Chapter 1563: Dominating the Inner Realm, Li Muwan

Wang Lin looked at the cold woman, his gaze falling upon the infant wrapped in a quilt in her arms. After a long silence, he nodded.

The woman's expression remained indifferent, her eyes as if containing howling cold winds. She looked at Wang Lin, yet it seemed as if she were looking at the world behind him.

"Your name, Sir, is renowned throughout our Vermilion Bird Star; even in the distant Snow Region, this old woman has heard of it. You are a great scholar of this generation, having enlightened many a Cultivator, helped them comprehend the heavens and earth, and guided them when they were lost.

I have come here today for the sake of this child." The woman looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms, a trace of softness appearing in her cold eyes.

"It is said that you, Sir, have seen through the heavens and earth, understood the Karma and Reincarnation, are indifferent to life and death, and walk between the real and the illusory. Could you point out a bright path for this child?" The woman's voice lost some of its chill as she looked at the infant in her arms and spoke calmly.

"This child's parents both died when she was born. I happened to find her in the snow; at that time, her whole body was stiff, and she was on the verge of death. I felt pity for her, but after examining her closely, I discovered that this child's natural talent is the highest I have ever seen in my life. She is born with the Five Elements Qi in her body. If she can survive, she will surely be a shining star of our Vermilion Bird Star!

However, her fate is full of obstacles. I am skilled in divination and calculation, and I have determined that this child has a tribulation in her fate that manifested at her birth. Since I have encountered her, I have become entangled in her tribulation, becoming the one to help her in Undergoing Tribulation.

The more she grows, the sooner that predestined life-and-death tribulation will arrive. My cultivation is limited, so I can only use my Divine Ability to restrict her growth, keeping her in the state of an infant. Hearing that you, Sir, possess great talent, I wished to seek your assistance…" The woman said softly, her voice cold.

Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed across the curtain of rain. Immediately following it, a thunderous roar erupted, echoing through the world. Perhaps the thunder was too loud; the booming sound startled the infant from her sleep. She opened her eyes, which were without the slightest Impurities, and began to cry.

Even after the thunder passed, the infant's crying still echoed.

"Let me hold her for a moment." Wang Lin looked at the infant and spoke softly.

The woman was silent for a moment before stepping forward to hand the infant to Wang Lin. Wang Lin took her gently into his arms, bowed his head, and locked eyes with the crying infant.

This was a baby girl. Although she was crying, she looked quite adorable and incredibly delicate. There was a red dot between her eyebrows, as if it had been marked upon the baby girl's Soul.

Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, dampening the quilt beside her.

Strange to say, after the baby girl was startled awake, her crying had been loud in the woman's arms, but when she was in Wang Lin's arms, she slowly stopped crying. Her innocent eyes opened wide as she gazed at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin's aged face slowly revealed a smile. He gently stroked the baby girl's nose with his right hand, and the baby girl immediately laughed happily.

"What is her name?" Wang Lin asked softly.

"Her parents died early, so I do not know… Over these years, I have not given her a name either. Why don't you give her a name, Sir?" The woman was silent, then shook her head after a moment. Her voice still carried a hint of coldness.

Wang Lin looked at the baby girl who was smiling at him, looking very happy. Vaguely, he felt a familiar trace on this child. After a long while, Wang Lin raised his head and looked at the world in the curtain of rain outside.

Under the rain, the distant shade of the trees was obscured, but one could faintly see a colorful butterfly sheltering from the rain under the leaves in the shade.

If a butterfly's wings are soaked by the rain, it cannot fly.

If a butterfly's body is struck by a strong wind, for it, it is like being hit by a hurricane.

Watching the butterfly under the leaves in the shade, a realization dawned in Wang Lin's eyes. He watched the butterfly silently for a very, very long time.

"Let's call her Hong Die… A butterfly in the rain, bearing its vibrant red light, walking through its proud and brilliant life."

Wang Lin's voice was gentle, his expression revealing an indescribable train of thought. He looked down deeply at the baby girl in his arms. The baby girl seemed to understand Wang Lin's words, and her laughter increased.

"I do not understand Divine Abilities, nor do I know how to help this child avoid her life-and-death tribulation. I once saw something in a dream; I will draw it for you. If you can comprehend it thoroughly, you may be able to resolve her life and death." Wang Lin sighed softly. After handing the baby girl to the woman from the Snow Region, he raised his right hand, wet with rainwater, and on the stone table in the pavilion, with his eyes closed, as if recalling, he drew a complex pattern stroke by stroke.

This pattern was a Formation. This Formation was extremely profound, and when it fell into the eyes of the woman from the Snow Region, it moved her, and she focused intently to memorize it.

After a long time, Wang Lin finished the last stroke and opened his eyes.

"After you comprehend this Formation, take a strand of the baby girl's hair and place it within…" Wang Lin's expression was complex as he looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds had slightly dispersed.

Slowly, the pattern on the stone table in the pavilion in the wind gradually dissipated, becoming unclear. The woman from the Snow Region closed her eyes and was silent for a long while, then bowed deeply to Wang Lin, turned, and walked into the rain, holding the baby girl.

Without looking at the woman's departing figure, Wang Lin stood blankly in the pavilion, watching the rain outside gradually diminish. There was confusion in his eyes.

"Karma… Is this Karma real, past lives and present… or is it false, something I must complete myself…" Wang Lin did not understand. Outside the pavilion, the rain finally stopped, and a rainbow faintly appeared in the sky.

The butterfly that had been sheltering from the rain under the leaves in the shade also flapped its wings and flew up, dancing in Wang Lin's sight, gradually flying off into the distance.

With a soft sigh, Wang Lin walked out of the pavilion, heading toward the distance, toward the direction of the sea, walking step by step.

In the fifteenth year after leaving the State of Zhao, Wang Lin had traveled across the continent he was on and arrived at the seaside. He took a merchant ship that traveled between the two continents, heading to the other side of the sea, to the world there.

The sea was boundless and magnificent, with howling winds and waves, churning up seawater and tossing the merchant ship. Standing on the ship, smelling the sea breeze, Wang Lin's white hair fluttered. The sea breeze blew through the wrinkles on his face, but it could not wash away the traces of the years.

The sun, moon, and stars over the sea had a unique flavor. This was Wang Lin's first time at sea, but he felt no discomfort at all. Instead, he looked at the sea, and a surge of Qi in his chest seemed to permeate his entire body.

In the sky over the sea, a flock of seabirds circled, facing the scorching sun, shrouding the entire sea surface.

One month, two months, three months… until five months later, this merchant ship had completely entered the endless ocean. Buffeted by the wind and waves, listening to the sailors singing their unique songs, a happy smile appeared on Wang Lin's face.

On a certain day in the sixth month, at the place where the sea and sky met in the early morning, when the first sun of the sea rose and golden light filled the sky, Wang Lin was woken from his sleep by exclamations of surprise. He stepped out of his room, and at a glance, he saw the sailors who had accompanied him for half a year all kneeling there, bowing toward the east.

Following their direction, Wang Lin turned to look, and his entire body suddenly shook violently.

He saw that on the sea surface to the east, amidst the haze, an illusory scene had appeared.

In that scene, there was a volcanic crater. The volcano was erupting, and as the mountain shook, two massive Rifts appeared, intertwined like a Dragon and snake, as if they were a mark.

Endless magma was spraying out, and billowing black smoke emerged, covering the sky within the scene.

There was no sound, only the image. The scenes of the volcanic eruption made everyone on the ship kneel and worship incessantly.

Looking from afar, that illusory scene connected with the heavens and earth. While extremely realistic, it also gave people a hazy sense of interweaving, making it impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake.

Wang Lin stared blankly at the illusory world, his mind roaring.

"True and false… True and false… Books once said, there are spirits in the sea named Mirage; they breathe out to form illusions, as if they were fairylands… This scene… This scene… Is it truly real, or is it fake… Does it truly exist somewhere in the heavens and earth, or is it entirely illusory?"

"Sea Spirit, calm your anger… Sea Spirit, calm your anger…" Trembling voices came from the mouths of the Mortal sailors kneeling around. They saw this incomprehensible scene and their hearts trembled. This was not the first time they had seen it, but in their lives, they had not seen it often.

In ancient legends, whenever one saw an illusory image while at sea, it meant the Sea Spirit was angry and wanted to punish the living beings who survived by the sea…

In Wang Lin's stupor, as he watched intently, he did not notice the Mortals around him, who, after kneeling, were taking out large amounts of goods and throwing them into the sea, attempting to sacrifice them to the Sea Spirit to make it dissipate its anger.

"This should be fake; it does not truly exist, but is entirely illusory. In this world, such things cannot happen. This scene is not something that is truly occurring in some place under these heavens…

This must be some Cultivator practicing in the endless seabed, caused by their immortal arts!" Wang Lin muttered. He had comprehended many truths of the heavens and earth, but what he saw before him was beyond his imagination.

"Fake… This is fake…" Wang Lin took a deep breath. As he was muttering, his voice suddenly stopped abruptly. His eyes widened sharply, and he stood there dumbfounded. His right hand unconsciously raised, pointing at the illusory volcano on the distant sea surface, his expression revealing disbelief.

"This… She…"

He saw that in that illusory world of the scene, amidst the volcanic eruption and the sky-filling black clouds, a woman appeared. This woman was dressed in white. Although her appearance was not peerlessly beautiful, there was a gentleness to her delicate features. Her long hair fluttered, dancing along with her clothes. An ethereal aura permeated the air; she looked just like a Fairy!

The woman walked out from the black clouds, raised her jade-white hand, and pointed downward. Immediately, the erupting volcano shook, and there were faint signs that it was about to be extinguished.

The moment he saw this woman, Wang Lin seemed to lose all his strength. He was completely stunned. An indescribable sorrow surged through his entire body, sweeping over him like a storm. As it submerged him, two lines of tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

"It's her…" Wang Lin's body was already old, but at this moment, it seemed even more aged. He leaned against the ship's wall behind him, looking at the white-clothed woman in the illusory world, his gaze seemingly eternal.