After the giant sword dissipated into nothingness, Song Taiyi could no longer keep himself suspended in the sky. His body swayed midair before gravity seized him. He fell heavily, the impact shaking the ground beneath his feet. Dust billowed around him as he landed with a muffled thud, leaving a shallow crater.
His breathing was ragged, chest rising and falling as if he had run a thousand li in one breath. The once surging ocean of his cultivation was now an empty, barren wasteland. The removal of his spiritual root was more than a physical injury—it was the severing of his very connection to the Dao. Without the ability to store qi, to circulate even the most basic of energy, he was little more than a mortal wrapped in a body that still remembered power.
Still, his back remained straight. His eyes, though dimmed with fatigue, were unwavering.
The heavens themselves reacted. Thunder rumbled, not from rain-bearing clouds but from divine authority. The sky darkened into a rolling storm, yet within its shifting depths appeared visions of divine beasts.
First came the Dragon, coiling and uncoiling like a living mountain of gold and jade. Then the Phoenix, flames licking across its wings with every slow, deliberate beat. The Golden Crow blazed like a miniature sun, followed by the proud Vermillion Bird, whose cry seemed to pierce the very soul. The Black Tortoise, ancient and immovable, stood watch as the Qilin emerged with a step that caused flowers to bloom beneath its hooves. A White Tiger roared, and an Azure Bird sang a note that seemed to bind heaven and earth in harmony.
Above them all hovered three sovereign figures: the Golden Dragon, scales brighter than any star; the True Phoenix, radiating heat and life; and the Ice Phoenix, a creature of such chilling beauty that frost spread across the sky in its wake. Flanking them was the Fire Qilin, mane burning like a living inferno.
They hung suspended in the firmament, their presence both holy and suffocating. Awe and terror mingled in the air—divinity and death walking hand in hand.
Taiyi raised his head to meet their gaze. His expression remained solemn, yet a quiet fire smoldered in his eyes. He knew what this was—the Imperial Tribulation. After the Severing of Emotions came the test of the sovereign heart. If he passed, he would ascend, soaring beyond his current station to grasp the destiny of a true ruler. If he failed, his life would be forfeit here, his body nothing more than dust on the wind.
The heavens themselves were fractured, barely holding together under endless assault. Enemies from the Six Realms gathered like vultures over a dying beast, and the Demon Realm's hostility burned hottest among them. But Taiyi understood—if he fell here, even the hidden forces lurking in shadows, those ancient organizations that coveted the Heavenly Throne, would reveal themselves. The Six Realms would drown in chaos.
---
Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm…
A land of black skies and bleeding horizons, the Demon Realm churned with restless energy. War drums boomed in the distance, their sound carrying for thousands of li. The Demon King's Hall was lit by a thousand infernal torches, their flames green and ghostly, dancing to the rhythm of an impending slaughter.
The Demon King had summoned his vassals—chieftains, warlords, and the four great Demon Kings of the realm. Messengers from the Netherrealm and Underworld rushed in and out, their whispers spreading like wildfire.
A towering demon with skin like obsidian bark stepped forward, his voice a deep rumble.
"The heavenly king Song Taiyi is trapped on the Severing Emotion Cliff. His aura grows weaker by the moment—our scouts confirm it. The heavens are leaderless. The Fire God is long dead, and their young ruler is but a cripple. The celestial realm trembles. Now is the moment to strike."
The Demon Realm's power was divided into four major tribes: the Black Dragon Clan, the Black Crow Clan, the Demon Ravens, and the Dark Nightmare Clan. Each was ruled by a king whose power could lay waste to armies, yet even they bowed to one supreme sovereign—Tai Long, the Black Dragon Emperor.
Tai Long was no ordinary ruler. His origins were older than the founding of the current Six Realms order. Though trapped in a forbidden place by the Ancestral Emperor ages ago, his true body remained sealed. What stood in the hall now was merely an avatar, and yet its oppressive presence bent space itself. His golden vertical pupils swept over the gathering, sending shivers down even the bravest warriors' spines.
One of the Demon Ravens' leaders bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, the Fire God was the only wall between us and Heaven's gates. With him gone, there is no courtesy to maintain. Song Taiyi cannot hold his realm together. I propose we break through their borders before he survives his tribulation."
Tai Long's expression was unreadable, like the still surface of a black lake hiding endless depth. Finally, his voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"You have my leave. Take this chance—opportunities such as this are rare in ten thousand years. Spill their blood, and leave no seed for recovery."
The hall erupted in roars of agreement. The four demon kings saluted, their eyes glinting with bloodlust.
For too long, they had been confined to this cursed land of eternal shadow. Even the endless caverns of the Demon Realm, vast as they were, felt like a prison. They would break their chains, not only for vengeance but for the survival and glory of their descendants.
---
In the Heavenly Realm…
Panic had taken root in the halls of the Celestial Court. Messengers rushed between palaces, their faces pale, scrolls clutched tightly in trembling hands.
The Prime Minister, an elderly man in white robes embroidered with golden clouds, sat in the Hall of Jade Mandates. His brow was furrowed as he listened to the reports. Without the Fire God's Army, their military strength was crippled. Those legendary warriors had sealed themselves in the Imperial Mausoleum, guarding their fallen master's body with unshakable loyalty. Without the Fire God's token, no one—not even the Prime Minister—could command them.
The Heavenly Court's only choice was to muster its scattered clan armies, yet even united they could barely match a single tribe from the Demon Realm.
An urgent meeting was called. The gods of the major clans gathered—Fox, Bird, Water, Fire, Earth, and others—each with their personal retinues standing behind them in disciplined silence.
The God of the Bird Clan was the first to speak.
"Prime Minister, this war is unwinnable. The Demon Emperor will march personally, backed by the ancient and current Black Dragon elites. The four demon kings will bring their own forces. Even without the lesser tribes, their strength dwarfs ours."
The Fox Clan's matriarch narrowed her golden eyes.
"If they dare cross the Yellow River, my Fox Clan elites will meet them in blood. Let the heavens remember—we are not some ripe fruit for the plucking. His Majesty is undergoing his tribulation; we will not allow interference."
The God of the Fire Tribe spoke coldly.
"It is not that Heaven is weak—it is that His Majesty chooses to be… willful."
The Water Clan's god's expression sharpened.
"Are you saying His Majesty is incompetent?"
The Fire Tribe god's lips curled faintly.
"I said nothing of the sort. You are the one twisting my words."
The tension in the hall thickened, like the air before a storm.
The Prime Minister finally rose, slamming his jade staff onto the floor. The sound echoed, silencing the gods.
"Enough. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven—there is no replacement. What we must do now is hold the borders. Each of you will dispatch one thousand elites from your tribe. This is not only for the realm's survival but to temper our youth. The heavens have grown complacent. Plants raised in a greenhouse cannot endure the wild."
The God of Destiny's gaze was sharp as a blade.
"Is this your will, Prime Minister… or His Majesty's?"
A faint smile played on the Prime Minister's lips.
"Does it matter?"
The court fell silent. Outside, war drums sounded faintly from the horizon—though whether they came from the Demon Realm or Heaven's own barracks, none could tell.