They trekked through an eerily quiet forest, their footsteps crunching over dry leaves the only sound. The spiderlings had either devoured or driven off every other creature.

A sudden snore shattered the silence. Heads turned toward Jin Shu's shoulder, where Yin'er rested her small head against his, softly snoring into his ear.

He kept his expression straight… until a second snore sounded. This time, every eye shifted to his other shoulder, where Ji Ji—in her human form—had mirrored Yin'er's position. That was when the whispers began. Again.

Ever since their return trek had started, Jin Shu had caught murmurs in the wind—rumors that the two girls on his shoulders were his biological children. He was almost certain Li Xue was the culprit. The story wasn't helped by the girls constantly calling him "daddy," nor by the fact they resembled one another: one with a pair of golden wings, the other with silver.

He wanted to shake his head in exasperation, but that would wake the sleeping girls. So he settled for a quiet sigh.

Fortunately, their journey was nearly at its end. At the far edge of the forest, the sounds of life returned—birds calling, beasts stirring, insects humming. With it, much of the unconscious tension bled out of the group. Relief deepened when they spotted the elders waiting beyond the treeline.

Their communication talismans had failed throughout the swarm attack, no matter how many times they tried. Only after the battle did their messages finally reach the sect.

To Jin Shu's surprise, two ancient-looking women stood at the forefront of the welcoming party, leading a half-dozen core elders. He vaguely recognized them from the elder council he had attended after the tournament. Thanks to Sun Mei'er, he now knew they were spirit beasts. Judging by the auras they projected, they were likely in the early Adept Realm, first or second stage.

Cynically, Jin Shu wondered whether they would have been of any use against the broodqueen—or against Chou Hundan after he absorbed her life force. Still, he had to admit that, had communication been possible, far more reinforcements than just these two would have come. Though spirit beasts were usually stronger than cultivators at the same level.

"Children, you did well to survive," said the elder on the left. "We're here now to bring you home."

Her tone was warm, and a kind smile softened her ancient face—quite the contrast to the perpetual scowl on the other elder's.

That one tapped her cane impatiently. "Come, come. I don't have all day to dawdle."

"Wu Ya," the smiling elder chided gently, "the children just survived a harrowing ordeal. Couldn't you be a tad nicer? It wouldn't kill you, would it?"

Wu Ya gave her a flat look. "It might as well be killing me, Ming Qin."

With a huff, she turned and motioned for the other elders to follow.

Ming Qin shook her head with a sigh. "I'm sorry about that old crow. Let's go home now, children."

Her smile only deepened as she gestured for them to follow.

Jin Shu found their dynamic unexpectedly refreshing. The lighthearted bickering helped ease the lingering tension in his chest—and judging by the others' reactions, he wasn't the only one. He briefly wondered if the two elders had planned their act, but more likely, they were always like this.

Curious, he quickened his pace to walk beside Ming Qin. "Excuse me, Elder Ming?"

She turned to him, her gentle smile never wavering. "Yes, child? Do you need something?"

He almost refuted the "child" part on instinct—but stopped himself. Given her ancient appearance and the fact she was in the Adept Realm—a realm where lifespans lasted centuries, likely twice that for a long-lived spirit beast—he decided to let it go.

"Um… I wanted to ask about spirit beast clans. Both those within the sect and those outside it."

"Hmm, of course. What would you like to know?"

"Well… do your clans keep any records of the ones outside the sect? Like which ones are still… surviving?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Still surviving?"

"Maybe that's not the right word," he said, shaking his head. "I mean—do you know which clans are still around after whatever forced them to ascend?"

"Ohh, you're talking about the Great Ascension!" she said brightly. "I was a young hatchling back then. Watching the elders of our clans ascend was a magnificent sight. But it'd be faster if I listed the ones that fully ascended—like the Phoenix Clan."

"Why?"

"Because only about ten or so clans fully ascended."

"...Huh?"

She shrugged lightly. "You didn't think every member of every clan was forced into ascension, did you?"

"...Maybe?"

"Ohohoho!" She threw her head back, laughing heartily. "No, no, no—silly child."

"I–in my defense, I'm working with very limited knowledge…" he said weakly.

"Yes, I'm sure you are," she said, still smiling. "The Great Ascension was never formally recorded. There were secrets involved—things only those who ascended truly understood. But I can tell you this: the spirit beast clans are still recovering from the event. Most of the greatest talents were taken, leaving their younger generations behind. A few smaller clans—like the Phoenixes—lost nearly everyone, but that was rare."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I see… so a clan like, say… the Jade Rabbits—they're still around?"

"The Jade Rabbits?" she repeated, blinking. "Yes, of course. Why?"

"They are?! Where?!" He nearly jumped with excitement.

"Not far," she said, tapping her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, they're situated somewhere near the border between the eastern and western regions."

Jin Shu's mind raced. He mentally reviewed the geography of that border—thousands of miles of wilderness with only one human city marking the divide. The Jade Rabbits could be anywhere along that vast stretch. Still, it narrowed his search from another world to something far closer.

"Are you in urgent need of them?"

"I have to find them within a year," he admitted. "They're the only link to finding something very important to… me."

"Hmm… that's quite the deadline," Ming Qin mused. "Will you be foregoing the southern expedition, then?"

He froze. He hadn't considered that. The southern expedition would take months through what was essentially enemy territory, and no one knew how long the hidden realm exploration would last—days, decades, perhaps longer.

"Screw Long Jinshu." That was what he wanted to say.

But… he couldn't.

For all his resentment toward the man's methods, Jin Shu couldn't deny the truth—he wouldn't even exist without Long Jinshu's sacrifice. The least he could do was grant him one last wish: to see his family again… if they were even still in this world.

From what Ming Qin had said, most of the spirit beast clans' greatest talents had ascended long ago. And with more than five centuries having passed since Long Jinshu's death, there was no telling if any of his kin remained.

A pulse rippled through Jin Shu's mind, sudden and alien. He blinked, momentarily disoriented, before realizing the source—it was Long Jinshu's slumbering soul.

Without breaking stride, Jin Shu allowed his awareness to sink inward, descending into the vast expanse of his soul space. At its farthest reaches, shrouded in darkness, lay a massive dragon coiled upon itself. Silver scales glimmered faintly in the dim light cast by drifting elemental motes, each one reflecting the beast's faded majesty.

Jin Shu reached out and placed his hand upon the dragon's forehead.

The world tilted and he was pulled into Long Jinshu's dreams.

Within the world of Long Jinshu's dreams, Jin Shu wasn't sure what he was seeing. Everything shifted like liquid glass—colors melting into shapes, shapes twisting into colors—until he focused his entire mind on a single detail. Only then did the chaos solidify into scenes, half-formed memories warped by inconsistencies.

In one, Long Jinshu played with his sisters as toddlers, still unable to take human form. But instead of their mothers watching over them, there were towering giants with featureless faces. Jin Shu couldn't tell whether he was witnessing a memory or a nightmare.

In another, Long Jinshu sparred with Aunt Zui. Unlike in reality, where he'd always been hopelessly outmatched, here he completely overwhelmed her—each strike landing with such force that she couldn't even defend herself. Jin Shu immediately recognized it for what it was: fantasy. Aunt Zui couldn't possibly be defeated by him. She was a monster in the shape of a kind aunt.

Well… not exactly kind.

Just a monster. But… in a good way.

He drifted through a few more fragments before finally finding Long Jinshu himself. The dragon-man sat cross-legged in meditation, floating in the dream's center. His eyes opened slowly, releasing a flash of golden light that would've blinded Jin Shu if this weren't a dreamscape. Long Jinshu raised a hand, and Jin Shu suddenly stood before him—no movement, no transition, as if space itself had folded.

"I lied," Long Jinshu said.

"Uh… yeah? About what?"

"I can't see my family again," he murmured. "Not yet."

"What do you mean? Don't you only have a year left to live?"

"Yes. And that's why I can't." His gaze dimmed. "Karma is strongest right before death."

Jin Shu frowned, struggling to understand.

"I always knew this would happen," Long Jinshu continued. "That's why I lied from the start. I could never see them again in this life… or what remains of it. If we were both to see them, my karma would pass to you. Because you also see them as family, the curse from using the Time Rune would claim us both."

"But didn't you say I was free from heavenly interference?"

"Karma exists above even the heavens," he said softly. "And before you ask—I can't explain it."

Jin Shu closed his mouth. That had indeed been his next question. "Why'd you lie though?"

"To confirm if you were a good person, if you still loved our family. I wasn't sure if you would still be like me or someone else entirely. It was my first time splitting my soul into completely new beings after all."

"So… what now? You just die?"

"Now," Long Jinshu said. "Now, it's farewell."

Before Jin Shu could respond, the dragon-man reached forward and pressed his scaled palm to Jin Shu's forehead.

A surge of power exploded through Jin Shu. His head snapped back as two beams of golden light shot from his eyes, flooding the dreamland with blinding brilliance. The power was so overwhelming he couldn't even scream. When he managed to lower his gaze, Long Jinshu's body was already dissolving, turning translucent before scattering into silvery dust.

"What… are… you… doing?!" Jin Shu forced out.

"Unlocking your true potential." Long Jinshu smiled one last time—then faded completely.

Jin Shu's eyes opened to find himself back in his soul space. The place where Long Jinshu's body had once rested was now empty, only faint motes of silver light drifting away into the ether.

He blinked, disoriented, and turned toward the two figures beside him. "What… happened?" he asked, though he already knew.

"He's gone," Gold said softly.