The herb garden in the Stargazing Hall became a place Xiao Yan frequented. The Samsara Flower cultivated by A Yao grew extremely well, blooming and withering one after another, withered petals falling into the soil and quickly turning into nutrients to nourish new buds, perfectly illustrating the word "cycle".
That afternoon, Xiao Yan was squatting by the flower field, staring blankly at a patch of newly sprouted buds. A Yao came over carrying a watering can, followed his gaze, and smiled, "Isn't it amazing? These flowers, no matter what you do to them, as long as the roots are still there, they'll always grow back."
"Roots..." Xiao Yan's fingertips gently touched the soil. "Yes, as long as the roots are still there, there is hope."
He suddenly remembered the Seed of Creation. The three seeds circulated within the Heart of the Flame Realm, weren't they the "roots" of all the heavens? Order was the trunk, life was the leaves, balance was the veins, and the gray-gold law that merged with nothingness was the resilience that allowed this "towering tree" to stand firm in the wind and rain.
" Brother Xiao Yan, look at this!" A Yao handed over a crystal-clear leaf, its veins clearly visible, yet shimmering with a faint gray light. "This drifted from the direction of the Balance Tower, carrying a strange aura that allows the Samsara Flower to grow faster."
Xiao Yan took the leaf, feeling a familiar sensation on his fingertips—an aura of order and nothingness intertwined. He buried the leaf in the flower field, and sure enough, the surrounding Samsara Flower unfurled their leaves at a visible speed, the patterns on their petals becoming clearer, as if they had been infused with new life.
" The Power of Cycles of the Balance Tower has begun to nourish the heavens." He understood that this was the result he wanted—protection was not about drawing a line in the sand, but about allowing the "roots" to extend naturally and coexist harmoniously with everything around them.
As evening fell, the Blazing Sun Realm Lord sent a message: new spatial fluctuations had appeared near the Balance Tower. It was not nothingness, but an aura of law never seen before, as if... it came from an extremely distant Outer Realm.
When Xiao Yan arrived at the Balance Tower, Qing He was standing at the top, gazing at the distant void. She pointed to a patch of distorted starlight. "The fluctuations of the laws there are very gentle, yet they carry a strong sense of 'exploration,' unlike an enemy."
Xiao Yan activated the power of the Seed of Creation, instantly extending his vision to the depths of the starry sea. He saw a huge silver spaceship traversing the spatial barrier. The spaceship's hull was engraved with complex runes, neither the order runes of the heavens nor the ethereal dark patterns, but a completely new kind of mark full of mechanical and energetic beauty.
"It's Outer Realm civilization," he said in a deep voice. "It seems the heavens are not the only 'existing' entity in the universe."
The spaceship slowly approached the Balance Tower and hovered a hundred feet away. The hatch opened, and a figure floated out—it was a humanoid creature, its entire body made of silver metal, its head a smooth crystal that shimmered with blue light. It exuded no hostility, only pure curiosity.
"High concentration of ordered energy and Law of Balance detected." The metallic being spoke, its voice a purely electronic synthesized tone, "We are the ' Star Patrollers,' from an extragalactic galaxy, tracking the fluctuations of the cosmic strings here."
Its words entered directly into everyone's consciousness, clear and precise. "Having observed a stable cycle of 'existence' and 'non-existence' here, which meets the standards of a 'harmonious cosmic civilization,' we have come to establish communication."
Xiao Yan stepped forward, releasing a benevolent Power of Order: "Welcome to the All Heavens and Myriad Realms."
The metallic being's crystalline head flickered a few times, as if expressing joy. "According to the Star Patrollers' Code, we are willing to share our space travel technology and intergalactic law map in exchange for the Law of Cycles data here."
This proposal both surprised and excited the council members. Communicating with a civilization from the Outer Realm was an experience never before seen in the heavens.
"This is a good thing," the Grand Elder said to Xiao Yan, "But we must remain vigilant, after all, we know nothing about them."
"I understand." Xiao Yan nodded. "We can start by establishing limited communication, beginning with sharing basic principles."
In the following months, the Celestials and the Star Patrollers engaged in initial exchanges. The Star Patrollers brought space travel technology far surpassing that of the Mechanical Clan Race, enabling the Celestials' starships to break through the original galactic barriers; while the Celestials shared the fundamental principles of the Law of Cycles, giving the Star Patrollers a new understanding of the balance between "existence" and "non-existence".
Xiao Yan often communicated with the leader of the Star Patrollers —that metallic being. He discovered that although the Star Patrollers ' civilization was highly advanced, it lacked an intuitive understanding of "life." Their law diagrams were precise but cold, unlike the laws of the heavens, which were full of resilience.
"Your Law of Cycles contain the variable of 'emotion'." The metallic creature's crystalline head flashed with a confused blue light. "According to calculations, emotion causes fluctuations in the laws, reducing efficiency. Why retain it?"
Xiao Yan pointed to the Samsara Flower outside the window. "Look at this flower, its desolation when it withers and its splendor when it blooms are both part of it. If we only wanted to keep it blooming forever for the sake of 'efficiency,' it would lose the meaning of the cycle. Emotions may bring fluctuations, but they are also the 'nutrients' that make the laws come alive."
The metallic being remained silent for a long time, then the light emanating from its crystal head gradually softened. "Insufficient data, unable to understand, but... willing to accept the existence of this 'variable'."
The communication was not without its challenges. Some parts of the Star Patrollers ' Law Chart, which overly pursued "absolute order," clashed with the Dao of Cycles of the heavens. However, both sides exercised restraint and, through repeated deductions and adjustments, found a balance that was acceptable to both.
On this day, the metallic creature brought a message: 30 million light-years away from the heavens, there exists a " Shattered Galaxy " where the laws have collapsed due to the excessive pursuit of "absolute power" and are accelerating their fall towards "nothingness." The Star Patrollers fleet cannot get close, and they hope the heavens can provide assistance.
" Shattered Galaxy..." Xiao Yan's heart stirred. This might be an opportunity to test the Dao of Cycles, and also the beginning of extending the protective range of the heavens to the Outer Realm.
He looked at the Grand Elder, his eyes questioning. The Grand Elder pondered for a moment and nodded, "Go. Protecting the world is not limited to the heavens; allowing the Dao of Cycles to benefit more places is also the will of the Seed of Creation."
On the eve of his departure, Xiao Yan returned to the herb garden. A Yao handed him a packet of Samsara Flower seeds. "Take these with you; maybe they'll bloom in that Shattered Galaxy."
Xiao Yan gripped the seed tightly, feeling a warm touch on his fingertips. He looked up at the starry sky, where the Star Patrollers's spaceship was waiting outside the hub, and the light pillar of the Balance Tower shone brightly in the night sky.
A new journey is about to begin. This time, it is not about fighting against shadows, decay, or nothingness, but about using the wisdom of cycles to help those beings who are lost between "being" and "non-being."
His path of protection is slowly extending into the vast universe. And the seeds of the Samsara Flower seem to be saying: no matter where you go, the hope of "existence" will never be absent.