Within the Interplanetary Academy of Cultivation...
Following the silent and largely undetected disappearance of five individuals, the Academy was largely unchanged. However, the undercurrents were slowly becoming more apparent.
A large and terrible earthquake rocked the academy, during which a massive hole opened up at the very center of it.
Strangely enough, the earthquake did not stop until the Headmaster himself descended, and returned with a battalion of battered staff members and Mr. Nagira in chains.
The more sharp students with higher cultivation were able to vaguely detect that Mr. Nagira cultivation base had been sealed, but they could not be certain.
They never saw him again, and the academy was swiftly repaired.
If that wasn't enough to cause an uproar, the very next day the void itself split open. The fabric betweem Realms was torn, giving a glimpse of the Heavenly Realm's underside.
Out of that rift, legions of heaven's forces spilled down into the Earthly Realm.
Following those legions of white-robed, divinity-infused immortals, was a woman with dark, glittery hair and similarly dark eyes.
Xu Lan.
As she descended onto the central square, just above where the hole had opened up, numerous staff members rushed out to greet her.
Among then were Tang Zhen, Yao Lingzi, who were joined shortly after by the tall and muscular Lin Mingdao.
They all bowed slightly as they welcomed Xu Lan.
Xu Lan overlooked them with a nod, and softly called out, "Ye'er, my son. Come."
Xu Ye, who was amongst the crowd, slowly walked up to his mother. Seeing him, she smiled and waved her hand, telling him to come to her side.
"Hello... mother," Xu Ye said sheepishly as he approached her.
She looked on him with something reminiscent of pride, then returned her attention to Tang Zhen and the others.
"My Xu Ye has uncovered the truth. He is the first human to gaze upon the Supreme Immortal Body in this age, and shall ever be known as the Third and final Herald of The Great Hunt."
Her hand lightly tapped her son's shoulder.
Around her, the white-robed immortals lowered their heads. "Hail to the Herald."
Smiling fuller, Xu Lan said, "This Academy has failed us twice. First, Yun Jiang's death at the hands of some savage, uncontrolled brute, and now its inept surveillance."
Tang Zhen's face hardened as he ground his teeth.
Xu Lan continued, "You have allowed the Supreme Immortal Body to flee. Although, I suppose it wouldn't be much of hunt if it fell into our hands easily."
Giggling, Xu Lan removed her hand from her son's shoulder; Xu Ye had been staring at his feet the whole time.
"Unfortunately, your failure has been brought to the attention of my direct superior, who just so happens to be the late Yun Jiang's uncle."
Tang Zhen's fist were so tight that his knuckles cracked. Yao Lingzi and Lin Mingdao looked at each other, then at him, and finally back at Xu Lan.
"He will be descending within the hour, to make this Academy his base of operations in this filthy Realm. From here, we will begin our hunt for the Supreme Immortal Body, and soon put an end to it forevermore."
With a flourish, Xu Lan guided her son away, leaving Tang Zhen and the others standing before the massive army of immortals.
"You are advised to wait for him," she looked back and said, indifference on her tongue.
Now that she was with Xu Ye, she seemed as though she could not wait to spend time with him.
They walked along the pathways through the academy, attracting the gazes of most of the students that were around and had seen Xu Lan's descent.
"Ye'er, aren't you excited to be recognized as the Herald? It means that you can receive numerous boons from Heaven. I always knew you'd make me proud."
Xu Ye walked alongside his mother, his eyes never wandering upward. He could not bring himself to look at her face.
He nodded, "It's really wonderful, Mother."
Xu Lan was pleased with herself as she said, "It truly is. I got so worried when I wasn't able to see you a while ago, but I should have known better. You worked tirelessly to uncover the truth, and now that fiendish Supreme Immortal Body has been identified earlier than ever before."
Wincing, Xu Ye glanced at his mother's arm. "What do you mean?"
Xu Lan found a cozy spot near a tree, and sat on a bench. Xu Ye sat with her after a moment of hesitation.
She took his hand into hers with a cheery smile, looking him in the eyes as she soaked in his presence.
"In eras past, the Supreme Immortal Body was only identified once it approached Dao Integration. Its tribulation attracts the Heavenly Daos in a unique way, causing them to act far more ferocious than normal."
"This is what allowed the Supreme Immortal Body to be found before. However, my genius boy was able to gain the trust of a potential candidate, and cause it to expose itself to us. That was a masterstroke, Ye'er. Jin Huang never saw you coming."
Xu Ye stiffened, his hand going rigid in his mother's grip. She did not seem to notice, and instead kept heaping praise onto him.
Eventually, he opened his mouth.
"Mother..."
She stopped, tilting her head. "Mm?"
"What happens when he- when it- is found?"
Xu Lan ruffled his hair, "Silly boy. How many times have I told you about this? Don't you listen to your mother?"
One wry smile later, Xu Ye was listening as his mother recounted the details of a story he had never cared to hear before.
"The Supreme Immortal Body has always sided with these lesser beings, not us humans. It seems attracted to them- or they to it. On top of that, it's existence opposes the Dao of Heaven, and thus cannot be permitted."
"Every single time the Supreme Immortal Body has appeared, it rose above its peers and sought to stand at the top. To eventually exhalt itself above the Highest Heaven. That is its goal."
Xu Ye was about to say something, but, thinking about it, he decided not to.
"Blasphemy like can only be punished with death. True death. The kind that harms even the soul- even one as profound as the soul within the Supreme Immortal Body."
"That is why it's reincarnations have only grown further and further apart. Divine General Erlang speculated that, if it were to appear again, that would be the last time."
"All we have to do is find ot again, and destroy its soul once and for all."
Happily stroking her son's hair, Xu Lan thoroughly enjoyed her time with him. She did not notice his shaken state, or his slightly widened eyes.
She did not notice how he seemed to shudder at the thought.
Instead, she bombarded him with questions about his plans for the future, his thoughts on going home with her, and her own ideas for things that he could do from that point on.
At the same time, the rift above the academy opened wider, but not because something enormous was coming through.
The presence of the person descending now was just so immensely powerful that it forced the fabric of reality to tear further.
Violet and golden rays of light were emitted from his body, and a divine ring of white light hovered just above his head like both a halo and a crown.
At his back were six wings that were invisibly connected to his back, all of them larger than him and composed of jet black scales.
He wore a daoist robe of similar color as the lights coming from his body, and looked down upon the academy with bright violet eyes.
His hair was short, sharp and a darker hue of violet.
He did not descend all the way, but instead stopped and hovered above the army of immortals.
In turn, the immortals all took a knee and bowed their heads, an arm crossing their chest.
Together, their voices filled the academy.
"The Seventh Division greets Heavenly Sage Yun Cang! Hail, Heavenly Sage Yun Cang!"
Yun Cang nodded, and they silenced themselves.
"Which of you is Tang Zhen?"
Tang Zhen gulped, but stepped forward. He did his best to maintain a dignified appearance.
"I am Tang Zh-"
ZING!
Before the man could finish speaking, a blade of white light had cut his head off. The blood that would have spurted out was disintegrated by that white light, the wound seared and sizzling.
Ling Mingdao and Yao Lingzi could not believe what they were seeing.
Anger and unwillingness flashed in Ling Mingdao's eyes, but he dared not let it consume him.
The blade of light vanished, and once again assumed its place above Yun Cang's head.
"I will take charge of this academy until a replacement is chosen. Get word to the other institutes that I am here, and I demand they immediately cease all regular functions."
"From now on, all of the lesser beings in the Earthly Realm will be made aware of our search. The Supreme Immortal Body will be found. None shall rest until it is."
Yun Cang did not even look at Lin Mingdao or Yao Lingzi again. He flew off in the direction of the Headmaster's office, going further above it.
The army of immortals rose once he left, and immediately got to work. They flew off at incredible speeds in various directions, setting off to do Yun Cang's bidding.
Just as he expected them to.