The ninth sky of the Divine Realm darkened.
Clouds froze.
Starlight dimmed.
Even the wind held still.
Inside the Celestial Aotian Palace, Hao Aotian stood at the edge of a glowing cradle, his gaze lowered to the newborn in his arms.
The child was quiet—too quiet for the storm he had caused.
But outside the palace, reality trembled.
A thin crack split across the heavens.
Then another.
Then a third.
Something was trying to peer into the palace.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something forbidden.
Aotian raised his hand.
The cracks closed instantly.
Heaven retreated like a frightened beast.
Aotian looked down at his son again, voice low.
"Wuya."
The infant's tiny fingers curled around the fabric of Aotian's robe.
Aotian's expression softened for a breath.
"You came into a world that cannot accept you… but I will make sure you live long enough to defy it."
A faint light formed at his fingertip.
He pressed it gently into Hao Wuya's chest.
One spark.
Then a second.
Then a third.
Subtle, ancient fragments of power—prepared long before the child's birth—entered Wuya's sleeping soul. The light faded immediately, settling like seeds waiting for spring.
Wuya slept peacefully, unaware that countless beings across countless realms had felt his arrival.
Aotian narrowed his eyes as footsteps approached.
---
Uncle Tianhai Arrives
Hao Tianhai entered the chamber—tall, broad, calm. His gaze landed on the child, and for a moment, even he forgot to breathe.
"…The heavens shook," Tianhai murmured.
"And not only the heavens. Several watchers beyond the Divine Realm stirred."
Aotian didn't look up.
"They will look for him."
Tianhai stepped beside him.
"He cannot stay here."
"No."
"Then I'll take him."
Aotian turned slightly, meeting his brother's eyes.
"You already knew."
Tianhai smiled faintly.
"I don't need instructions to protect my own blood."
He looked down at Wuya, a mixture of curiosity and worry flickering in his gaze.
"He will draw danger wherever he goes."
Aotian nodded.
"And so he must grow where danger cannot reach."
Tianhai exhaled slowly.
"I'll suppress my cultivation. Drop it to the level of an ordinary mortal. I'll raise him myself."
"You'll live among mortals?"
"I'll open a shop. Live quietly. Be his father until he becomes strong enough to stand on his own."
Aotian was silent for a long moment.
"…Thank you."
Tianhai shook his head.
"He's my nephew. I don't need gratitude to protect him."
---
Hao Xueyi's Arrival
A soft cry drifted from the side chamber.
A nurse entered holding a newborn girl wrapped in a pale, moon-white cloth.
Tianhai's daughter.
Her small chest glowed faintly with a crescent symbol.
Aotian saw it and frowned.
"Moonveil," he said quietly.
Tianhai's eyes darkened.
"I don't know who placed that seal."
Aotian moved closer.
As Wuya was brought nearer, Xueyi's seal brightened—soft, gentle, but unmistakably responsive.
Two threads of invisible light connected the two infants.
Destiny's acknowledgment.
"They're tied?" Tianhai whispered.
Aotian nodded.
"Her presence calms his destiny. His presence strengthens her seal. They are meant to grow together."
Tianhai held his daughter more carefully.
"Then I'll take them both."
Aotian placed Wuya into Tianhai's arms.
"Raise them as mortals," he said.
"Tell them nothing of who they are."
Tianhai nodded.
"They will know nothing of us until they're ready."
---
Descent Into the Mortal World
The teleportation formation beneath the palace glowed with ancient symbols. Tianhai stepped into its center with both infants.
Aotian lifted his hand.
"Go."
Light surged.
Space folded.
Tianhai and the two newborns vanished.
The tremor in the heavens faded instantly.
The palace fell silent.
Aotian stood alone, staring at the place where they disappeared.
"My son… may your path begin quietly."
---
A Mortal City
A burst of light appeared in a quiet alley of Millstone City, a forgotten corner of the mortal world.
Tianhai appeared with the two children, breath steady, aura completely suppressed until he resembled an ordinary mortal.
He looked around the small city:
Brick houses.
Dusty streets.
Merchants shouting.
Children chasing chickens.
Perfect.
He spent two days arranging everything:
A modest courtyard home
A small shop selling herbs, scrolls, and daily necessities
A quiet, peaceful life
He carried Wuya and Xueyi in his arms, his footsteps steady.
"You two will grow here," he murmured.
"Under a sky that doesn't know your names."
He placed them in the new home, listening to their soft breaths.
"From today… call me Uncle Tianhai."
The world saw only a man opening a shop with two infants.
No one sensed the truth.
No one felt the suppressed power.
No one suspected that this quiet merchant once battled titans across dimensions.
Tianhai watched the two children sleep.
"They will grow safely," he whispered.
"And when they awaken… the heavens will tremble again."