The path to the Fragnted Peak Range was anything but stable.
From the mont they left the previous island cluster, the structure of the Allheaven Expanse began to shift around them. Floating landmasses grew denser, their spacing irregular, their trajectories unpredictable. So drifted in slow, deliberate arcs, while others rotated in place, their surfaces jagged and fractured as though torn apart by so ancient force. Between them, the sky currents intensified, streams of invisible force that tugged at movent and altered direction without warning.
Lin Yi remained standing atop the qilin, his posture steady despite the shifting environnt. The creature moved with quiet certainty, each step landing on unseen footholds ford by the currents themselves. It did not hesitate, nor did it falter, weaving through the unstable terrain with a natural ease that made the surrounding chaos seem almost irrelevant.
Behind him, Luo Cheng and Luo i followed.
Not on the qilin.
They moved across the islands the conventional way—jumping, timing their steps, using bursts of spiritual energy to cross gaps where the currents were too unstable to rely on. It was slower, more dangerous, and required constant attention.
"Senior, the currents ahead are getting denser," Luo i called out, her voice carrying over the shifting wind. "If we keep this direction, we’ll enter the outer zone of the Fragnted Peak Range soon."
Luo Cheng landed beside her, exhaling lightly as he stabilized himself on a narrow ledge. "I can feel it too. The pressure’s different here... heavier."
Lin Yi’s gaze moved forward.
Ahead, the islands began to converge—not loosely, but forcefully. Massive fragnts of land had collided and fused together, forming towering structures that resembled mountains more than floating terrain. Their surfaces were uneven, layered with broken stone, jagged cliffs, and remnants of ancient architecture embedded into the rock like fossils of a forgotten era.
And within those mountains—
Energy.
Dense.
Concentrated.
Even from a distance, it was noticeable.
"...We’re close," Luo Cheng said, his voice lowering slightly.
The qilin stepped forward, carrying Lin Yi onto one of the outer platforms of the range.
The mont they entered—
The atmosphere changed.
The air grew heavier, the ambient energy no longer flowing freely but pressing inward, as though the entire region was compressing its own power. The ground beneath them—if it could still be called ground—was layered with crystalline formations, faint veins of light running through the stone.
Luo i’s eyes sharpened. "This is it."
Luo Cheng nodded, his earlier lightness replaced by focus. "The density... it’s definitely here."
They moved deeper.
The terrain grew more complex, narrow paths winding between elevated ridges, steep inclines leading to higher platforms, and occasional open spaces where the sky above was partially obscured by overlapping landmasses.
And then—
They saw it.
A cavern.
Half-exposed along the side of a fractured mountain, its entrance wide, its interior glowing faintly with a soft, golden light.
Luo Cheng inhaled sharply. "That’s..."
Luo i didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to.
They both knew.
Celestial jades.
A large quantity.
Lin Yi stepped forward without hesitation, the qilin following silently behind him.
The mont they entered the cavern—
The glow intensified.
The walls, the ground, even parts of the ceiling were embedded with crystalline formations—clusters of celestial jades, so small, so large, all radiating that distinct, refined energy.
Luo Cheng’s eyes widened. "This... this is way more than what we heard..."
Luo i’s breathing slowed slightly, her gaze scanning the cavern with practiced caution. "Stay alert. A place like this won’t be unguarded."
Lin Yi said nothing.
His gaze swept once across the interior.
No imdiate movent.
No visible threats.
The energy was stable.
That was enough.
He stepped forward.
Luo Cheng and Luo i followed, though their attention remained divided between the surroundings and the jade deposits.
"Senior," Luo Cheng said, his voice carrying a hint of excitent now, "if we extract this properly, this might be enough to—"
He stopped.
Because Lin Yi had already moved. Not toward the smaller clusters or the edges, but directly to the center where the largest concentration lay.
His hand lifted, and in that mont, a token appeared. It was simple in form and unassuming.
Yet the instant it materialized, the surrounding energy shifted.
The celestial jades embedded in the cavern walls began to tremble.
Luo i’s expression changed.
"...Senior?"
Lin Yi did not respond.
The token activated.
Absorption.
The jades closest to him disappeared first, dissolving into streams of light that flowed directly into the token. Then the ones further away. Then the clusters embedded deeper within the stone.
It spread rapidly.
Systematically.
Everything within range—
Taken.
Luo Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait—!"
He took a step forward instinctively, but it was already too late.
Within seconds—
The cavern was empty.
The glow vanished.
The light faded.
What remained were hollow indentations in the stone where the celestial jades had once been.
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Luo Cheng stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up.
Luo i’s gaze slowly shifted from the empty walls... to Lin Yi.
"...Senior," she said, her voice no longer carrying the earlier calm. "What does this an?"
Lin Yi lowered the token.
"I collected them," he said simply.
The words landed. And sothing broke.
Luo Cheng’s face tightened, disbelief turning into anger. "Collected them? That’s—what do you an ’collected them’?!"
He gestured sharply toward the cavern walls. "We said we’d split it! Three parts! That was the agreent!"
Luo i did not raise her voice.
But her hand moved.
Her weapon appeared—a slender blade, its edge faintly shimring.
Her gaze remained fixed on Lin Yi.
"Senior," she said, slower this ti, each word deliberate. "We brought you here. We shared the information. Are you saying... that ans nothing?"
Lin Yi looked at her.
Then at Luo Cheng.
Then back at the empty cavern.
"You found the location," he said. "I secured the resource."
Luo Cheng let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Secured? You took everything!"
"Yes."
The answer ca without hesitation.
Without justification.
Without apology.
The air shifted.
Tension rose, thick and imdiate.
Luo Cheng’s hand moved to his weapon, gripping it tightly now. "So that’s it? You just take it all and walk away?"
Luo i’s blade angled slightly, her stance adjusting.
Not attacking.
But ready.
Her voice dropped, colder now. "Senior... give us a reason not to think you planned this from the start."
Lin Yi t her gaze.
Calm.
Unmoved.
"...You can think what you want."
A beat.
Then—
Luo Cheng drew his weapon fully, anger no longer restrained. "Then give it back."
Luo i stepped forward beside him, her blade steady, her expression set.
"Or explain yourself," she said quietly.
The cavern, now empty of its treasure, filled instead with sothing else entirely.
Conflict.
And this ti—
It was directed at Lin Yi.
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