Lin Feng, Xia Qingwu, and Yin Xiu emerged from the Fallen Sect of Tranquility Archive not with a breakthrough, but with a crushing responsibility. The Essence of Transcendent Insight was precious, but the five newly formed Elemental Cores within Lin Feng's spiritual sea were chaotic, demanding stability.
"The Essence only provides the roadmap for control, Feng, not the control itself," Xia Qingwu explained, watching Lin Feng attempt a simple Void Water bubble, which immediately froze and shattered. "You have six Laws trying to occupy one Origin Domain. This is not cultivation; this is internal warfare."
They returned to Shifting Sands City, seeking the relative safety of Elder Ling's cavern. The eccentric alchemist, upon seeing the glow of the Essence of Transcendent Insight, whistled low.
"Brat, you don't just find trouble; you attract the fundamental Laws of the universe," Elder Ling cackled, inspecting the Essence. "To stabilize that, you don't need pills. You need to forge a Six-Law Crucible—a perfect, self-sustaining loop within your Origin Domain. That requires time, intense meditation, and specific rare catalysts to bind the elements without shattering your soul."
She presented a horrifying timeline: "Even with the Essence, forging this will take you at least three months of near-constant, dangerous meditation. You will be completely vulnerable."
Lin Feng's deadline was now two months away.
"We have to stop focusing on the deadline as the final battle," Lin Feng stated, his gaze fixed on the shimmering Essence. "We treat it as the First Stage of Confrontation. I stabilize myself first. Xia Qingwu, you must use this time to perfect your Phoenix Fire Array for mass combat. You will be our primary defense."
Xia Qingwu nodded firmly, her amber eyes reflecting her fierce ambition. "Agreed. I have formulas for high-grade Spirit-Shattering Firebombs that require Origin King level refinement. This time is mine to become the Dynasty's worst nightmare."
Lin Feng then turned to Yin Xiu. "Yin Xiu, you risked your life for this Essence. I will give you your share now."
Yin Xiu hesitated, her golden fox eyes flickering with complex emotion. "No. Not yet. The Essence will stabilize my Spirit Beast form, but it won't earn my freedom from Elder Ling," she said, nodding toward the old alchemist, who was now ignoring them. "My true ambition is to return to the Nine Heavens Realm and free my clan's legacy, which was stolen by the Shadow-Weaver Sect. That requires a much higher cultivation and political connections. You have a path to the Dynasty Capital, which means connections."
She proposed a new contract, securing her independent ambition: "I will use this time to gather intelligence on the Dynasty's capital defenses, using the black market ties of the Shadow Thief. I will guide you past the outer guards, and I will demand only one payment:
a secured, high-grade cultivation artifact when we reach the Dynasty's main treasury, plus a guaranteed path to the Nine Heavens Realm when you decide to ascend."
Lin Feng, recognizing her independent strength and necessity, smiled—a calculating, Sovereign-like expression. "Done. You will be the Eyes of the Void, Yin Xiu. Your contract is sealed."
The next two months passed in a crucible of cultivation and covert action.
Lin Feng's Internal Struggle:
He sat in the darkest corner of the cavern, the Essence of Transcendent Insight floating above his head. His focus was absolute. He spent weeks simply observing the interaction of the six Laws within his core—the chaotic Void trying to dominate the ordered Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The process was agonizing, forcing him to understand the fundamental nature of each element. He discovered that the Void did not dominate them, but acted as a perfectly neutral medium, allowing the elements to exist in perfect harmony without cancelling each other out. He slowly began to forge the Six-Law Crucible—a feat of patience that constantly drained his spiritual sea.
Xia Qingwu's Ascendance:
Xia Qingwu, focused and driven, commandeered a section of the cave. She spent her days perfecting the Phoenix Fire Array into a deployable defense formation.
The cave constantly smelled of gunpowder and superheated rock as she tested her elemental limits. Her goal was to create a mobile, high-yield formation capable of crippling dozens of Origin Kings simultaneously, ensuring she was Lin Feng's equal on the battlefield and securing her own future as a legendary Fire Alchemist.
Yin Xiu's Shadow Work:
Yin Xiu, using her supreme stealth and deception, vanished into the heart of Shifting Sands City's underworld. She was gathering intelligence, trading favors, and preparing their infiltration path. She established contact with a faction of disgraced Dynasty officials, securing detailed blueprints of the capital's magical defenses—information they could never obtain through brute force. Her presence was always felt but rarely seen, her loyalty secured by her own fierce ambition.
The two months brought stability, not a breakthrough. Lin Feng had successfully formed the Six-Law Crucible, but the cost was immense. He was still at the First Level of Origin King, but his Domain was now the strongest, most stable, and versatile in the Mortal Star Field. He could now seamlessly mix the elements—a Wood-Fire healing and offense technique, or a Void-Earth defensive spike.
On the final day before the six-month deadline, Yin Xiu returned, her golden eyes gleaming with excitement and danger.
"The preparation is complete, Sovereign," she announced, using the title with a hint of sarcasm that Lin Feng knew was respect. "The Blood Oath Ceremony is in three days. The defenses are layered, but I found the seam. We enter through the Hidden Dragon Canal under the Eastern Wall."
Xia Qingwu emerged from her work area, her robes smelling faintly of ozone and sulfur. "My Phoenix Array is complete. It won't fail."
Lin Feng rose, the new stability of his power making him feel grounded yet limitless. He thought of Su Wanying, trapped and waiting, and of Mu Qingxue, somewhere far away, a future debt to be paid. He was ready. He was still a First Level Origin King, but he commanded six Laws, and he had two fiercely independent Origin King allies by his side.
"The deadline is here," Lin Feng stated, his voice now imbued with the smooth authority of absolute control. "We are not going to rescue Wanying quietly. We are going to announce our existence to the Violet Flame Dynasty."