Chapter 24:THE NEW BEGINNING
Tian Shu stood alone on the vast balcony of his celestial residence.
Golden pillars stretched endlessly behind him,his—hands gripped the railing tightly, veins faintly visible beneath his skin.
His gaze was cold. Distant.
"...It's been a while."
A week.
One entire week of searching.
And still—nothing.
His fingers slowly tightened.
"That stupid trash clan..."
A faint crack echoed from the golden barrier beneath his grip.
"Don't get cocky…"
His eyes darkened, filled with restrained fury.
"Once I become a True Immortal…"
"I will find you—no matter where you hide."
A chilling silence followed.
---
Meanwhile—
On the distant and mysterious world of Xynara.
A quiet wind passed through a humble area nestled between mountains and rivers. A simple house stood there—not grand, not poor—just enough to survive.
Outside, two figures sat in silence.
Wang Shuang.
Wang Gao.
The sound of birds echoed softly. The river flowed nearby.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"It's been a week since we escaped…" Wang Shuang said quietly.
His gaze was distant.
"But the pain… it still feels like yesterday."
Wang Gao nodded slowly.
"Yeah… it hasn't faded."
Silence lingered between them.
Wang Shuang took a deep breath and stood.
"Thankfully… Xun Cheng is a cultivator. Even with Dao Fusion power…"
"At least we have a place to live."
Wang Gao stood as well. The two began walking toward the edge of the mountain.
After a while, Wang Gao spoke again.
"We're mortals now."
"Our Dao foundation is gone… even our knowledge of Dao is erased."
He clenched his fists.
"How are we supposed to cultivate again?"
Wang Shuang stopped.
He looked down at the river below.
Its flow…
Was reversing.
"…It's hard," he admitted.
"Harder than anything."
He turned to Wang Gao and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But this isn't our end."
His voice became firm.
"This is just the beginning."
Wang Gao looked at him, silent.
Then—
"...We're still on Xynara," Wang Shuang continued. "And this planet… it's not normal."
He narrowed his eyes.
"I've heard things…"
"Beings disappearing in their sleep."
"And worse—"
He paused.
"This planet isn't meant for mortals."
Wang Gao's expression stiffened.
"The lifespan limit… 1,000 years…"
Wang Shuang nodded.
"That's why the Clan Leader wants us to leave."
Wang Gao looked back toward the river.
The water flowed upward.
The trees burned with silent flames—
Yet nothing was consumed.
"…He's right," Wang Gao said quietly.
"This place… is wrong."
---
Six days later.
Midnight.
Silence filled the land.
Everyone slept peacefully.
For a moment—
Everything seemed calm.
---
Then—
BOOOOM—!!!
The entire planet shook violently.
Not a simple tremor.
This was something deeper.
Something unnatural.
The ground twisted.
The sky rippled.
Reality itself trembled.
---
Inside the house—
Wang Zhong's eyes snapped open.
"...What?!"
Another violent surge followed.
BOOM—!!!
Cracks spread across the ground.
The air became heavy—
Like an invisible force pressing down on everything.
---
"Everyone—wake up!" Wang Zhong shouted.
Chaos erupted instantly.
People rushed outside.
Fear filled the air.
---
Xun Yu stumbled—
But before she could fall—
Wang Zhong caught her.
He lifted her into his arms without hesitation.
"You can't run," he said urgently.
"Stay with me."
She nodded weakly, holding onto him tightly.
---
They stepped outside—
And froze.
---
The entire world…
Was shaking violently.
Mountains trembled.
The sky distorted like broken glass.
A crushing force pressed down on everyone—
Like gravity had multiplied tenfold.
---
"W-What is this…?!" someone shouted.
"No… this isn't natural!" Wang Shuang yelled.
Even breathing became difficult.
---
Then—
Xun Cheng stepped forward.
His expression was serious.
"...We can't stay here."
His eyes glowed faintly.
A powerful fluctuation spread from his body.
---
Without hesitation—
He raised his hand.
---
Space distorted.
---
A swirling portal appeared in midair.
Stabilized.
Powerful.
---
"Go!" Xun Cheng shouted.
"Now!"
---
Wang Zhong didn't hesitate.
He was the first to move—
Still carrying Xun Yu.
They rushed into the portal.
---
One by one—
The others followed.
Fear.
Hope.
Desperation.
All mixed into that single moment.
---
Behind them—
The world continued to collapse.
---
Just as the last person entered—
The ground split open.
A massive crack tore through the mountain.
---
Xun Cheng was the last.
He looked back once.
At the collapsing world.
At the impossible sky.
---
"…This planet…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…What are you hiding?"
---
Then—
He stepped into the portal.
---
FLASH—
---
The portal vanished.
---
And Xynara…
Continued to shake.
As if something—
Was awakening.
---
Somewhere deep beneath the planet—
A faint heartbeat echoed.
---
Thump.
---
Thump.
--
FLASH—
Space shattered like glass under unbearable pressure.
The last echoes of Xynara vanished as the collapsing portal folded inward behind them.
Then—
silence.
---
Cold ground.
Stable air.
Real gravity.
---
Wang Zhong landed first, still holding Xun Yu tightly in his arms. His knees bent slightly from impact, but he remained steady.
Behind him—
Wang Shuang, Wang Gao, and the remaining survivors stepped out one by one.
No chains.
No prison.
Only breath.
---
They stood in an open grassland surrounded by soft rolling hills.
In the distance, a peaceful settlement rested along a riverbank.
Wooden bridges.
Simple tiled roofs.
Smoke rising gently from chimneys.
---
A wooden sign stood at the entrance:
Haze Village — Mist Border Zone (Near Flake City)
---
Above the horizon, the sky felt different.
Not broken like Xynara.
Not unstable.
But layered—like reality itself had depth upon depth.
---
Wang Gao looked up slowly.
"…This place… feels normal."
Wang Shuang narrowed his eyes.
"Too normal."
---
Xun Cheng stepped forward, calmly observing everything.
His spiritual sense expanded slightly… then paused.
"…Stable world structure."
"…Minimal Dao turbulence."
He turned toward the distant horizon.
"Flake City is about 300 li east."
He nodded once.
"This place is safe—for now."
---
Without hesitation—
he raised his hand.
---
In an instant—
---
A house formed.
Not luxurious.
Not weak.
But perfectly balanced—
simple, stable, and livable.
---
Xun Cheng opened his eyes.
"…Done."
He lowered his hand.
---
Then spoke:
"Everyone. Rest."
"For now… this is our home."
---
Wang Zhong gently placed Xun Yu onto a chair.
She looked around weakly, still holding his sleeve.
"…We… made it out…"
He nodded.
"We did."
---
Wang Shuang exhaled deeply and sat down.
Wang Gao followed.
For the first time in a long while—
their tense shoulders finally loosened.
---
Xun Cheng looked toward the village again.
The villagers were ordinary.
Farmers.
Hunters.
No divine pressure.
No spiritual scans.
Just life.
---
"…Haze Village is a border settlement," Xun Cheng said quietly.
"Between Flake City and the outer wildlands of Zaire."
Wang Gao frowned slightly.
"Zaire… that's the planet's name?"
Xun Cheng nodded.
"And it is one of the countless inhabited planets within the Vyrgo Colossal Solar System."
He looked upward.
A faint heaviness entered his voice.
---
Wang Shuang muttered:
"Is this planet… safe for us?"
Xun Cheng did not answer immediately.
---
Instead, he raised his palm.
A faint light gathered above it.
"This world has structure."
"Rules."
"Even mortals here can survive for up to a hundred thousand years under Zaire's natural laws."
He paused.
"But that also means…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…something is regulating those laws."
---
Silence fell.
---
Wang Zhong looked down at Xun Yu.
Then toward the house.
"…We'll stay here first."
His voice was calm.
But firm.
"We rebuild everything from here."
---
Xun Yu slowly nodded.
"…A home…"
She whispered softly.
This time, it felt real.
---
One by one, they stood.
And walked forward.
Into the house Xun Cheng created.
---
Behind them—
Haze Village continued its quiet life.
Unaware.
Unbothered.
---
But far above Zaire—
beyond Flake City…
beyond the atmosphere…
the Vyrgo Colossal Solar System rotated silently.