(earnestly requesting full subscriptions)
Taibai Jinxing knew better than to make a sound. If he were to speak up now, people would only think he had already thrown in his lot with the God of Eternity. If a single word slipped out wrong and displeased the other side, he'd be the one struck down, and there would be nowhere to appeal.
Let the uncle and nephew hash it out; none of this has anything to do with me.
Taibai Jinxing was a seasoned survivor, an old hand at court. Not everyone could match the on-the-spot nimbleness he wore like a second skin.
Yang Jian chuckled. "Good timing. I have something to say to him. You're coming with me."
He reached into the air and closed his fingers. The three-pointed, two-edged spear-blade dropped neatly into his palm. He turned the tip forward and cut—just once.
Space itself shattered.
The Lingxiao Treasure Hall—High Heaven Palace—unfurled before them like a scroll.
Yang Jian gripped Taibai Jinxing by the sleeve and stepped through. His Howling Celestial Hound padded close behind, haughty as ever—moving sidewise with the self-importance of a crab. No master, no leash—just pure, willful pride. In mortal parlance: arrogance, plain and simple.
"Stop! This is the High Heaven Palace. You do not enter without a summons!"
The shout rang out as Wang Lingguan—the palace's guard general—sensed the ripple of torn space. He came streaking forth, sword already in hand. The shining tip leveled at Yang Jian's brow.
Yang Jian looked him over and smiled, mild and cool. "The last time I hewed my way to Nantianmen, you and I didn't have our bout. A pity… The world keeps saying Marshal Canopy is Heaven's champion. In my eyes, you're the strongest of them all, Wang Lingguan."
"I don't know what you mean," Wang Lingguan said evenly. "But if you intend to enter, you'll first need His Majesty's permission."
"Then let's see whether you're qualified to bar my path."
Yang Jian flicked his finger. Taibai Jinxing took the hint and hurried back, giving the two of them the space they needed. Anyone who could split layered space with a single strike was beyond what ordinary guards could hope to withstand.
"Kill!"
Wang Lingguan twisted with a single step; in a blink, he was in Yang Jian's face, thrusting straight for the center of his opponent's forehead. His true strength had always been a secret known only to the Jade Emperor, but his posting alone—the guardian at the High Heaven Palace—said plenty about the trust in him.
Clang.
The three-pointed, two-edged spear came up and met the blade precisely at the point.
"I'd heard your strength was impressive," Yang Jian said quietly. "But it seems you've been left far behind."
"What—?"
Shock flared in Wang Lingguan's eyes. Then the force channeled through their locked weapons crested and broke over him. His whole body went numb as an overwhelming power chewed through his layered defenses from within.
Yang Jian swept his weapon and sent Wang Lingguan flying like a cannonball. Fragments of the Law of Power crackled through the air—a force wielded by one who had mastered Law itself. It was a gift of the divine, a declaration that my justice would carry the world forward.
And Heaven—this Heaven—would be the first step.
Yang Jian strode into the hall.
Countless immortals had already gathered, but now not a single one dared meet his eyes. Even the Barefoot Immortal and the other long-time whisperers and needlers kept their heads down, suddenly dumb in the presence of this sharp, cold blade of a man.
"All unrelated officials: out."
Yang Jian's tone carried the weight of a command that brooked no debate. Even those he'd once praised—Nezha and Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King—kept to their distance and did not come forward to exchange greetings.
When only the Jade Emperor and Yang Jian remained in the hall, the Jade Emperor finally spoke.
"Have you come to kill me?"
"No." Yang Jian's voice stayed flat. "I came to deliver a message. This world will obey the order of the Eternal God. Rebels will be cut down, and their souls will sink forever into the Ghost Sea."
"So you're here to persuade me."
The Jade Emperor smiled faintly. In the end, Yang Jian was a favored child of Heaven; the affection ran deep.
Yang Jian didn't answer. He only watched the Jade Emperor, gaze steady, expression unreadable.
"Take this," the Jade Emperor said at last. "It's the item sealing your mother. Back then, I was forced to do it. Too many gods refused to heed me…"
"You didn't already join the Cult of Eternity?"
"Some things are forced by circumstance. I can't speak freely," the Jade Emperor said, voice dropping. "Perhaps the time has come, and it wouldn't be a bad thing…"
A Jade Emperor has limits. There are things that cannot be done openly, words that cannot be said aloud. He was as tied now as ever—bound by Heaven itself. If he declared for the Eternal God Cult now, he would lose his throne in the same breath.
Yang Jian understood.
He took the sealing item, and his figure blurred—gone from the hall without another word.
That same day, an Eternal God Temple rose at Guanjiang Estuary. In addition to his mantle as God of Justice, Yang Jian openly accepted another duty: priest of the Eternal God.
…
In the Divine Realm.
Ever since Yang Chan had awakened, she had wept in silence; her shoulders trembled without a sound. Liu Che—caught flat-footed by the tears—could only stand to one side, uncomfortably helpless, while Shi Feixuan and Kikyo talked and soothed and coaxed.
Women's hearts—an eternal riddle.
"Sister, don't cry," Shi Feixuan murmured. "The Lord God already told me what happened. Your brother did it for your sake…"
"Mm—" Yang Chan stifled a sob.
"It's not so bad here," Kikyo said gently. "Train hard. Once you reach Eight-Star strength, you can return to your original world—even without your brother making any more sacrifices."
"Really?" Yang Chan looked up, surprise flickering through her red-rimmed eyes. Rebirth—the word sparkled like frost catching light.
Shi Feixuan smiled. "I'd hardly lie to you. I'm a living example. I can go run around the Two-Plane Battlefield whenever I like."
"I… I want to ask," Yang Chan said, cheeks coloring. "To become a goddess—do I have to… attend upon the gods?"
She was born cloud-pure and had never so much as flirted with a man. The rumor that goddesses were nothing but prisoners kept for gods' pleasure had left her flustered, heart drumming like a deer bounding in the brush.
Kikyo's eyes glinted with mischief. "Why? Do you already have a sweetheart?"
"No," Yang Chan said quickly. "It's just… it would be too embarrassing. To… to do that before even meeting— I can't."
She was a bright, impish girl, fearless enough to speak up when it came to shrine duties, but love was another matter entirely. Her ears went scarlet as she spoke.
Shi Feixuan came to her side. "You're overthinking. With three god-lords in the palace, there are many sisters here. It won't be your turn any time soon."
She wasn't just placating the girl. Yang Chan was pretty, yes—but among the goddesses, who wasn't Heaven's favored? Each was a peerless beauty of her own world. Many prayed to be granted the honor of serving the gods. Compared to those eager hearts, this shy girl was worrying needlessly about things a long way off.
Yang Chan's face pinched with embarrassment. She realized she had let her imagination run away with her.
"And even if the gods required service," Shi Feixuan added mildly, "there's no shame in that."
"I know… but it still feels awkward."
"Then don't go round announcing it," Kikyo teased. "Or some sister with a sharp tongue will write you up for modesty and make you wish the floor would swallow you."
The three went back and forth until Yang Chan's mood finally eased.
As they talked, Yang Chan noticed a book in Kikyo's hands. "What's that?"
"Oh… it's best you don't read the things burned out of the Tree of Suffering," Kikyo said quickly.
"Why?"
Yang Chan plucked it away. On the cover, the title read: Baolian Lantern.
The Lotus Lantern? That was the same name as her magic treasure.
She opened it. Within moments, her cheeks burned. "What is this nonsense?"
A dignified goddess, falling for a mortal scholar? The tale struck her as naive at best, insulting at worst—hardly more reputable than a limerick. Who would believe such a story? Do they take me for blind?
"Hmph! Sister Kikyo, where is this Tree of Suffering? I want to chop it to kindling. How dare it smear me like this!"
"Don't be angry," Shi Feixuan said, suppressing a laugh. "These are legends from other worlds. They aren't necessarily your world's story."
"You mean… in those other worlds I married that fool?"
Yang Chan gagged theatrically, then shook her head hard. Disgust curdled into a more complicated look—the same look her brother had worn. Words that had stuck in his throat now finally formed in hers. She understood: he had meant to protect her. He had carried that weight silently, facing Heaven and all its knives.
No wonder.
The resentment in her chest melted to a soft ache. Her heart hurt for him. And Lingshan's Buddhists? She loathed them even more. Without their meddling, no matter how muddle-headed a different world's version of her might have been, she still wouldn't have married a shabby scholar with no talent, no virtue, and no future. The thought alone made her shudder.
…
In the Ziwei Palace.
Tiamat glanced at the lotus blooming in the Lord God's hand. "What is this?"
"The Thirty-Sixth-Rank Chaos Green Lotus," Liu Che said with a faint smile. "A supreme artifact of the soul."
It had once been the Lotus Lantern; after the system amplified it, it returned to its primordial state—becoming a Thirty-Sixth-Rank supreme artifact. It bore the power of three Laws, slipped free of cause and effect, and shrugged off curses. A superb treasure. It could also suppress a Law-Body—truly a supreme soul artifact.
Name: Thirty-Sixth-Rank Chaos Green Lotus
Attributes: Soul, Chaos, Benevolence
Laws: Cause and Effect; Destiny; Soul
Function: Worn above the crown to suppress the Soul Law-Body; increases the speed of faith-gathering; channels back greater power from believers. A rare soul-type supreme artifact.
So read the system's description.
Tiamat nodded, eyes shining with simple delight; her pink, apricot-shaped eyes turned up in a way that made Liu Che want to laugh. He liked seeing her like this—unguarded, pleased, a little dazed by divine mysteries.
Liu Che exhaled, content, but the other gods and his priesthood had no leisure to bask.
…
On the battlefield that was the Saints' Cemetery, the Gods' Taboos had shed oceans of sacred blood to raise a towering grand formation, hoping to smother Liu Che's priests in a single crushing net.
It never solidified.
Instead, Lin Qinger and Kaguya Ji arrived like falling stars.
"A trifling, ragtag brood," Kaguya said, hair lifting on a wind that smelled of cold steel. "You dare obstruct the Lord God's will? Die."
She raised one hand. The vast red river coursing across the sky shattered into drifting sparks. Today, Kaguya Ji commanded three hundred segments of the Space Law. This grand array—impressive as it looked—was paper before her touch.
As cracks opened across the formation, Lin Qinger plunged into the God-Domain's contested zone with Wanwan and the others. It was a vast, pressure-thick world, enough to let them draw fully on their might.
Bai Suzhen unfurled into a Candle Dragon, scales swallowing the horizon. Wanwan struck with an open palm; a thousand li collapsed into rubble. Lin Qinger bloomed into Nuwa's true aspect and wove people—not souls, not true men and women, but soul-less clay bodies animated by Nuwa's vitality. When the life force ran high enough, these Nendoroid soldiers achieved a kind of undying—immortal constructs, tireless and fierce.
In a breath or two, they had slaughtered two universe-class beings.
The native cultivators from the Mortal World who had followed them stood slack-jawed. So that was the power of godhood—like a bulldozer grinding a battlefield flat.
Chu Xuanfeng swept through next, death in hand, reaping without mercy. Orochimaru cast his curses; a million enemies fell where they stood.
The war tipped and kept tipping.
And then it broke.