Ping Heng waved his hand, golden light shimring as the shattered battlefield began repairing itself. Broken islands reassembled, torn space stitched back together, and the chaotic energies dispersed like mist under sunlight.
A simple wooden table and chairs materialized in the center of the restored realm.
"Sit," Ping Heng said, his voice carrying the weight of divine authority.
Yun Lintian slumped into a chair, his body still trembling from channeling five divine authorities at once. Linlin leapt onto the table in her small white cat form, pacing anxiously, while Qingqing fluttered around Yun Lintian, her tiny hands brushing his wounds with gentle wind energy.
Hei Xuan collapsed into a chair with a groan. "Alas, it's really difficult without power."
Ping Heng poured tea—the liquid perfectly balanced between hot and cold—before fixing Qing Yun with a piercing gaze.
"You knew."
It wasn't a question.
Qing Yun accepted the teacup, her erald sleeves rustling softly. "Of course."
Hei Xuan's shadowy eyes narrowed. "How long?"
"Centuries," Qing Yun said calmly. "Yun Wushuang ca to long ago."
A ripple of surprise passed through the group. Even Ping Heng's fingers paused mid-pour.
"Yun Lintian's mother?" Hei Xuan leaned forward. "That woman saw this coming?"
Qing Yun nodded. "She knew Nian Shi's ambitions stretched beyond our tiline. That's why she... prepared her son." Her gaze shifted to Yun Lintian, who was listening intently despite his exhaustion.
Ping Heng's golden scales tilted slightly. "Who else knows?"
"Mo Ling," Qing Yun said. "He's been quietly disrupting Nian Shi's sches for years."
Hei Xuan barked a laugh. "That gloomy bastard actually did sothing useful?"
Qing Yun's lips curved slightly. "In his own way. And Zhan Tian knows, though he cares little for politics."
Linlin's tail flicked impatiently. "So what? We just let Nian Shi keep rewriting reality?"
"No," Qing Yun said softly. "We let Yun Lintian grow."
All eyes turned to the recovering young man.
Qing Yun continued, "Yun Wushuang's plan was simple—let her son absorb as many Primordial authorities as possible. Even if he can't take them in this tiline..."
"He goes to others," Yun Lintian finished, understanding dawning.
Ping Heng's teacup clicked against the table. "A dinsional gambit. Nian Shi may control ti, but even he can't monitor every possible reality simultaneously."
"Exactly," Qing Yun said. "Scatter his focus. Force him to spread thin."
Hei Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Not bad. But how do we—"
A sudden ripple in space interrupted him.
The air tore open like parchnt, revealing a swirling vortex of gray mist. From it erged a tall, skeletal figure draped in tattered robes—Mo Ling, the God of Death.
His hollow eyes swept the group before settling on Yun Lintian.
"You're late."
Yun Lintian blinked. "For what?"
Mo Ling didn't answer. Instead, he tossed a small hourglass onto the table. The sand inside flowed upward.
Ping Heng's eyes widened in surprise. "A temporal anchor?"
"Nian Shi's newest toy," Mo Ling intoned. "He's been testing it on minor tilines." His bony finger pointed at Yun Lintian. "You break it."
Yun Lintian picked up the hourglass, feeling its unnatural weight. The mont his fingers touched it, visions flooded his mind—
A thousand possible futures. A thousand versions of himself. So victorious. So broken. All fighting.
He gasped, nearly dropping the artifact.
Mo Ling's skeletal face sohow conveyed satisfaction. "Good. You can interface with temporal energy directly."
Qingqing tugged at Yun Lintian's sleeve. "Big Brother Yun? Are you okay?"
He exhaled sharply. "I'm fine. Just... saw things."
Hei Xuan snatched the hourglass, peered at it, then cursed. "Damn thing's eating my shadows!" He tossed it back to Yun Lintian. "Keep your creepy toys, Death."
Mo Ling ignored him, addressing Qing Yun. "The War God waits."
Ping Heng frowned. "Zhan Tian? For what?"
"To judge," Mo Ling said simply. Then, to Yun Lintian: "Can you stand?"
Yun Lintian forced himself upright. "Where?"
Mo Ling pointed at the hourglass. "Everywhere."
Understanding flashed in Yun Lintian's eyes. "Other tilines."
Mo Ling said calmly. "Nian Shi's greatest strength is also his weakness. He exists across all possible monts simultaneously. To defeat him, you must do the sa."
Yun Lintian frowned slightly. "I don't think I can face him head-on now."
Mo Ling's hollow eyes glead as he studied Yun Lintian. "You underestimate yourself." His skeletal fingers tapped the hourglass. "Right now, you're already stronger than most Primordial Gods."
Yun Lintian raised his brow slightly upon hearing this.
"But to inherit my power," Mo Ling continued. "you still lack sothing crucial."
Yun Lintian frowned. "What?"
"The proper vessel." The Death God's robes rustled as he leaned forward. "I must go to your original tiline. et the inheritor of Death there."
Yun Lintian's brow furrowed. "Why?"
Mo Ling's bony fingers traced a sigil in the air—a twisting symbol that pulsed with eerie energy. "You've comprehended the Great Law of Death, but your body can't withstand its full power yet. Not without an anchor."
Qing Yun said gently. "Like my Tree of Life."
"Exactly." Mo Ling nodded. "Life needs roots. Death needs bones. You require the relic of Death from your world."
Yun Lintian's mind raced—then froze on a single na.
"Hei Shou."
The hand of the God of Death.
Mo Ling's skull-like face sohow conveyed approval. "The God of Death's body is the relic you need. It couldn't be mine because I wasn't the original Death God."
Hei Xuan whistled. "Damn. You're telling the kid to kill his own tiline's Death God?"
"No." Mo Ling's voice turned icy. "To inherit."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Yun Lintian thought about Si Junyi, the inheritor of the Death God. He had always felt that Si Junyi's goal wasn't just to protect the Primal Chaos but sothing more. It seed he needed to talk with him later.
"Let's talk about the War God first," Yun Lintian spoke up. "Do I need to defeat him to get his power?"
"Yes," Mo Ling said calmly. "He won't accept soone weaker than him to inherit his power."
Yun Lintian let out a long breath and said, "I need to recover first."
Mo Ling didn't say anything further. He glanced at Qing Yun briefly and disappeared from the place.
Qing Yun looked at Yun Lintian and said, "Co back with ."
Yun Lintian nodded slowly. "Alright."
Qing Yun turned to Hei Xuan and Ping Heng. "Although they are unlikely to return, you must not lower your guard. I'll be back soon."
"Don't worry. Although I don't have much power now, I can still fight one." Hei Xuan waved his hand dismissively.
"Be careful," Ping Heng said calmly.
Qing Yun didn't say anything further and left with Yun Lintian, Linlin, and Qingqing.
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