The night after the Heavenly Tribunal's warning was unnaturally still.
City Z slept, unaware of the cosmic storm brewing above their heads. But on the outskirts, in a quiet bamboo forest untouched by the chaos, Lin Tian sat cross-legged on a boulder, eyes closed, drawing in the thin strands of spiritual energy the Earth could still offer.
A faint haze of silver light radiated from his body.
He was preparing… but the Trial of Heaven was no ordinary battle.
It was a test of fate, will, and karma.
As he meditated, the Nexus Core pulsed within him — steady, calm, ancient.
Suddenly, the bamboo leaves rustled.
Not from the wind.
From a presence cutting through space like a blade.
Lin Tian opened his eyes.
A ripple appeared in the fabric of the air. Space twisted, then tore open like a sheet of paper. A golden portal formed, swirling with celestial glyphs.
A figure stepped out.
A woman dressed in flowing violet immortal robes, her long hair cascading like a waterfall of starlight. Her eyes were bright as moons, yet heavy with sorrow.
She was breathtaking in a way only immortals could be.
But her aura… it was familiar.
Lin Tian stood slowly.
"So… they sent you, Yi Qing."
Her eyes trembled the moment she heard his voice.
She stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Lin Tian— no… Emperor Tianxu. Why did you awaken the Nexus Core? Do you want Heaven to destroy you?"
Her voice cracked as she spoke the old name — a title buried in ancient records.
Lin Tian sighed.
"I didn't come here to relive the past."
Yi Qing's composure shattered.
She took another step, tears shimmering.
"Do you think I wanted to come?! The Heavenly Emperors ordered it! If I refused, they would have stripped my cultivation!"
Lin Tian's gaze softened briefly.
Yi Qing had once been his most loyal general… and something more.
A bond that Heaven had tried to erase.
"Then why are you here now?"
He asked calmly.
Yi Qing's trembling hands revealed the truth before she could speak.
Finally she whispered:
"To save you."
The bamboo forest fell silent.
Lin Tian didn't respond. He looked up at the moon — quiet, patient — letting her continue.
Yi Qing clenched her robe so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"The Celestial Trial… it's not meant to judge you. It's meant to kill you. The Tribunal fears your return — they fear the Nexus, and they fear what you used to be."
Lin Tian already suspected as much.
Yi Qing took a deep breath and extended her arm. A small jade pendant floated from her palm — pure, flawless, glowing faintly purple.
"Take this. It's the Star-Vein Life Jade. It can protect you from one fatal attack… even a divine one."
Lin Tian didn't take it.
"Yi Qing… you shouldn't be doing this. Aiding a condemned immortal is treason."
Yi Qing bit her lip, tears finally falling.
"I don't care about Heaven's laws!"
She grabbed his hand, pressing the jade into his palm.
"I only care about you."
The words hung in the air — heavy, trembling, true.
Lin Tian looked at her quietly, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he curled his fingers around the jade.
"You came all the way to the mortal realm. At least stay the night. There is much we must discuss."
Yi Qing wiped her eyes, trying to hide her relief.
But before they could speak further, the bamboo forest trembled — violently.
A cold aura slithered through the shadows.
Both of them turned.
A crack split through the ground. Dark mist seeped out, spreading like poison.
Yi Qing's eyes widened in horror.
"No… This aura… It's—"
Lin Tian finished the sentence calmly.
"A Shadow Executor."
Sent directly by the Tribunal to kill him before the trial even began.
The mist thickened, forming a shape — tall, monstrous, wearing tattered celestial armor, with two burning voids for eyes.
Yi Qing backed away.
"They… They sent it early?!"
Lin Tian took one step forward, his aura exploding outward like a rising sun.
"Good. I needed a warm-up."
The executor roared, shaking the entire forest.
Yi Qing shouted:
"Lin Tian, be careful! This one… killed immortals!"
Lin Tian smiled faintly, Nexus runes glowing across his arms.
"Then it should present some entertainment."
As the forest shattered under the force of the dark entity, the real battle… finally began.