[Otherworld — The Yao Realm]
The Yao Realm was a world formed by the energies of the Five Yao.
Heaven and earth were driven by Yao power, and royal authority was rooted in the Five Yao themselves.
Every few decades, five chosen individuals would be born into the world—the Bearers of the Five Yao, each carrying one of the elemental powers: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
When all five gathered, the one who could unite their powers would become the new Realm Emperor, maintaining the balance of the world—or reshaping its fate.
Lin Zhaoting, the legitimate son of the Realm Emperor, had been raised since childhood as a future candidate for the throne.
On the day he came of age, his father placed an object into his hands—
An ancient Yao Disc, its center set with a black obsidian stone, surrounded by five glowing sigils.
The disc could sense the aura of the Five Yao and guide its bearer to their destined hosts.
Along with the disc, he was given a loyal guardian—a black hound from the Deep Plains of the Yao Realm, a spirit beast of great intelligence and power, named Mo.
"Find them. Fulfill your duty. The future of the Yao Realm rests in your hands."
With the Yao Disc and Mo at his side, Zhaoting set out upon the path of Seeking the Yao.
First Encounter
The Bearers of the Five Yao were difficult to find, their power scattered across distant lands.
At the end of one winter, he discovered the first of them—a Wood Yao Bearer.
Her name was Mu Lan, a woman who lived alone in an ancient forest.
She could hear the heartbeat of plants and bring dead trees back to life.
When Zhaoting approached her, the Yao Disc glowed, confirming her awakened Yao power.
But she was not only the first of the Five.
She was the one who would change his destiny.
Mu Lan was wise and composed, carrying a calmness that felt as though she spoke directly with the world itself—utterly unlike the women of the imperial court.
She did not revere power or seek glory. Instead, she asked him:
"If you gather all Five Yao… do you truly want to sit on that throne?"
He was left speechless.
It was a question he had never truly considered.
Doubt
As he traveled with Mu Lan in search of the other Yao Bearers, he saw countless lands—and also the corruption and sacrifice that lay beneath imperial rule.
His father ruled with competence, yet was trapped in endless politics and decisions, losing sight of who he once was.
Zhaoting began to waver.
Was this the kind of king he wished to become?
Though he continued seeking the Yao, his resolve weakened.
At the same time, factions began to stir—ancient noble houses, Yao thieves, and shadowed powers all sought the Yao Disc.
For legend said that if the disc fell into evil hands, it could forcibly merge Yao powers and steal them from others to create a false emperor.
During one fierce confrontation, to protect Mu Lan and the Yao Disc, Zhaoting opened a rift between worlds.
Together with Mu Lan and Mo, he fled the Yao Realm—and fell into another world.
The modern world.
A New Life
This world was nothing like the Yao Realm.
There were no thrones, no wars, no prophecies—only the rising and setting of the sun, changing seasons, and freedom of choice.
With the combat instincts and skills he had brought from another world, Zhaoting entered the security industry and quickly built a powerful business empire.
To outsiders he was merely a mysterious man with extraordinary ability—but no one knew he came from another realm.
Mu Lan rented a plot of land outside the city and cultivated rare spiritual flowers from the Yao Realm.
The plants seemed to breathe in her hands, each one more precious than the last.
She never opened a shop, yet wealthy elites came to her door seeking her creations.
They lived in quiet wealth, purchasing a home nestled between mountains and water.
In the courtyard grew a sapling Mu Lan had brought from the Yao Realm—it now stood tall and strong.
In this peaceful life, they had a son.
His name was Lin Yaochen.
Mu Lan named him.
"You once came to this world to seek the Yao," she said.
"This child is your true Yao. And Chen means a new beginning—a new journey in this world."
Zhaoting sealed the Yao Disc away, leaving Mo to guard it.
But he knew the disc would awaken again.
The bloodline of the Seeker could not be severed.
So he waited.
Until Yaochen turned eighteen.
The Awakening
Yaochen grew up in luxury.
Their home was a grand, uniquely styled mansion in the suburbs, filled with rare artifacts and weapon collections—his father's passion.
Beside it stood a large greenhouse, where his mother spent her days among flowers.
And there was also the black dog—Mozi.
It had been there for as long as Yaochen could remember.
And it never aged.
From the photo taken the day he was born to the present, Mozi looked exactly the same—jet-black fur, sharp intelligent eyes, movements too agile for any old dog.
Even stranger, his parents never treated it like a pet.
They spoke to it as an equal—sometimes even as if seeking its opinion.
Once, after seeing an old, limping dog in the park, Yaochen asked his mother:
"Why doesn't Mozi ever grow old?"
She had only smiled and stroked its head.
"He isn't an ordinary dog."
That was when Yaochen first realized—something about his family was being hidden.
On the night of his eighteenth birthday, he eagerly opened his gift box…
And stared at a small, square, rusted brass compass in disbelief.
"…What is this?" He lifted it, frowning. "This is my birthday present? Did it come out of a grave?"
"That is the Yao Disc," his father said calmly. "It's not a gift. It has always belonged to you."
Yaochen groaned. "Dad, you've given me Swiss watches, limited-edition pens, even gold-inlaid chess sets. And now you give me a haunted feng shui compass?"
"It is your destiny," his mother said gently.
His father tapped the disc.
The black stone flowed like liquid mercury, glowing faintly. Symbols shimmered in the air.
"…Nice special effects. Which company made that?"
"This is real," his father said quietly. "Your mother and I are not from this world. We are from the Yao Realm. And you… are a Seeker of the Five Yao."
Yaochen stared.
"Mom… Dad's lost it, right?"
"He hasn't had a drop of alcohol."
"You're kidding me…"
"Everything he said is true," his mother said firmly. "Your bloodline is awakening."
"And from now on," his father said, "the Yao Disc belongs to you."
"…So I have to use this broken compass to find people?"
"It's called the Yao Disc."
"And I have to go to the Yao Realm?"
"Yes."
Yaochen panicked. "I just got into college! What if I never come back?"
His father sighed. "I want you to see your grandfather."
That was enough.
In the end, Yaochen agreed.
Mozi would guide him.
They gave him gold, supplies, and a backpack.
Then his father opened a rift in the air.
"Go," Zhaoting said softly. "We'll be fine."
"I'm the one who's worried—"
Before he could finish, he was shoved forward.
Mozi followed him into the rift.
And just like that, Lin Yaochen's journey through the Yao Realm began.