outside the cabin, the faint light of the old earth had faded, but the star trail in the boy's heart had just been lit.

He took out the blood-written cloth with the character "活" (live) engraved on it, still warm from his body, gently stroked it, and then carefully put it away. It was not only a promise to his father, but also an inextinguishable lamp in his heart for his future path.

The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle was like a speck of dust, floating and sinking in the chaotic and turbulent void.

The view outside was no longer the familiar sky of their homeland, but rather distorted bands of light, shattered meteorites, and a silent, raging energy storm. Each jolt felt like being violently tossed about by an invisible giant hand, the metal frame groaning in pain. Inside the shuttle, red lights flickered; although the damaged left engine had been forcibly shut down, the unbalanced thrust still made the course difficult to control.

Ling Xiao gripped the joystick tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Within his meridians, the power of his recent breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage was still churning. The backlash from the Devouring Heaven Bloodline and the restorative power of the Star Origin were like two clashing torrents, pulling at his body and causing dull pain. But his eyes remained calm, fixed on the bizarre, surreal void before him. Every evasive maneuver was precise, almost instinctive—it was the battlefield intuition that Uncle Rong had crammed into him over seven days, completely ingrained in his bones through life-or-death experiences.

After an unknown amount of time, the violent tremors finally subsided slightly. The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle seemed to have broken through a particularly dangerous turbulent zone; although the surrounding area was still dark and empty, it had become relatively stable.

Ling Xiao slowly let out a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his palms had been dug into by his fingernails, leaving deep bloody marks. He turned his head to look at the passenger seat.

Fa Cai was no longer the majestic silver war beast it once was, but had shrunk back to the size of an ordinary gray wolf, curled up in a ball of fur, fast asleep. Its breathing was even but slightly heavy, and its silver-gray fur was still stained with some scabs and scorch marks. Occasionally, its legs would twitch involuntarily, as if it were still running and fighting in its dreams. A faint, unconscious thought drifted toward Ling Xiao: "Tired... bug... bite me to death... Ling Xiao... here..."

Looking at the unguarded sleeping face, the cold, hard shell in Ling Xiao's eyes finally melted a little. He reached out and gently brushed his fingertips over a scratch behind Fa Cai's ear, his movements so gentle, a stark contrast to the cold, hard demeanor he had displayed while piloting the Star Shuttle.

Ling Xiao withdrew his hand and took out two items from his body.

In her left hand was the blood-stained letter, now yellowed and stiff. Her father, Ling Zhan's, wild handwriting, especially the powerful "活" (live) character, still carried a scorching heat under the dim cabin light. In her right hand was the complete Star Key jade pendant, its warm, clear light flowing, as if reflecting her mother, Su Yingxue's, cool yet gentle eyes.

The battles on the old ground, Uncle Rong's bloodied figure, Guo Yun's resolute wave of the hand, Xiao Hu's tear-streaked face... all these scenes surged in my mind, finally settling on Uncle Rong's relieved smile as he looked up at the sky.

A wet tear, without warning, slid down from the corner of her eye, landing on the edge of the blood-written letter and blurring the image slightly.

Ling Xiao didn't wipe it away, letting the salty taste stream down his cheek. This wasn't weakness, but a final farewell. He carefully folded the blood-written letter, put the jade pendant back close to his body, and then, with the back of his hand, heavily wiped the corner of his eye.

When he looked up again, the moisture had dried, and deep in his eyes was a steadfastness deeper than the starry sea.

"Uncle Rong, take care." He murmured to himself, his voice silent yet heavy as a thousand pounds, "I will live, and live better than anyone else."

He turned his head to look at the sleeping Fa Cai, a faint but genuine smile curving his lips: "Fa Cai, from now on it's just the two of us. The road ahead is long, you'd better eat less, or we won't have enough food to store."

Fa Cai, seemingly hearing this in its sleep, let out a dissatisfied "humph" through its nose and unconsciously flicked the tip of its tail.

Ling Xiao's gaze passed over Fa Cai and fell upon the dark porthole, as if piercing through the endless void to see the Zi Qiong Star Region, which he had never seen before.

"Father, Mother... I'm setting off."

"I will walk this road with Fa Cai to the very end I can find."

Just then, the red pointer of the meteor compass fixed on the dial, which had been trembling slightly, suddenly stabilized and pointed to a specific direction. On the dial, a tiny point of light, which had been dim and represented a distant galaxy, lit up, faint yet persistent and clear.

That was the first stop in the guide, the closest possible coordinate on their flight path after they escaped the turbulence.

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, pushed the control stick, adjusted the course, and steadily aimed the remaining power of the Breaking Boundary Shuttle at that faint light.

With a slight jolt, the shuttle obediently cut through the darkness and headed towards the unknown.

Outside the window, the gray outline of the old earth had long since disappeared behind the chaotic barrier, no longer visible in a ray of light. Everything there—joy and sorrow, grudges and gratitude, protection and sacrifice—had become the foundation stones he carried on his back, heavy on his heart, yet also lifting him forward.

And ahead, at the end of the compass needle, the vast and boundless true sea of ​​stars is slowly unfolding its magnificent and mysterious scroll. Billions of stars twinkle silently in the darkness, some bright, some dim, outlining unknown territories, unpredictable dangers, and... the infinite distance.

The faint light of the old land has been extinguished behind us.

And the vastness of the starry sea unfolds majestically before our eyes.