Volume Four: Winds Sweep Away the Clouds, The Four Continents Sink Chapter Two: The Rift

The fifteenth day of the seventh month, midnight.

At the Cloudtop Celestial Palace, the Star Observatory atop the Xuanwu Palace’s Divination Tower was in utter chaos.

In the very center of Xuanwu Palace stood a Xuanhuang Mirror, identical to the one in Zhuohua’s sleeping quarters, though this one was slightly smaller. This Xuanhuang Mirror was connected to Zhuohua’s, but its function was limited to deducing information related to the Xuanwu Palace—such as celestial monitoring, rifts, and fold-jumps. At this moment, the mirror was shrouded in a red mist, and the Star Lord in charge stared in confusion, having never witnessed such a phenomenon before. Soon, the entire Cloudtop Celestial Palace resounded with the urgent toll of warning bells, a sound so alarming that many were thrown into panic.

Upon hearing the bells, Doumu Xie was startled, suspecting the Dark Lurker Clan might have launched a premature attack. But then he reconsidered: the surrounding tens of thousands of fathoms of void were under strict surveillance; there was no reason a warning would come without cause. His face, deeply lined with age, betrayed his worry as he rolled his eyes—beady as green beans—and a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

“Could it be that place that’s in trouble?” he wondered.

Doumu Xie hurried up to the Star Observatory, only to be nearly knocked over by a young messenger upon arrival. The youth, seething with frustration, was about to lash out, “Who’s the blind fool—”

But before he could finish, he recognized the palace master and immediately fell to his knees, crying, “Forgive me, Lord Palace Master! Please forgive me!”

Doumu Xie frowned, scolding in a low voice, “Panicking like this—what sort of decorum is that? If the other three palaces saw this, what would they think of us?”

The messenger hastened to explain, “Your Excellency, just now the Xuanhuang Mirror issued a crimson alert, and the Celestial Monitor blazed with red light. The on-duty constellations say something major has happened in the south and ordered me to gather everyone!”

Doumu Xie’s eyes darted about as he muttered inwardly, “The south! As expected, it is the south. What must come, will come.”

His expression softened a little, and he adopted a calmer tone, “Go do as you were told. Just try not to panic so much.”

The messenger acknowledged and withdrew. Doumu Xie snorted, muttering to himself, “These demonfolk are growing more and more undisciplined.”

Just then, Niu Jinniu spotted Doumu Xie ambling over from a distance and rushed over, grabbing his sleeve, and exclaimed, “My lord! What took you so long? It’s chaos over here!”

Doumu Xie glanced at him and replied coolly, “Nuan Ruwind, as the Second Star of Xuanwu Palace and the Deputy Palace Master, do you not know to maintain composure? Why such haste?”

Niu Jinniu’s anxiety only worsened at the Palace Master’s demeanor. He said, “My lord, there have been two anomalous fold-jumps over in Southern Flame Continent. The Xuanhuang Mirror deduced a large-scale incursion of foreign spiritual forces. Judging by previous intelligence, the Spirit-Helm Army has succeeded in arriving.”

Doumu Xie’s old face twitched slightly. He nodded, “So it has come to pass. Truly unfortunate.”

Niu Jinniu slammed the table, “We monitored every rift accessible to the Celestial Palace’s Star Lords—nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, there are no foldable rifts above the Great Wild Forest of Southern Flame Continent! How did those Dark Lurker wretches enter the void?”

Doumu Xie tried to console him, “Ruwind, just report what you’ve observed to the Primarch. I must visit the White Tiger Palace.”

A golden ray descended upon the marble steps of the White Tiger Palace. Leaning on a thick wooden staff, Doumu Xie entered the imposing, solemn palace.

He walked all the way to the main hall’s entrance, where two soldiers of the Radiant Guard stood sentinel, long halberds in hand. Seeing Doumu Xie, they immediately stepped forward and saluted, “Master of Xuanwu Palace, forgive us for not welcoming you sooner.”

Doumu Xie smiled affably, “I have some trifling matters to discuss with Lord Yu, would you kindly announce my arrival?”

The soldiers waved their hands, “Our lord instructed us that should you visit, no announcement is necessary. Please, enter.”

Doumu Xie nodded with a smile and stepped into the hall.

Within, only Kui Wolf was present, poring over his own Xuanhuang Mirror.

Doumu Xie observed him for a moment, and seeing Kui Wolf hadn’t noticed him, he rapped his staff lightly.

Kui Wolf, hearing the sound, looked up to see Doumu Xie smiling at him and hurried forward to assist him.

Doumu Xie chuckled, “Young Yu, you’ve been spending so much time with those juniors that you truly take me, Ri Xuluo, for an old relic? I’m not so aged as to need help walking!”

Kui Wolf sheepishly withdrew his hand, letting it rest at his sides, though his face still bore a broad smile. He was well aware of the rumors circulating among the elders about his closeness with the younger generation—some said he was currying favor, others that he was fraternizing with the wrong crowd—but he paid them no mind. Smiling, he replied, “How could you say that, elder? The Ri and Nuan Clans have been allies for generations—our friendship is not inferior to the Lantian families’.”

Doumu Xie shot him a sidelong glance, then asked, “Something’s happened. Do you know?”

Kui Wolf nodded and sighed, “Word has spread throughout the Celestial Palace. I’ve already mobilized our people: the Four Guards of Heaven and Earth are defending the vital points, the Central Army—Sun, Moon, and Stars—is securing—”

Doumu Xie waved him off, “Defensive measures are for the Primarch; I don’t need the details. I’ve come to tell you something.”

Kui Wolf inquired, “What is it?”

Doumu Xie cleared his throat, lowering his voice, “Did you know that when the Star Observatory recorded the two anomalies, every monitored rift was perfectly intact?”

Kui Wolf was startled and pressed further, “You mean the Dark Lurker Clan didn’t enter through any of our known rifts?”

Doumu Xie smiled and shook his head, “Of course not.”

“Then… this is truly strange,” Kui Wolf muttered, running calculations in his mind.

Doumu Xie patted his shoulder, then found a chair and sat. Kui Wolf quickly followed, pouring him a cup of water.

After a sip, Doumu Xie continued, “Young Yu, this is no small matter. With all monitored rifts functioning properly, yet the Dark Lurker Clan has arrived, it points to one thing.” He paused, lifting his cup and watching Kui Wolf.

“It means there’s a rift we don’t know about,” Kui Wolf concluded. He then added, “But that makes no sense! Every rift was created by the Primarch and the Lady. The safety of the void is paramount; if any rift were unknown, why would the Primarch keep it from us?”

Doumu Xie glanced at him, “What if he’s hiding it on purpose?”

Ignoring Kui Wolf’s incredulity, Doumu Xie continued, “As for this hidden rift, I’ve been aware of it for some time. Do you recall, after the Lady’s mysterious disappearance, when the Primarch ordered every Star Lord to search for her through every rift?”

Kui Wolf nodded silently, waiting for the elder to continue.

Doumu Xie, pleased by the attentive listener, took another small sip and went on, “At the time, every Star Lord’s Xuanhuang Mirror was issued a map showing all rifts. Yet, after only the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, the map became inaccessible. Everyone assumed there was something wrong with the mirrors, but then the map became viewable again.”

Kui Wolf interjected, “Yes, I remember. I even tapped that old mirror of mine and it worked.”

Doumu Xie smiled mysteriously, “But in that fleeting moment, no one noticed that the second map was missing only one thing—the rift above the Great Jungle of Southern Flame Continent.”

Kui Wolf shook his head, trying to recall, “Was there? I looked carefully! All the rifts created by the Lady and Primarch were there, not one missing. I’m sure—I’ve seen the same map countless times in the Primarch’s quarters.”

Doumu Xie gave him a look of exasperation, “Who says all the void’s rifts must have been created by members of the Cloudtop Celestial Palace?”

Kui Wolf was stunned again, stammering, “Before the Lady and Primarch arrived, the former masters of the old void didn’t possess the means to tear open the void! Even the four great demon clans were only mighty in body; to open a rift, they lacked the power.”

Doumu Xie shook his head, cutting him off, “Above the Great Jungle of Southern Flame Continent, there exists a rift that predates the Primarch and the Lady. It wasn’t made by the four great demon clans, but could it not have been created by another powerful cultivator who visited this place in ancient times?”

Realization dawned on Kui Wolf, “That makes sense! Countless mighty ones have traversed the void; though the Xuanhuang and Dark Lurker Clans are preeminent, other races may have produced transcendents as well.” He paused, then asked, “But if everything you say is true, how did you find out?”

Doumu Xie, perfectly at ease, replied, “The Lady told me before she left.”

For the third time, Kui Wolf was shocked, and hurriedly asked, “Elder, are you saying you knew the Lady was going to leave back then?”