The sword soared away from Mó Jiè, the Demon Realm. The loud cry of the white-haired demon still echoed behind it as he unleashed one power after another, trying to drag it back.
But the sword didn't seem to give a damn.
It tore through layers of reality, leaving only the crackle of shattered space in its wake until darkness gave way to light.
And then it arrived.
At the highest of all realms.
The ruler of the Six.
The Celestial Realm.
The Celestial Realm shone like dawn eternal. Endless skies where floating cities glimmered, rivers of gold cascaded through the clouds, and divine palaces blazed like stars.
Jade bridges arched over seas of light, and ethereal music drifted from towers crowned with heavenly fire.
Even the wind moved in rhythm, pure, ordered, and sacred.
Here, time itself bowed to law.
Every breath was discipline, every sound a hymn.
Maidens glided in perfect rows, celestial soldiers marched with mirrored steps, and immortals, ancient and young, performed their duties in divine harmony.
The cries of the phoenix and dragon still echoed through the nine gates, their roars carrying the announcement that the Heaven-sent One had been born.
The entire realm still remained bowed in reverence when the sword arrived, floating and shimmering with divine radiance.
"Look! It's the Xuán Tiān Jiàn (玄天剑)!" gasped a young fairy, pointing upward.
"The Mysterious Heaven Sword… after seventy thousand years," murmured an elder immortal.
"It awakens again," whispered another.
And at once, countless immortals bowed in unison, their voices echoing through the heavens.
"Welcome, Xuán Tiān Jiàn, the divine blade of the God of War."
The sword hovered above them for a long moment, radiant and still, before turning toward the Hall of Moon Serenity (月静殿) where the newborn and his mother rested.
Its golden light trailed like a comet across the skies as it entered the hall.
Inside, moonlight draped the chamber in silver mist.
Divine attendants surrounded a cradle carved from moonstone. Within, the newborn lay wrapped in celestial silk, a faint glow pulsing gently from his tiny chest.
Gasps rippled through the hall as Xuán Tiān Jiàn halted midair, lowering slowly until its gleaming tip pointed directly at the infant.
"Is that the Xuán Tiān Jiàn?" whispered one immortal.
"The God of War's sword," another trembled.
"But why, why is it pointing at the new one?"
The sword's hum deepened, vibrating through the hall like the heartbeat of the heavens, its tip pointing directly at the newborn.
From the cradle came the newborn's faint, Lin Zeyan's confused inner voice.
"Eh? Which one are you again?"
"I just got here. First I had an accident and died, now I wake up in this strange place where people are floating and clouds are flying and those two birds have been screaming since morning. That's scary enough, and now a flying sword is trying to stab me?"
"Can't I have one peaceful breath before something dramatic happens?"
The sword hovered closer, pointing its tip directly toward the newborn's heart.
"Oi! You flying dagger, what the hell are you doing?" Lin Zeyan's inner voice roared.
"Let's forget that you people dragged me here with that blinding light. I didn't complain. I cried quietly like a good baby, and now you want to pierce my head?"
The sword paused.
"Get your shiny ass away from me, or I'll make you regret it."
As if the sword heard him, the divine blade moved.
A single flash of light filled the hall.
It descended gracefully, then landed before the cradle.
Silence.
The sword lay still, its golden aura gently flowing into the newborn's body.
No hum. No shimmer. Only peace.
As if waiting.
As if bowing.
As if acknowledging its master.
Outside, the cries of the dragon and phoenix tore through the heavens once more.
"Oh my goodness," Lin Zeyan groaned in his inner voice, "what kind of weird place did you people send me to?"