Riley's immortal body shook as if on the verge of collapse.
At last, a spark broke free.
A tiny fragment of his soul floated above his palm, flickering like a candle flame in a storm.
Weak, fragile, but unmistakably alive.
Riley stared at it, his lips curling into a thin smile.
"There you are… my key into their world."
He cradled the spark with seals, wrapping it in a cocoon of protections before sending it hurtling toward the chosen realm.
Somewhere out there, a suitable vessel awaited—perhaps a dying cultivator, perhaps a body too weak to resist possession.
Whatever it was, that spark of Riley would seize it, adapt to it, and begin climbing.
His gamble was set in motion.
Leaning back, Riley exhaled, feeling the cavernous emptiness within him where the fragment had been.
His soul was fragmented now but his strength has not diminished.
If this attempt would fail then he could easily afford to make another attempt like this one.
