In the park, one old man was practicing swordsmanship while another was doing tai chi.
The two old men exchanged a glance. "Say, do your Eight Gates really have a Life Gate?"
The old man clasped his hands behind his back. "Of course. But as the cycle of heaven evolves and tai chi turns, the Life Gate may be here one second and somewhere else the next."
"If they had the habit of carrying compasses, they would notice that the magnetic field became chaotic every time the Life Gate shifted."
The other old man gave a faint smile. "Yet so far, not a single person has managed to walk out of your Eight Gates."
I Ching shook his head. "Old Twelve, you must understand. Timing and fate—they were destined to encounter me."
"Their inability to get out is also their fate."
Chaos Splitter Seat Eight: I Ching.
Chaos Splitter Seat Twelve: Sword Forger.
Inside Rift Space.
Chen Ye was tidying up his old nest. Along one side of the dark space, he had arranged several rows of enormous bookshelves.
A table stood in the middle, upon which sat a Double-eared Pot bearing a demon design and a diary.
On the floor to one side, there was also a large potted Venus flytrap that resembled a sunflower but was covered in eyeballs.
On the other side of the room, the body of an enormous giant snake had been stretched taut, its head and tail secured to opposite walls.
Three cavities had been carved into its middle, with glass separating the flesh and blood on either side.
The giant snake wore an agonized expression, but its head was fixed to the wall and could not move.
Chen Ye came before the snake's three cavities and pulled out a bowl. "What's this