The Void Rift spits them out onto stony ground, the air sharp with the tang of starlight. Stellaria Planet rises around them—towering spires of crystal that glow like frozen constellations, valleys carpeted in silver grass, and a sky streaked with auroras that paint the night in hues of blue and green. It's a world of order, of light—yet Fang Yan's chaos blood hums, sensing something beneath the surface.
Bai Ling stumbles beside him, her white fur fluffed with awe. "Whoa… it's like walking on a star!" She tugs his sleeve, pointing toward the horizon. "Look—those towers! That must be the Starfall Sect!"
The Starfall Sect's compound perches on a cliff overlooking the auroras, its buildings carved from the same crystal as the spires. Light spills from arched windows, and the air carries the faint sound of chanting. But as they draw closer, Fang Yan's golden eyes narrow—he spots figures patrolling the gates, their robes emblazoned with a symbol he recognizes: the Heavenly Dao's luminous vortex, albeit distorted, as if filtered through starlight.
"Wait," he says, grabbing Bai Ling's arm. "Something's off."
They duck behind a crystal boulder, watching. The patrols move with rigid precision, their expressions blank—like puppets. A young woman in a white robe walks among them, her hair tied with a star-shaped pin, her aura calm but sharp. She stops a patrol member, murmuring something, and the guard nods, his movements relaxing slightly.
"That's Yun Xi," Bai Ling whispers, reading from Hu Yue's map. "The Starfall Sect's saintess. She studies chaotic bloodlines—Hu Yue said she might help us."
Fang Yan watches Yun Xi as she moves, her steps graceful, her gaze scanning the perimeter. There's no cruelty in her eyes—only weariness, as if she's carrying a burden too heavy for her shoulders. He makes up his mind. "Let's go."
They approach the gates, and the patrols snap to attention, swords drawn. "Halt! Who dares trespass on Starfall Sect grounds?"
"I'm Fang Yan," he says, his voice steady. "I seek the Starfall Sect. I need to learn to control my bloodline—chaos blood."
The guards stiffen. "Chaotic filth! The sect does not harbor abominations of the Dao!"
A voice cuts through the tension: "Stand down."
Yun Xi glides forward, her white robe flowing like starlight. She's around Fang Yan's age, her face pale but striking, with eyes like polished amethyst. She studies him, her gaze lingering on his golden eyes, then on the hammer slung over his shoulder. "Chaos Origin Bloodline. I've read of it in the sect's ancient texts—blood of the fallen cosmos, unbound by the Dao's order."
"You believe me?" Fang Yan asks, surprised.
Yun Xi nods. "I've spent years studying chaotic bloodlines. The Heavenly Dao claims they're evil, but the texts tell a different story—they're forces of creation, of freedom. The sect's elders refuse to see it, but I do." She steps closer, lowering her voice. "But we can't talk here. The elders are loyal to the Heavenly Dao. They'll have you executed if they learn who you are."
She leads them through a side gate, her robes swirling, and into a narrow corridor carved into the crystal cliff. The walls hum with faint energy, and Fang Yan senses wards—protective, not hostile. "This is my private chamber," she says, pushing open a door. "You'll be safe here, for now."
The chamber is sparse: a bed of silk, a desk covered in scrolls, and a window that overlooks the auroras. Bai Ling darts to the window, pressing her nose against the glass, while Yun Xi turns to Fang Yan, her expression serious. "Why do you need to control your bloodline?"
"Vengeance," he says, his voice cold. "The Heavenly Dao's pawns killed my parents. I'll erase the Dao and everyone who serves it—across every planet, every universe."
Yun Xi's amethyst eyes soften. "I understand. The Heavenly Dao has taken much from me too. My master spoke out against their tyranny, and they had her executed. That's why I study chaotic bloodlines—I want to find a way to stand against them." She pauses, picking up a scroll. "The Starfall Sect's ancient texts hold a technique: Stellar Harmony. It can help you channel your chaos, turn it from a wild storm into a focused blade. But it's forbidden— the elders say it's heresy."
"I'll learn it," Fang Yan says, without hesitation.
"Then we must be careful," Yun Xi says. "I'll sneak you into the sect's library at night. But first—let me heal your wound." She gestures to his shoulder, where the demon claw gash from Lvyin still oozes blood.
Bai Ling steps forward, puffing out her chest. "I can heal him! I have fox-fire—Hu Yue taught me!" Before Fang Yan can protest, she cups her hands, and a small flame of soft white light appears. She presses it to his shoulder, and warmth spreads through his body, the pain fading.
Yun Xi watches, impressed. "Fox-fire that purifies evil. Rare. You're lucky to have her, Fang Yan."
Fang Yan glances at Bai Ling, who's grinning proudly, and feels a flicker of something unfamiliar—gratitude. He nods. "Thank you."
That night, Yun Xi leads them through the sect's corridors, her steps silent. The library is a vast hall, its shelves reaching the ceiling, filled with scrolls and tomes bound in leather. She leads him to a hidden section, behind a curtain of starlight, where scrolls marked "Forbidden" lie in dusty stacks.
"Here," she says, pulling out a scroll etched with constellations. "This is Stellar Harmony. It teaches you to sync your chaos with the rhythm of the stars—they're chaotic too, you know, even if they look ordered. Their energy can ground yours."
Fang Yan unfurls the scroll, his eyes scanning the ancient characters. His mother's voice echoes in his head: Your blood is the breath of creation. It makes sense—chaos isn't just destruction. It's the spark that births stars, that fuels universes.
He sits cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes. Yun Xi and Bai Ling stand guard, watching. He focuses on the chaos in his veins, wild and untamed, then reaches out with his mind, toward the stars outside the library's windows. He feels their rhythm—slow, steady, powerful—and tries to match it.
At first, it's impossible. His chaos fights, roaring against the constraint. But Yun Xi murmurs, "Breathe. Let the stars guide you, don't fight them."
He listens. Gradually, the chaos calms, like a storm settling into a gentle breeze. It flows through him, not bursting outwards, but focusing into a point in his chest—warm, controlled, ready to strike.
When he opens his eyes, they glow with a softer gold, mixed with flecks of starlight. "I did it."
Yun Xi smiles, a rare, genuine thing. "You're a fast learner. But we must stop here—dawn is coming, and the elders will notice if we're gone too long."
They sneak back to Yun Xi's chamber, and as the first light of dawn touches Stellaria's crystal spires, Fang Yan feels a change. He's stronger, more in control. But he also feels something else— a whisper, faint but persistent, coming from the depths of the sect.
It's a voice, cold and familiar, the same voice he heard in the Blood Slave Clan's elders' chants. The Heavenly Dao's influence, worming its way into the Starfall Sect, into every corner of the multiverse.
He grips his hammer, his resolve hardening. Stellaria is just the beginning. He'll learn all the Starfall Sect has to teach, then move on—to the next planet, the next universe, until he finds the Dao's core.
Yun Xi notices his tension, placing a hand on his arm. "I'll help you. Whatever you need. The Heavenly Dao can't win if we stand together."
Bai Ling nods, raising her small fists. "Me too! We'll fight them—across every star!"
Fang Yan looks at them—Yun Xi, calm and wise, Bai Ling, fierce and loyal—and feels a flicker of hope. He's not alone anymore.
The starlight spills through the window, illuminating their faces. Outside, the auroras dance, and the stars whisper of worlds yet to be traversed, of battles yet to be fought.
Fang Yan stands, slinging his hammer over his shoulder. "Let's begin."
The path ahead is long, and the Heavenly Dao is powerful. But with allies by his side, with chaos and starlight guiding him, he will not fail.
Stellaria's whisper has been heard.
And soon, the stars themselves will rally to the name Fang Yan.