Among the Eleven Heavens, the Eternal Sky Tower was the only place where all living beings could find countless rare celestial treasures. That was why the place was guarded by hundreds of warriors from the God Clan. The purpose was to ensure that no one could casually enter this sacred sanctuary.
Unfortunately, even with their tight defense, a man clad in a long black robe managed to break through the barrier. He walked swiftly among the corpses of the fallen gods, blood soaking their bodies, with some of them no longer intact.
When the man was nearly at the one-meter-tall altar made entirely of stone, his leg was suddenly pulled from behind, causing his body to be thrown backward. He landed smoothly on both feet. His glowing gaze clearly signaled that he would not accept defeat so easily.
"You must not take the artifact stored here, Yan Zhen! Have you forgotten who you are and what your duty is?!" shouted one of the guardian gods who was apparently still alive. Though he was still breathing, the old god with long white eyebrows had already lost one of his arms.
Yan Zhen—the man in the black robe—took a slow step forward. He stopped right in front of Mu Liang, whose body was almost entirely stained red with his own blood. He then crouched down and stared sharply at Mu Liang, "Tell me where the Soul Petal Lotus is hidden, and I shall spare your life."
Yan Zhen's voice sounded like a whisper of death to anyone who heard it. He neither shouted nor raised his voice. He sounded calm and composed. But that was precisely what made Yan Zhen—the villain said to surpass even demons—so terrifying.
Mu Liang was fearless. Even in his current state, he dared to lock eyes with the half-demon in front of him. "You will never obtain it, not even after my death."
"I have already destroyed the four lower floors of the tower. Must I destroy this one as well?"
"Why are you doing this, Yan Zhen? Even if you obtain what you're looking for, the people you love will never return. Their souls are broken—you have no hope."
Yan Zhen's fury ignited upon hearing those words. Without hesitation, he extended his hand and grabbed Mu Liang by the neck, lifting him into the air. His face turned red as his breath was choked off. Yet Yan Zhen showed no remorse. "You have no right to decide what I must or want to do. This is your last chance. If you still refuse to speak, I'll send you to hell immediately."
Time seemed to stop for a moment. Only the gusts of darkness blew around them. Until finally, Mu Liang gave a faint smile, "If they knew you caused this much chaos, they might not be pleased, Yan Zhen. Have you not thought about the disappointment of those you love? They might never—"
Blood splattered everywhere, even onto Yan Zhen's face, as he severed Mu Liang's head. After the body fell, he tossed the head aside as if it were nothing but useless trash. "You talk too much."
The man swiftly moved to the front of the altar he had approached earlier. Without delay, he closed his eyes and moved his hands in a complex gesture. A dark purple light surged through his body and gathered in his hands. As he opened his eyes, he directed his energy toward the empty altar. "No matter how many altars I must destroy, I will find that item."
It took a while, but finally, the top of the altar slowly opened. The corners of Yan Zhen's lips curled into a smile as he saw a lotus still tightly closed inside a clear crystal. "There it is. I found it," he whispered.
Right after he said that, a sharp pain pierced his chest, forcing him to cough up thick fresh blood. "I've exhausted too much energy to get here. Once I take the Soul Petal Lotus, I will go into seclusion and purify this item."
The lotus looked beautiful, its white hue like snow. Just as it was almost in his grasp, a sword stabbed into Yan Zhen's back. He coughed up blood once again. And unfortunately, this time, the lotus slipped from his hand.
"As long as I still live, don't ever think you'll get what you want!" shouted a man in white-golden robes behind Yan Zhen.
When Yan Zhen turned around, he didn't seem surprised to see who it was. The sword was still embedded in his back, and now blood streamed from his mouth. "Why?" He sounded weak, even desperate. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME? WHY?!"
"You led the demon clan into war. You even attacked the Celestial Palace. You killed every remaining god clan! As the God of War, do you think I should just stand by and let you cross the line?!" Luo Tianqi shouted, thunder roaring in the sky in response.
Yet Yan Zhen didn't seem to care about the pain he felt. He staggered forward toward the figure before him. Behind him, a trail of blood marked his path. "I started the war? Then what do you call it when you slaughtered my family and the people I loved? What wrong did they ever do to you that you even destroyed their souls after death?"
Luo Tianqi stared tensely at the man before him. "They deserved to die."
"That's not the answer I wanted to hear."
"Whatever my reason, I did it for the greater good. And you? What have you done? If you want revenge on me, you could've just killed me. You didn't have to drag the entire Divine Realm into your path of destruction!"
Yan Zhen reached behind him and pulled out the sword without the slightest expression. When he saw the blade, he smiled bitterly. "Nine Hells Poison. So you really did plan to kill me from the beginning."
"Did you think I wouldn't know what you've been doing behind my back? You colluded with demons and secretly sided with them. You even dared to love the holy maiden of the demon clan. Did you think I didn't know?! And now you've destroyed the Divine Realm—you've extinguished the only light that shone upon the universe. Your sins won't be cleansed even after your death, Yan Zhen!" Luo Tianqi hovered in the air, sword in hand—ready to strike Yan Zhen down again.
Yan Zhen quickly backed away. When his body reached the wall, he rolled to the side, dodging the sword that stabbed into the wall. He levitated, skillfully moving his fingers until a formation appeared behind him. "Death Pull!" From the formation emerged shadowy tendrils that lunged at Luo Tianqi.
Using his sword, Tianqi managed to slash through each dark shadow. Yan Zhen didn't stand idle—he dashed forward to snatch the Soul Petal Lotus from Tianqi's hand. Just as he nearly touched it, Tianqi's sword swung toward Yan Zhen's hand, forcing him to spin in the air.
When Tianqi let his guard down, Yan Zhen kicked his hand. But Tianqi reacted faster, summoning a golden light shield that blocked Yan Zhen's movement. For a moment, they locked in that position. Until finally, Tianqi gathered magical energy and pushed Yan Zhen away, slamming him into the tower wall.
Yan Zhen coughed on the floor, clutching his chest as more blood spilled from his mouth. This time, it felt like his entire body was crushed. He tried to stand, but Tianqi stepped on his right hand, pinning him to the floor.
"You are merely my sword spirit—how could you dream of defeating the God of War, your own master?" Tianqi twisted Yan Zhen's hand harder. "All the power and techniques you learned, you got from me. So I have no reason to lose to you."
Yan Zhen roared as Tianqi's boot crushed his fingers. "You've committed countless atrocities—how could you still call yourself a god? You're worse than a demon!"
"Yan Zhen!" Tianqi swung his sword to stab Yan Zhen's back again. But luckily, Yan Zhen managed to rise and kicked Tianqi's body, freeing his pinned hand.
The violet-eyed man now launched a flurry of magical attacks from his hands. Tianqi, almost cornered, summoned a protective shield by activating a sword formation. "Divine Sword Shield!"
That gave Yan Zhen the chance to unleash his remaining power. He forced his magic to surge, even though it felt like his heart might burst. Pain and soreness spread through every joint. But he finally managed to summon a massive black claw above him. "Hell Demon Claw!"
The claw nearly crushed Tianqi—if not for the shield. Still, it injured Tianqi badly enough to send him flying into the tower wall.
Yan Zhen collapsed as well. He felt he had done all he could. "I don't want your life, Luo Tianqi. I just need the Soul Petal Lotus to revive those I love."
Tianqi's lips curled into a grin. He stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Even if you wanted my life, you would never get it." He paused, then extended his hand and made a gesture. "Divine Eye!"
"Divine Eye?" Yan Zhen whispered with what little strength he had. "So he really planned this from the start. Activating the Divine Eye takes decades of preparation, and he uses it now."
"I didn't want to use the Divine Eye on you, Yan Zhen. But it seems even the Nine Hells Poison isn't enough to kill you."
Yan Zhen had no strength left. As the light from the Divine Eye drew closer, he could only see the silhouette of someone he knew so well. "Lin'er, forgive me if I failed to save you."