The news of the Demonic Dragon God's assault on the Heaven Army spread like wildfire. From the smallest villages to the grandest sects, from mortal towns to demon strongholds, every corner of the world trembled at the revelation.
Mortals whispered in terror. Cultivators faltered mid-step. Travelers claimed they felt a faint quake in the earth itself, and even wandering spirit beast tamers spoke of a draconic aura that shook the heavens.
A dragon god had awakened.
In the dark, hidden corners of the world, the Demonic Sects erupted in celebration. The Heaven Army had always been their greatest obstacle, their arrogance a constant thorn.
"Finally!" a Demon Lord's roar echoed across the shadowed mountains. "Someone has shown those Heaven dogs their true place!"
Dark cultivators offered sacrifices, chants filling the night air. Some knelt, whispering words of worship tinged with fear, while others laughed, intoxicated by the chaos.
For the Demonic Sects, the father was no longer a legend—he was the dawn of a new era.
In stark contrast, the Righteous Sects—those proud bastions of purity and order—burned with fury. The elders of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Pure Lotus Temple, Radiant Sky Academy, and Saint Light Monastery could hardly comprehend the audacity of such a being.
"This… cannot be allowed," Elder Tian bellowed, slamming his jade staff onto the marble floor. "A calamity-class demon walking freely? It shames all of us!"
Another elder from Pure Lotus Temple clenched his fists. "If he sets foot in the Lower Realm, our order… our so-called holiness… will mean nothing."
Across the Righteous Sects, alliances began to form. Plans to contain or destroy the dragon god were whispered in secret corridors, while hearts burned with fear and anger in equal measure.
The pain was deepest in the God Realm itself. Families of the soldiers slaughtered by the Demonic Dragon God grieved openly. Mothers wailed for husbands lost, daughters screamed for fathers fallen, and children knelt beside broken armor, eyes hollow with grief.
A young girl, no more than thirteen, the daughter of a fallen general, shrieked, "He killed my father… I will kill his son!"
Even the elders of the Heaven Army understood the truth: the father could not be touched. But the son… the son could be reached.
A quiet decree passed through the God Realm:
"When the boy ascends… strike him before his father notices."
Hatred hardened in the hearts of the children of the fallen soldiers. They would wait. They would endure. They would have vengeance.
To foresee when the boy might ascend, the elders summoned the Sea of Prophecy, a mystic pool that shimmered with otherworldly light. Its waters reflected visions from all corners of time and space.
At its edge stood the oracle, a frail, almost ghostly figure. Her body was delicate, appearing as if one gust of wind could topple her, yet she moved with a subtle rhythm, as though one leg were already stepping into some otherworldly plane. Her robes flowed like water, tattered yet elegant, whispering with every movement.
Her face was pale and serene, lined not with age, but with the weight of truths no mortal should bear. Her milky white eyes were blind, yet the moment she touched the water, her presence became overwhelming.
Those nearby felt an inexplicable pulse in their chests, as if their very souls were being examined. Every heartbeat, every hidden thought, every secret buried deep within them resonated with her presence. Some stumbled backward, gripping their heads, unable to shake the sensation that she knew everything, that nothing could be hidden.
Despite her frailty, she moved with the elegance of someone walking between worlds, a conduit of the cosmos itself. When her hands skimmed the water, visions erupted:
A child enveloped in dragon aura, standing atop shattered mountains.
Divine beasts bowing before him.
Blood painting the skies, realms crumbling beneath his feet.
She gasped, voice trembling. "H-He is worse than his father…"
The water roiled violently. Finally, she whispered:
"He will reach the God Realm at age fifteen."
Shock and disbelief swept the room. A general shouted, "Impossible! No mortal can ascend at that age!"
The oracle's voice cut through the clamor: "…He is not mortal."
The command passed silently, like poison, into the hearts of the Heaven Army heirs:
"When the boy ascends… kill him immediately."
Hatred etched itself into their souls. They would wait. They would watch. And when the moment came, they would strike without mercy.
The oracle collapsed, whispering to herself, "But you will fail… his destiny is beyond gods."
Thunder cracked across the heavens. Far below, the boy stirred. His young eyes opened, and a faint, flickering dragon aura leaked from his body, brushing the air with power no mortal should wield.
The first stirrings of a destiny that would shake all realms had begun.