The Ninth Star Ruin.

Crack!

Suddenly, one of the mountain-range-sized branches laden with the corpses of stars snapped and fell from above with a massive boom.

“This is bad! There’s a big problem with the Origins of the Azure!” the gray sparrow cried out. 

A’Cang’s delicate features shifted, and she sighed. “It’s to be expected. Without the life force contained within the Seed of the Azure, the Origins of the Azure will crumble earlier than expected…”

“I just knew letting that kid leave with the Seed of the Azure wouldn’t lead to anything good!” The gray sparrow was beside himself with anger.

A’Cang couldn’t help but smile. “Weren’t you only just saying you wanted to ride on his coattails? Why are you changing your tune again? You change your mind faster than someone flipping through the pages of a book.”

The gray sparrow’s eyes bulged. “A’Cang, how can you smile at a time like this?”

A’Cang sat there, her jade-like arms wrapped around her knees as she gazed up at the giant, corpse-strewn branch. She said softly, “Both of us knew full well that this would happen one day. It’s just happening slightly earlier than expected, that’s all.”

After a moment’s silence,...