Ascending Stars.
The Golden Crow sank in the west, and dusk deepened. Not far to the north lay Lushwood, its rigid trees standing in thickets like blades and swords. Their pitch-black roots extended downward, plunging straight into the spiritual veins of the entire region and locking them fast.
Atop Heaven's Gate Peak, high winds howled as two figures stood in silence.
Wu Heyong wore a sky-blue robe patterned with silver and a jade-green belt at his waist. Together with his phoenix eyes, they gave him an exceptional bearing, though little of an immortal's air. He looked more like a young nobleman from a mortal aristocratic clan.
He cared nothing for the upheaval in Lushwood. The Wu Clan had merely been an excuse for his actions. Now that he had stepped behind the Hollow Sword Gate, he turned around and consigned his former disguise to the flames.
Night soon fell. Beside him stood a middle-aged woman who bore some resemblance to Liang Yuanming. Her expression was dark and stern, and she wore silver-gray Daoist robes with intricate star patterns on the sleeves. She stood behind Wu Heyong.
"The Celestial Pivot Star shines bright, and violet-gold radiance encroaches upon the Dipper's bowl. Do you know what this portends?"
Wu Heyong spoke calmly. Behind him, Liang Xilan merely chuckled and said coldly:
"It is only star-gazing. What is so difficult about it? The Dipper's bowl governs 'divine thunder,' while its handle governs 'shock thunder.' These are the Northern Dipper's two divisions. Now that the Celestial Pivot shines brightly, is it not a sign that divine thunder will flourish?"
"Our Void Sword has a legacy of reading the stars and discoursing on the heavens. You have certainly asked the right person."
Her tone was abrasive, tinged with disdain. She swept her gaze over Wu