Chapter 4 — The Fallen Star
The night was torn by silence and smoke.
The forest, once tranquil, now lay splintered — trees uprooted, stones melted, air trembling from residual spiritual force.
Lin Xian's boots sank into scorched soil as he descended into the crater, his white hair flowing like drifting mist behind him.
The world still buzzed faintly with power — too pure, too violent.
Something divine had fallen here.
In the middle of the crater, partly sunk in glowing ash, there was a golden egg.
The egg's shell glowed with a light that beat like a heart. Strange, burning symbols flowed over it, and every time they flashed, they drained the energy from the surroundings.
The very ground groaned under the weight of its power.
---
The Egg of Radiance
Lin Xian's brows drew tight.
> "This aura… not mortal, not even celestial. What in the heavens are you?"
He knelt slowly, extending his spiritual sense toward it.
The instant his qi brushed the surface—
BOOM.
A wave of golden light exploded outward. Trees disintegrated. Rocks cracked open.
Lin Xian was forced back several steps, his robes whipping violently around him.
He bit down hard, forming seals in rapid succession, runes flashing at his fingertips to stabilize the runaway energy.
> "Tch… damn this little thing," he muttered through clenched teeth. "So small, but the aura is monstrous and aggressive!"
The egg's power lashed out like a storm, tendrils of divine qi writhing through the air. Each pulse made the crater tremble harder.
He poured more qi into his seals — one, then two layers shattered instantly under the pressure.
Sweat beaded down his forehead.
> "Hah… stubborn, aren't you…"
The air shimmered as his calm eyes began to glow faintly — golden lines unfurling within his irises.
The God's Eye awakened.
From his gaze surged a formless, oppressive aura — ancient and commanding, enough to make even divine energy recoil.
The light around the egg trembled, then slowed, its violent heartbeat beginning to steady.
He pressed his palm forward, channeling both his qi and sight together.
> "Calm. Or I'll seal you for a century."
The golden runes flickered wildly — then, at last, dimmed.
The crater fell silent again, only the faint crackle of energy lingering in the air.
Lin Xian exhaled, lowering his hand. His chest rose and fell slowly, his breathing shallow but composed.
> "To think I had to use that just to calm an unborn creature… what kind of beast are you?"
But even as he spoke, a faint sound answered him.
A crack.
---
The Hatchling
Hairline fractures spread across the egg's surface. Golden light shines through the cracks, searing the air with divine heat.
The runes that once moved like rivers now spiraled inward, converging to a single point—then burst apart in a radiant flash.
Lin Xian instinctively raised a hand to block his eyes as a shockwave of qi rolled past him.
When the light faded, his gaze fell to what remained at the crater's heart.
Not a dragon.
Not a phoenix.
Not a beast of thunder and fury.
A kitten.
Small. Fluffy. Its fur shimmered like liquid gold, tail twitching weakly.
It blinked open a pair of round, star-like eyes, staring directly at him.
> "..."
Lin Xian's expression twitched. "Heaven… you must be kidding me."
The kitten tilted its head, gave a curious "mew," and then sneezed — a puff of lightning fizzed out from its nose and singed a nearby rock.
> "So fierce," Lin Xian said flatly, brushing ash from his shoulder. "Tch. With an aura like that, you could probably terrify a spirit beast."
The little creature tottered forward, paws wobbling, and tripped into his lap. Then, without hesitation, it bit his finger.
A drop of blood fell onto its forehead — and instantly evaporated, forming a glowing rune that sank into its fur.
A tremor ran through Lin Xian's soul.
> "An Origin Contract…" he murmured, feeling the link form within him. A faint, knowing smirk touched his lips. "So, you chose me after all."
The kitten puffed its chest and let out a proud, squeaky "mrrrp!" as if confirming.
Lin Xian stared at it for a long moment — then chuckled quietly.
> "Heaven really does have a twisted sense of humor."
---
Little Beast, Big Appetite
Moments later, the kitten climbed his robe, curled near his shoulder, and fell asleep instantly.
Golden particles of energy gathered around its tiny body, spiraling into a faint aura that devoured the surrounding qi.
Lin Xian arched an eyebrow.
> "Cultivating… while sleeping. Hmph. Gluttonous little tyrant."
The kitten gave a soft snore, completely unbothered.
For the first time in years, something like warmth flickered in his eyes.
He brushed a finger across its small head, feeling the rhythmic pulse of the contract binding them.
> "You remind me of someone… Ruan Ling'er."
That glutton "Always clumsy, always hungry, always eating , yet far stronger than anyone realized." I wonder why her size is still so small even she consumed the whole world.
He leaned against a tree, the kitten resting against his chest, breathing softly.
Their qi resonated — the Heaven-Slaughter Nirvana Scripture and the creature's aura harmonizing like two stars drawn by gravity.
> "In my past life, I only knew blood and solitary," Lin Xian whispered, glancing up at the moon.
"Perhaps now… this is heaven's idea of balance."
The kitten stirred, pawing at his collar, then nestled closer with a sleepy "mew."
Lin Xian smiled faintly.
> "Sleep, little one. One day, the world will tremble at your roar — even if it starts with a meow."
The wind rustled gently through the forest, and high above, the moonlight gleamed — quiet witness to the birth of a bond that would one day rewrite destiny itself.
------------
And,
Far beyond the shattered forest, past drifting clouds and layers of spiritual mist, an ancient consciousness stirred within the depths of the heavens.
Something had awakened.
A golden ripple spread through the void — faint, but unmistakable.
A voice, neither male nor female, whispered across realms:
"The Radiant Star… has chosen."
For a moment, countless slumbering beasts trembled.
Some bowed instinctively.
Others snarled in fear.
Deep within the abyssal sea, a titanic beast opened one eye — a single golden pupil reflecting the newborn kitten curled in Lin Xian's arms.
"So it appears… the child of calamity lives."
The waters exploded with pressure, waves rising like mountains.
Far above, in a distant celestial palace, an old sage dropped the jade cup in his hand.
It shattered.
His pupils shrank.
"Impossible… that egg should not exist in this era…"
Golden energy pulsed again, faint but growing.
The sage felt the heavens tremble.
"If that creature evolves even once… the balance of the nine realms will collapse."
He turned toward the mortal world, gaze piercing clouds, forests, mountains—
Toward a white-haired boy sitting quietly beneath a tree.
Toward the tiny golden kitten breathing softly on his chest.
The sage's voice shook.
"Boy… you do not understand the catastrophe you cradle."
The heavens fell silent.
Only the kitten's soft "mew" echoed in the cosmic stillness — gentle, harmless…
…yet carrying the resonance of a star capable of devouring worlds.