Long Chen found himself walking on the surface of the ocean, the water rippling beneath his feet, yet he did not sink. The air was heavy with Astral Energy, and the atmosphere felt dense and alive, as though it resonated with the universe itself. The sky stretched endlessly, and beneath him, the ocean appeared as an infinite, shimmering expanse.
Amidst the vastness, a figure stood in the distance. The person was dressed in ragged black clothes, their presence somehow ethereal, yet commanding. Long Chen instinctively knew that this figure was not an ordinary being. As he approached, the person turned, revealing a gaze filled with deep wisdom and experience—someone who had walked the path Long Chen was still on, someone who had traversed the boundless seas of the Astral Plane.
It was then that Long Chen recognized the figure, it was as the same person, the same nine Star Heir whom Long Chen had seen in Elder Xie's memories.
"Junior Long Chen greets Senior." Long Chen whispered, surprised by the identity of the person who stood before him.
The man was a member of the Nine Star Line—as a Heir of the Nine Stars, a fellow comrade to Long Chen as well as his senior.
The man introduced himself, "Lin Yang greets junior Long Chen".
Lin Yang greeted Long Chen with a knowing smile, a smile that spoke of shared experiences, challenges, and the unspoken understanding that only those of the Nine Star Line could comprehend.
"Long Chen, is it?" Lin Yang said, his voice calm and serene, yet carrying a sense of weight as if every word had been forged through countless battles. "You have come far but there is much you still have to learn and progress into."
Long Chen nodded, feeling the hum of the energy around him. "I've only just begun. My path is still long, but the power I possess... is insufficient."
Lin Yang's gaze softened. "Indeed. But what you hold is more than enough to change the course of your journey."
But suddenly Lin Yang's gaze turned a bit ferocious.
Lin Yang's serious tone resonated deeply in the air, his eyes fixed on Long Chen, "You've strayed from the original Path of the Nine Star Line," Lin Yang stated, his voice solemn yet filled with a strange reverence. "Your karmic path is no longer bound to the legacy of the Nine Star Heirs, yet it is intertwined with it, connected through origins that still bear the mark of our ancestors. Though your path diverges, its essence remains linked to ours, a redefining of fate in its own way."
To Lin Yang, Long Chen's aura pulsed, both familiar and alien. It was a force that was different from the expectations of a Nine Star Heir, evolving beyond the traditional path set before him. After a few moments, Lin Yang's expression softened with the weight of what he knew: "Perhaps this is for good. You, Long Chen, may be the game breaker the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths need. The one who redefines what it means to carry the Nine Star Line, forging a new destiny where we once saw only limits."
Long Chen nodded and as he was about to say something, Lin Yang moved his hand and suddenly a Pendant in his hand.
Long Chen looked down at the Dragon-Phoenix Pendant that was in Long Chen's pocket but now in Senior Lin Yang's hand. It was a mysterious artifact, its origins unknown, but it pulsed with a strange energy that Long Chen had and attracted Long Chen.
"This pendant," Long Chen asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and uncertainty. "What is its true nature? Why does it resonate with me so strongly?"
Lin Yang's expression grew serious. "This pendant... belongs to the Beast King Stage Experts: The Black Dragon and Vermillion Phoenix if compared then at the peak of cultivation in the Mortal Realms for Nine Star Heirs. It is far beyond your current abilities, Long Chen. Since you are already tied with it by the Karma, you will eventually be able to refine it but you are not yet strong enough to refine its power. Though it holds the potential to grant you the strength you seek, only once you've ascended to a peak of Mortal World refine it. Understood?"
Long Chen nodded in awe as a new source of Power can be obtained soon while looking at it like a child.
Lin Yang chuckled. "You remind me of myself back then… reckless, unyielding yet you are a bit different that you were able to control the Nine Star Will unlike me. Seeing you potential so great, I'll help you."
Long Chen raised a brow. "Help me?"
Lin Yang lifted his hand, and a faint, ancient energy rippled from his palm.
"This is my Ancient Qi—a power I sealed within my Astral Energy over countless years. I will lend it to you. Afterall, seeing your memory, I found that the Qi in this era has degraded thousands of times weaker than in the Ancient Era."
Before Long Chen could react, a surge of energy rushed toward him, merging with his very being. His body shook violently as a stream of mysterious energy flowed into him, reinforcing his foundation, strengthening his core.
The power was immense, yet it was not something Long Chen could fully use yet. It was sealed within him, waiting for the moment he was ready to wield it.
"You and I… we are brothers of the Nine Star Line," Lin Yang said solemnly. "Though our fates may be different, our mission remains the same—to restore the Nine Star Line to its former glory and fame. We will reclaim the honor that was stolen from us, and we will destroy the traitors who betrayed our ancestors."
Long Chen clenched his fists. He could feel it—the weight of history, the blood and sacrifices of Nine Star Heirs in the past and even in present, the burden of an entire lineage.
For a moment, the two warriors simply stood there in silence, sharing an unspoken understanding.
As Lin Yang prepared to leave, as his time had come and death neared him, something unexpected happened.
A sudden wave of pressure erupted from Long Chen's body. The sky darkened, and the ground (Ocean surface) cracked open as an overwhelming aura engulfed the Small Secret Realm.
Lin Yang's eyes widened in shock.
From within Long Chen, another figure emerged—a second Long Chen, standing tall with his arms crossed. His presence was beyond comprehension, as if he had stepped out from the very depths of eternity.
The air crackled with power as this new Long Chen opened his eyes, revealing a gaze that even the stars seemed to bow before.
Lin Yang felt an inexplicable reverence—a feeling that no Nine Star Heir should ever have toward another.
And then, this new Long Chen spoke.
His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
"Lin Yang… in the future, when the Nine Stars shine again, return to your rightful place."
Lin Yang's heart pounded violently. He didn't understand, but deep within his soul, something recognized those words.
Who was this Long Chen?
Why did the very heavens seem to revere him?
Before he could ask, the aura faded, and the second Long Chen's Eyes shone and what Lin Yang saw made him take in a deep breath, his expression solemn.
"…So that's how it is."
Tears were being shed by him.
For countless generations, the Nine Star Line had been in decline, betrayed and hunted down. But today… today, hope had returned.
As it watched Long Chen, its form grew lighter, fading into the night.
Before it completely vanished into the afterlife, it whispered:
"The Nine Stars... will shine once more."
And with that, he--Lin Yang disappeared forever, leaving behind only the echoes of history, carried by the softly blowing wind.
The aura faded of the second Long Chen vanished, leaving behind only the original Long Chen—unconscious Ocean surface. The entire World Collapsed and the Energy started entering Long Chen slowly.
To Be Continued...