Ashen Wasteland, the Third Seal

The dark blue starlight of the Shattered Star Sea gradually faded behind them.

The shattered remains of stars sank back into the darkness of the Chaos Void like forgotten fragments.

Dust Star followed Xuandu, flecks of light flowing across his body like starlight as he moved silently through the Chaos Qi.

He asked no questions. He simply sensed every step of That Green Clad Figure ahead of him, and the calm certainty in each one.

The Azure Emperor led the way, his emerald robe striking against the surging Chaos Qi.

He knew the paths through the Chaos Depths better than Dust Star. After all, as the Ancestor of Myriad Woods, he had once traveled through countless regions there.

The three figures passed through surging currents of Chaos Qi and crossed one fractured stretch of void after another, slowly making their way toward the Ashen Wasteland.

The closer they came to the Ashen Wasteland, the thinner the Chaos Qi grew. In its place came an intensely dry heat.

Ash-gray currents hung in the void like the embers of a fire, carrying warmth that had lingered for countless eons.

The floating landmasses beneath their feet grew fewer and farther between. In their place were fragments of rock covered in dark-gray ash.

Large and small, the fragments lay strewn across the void like bones scorched by fire, giving off an air of utter desolation.

Xuandu sensed an ancient rhythm within the heat, and his gaze sharpened.

He could sense the presence slumbering deep within the Ashen Wasteland: heavy and blazing.

The deeper they went, the stronger the heat became.

The dark-gray fragments thickened, spreading across the void like an endless ruin.

The Azure Emperor stopped. Caution flashed through his emerald eyes.

"The aura here is more violent than I remember."

"It's as though