Chapter Three: A Great Rift in the Sky

"I'm fine, I was just busy," Fang Mu replied calmly.

"That's good, that's good, as long as you're alright... Are you on the battlefield now? That's too dangerous... You must be careful..." The woman's voice was gentle, her concern persistent and tender.

Fang Mu's expression remained tranquil throughout, only speaking after she had finished. "Yes, I know all that. Is there anything else?"

The woman's voice paused, silent for a long time before she sighed softly and spoke in a low tone, "Mu, I know you hold a grudge against me. Over the years, I have indeed wronged you and your father, but no matter what... give me a chance to make amends, will you?"

This plea caused a slight twitch in the calm mask Fang Mu had worked so hard to maintain. After a moment of silence, he answered steadily, "We’ve talked about this before. It’s your generation’s business, I don’t want to get involved, nor do I care. Besides, you owe me nothing."

"Mu..." Hearing Fang Mu’s composed words, the other side seemed at a loss for what to say. After another pause, she sighed gently. "Alright, I won’t bring it up again. But you’re alone on a Grade One battlefield, and you haven’t evolved yet—I really can’t help but worry... Trust me, I won’t let your sister bother you anymore, but... please answer your sister’s call request, hear her out, and then decide... will you?"

There was a hint of entreaty in her voice.

It made Fang Mu, who had intended to refuse without hesitation, feel uneasy.

At last, he spoke calmly, "Alright, I understand. Goodbye."

With those words, he ended the call.

He stared blankly at the sky for a moment.

The woman at the other end was his mother, Xu Zhilan.

A...

Faithless woman.

Eight years ago, she abandoned her husband and child, vanishing without a trace. Earlier this year, she suddenly appeared before him.

She returned, noble in status, as stunning as ever, radiant and illustrious.

She claimed that her departure had been forced by circumstances... Yet, it was undeniable that her leaving had destroyed the family.

His father, Fang Qingshan, fell into alcoholism, living in a haze, ignoring the world. Three years ago, when Fang Mu returned from school, his father had disappeared, his whereabouts unknown, his fate uncertain.

From then on, Fang Mu became an orphan.

Fragments of memory surfaced, few of them pleasant. Fang Mu was silent and withdrawn.

The communicator buzzed again.

Fang Mu glanced at it—it was his stepsister calling.

When Xu Zhilan found him later, he hadn’t figured out much, but at least he knew whom she had married.

A family of considerable influence on Feiluo Star...

The Lin family.

He had met his stepsister, Lin Chuyin, who was a year younger than him, born to her current husband and his former wife.

Lin Chuyin was exceptionally beautiful, leaving a deep impression on Fang Mu at their first meeting.

Yet after further contact, his impression of her plummeted. She evidently disliked him for some reason, always treating him with an air of superiority, as if she were looking down from above.

Fang Mu could not understand it... He had no intention of ingratiating himself with the Lin family. Why should she act so high and mighty toward him?

Thinking it over, Fang Mu could only remain silent, choosing to keep his distance.

So earlier, he ignored her call.

But now, having promised Xu Zhilan, Fang Mu paused, then answered the communication.

Let’s hear what she has to say.

Before Fang Mu could speak, a cold voice came from the other end, "You didn’t want to answer my call, and I didn’t want to contact you either. It was your mother who begged my father, forcing me to reach out to you. If you have any backbone, stop answering your mother’s calls, alright?"

The voice was icy, laced with ridicule.

Fang Mu’s expression stiffened, anger flickering in his eyes. He wanted to retort, but words failed him...

What could he say?

Call his own mother disgraceful?

He sighed inwardly and asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Five days from now, before eight in the morning, meet me at the information plaza. Come or don’t, it’s up to you. I’ve informed you."

With that, she ended the call abruptly, clearly unwilling to say another word to Fang Mu.

Fang Mu stared dazedly at the communicator, then rubbed his brow... His good mood for the day was utterly ruined!

"Forget it, it has nothing to do with me. I’ll just focus on my own business..."

Yet Fang Mu’s spirit was resilient. He quickly adjusted his mood and put away the communicator.

As for her invitation...

He certainly would not go.

A few months ago, she brought a pile of expensive resources to him, including the cultivation technique he had longed for, and he refused them all.

This time, why would he go?

Soon, he found three black jade insects, each the size of a basketball, and stuffed them into his tactical backpack, filling it to the brim.

"Good, today I can buy the cultivation technique!"

Thinking this, Fang Mu’s mood improved slightly.

Satisfied, he nodded and prepared to leave.

But before he could turn, the sky suddenly seemed to darken. Fang Mu paused, instinctively looking up.

There, above the little stream, the sky had been torn open, revealing a gaping hole!

Countless arcs, as dark as serpents, twisted around the edges of the hole, rendering the sky almost palpable. The black abyss appeared without warning.

"What?"

The incredible sight left Fang Mu momentarily stunned.

Before he could collect himself, something black plunged from the void above.

That black thing was wrapped in a blaze of golden light.

He hadn’t had time to see what it was—

Boom!!

Like a meteor crashing to earth, there was an explosion, followed by tremors and upheaval, as if an earthquake had struck. Fang Mu could not keep his footing and fell hard onto the ground.

Splash!

Water erupted hundreds of meters high—the shallow stream was smashed, its flow abruptly severed.

When the water settled, a dazed Fang Mu saw that a massive crater, over ten meters in diameter, had appeared in the riverbed.

He sat there, stunned, unable to recover for a long while.

The void in the sky slowly contracted, vanishing completely. After half a day, Fang Mu jolted back to his senses, jumped up, his face displaying shock and uncertainty.

He looked over and saw, within the crater in the river, black and golden light seeping out, radiant and swirling with mist, as if something inside was struggling, entangled...

The scene was so uncanny it sent chills down his spine...