Memories surged through Jiu Xian’s mind.

  The sect standing united in the face of annihilation.

  Elders laughing in defiance even as death loomed.

  A resolve to fight to the end — not for glory, not for victory, but for principle.

  They had known Lu Jin was a pawn of fate.

  And still—

  They had never abandoned him.

  Not once.

  Not when the Heavens watched.

  Not when doom was inevitable.

  Each memory struck like a hammer, echoing deep within Jiu Xian’s heart.

  Something shifted.

  A quiet realization took root.

  Perhaps… it isn’t so terrible…

  to dare face the Heavens together.

  His confusion burned away, replaced by clarity.

  Determination.

  Jiu Xian lifted his gaze.

  His eyes shone.

  He reached out and firmly grasped Xi Li’s extended hand.

  “Let me see the heights of Heaven,” Jiu Xian said steadily,

  “and how you stepped over it.”

  For a moment, Xi Li stared at him.

  Then he laughed — deep, genuine, unrestrained.

  “I like you, boy,” Xi Li said warmly.

  “Welcome to the story of the Extras.”

  The illusion swallowed them both.

  ...

  In a white room somewhere else—

  Yao Qing stood alone.

  She had lived a lifetime as Cai Shuang —

  as the Dao companion of the Sect Master,

  as a woman who loved deeply, fought fiercely, and chose family over survival.

  She could already guess whose lives the others had witnessed.

  Jiu Xian.

  Cai Xi.

  She did not dwell on it.

  The memories were still warm. Still raw.

  Yao Qing inhaled slowly, pressing a hand to her chest, steadying the rapid beat of her heart.

  Before her stood Cai Shuang— serene, composed, eyes like still water reflecting distant stars.

  An offer hung in the air.

  Truth.

  The secrets behind fate.

  Behind Heaven.

  Behind everything that had gone wrong.

  Yao Qing closed her eyes.

  She thought of the sect.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Not as an organization.

  Not as power.

  But as a family.

  She had lost her parents once.

  She found Jiu Xian and Granny.

  She had found a sense of belonging once again.

  And now—she refused accept the idea of it being fate.

  They are not cowards.

  They will not kneel before fate.

  And neither will I.

  Her eyes opened, calm and unwavering.

  “Our fate,” she said softly, “is our own.”

  She reached out and took Cai Shuang’s hand.

  A gentle smile curved across Cai Shunag’s lips.

  “Good decision,” Cai Shuang said in a soothing voice.

  The world folded inward.

  And Yao Qing was pulled back into the illusion.

  ...

  Cai Xi gently pulled herself away from Ling Yue’s embrace.

  Her second mother’s hands lingered for a moment longer, as if wanting the moment to last even a second longer.

  “It’s time,” Ling Yue said softly.

  “It’s time for you to remember everything.”

  Her voice trembled.

  A single tear clung stubbornly to the corner of her eye, refusing to fall.

  “Xi’er…”

  “We’re sorry,” she whispered. “For everything.”

  Cai Xi shook her head slowly.

  “It’s not your fault, Second Mother.”

  Her voice was steady, but her eyes carried years of unspoken regret.

  “I was the one who refused to listen. I was foolish… and I paid the price for it.”

  She straightened, shoulders squaring.

  “But I won’t make the same mistake again.”

  Ling Yue’s breath caught.

  Then, with trembling hands, she reached forward—

  And touched Cai Xi’s soul.

  The world folded inward.

  ...

  Xi Li stood alone in the center of the white chamber.

  Every breath he drew was steady.

  Every pulse of blood carried resolve.

  Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged upon the mat and closed his eyes.

  Seven years.

  That was all the time the time-dilation array could grant him.

  Seven years to step beyond mortality—

  or be erased from existence.

  His consciousness sank inward.

  At the heart of his being, his soul sat upon a radiant Dao Platform, vast and ancient. Laws revolved around it—sharp, brilliant, merciless.

  Each one was a truth he had comprehended through blood, loss, and defiance.

  Now, they were being tested.

  He pushed.

  The Laws surged outward, manifesting beyond flesh and bone, tearing through space itself as they stretched toward the heavens—seeking the Gate of Immortality.

  The moment they touched the sky—

  The heavens responded.

  Failure meant annihilation.

  Success demanded everything.

  Time flowed.

  Days dissolved into months.

  Months into years.

  Six years passed.

  Then—

  The earth trembled.

  The sky darkened.

  Clouds churned violently, thunder rolling like the roar of an enraged god.

  CRACK!

  A crimson bolt of tribulation lightning descended toward the sect.

  Instantly, defensive arrays ignited across Heaven Defying Sect, runes blazing as they shielded disciples and structures alike.

  The ceiling above Xi Li slid apart.

  The heavens had found their target.

  The lightning struck.

  Xi Li roared as demonic tribulation fire erupted within his body—

  a fire that did not burn flesh, but Dao itself, attempting to erase his Laws and shatter his Platform.

  BOOM!

  The first bolt slammed into him.

  Cracks raced across his Dao Platform.

  Blood spilled from his lips.

  Xi Li snarled.

  “Suppress.”

  One of his Laws surged forward, colliding head-on with the lightning. He shattered it, absorbed the remnants, and forced them into his flesh—tempering bone, marrow, and soul.

  BOOM!

  BOOM!

  Lightning followed lightning.

  Each strike heavier.

  Each one deadlier.

  His Laws trembled.

  His Platform screamed.

  But Xi Li endured.

  After what felt like eternity—

  The demonic fire was extinguished.

  The heavens fell silent.

  Golden light erupted from his body, forming a radiant cocoon. Spiritual Qi from miles away was violently drawn in, compressing, refining, transforming him.

  The pressure became absolute.

  Then—

  The clouds parted.

  The cocoon shattered.

  Xi Li stood high in the sky, golden radiance blazing like a second sun.

  “HAHAHAHA!”

  His laughter rolled across the heavens.

  “The Heaven Defying Sect does not kneel.”

  “We do not retreat.”

  “We do not surrender.”

  Below, disciples and elders lifted their gazes skyward.

  Not in worship.

  But in defiance.

  ...

  Ling Yue gazed at Cai Xi, her eyes brimming with quiet affection.

  “Xi’er,” she said softly, lifting a hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

  “I have imparted to you everything I can.”

  She smiled — gentle, proud, and unbearably tender.

  “Now… I will entrust you with a mission of utmost importance.”

  Her voice steadied. “You must ensure that the legacy of our sect does not perish.”

  From within her sleeve, Ling Yue produced a round glass orb.

  Inside it—

  A towering tree stood suspended in stillness.

  Its trunk was vast, bark smooth like ancient stone. Cascades of pink leaves shimmered endlessly, while a faint golden radiance coiled around its roots like a sleeping dragon.

  Cai Xi’s breath caught.

  Ling Yue explained calmly — what must be done, what must never be done, and what must never be revealed to the world.

  Each word carved itself into Cai Xi’s heart.

  “Yes, Second Mother,” Cai Xi said solemnly.

  She accepted the orb with both hands and bowed deeply.

  Then she hesitated.

  “Second Mother… about Lu Jin—”

  Ling Yue’s expression hardened instantly.

  “Don’t,” she said, her tone firm yet weary.

  “Do not speak his name.”

  Even now… we cannot find him.

  “You must depart to the Far East,” Ling Yue continued, her voice softening once more.

  “Focus on breaking through to the Soul Transformation Realm. Nothing else matters.”

  Cai Xi pouted slightly, her eyes glistening.

  “Yes, Second Mother.”

  Ling Yue stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

  Her arms were warm. Steady.

  “Go,” she said calmly.

  ...

  The sun shone brightly in the sky, indifferent and warm, welcoming the final day of the seven-day ultimatum issued by the Immortal Ascendant.

  Throughout the sect, elders hurried back and forth, issuing orders, coordinating defenses—

  and quietly offering disciples a choice.

  To stay.

  Or to leave.

  Deep within the sect, in a hidden valley where mist clung to jagged cliffs, a colossal water dragon lay coiled around a lake the color of the sky itself.

  Xi Li stood before it.

  “You should leave while you still can,” he said, brows drawn together. “I will sever our contract. You’re free to go… visit your children.”

  The dragon’s massive eyes opened.

  “Hmph.”

  A rumble echoed through the valley.

  “If you think I would leave now, then you never truly understood me.”

  Water surged faintly around its scales.

  “You saved me from the threads of the Heavens,” the dragon continued.

  “You showed me a path to reclaim my own will.”

  Its gaze sharpened.

  “Now, I repay that favor.”

  Xi Li stared for a moment—

  Then laughed loudly.

  “HAHA! Fine, fine.”

  His shoulders relaxed.

  “Then care to join me for a cup of wine before all hell breaks loose?”

  With a wave of his hand, a giant bowl filled to the brim with wine appeared before the dragon.

  Xi Li lifted his own gourd and took a deep swig.

  “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” he said quietly.

  “But it has been an honor… my friend.”

  They drank till night.

  All across the Heaven Defying Sect, similar scenes unfolded.

  Most disciples refused to leave.

  Instead, they laughed.

  They drank.

  They danced beneath lantern light.

  Some composed poems beneath the stars, others played instruments as if the heavens themselves were listening.

  It was a declaration... of their upcoming victory.

  At the sect’s outer gate, a lone woman stood silently.

  She watched everything—

  the laughter, the resolve, the unspoken fear hidden behind brave smiles.

  She etched every detail deep into her heart.

  Then, with heavy steps, she turned away and walked into the distance.

  ‘Even if the sect falls…’

  ‘The idea must live on.’