"Master," a disciple says with alarm. "There is an issue."

An ageless man opens his eyes for the first time in recent memory. His secluded meditation has lasted for a number of seasons. Ever in the lotus position, absorbing the rich chi that comes into his dwelling place.

The tower has stood for centuries in rejection of the world beyond. Its stone retains the pristine white shade it had when it was first constructed. Its spire rises in defiance of the heavens. And from its balcony, the man who'd presided over the seasons is its master.

"You're intruding on my calm, adept."

As the regal figure looks at his student, the chi in the world grows still. Silence seems to fall on both the physical world and the spirit realm.

The adept swallows dryly but continues with his interruption.

"Master, I would not dare interrupt you unless it was truly important."

The silence continues for a moment longer as the awakened master contemplates the dao he'd been pondering for many months.

As enlightenment escapes the immortal, the silence ends. The sound of the wind returns, the resonance of the spirit body of the tower signals its presence, and the sound of the adept's heavy breathing is as raucous to the ancient as any mortal festival.

"Speak."

The student nods and begins his report.

"Master, the Fate Compass has ceased its spinning."

The ancient's eyes, almost imperceptibly, widen.

The master sighs, "I had hoped to break through my bottleneck before anything dangerous happened."

The student's anxiety lessons as he watches his master stand.

"In which direction does the Fate Compass point?"

He'll see it soon enough, but he might as well find out here and now.

"It points East, master."

The risen immortal considers the possibilities. Until he goes in search of destiny, he won't know for sure. But, one place comes to mind.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The Desert of Desolation.

The ancient battlefield is a sundered region in the fabric of reality. Few would travel there.

It's not that one cannot cultivate in the region. Rather, that the chi storms in the spirit realm can grow quite unrestrained.

But, if the Fate Compass is indeed pointing to the desert, then the awakened master will have to be very careful. An immortal of his power would be the equivalent of a lightning rod in a storm.

Brooding, the man leads his student down the tower and to the reliquary.

Many priceless artifacts fill the expansive room. Most, the ancient has understanding of. Many he does not.

The Fate Compass is an implement that he understands in a superficial sense.

When the compass is not aligned with a destiny, it spins perpetually. But, when it has found a destiny of heavenly portent, it ceases to spin. In ceasing, it directs the user to that which can change the destiny of the world.

The Fate Compass has only stopped spinning once in memory.

A demon had slipped between the cracks in reality.

Few know of the Pillars of Creation that hold up the sky. These pillars allow those with the gift of flight to pass through the firmament, to travel the realms of creation. Only the privileged have this knowledge.

But, other passages can be traversed. The Creator's barriers are not infallible. Portals can be, temporarily, established and rips in reality can be torn. Even fewer have knowledge of these paths.

The demon who made its way to Gaia was not strong. But, it was insidious. When its essence touched man or beast, it made demons subject to its will.

The Fate Compass was novel and its cessation of spinning new. Curiosity was the only reason, the ancient immortal had followed the sign of the tool.

All he could do was search in the direction, to see what other signs might be found as he passed.

The effort had seemed futile for a time. But, gradually, the signs revealed themselves.

Villages with eerie energy. A miasma of dark chi that permeated the spirit world.

At first, he did nothing. Merely observed.

Years passed as omens aligned. The spread of malice became evident. Thousands of mortals were consumed by the essence of the demon. Tens of thousands of beasts. And even an immortals' sect.

A trivial organization with weak cultivators. But, this could have risen to be a powerful army.

The demon had started slow. And was careful. But, when it acquired the immortals' sect, it grew arrogant. It showed its face.

This was when the ancient had acted.

It should have been easy. Thousands of mortals and hundreds of lower and ascended immortals are as air before an awakened master such as he. But, they fought as demons. Their magic, foreign and insidious.

It was an experience that the immortal can never forget.

His students paid for his overconfidence. Many fell to entities that could have been crushed in their cradle had he been serious from the start.

He only knew his scourging succeeded when the Fate Compass spun once more.

And now, he looks down on the compass warning him of destiny.

There is no way of knowing what lies beyond the horizon. No way to know if he even has time to ponder his past.

"Gather the adepts," he says solemnly.

The student, an ascended master himself, salutes his master and goes about the task of gathering the army that the ancient commands.

This time, he will use his full force to destroy that which threatens his world.

This time, Li Yuo is ready.