Traveling the temporal pathway defied conventional experience. Liu Yun felt simultaneously stretched across vast distances and compressed into a single point of consciousness. Colors existed that had no names, and sounds manifested as visible patterns in the air around them. Their physical forms seemed more suggestion than substance as they moved through the between-space that connected bloodline territories.
"Maintain focal awareness," came the Imperial Jade Seal's guidance, its voice resonating directly in their minds. "Identity fragmentation is the primary risk in temporal transit."
Liu Yun concentrated on the Earth Shattering Sword, using its solid presence as an anchor. Lin Fei focused on the rhythmic flow of her breath, while Jiang Tao recited ancient covenant texts that had now taken on profound new meaning since their time with the Timeshaped.
The journey—if such a linear concept still applied—ended abruptly. The swirling chaos of the pathway condensed into tangible reality once more, and they found themselves standing on a narrow stone platform jutting from the side of a mountain so tall its summit vanished into the clouds above.
The air was thin but strangely invigorating. Each breath seemed to carry subtle energies that tingled through Liu Yun's lungs and into his bloodstream. His newly enhanced perception revealed currents of power flowing through the atmosphere itself—not water or earth or time, but something equally fundamental.
"Sky vortices," Jiang Tao observed, his scholar's mind integrating their new surroundings with ancient texts. "The Sky Riders don't simply live in high places—they harness the elemental power of the atmosphere itself."
Lin Fei moved cautiously to the platform's edge, looking outward. The view was breathtaking—layer upon layer of mountain peaks extending to the horizon, with valleys hidden beneath blankets of cloud. Far below, Liu Yun could see what appeared to be golden birds circling in precise formations, though his enhanced perception suggested they were something quite different.
"We're being watched," he noted quietly, hand resting on the Earth Shattering Sword's hilt. "Since the moment we arrived."
As if responding to his awareness, three figures descended from above—not falling but gliding with controlled grace. They wore elaborate harnesses of lightweight material that extended from their arms to their sides and legs, creating wing-like surfaces that caught the mountain updrafts. But these were not merely tools; Liu Yun could see how the harnesses connected directly to their bodies, integrating with muscle and bone through a bloodline adaptation as profound as the Water Weavers' gills or the Timeshaped's chronological diffusion.
The Sky Riders landed with perfect precision on the platform before them. Their bodies were lean and elongated, with hollow bones visible beneath skin that had a subtle iridescent quality. Their eyes were oversized and reflective, designed to see vast distances through atmospheric distortion.
"Covenant seekers," spoke the central figure—a woman whose silver-white hair streamed behind her in the constant wind. "Your arrival disturbs the air currents. Four bloodlines where there should be one." Her gaze fixed on the Imperial Jade Seal hovering between them. "And that which was lost has returned."
Liu Yun inclined his head respectfully. "We come seeking the Sky Riders to unite the bloodlines against the coming Sundering."
The woman's massive eyes narrowed. "I am Zephia Windcaller, High Sovereign of the Celestial Aeries. You speak of ancient matters as if they were present concerns."
"They are," Lin Fei responded firmly. "The Sundering approaches once more. The covenant must be restored."
The two Sky Riders flanking Zephia shifted positions subtly, their harnesses adjusting to minute changes in the air currents. Liu Yun noticed how they maintained constant awareness of the atmospheric conditions, their bodies responding instinctively to each whisper of wind.
"You bear the temporal signature of the Timeshaped," Zephia observed, studying them more closely. "Your perceptions have been... expanded. Yet you began as Earth Vein, did you not?" She focused on Liu Yun. "I sense the mountain's stability within your chronological anchoring."
Liu Yun nodded. "We have united four bloodlines already—Earth Vein, Water Weaver, Sky Rider, and Timeshaped. The Imperial Jade Seal has guided us to you as the fifth convergence point."
"The seal follows its programming," Zephia replied, her tone conveying skepticism rather than acceptance. "That doesn't mean the Sky Riders must follow as well. We have maintained our sovereignty through isolation. The covenant offers connection, but connection brings vulnerability."
The Imperial Jade Seal rose higher, its surface displaying all seven bloodline symbols in sequence. "Fifth integration required for covenant progression. Sundering containment impossible without seven-point convergence."
Zephia exchanged glances with her companions. Some form of communication passed between them—not words, but subtle shifts in posture and the manipulation of air currents around their bodies.
"Come," she finally decided. "The Aerie Council must hear your claim directly. The matter of the covenant is not mine alone to decide."
With fluid movements that spoke of centuries of adaptation to their vertical domain, the Sky Riders secured harnesses around Liu Yun and his companions. These were simpler versions of their own integrated wings, designed for passengers rather than bloodline-enhanced flyers.
"Maintain absolute stillness during ascent," Zephia instructed. "Any disruption to our flight pattern could prove fatal at these altitudes."
Liu Yun felt the harness tighten around his torso as one of the Sky Riders connected to his. The Earth Shattering Sword hummed against his back, resonating with the new elemental domain they had entered.
"The air remembers your blade," Zephia noted, observing the sword's reaction. "Curious, that earth and sky should recognize each other through ancient steel."
Before Liu Yun could respond, they were airborne—lifted by a powerful updraft that the Sky Riders navigated with instinctive precision. His stomach lurched at the sudden ascent, but the sensation quickly gave way to astonishment as the true scale of the Celestial Heights revealed itself.
What had appeared to be the mountain's peak was merely the first of many tiers. Above the cloud layer, an entire civilization existed across interconnected platforms, bridges, and structures built into the living rock. Sky Riders soared between levels, some carrying cargo, others training in complex aerial formations.
At the very summit stood the Aerie—a breathtaking structure of stone and some translucent material that captured and channeled the powerful winds that constantly circled the mountain's peak. As they approached this heart of Sky Rider civilization, Liu Yun could see hundreds of the bloodline's members gathering, alerted to the arrival of covenant seekers in their isolated domain.
"Prepare yourselves," Zephia called over the howling wind. "The Aerie Council has not faced outsiders in seven generations. Your reception may be... turbulent."