Nine Heavens Cradle The One
Chapter One - The Night Heaven Bowed
The valley had no name.
It existed outside maps, outside sect territories, outside the reach of mortal rumor. Ancient formations layered upon formations sealed it from prying eyes. Spirit veins pulsed beneath it's soil like the arteries of a sleeping god.
And tonight -
They beat widly.
Above the valley, the sky twisted into a colossal vortex. Clouds spiraled inward, thunder rumbling not in rage - but in hesitation. Lightning flickered and then dimmed, as it uncertain whether it dared strike.
Nine figures stood around a blazing formation carved into the earth.
Each of them could overturn kingdoms with a flick of the wrist.
Each of them had once stood alone at the summit of Lower World.
Yet now, none of them looked at the sky.
They looked at the centre.
At a child.
A small body wrapped in luminous silk spun from condensed spritual essence. His skin glowed faintly not with overwhelming radiance, but with something deeper balance.
He did not cry.
He did not wail.
His eyes were open.
Watching.
Understanding.
Mu Xueqing was the first to move
Her white robes brushed the stone as she knelt. The wind, which had been howling seconds before, softened instinctively around her. Her face - cold and peerless - was usually untouched by emotion.
Now her lips trembled.
She reached out and lifted the infant.
The moment his tiny hand brushed her cheek -
Her breath broke.
Warmth.
Life
He turned his head slightly, black eyes locking into hers. There was no confusion in them. No fear.
Only quiet observation.
Behind her, lightning crackled sharply.
"Human."
The Azure Sky Sovereign's voice rolled like distance thunder.
"Do not forget. He is ours."
Mu Xueqing did not turn,
Her arms tightened by instinct alone.
"He reached for me."
Scarlet flames flared violently as the Vermilion Flame Empress stepped forward, her crimson robes swirling like living fire.
"He has just been born. He reached randomly."
The White Gale Matriarch's golden eyes narrowed, killing intent flickering faintly.
"You are holding him too tightly."
Mu Xueqing gaze sharpened.
"And?"
The valley trembled.
Spritual pressure rose from nine directions at once, colliding mid-air. Trees bent. Stone cracked.
At the centre of that overwhelming force, the child blinked slowly.
Then -
He made a small sound.
Not a cry.
A soft hum.
The pressure vanished.
Nine supreme beings froze as if commanded.
The child's fingers flexed slightly against Mu Xueqing's robe,
And in that moment -
A thread.
Invisible.
Binding.
" I will hold him."
The Azure Dragon stepped forward, her blue hair shimmering like storm light.
Mu Xueqing hesitated only or a fraction too long.
Flame surged instantly.
" Your turn is over."
" I have not yet began."
The golden Roc's shadow spread across the valley as golden wind spirated outwards.
The Nine Fox smiled faintly, nine illusions flickering behind her like ghostly tails.
" Are we fighting already? How nostalgic."
The Heavenly Surpent's pupils thinned.
" Not here."
The black Abyss Empress said nothing - but the ground beneath them thickened into an impenetrable shield.
The Jade Rabbit Queen's voice was soft, but urgent.
" He needs nourishment."
Silence fell.
The word hung heavier than thunder.
Nourishment.
They had created him from their life essence.
But his body was still that if an infant.
He required more.
Mu Xueqing lowered onto a smooth stone slab.
Her expression returned to calm - but her pulse thundered in her ears.
The child shifted instinctively against her chest.
And latched.
The moment he did.
The valley exploded with life.
Spritual flowers burst from cracks in stone. Dormant trees sprouted luminous leaves. Spritual energy condensed into visible mist and spirated upward in spirals of light.
The eight Divine Beasts stared.
He observed her power flawlessly.
No rejection.
No imbalance.
He accepted her essence as naturally as breathing.
A tremor passed through Mu Xueqing's body.
Not pain.
Something far more dangerous.
Belonging.
When he released her, the Dragon was already stepping forward.
" My turn."
Her voice brooked no argument.
She gathered him into her arms with careful strength. Lightning crackled softly around them as he fed again.
This time, storm clouds above churned gently in rhythm.
The Phoenix did not wait for invitation.
" Enough."
One by one
They fed him.
Fire.
Wind.
Oceanic depth.
Illusion.
Venom.
Moon light.
Golden Sun.
Each essence flowed into him without conflict.
He became a convergence point of nine supreme lineages.
And every time he fed.
Their hearts tightened further.
The Fox tried to prolong her turn.
The Tiger interrupted.
The Roc attempted to lift him into the sky.
The Serpent blocked her path mid-air.
Mu Xueqing counted silence, eyes narrowing whenever another exceeded what she deemed " fair."
" You held him longer."
" You counted?"
" Yes."
" Petty."
" Preise."
The child watched them. He could hear every word. Understand every tone.
Their possessiveness did not frighten him.
It warmed him.
When the Phoenix tried to carry him away under the excuse of adjusting temperature, eight furious gazes followed her.
He laughed.
The sound was clear.
Pure
And instantly.
All arguments stopped.
They turned toward him as if drawn by fate itself.
"Again," he babbled softly.
Nine hearts nearly stopped.
The sky darkened without warning.
A deep, ancient pressure descended from above.
The vortex returned.
Larger,
Heavier,
Oppressive.
The Heavenly Dao had watched long enough.
Lightning gathered in monstrous coils
An eye - vast and emotionless - opened within the clouds.
Judgement.
The Dragon roared upward, true form manifesting in streaks of azure lightning.
The Phoenix erupted into blazing wings.
The Tiger leapt, claws tearing space.
The Roc's wings split thunderheads apart.
The Xuanwu expanded into a shield that covered the valley like an unbreakable dome.
The Serpent devoured lightning mid - strike, venom hissing.
The Fox twisted illusions to fracture the descending bolts.
The Rabbit poured restorative essence into every wounded body.
Mu Xueqing stood unmoving at the center, holding the child against her chest.
Lightning struck.
Blood fell
The valley cracked under the stain,
But none retreated.
The Heavenly Eye brightened, gathering annihilation.
The child reached out
His small hand opened toward the sky.
A pulse moved through him
Not loud.
Not explosive.
But absolute.
The descending lightning shattered.
The clouds trembled.
The Eye flickered.
And closed.
Silence fell so heavily if felt solid.
The Dragon descended first, bleeding but upright.
The Phoenix's flames dimmed slightly.
The Tiger's breathing was rough.
All nine gathered again around the child.
He looked at them.
Unafraid.
" Strong," he said softly.
The word broke something ancient inside them.
The Phoenix laughed through tears.
The Dragon pressed her forehead gently to his.
Mu Xueqing closed her eyes briefly, relief flooding through her veins like warmth after endless winter.
A quiet understanding passed between them.
Heaven would not ignore this forever.
The Lower World could not contain him.
Nor them.
" The Upper World," the Xuanwu said calmly.
" Yes," the Dragon agreed.
" More enemies," the Tiger muttered.
" Let them try," the Phoenix replyed.
The Fox smiled faintly.
" We will need a feeding order."
" You overextend."
" I do not."
" You do."
Mu Xueqing stepped forward.
" I will hold him during ascension."
Eight gazes sharpened instantly.
" Because I am already holding him."
The Serpent hissed softly.
The Roc's wings stirred.
The valley cracked again from rising pressure.
In the center of it all -
The child giggled.
The ascension formation ignited beneath there feet.
Light suryed upward in nine pillars.
Wind roared.
The Lower World trembled in both fear and relief.
Nine supreme beings.
One extraordinary child.
As the light swallowed them whole, their silhouettes blurred - but their eyes never left him.
Not even for a heat beat.
Because in that moment, as Heaven and earth shifted.
They understood one absolute truth.
They had created him together,
But each believed -
He belonged to her alone.
And none of them intended to surrender.