The God of Darkness' expression turned solemn as he studied Yun Lintian. The superior stance from before had vanished, replaced by a calculating intensity.
"Let ask you again," the deity said slowly. "Why have you co to this era?"
Yun Lintian t his gaze steadily. After a long mont of consideration, he finally spoke.
"I ca for your power."
The throne room's shadows recoiled as if struck. The God of Darkness' eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
"Not just yours," Yun Lintian continued. "Every Primordial God's power in this era. I need them all."
A dangerous silence followed. The air grew heavy enough to crush mountains.
The God of Darkness leaned forward. "And why would you need such power?"
Yun Lintian countered with a question of his own. "Are you aware of the God of Ti's true ambitions?"
The deity's fingers tightened on his throne's armrests. "I've suspected... irregularities. But nothing concrete."
Yun Lintian nodded. "Then you should know this—in every tiline, across every universe, all versions of the God of Ti share one goal: to beco the new Creator by gathering all Primordial powers."
He let that sink in before continuing.
"What you don't know is that they're connected. If the God of Ti in this tiline has already made contact with his other selves across dinsions..." Yun Lintian's voice turned grave. "Then every being in existence is in danger."
The shadows in the room writhed violently. The God of Darkness' aura fluctuated slightly as his mood grew heavy.
"You're saying..."
"That the God of Ti isn't just one entity anymore," Yun Lintian finished. "He's becoming a hive mind across tilines. And once he's strong enough, he'll collapse all realities into one—with himself as the supre ruler."
Silence descended once again.
Then—
The God of Darkness spoke up. "So that's why you crossed ti itself." His eyes glead with dark understanding. "You're trying to stop what hasn't happened yet."
Yun Lintian nodded.
The deity abruptly stood, his shadow stretching infinitely behind him. "Prove it."
Without hesitation, Yun Lintian extended his hand. A mory crystal materialized—scenes of the future played out. The Primal Chaos Wall cracking. The chaotic environnt in the Realm of Chaos. The horde of the creatures of chaos ravaging the entire world. Finally, the Chasm of Uncreation.
The God of Darkness absorbed the visions, his expression growing grimr by the second. When it finished, he exhaled sharply.
"Even if I believe you," he said slowly, "why should I surrender my power? Why not join forces to stop Nian Shi directly?"
Yun Lintian's answer was simple. "Because you can't kill him. Not permanently. As long as one version of the God of Ti exists in any tiline, he can regenerate. My thod is the only way."
He t the deity's gaze squarely.
"I need to beco what he seeks to be—the new Creator. Only then can I erase him completely from all existence."
The God of Darkness stared at him for a long mont.
He then exhaled slowly, his form flickering like a dying fla. "You speak the truth—I am no match for the God of Ti. None of the Twelve Primordial Gods are." His eyes burned into Yun Lintian. "But knowing this doesn't an I'll willingly hand over my power."
A tense silence stretched between them. The very air in the throne room grew heavy, as if the universe itself held its breath.
Then—
"Prove it," the God of Darkness demanded. His voice was quiet but carried the weight of collapsing stars. "Show why it must be you."
Yun Lintian t his gaze without flinching. For a long mont, he said nothing.
BOOM!
All of a sudden, an explosion of divine power erupted from Yun Lintian's body. The throne room trembled violently as four distinct Primordial God energies manifested simultaneously: The God of River's endless flow. The God of Mountain's unshakable might. The Sun God's blazing radiance. The God of Darkness' own abyssal power.
The combined aura crushed the throne room's foundations. Cracks spiderwebbed across the void-black walls as spatial rifts tore open spontaneously. The God of Darkness' eyes widened—for the first ti in eternity, he trembled.
Not from fear.
From recognition.
"You..." The deity's voice was barely a whisper. "You've already taken their powers."
Yun Lintian didn't attack. Didn't move. Simply let the truth hang between them.
"Initially," he said calmly, "I planned to eliminate you at all costs." His gaze sharpened. "But you're different from the God of Darkness in my tiline. Less... unreasonable."
A beat of silence.
"So I'll give you a choice." Yun Lintian extended his hand, palm up. On it swirled a tiny vortex containing four glowing motes—the essence of the Gods he'd absorbed. "Hand it over yourself and I will let you and your daughter live."
His fingers clenched into a fist.
"Or resist, and die."
The threat hung in the air, heavier than any physical blow. The God of Darkness stared at that fist, his expression unreadable.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed through the crumbling throne room. Not mocking. Not bitter. But... relieved.
The God of Darkness shook his head. "To think the day would co when I would be given an ultimatum. It's truly a magnificent feeling."
"However," he paused for a mont and said. "I have a better proposal."
The God of Darkness' laughter faded as his expression turned solemn. "I will give you my power," he declared, his voice echoing through the crumbling throne room. "But you must accept one condition."
Yun Lintian's grip on his spear tightened slightly. "Na it."
The deity's obsidian eyes glead. "Marry my daughter."
Silence.
Yun Lintian's usually unshakable composure cracked for the first ti. His eyes widened slightly. "What?"
Hei Yue, who had been watching from the shadows, nearly tripped over her own feet. "F-Father?!"
The God of Darkness ignored her outburst. "You heard ," he said calmly. "Take Hei Yue as your wife, and my power is yours willingly."
Yun Lintian studied the god carefully. "Why?"
A strange lancholy flickered across the deity's face. "Since the Creator's departure... I've always known my end would co." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Even we Primordial Gods are not truly eternal. I feel it in my bones—my ti is near."
He looked at Yun Lintian with sothing resembling... hope. "But my daughter—she carries both light and darkness within her. With your talent, you could help her reach heights even I cannot imagine."
Hei Yue's face flushed crimson. "I don't need—!"
"Silence," the God of Darkness cut her off gently. "This is my ambition." His gaze returned to Yun Lintian. "Well? What say you?"
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