Myth Beyond Heaven

Ling Xuan’s eyes widened. “Senior Tang, is this normal? For her to be this restless?”

Tang Wei’s liquid form rippled uneasily. “She stirs occasionally, but never like this. Something has agitated her beyond measure.”

Long Chen frowned. “Could it be because of my master’s attacks on the lake surface?”

Tang Wei shook his head. “Countless have tried breaking in before. None provoked her like this.” His void-like eyes darkened. “No… this disturbance comes from within the prison itself.”

The chamber trembled again. The inverted waterfall’s flow reversed violently, revealing glimpses of chains—massive, glowing chains that stretched into the abyss below.

Xiong Ba paled. “What in the heavens is that?!”

“Her restraints,” Tang Wei said grimly. “And they’re weakening.”

Long Chen turned back to the stone tablet, studying the runes with renewed urgency.

“Senior, these markings—they’re not just laws. They’re a record.” His finger traced a particular sequence. “This speaks of a ‘Key’ left by the Creator.”

Tang Wei’s form stilled. “Impossible. I’ve studied this tablet for millennia. There’s no mention of—”

He froze as Long Chen’s finger completed the pattern. The runes shimmered, rearranging to reveal hidden text:

“When the Seed awakens, the World shall tremble.”

Ling Xuan gasped. “Seed? What is that?”

A thunderous CRACK echoed through the prison. One of the massive chains snapped.

Tang Wei’s form flickered wildly. “Seed…? No… it can’t be! The Seed of Time hasn’t been seen since the Primordial War!”

“Seed of Time? What is that?” Xiong Ba asked in confusion.

Tang Wei’s liquid form rippled as he observed the three young cultivators.

“The Seed of Time is a fragment of the World Tree,” he explained, his voice carrying the weight of ancient knowledge. “When the Sacred City of Origin fell, the World Tree shattered, scattering its essence across existence.”

Long Chen’s brow furrowed. “Then where is this Seed now?”

Tang Wei shook his head. “I cannot say for certain. But the temporal distortions above suggest it’s somewhere in these ruins.”

Xiong Ba suddenly interjected, “People outside call this place the Ruins of the Forgotten Time.”

A flicker of amusement passed through Tang Wei’s void-like eyes. “It is a good name. We have been forgotten indeed.”

Ling Xuan’s fingers tightened around her dagger. “So to escape, we must find this Seed?”

Tang Wei nodded. “If the tablet’s words hold truth, then yes. But…” His form darkened. “The woman’s agitation suggests someone may have already discovered it.”

The three cultivators exchanged glances.

“Who could have found it?” Ling Xuan wondered aloud. “The Celestial Pavilion? Other factions?”

Long Chen’s mind raced. If someone had indeed obtained the Seed of Time, the implications were staggering.

Tang Wei spoke up. “Whoever it is, this place has already begun to react to it. Maybe it won’t be long before we can leave.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Xiong Ba’s eyes. He was unwilling to stay here forever, and this might be his chance to leave.

Tang Wei noticed this and said with a chuckle. “Don’t get your hopes up. Maybe that person will continue to imprison us forever.”

“How dare he?!” Xiong Ba uttered angrily.

“Hehehe.” Tang Wei laughed upon hearing this. He turned to Long Chen and Ling Xuan and asked. “Do you know how stupid your friend is?”

“He’s not my friend,” Long Chen quickly responded.

“You!” Xiong Ba pointed his finger at Long Chen. His face flushed red in anger.

Tang Wei shook his head in amusement and said. “Ask yourself. If you had a power that could control time, would you use it to help others?”

Xiong Ba opened his mouth but no word came out.

Tang Wei looked at the world above and said further. “It can be said that our lives are in that person’s hand right now.”

Long Chen frowned deeply and decided to continue studying the tablet.

Xiong Ba was angry but there was nowhere to vent. He could only punch the wall with a bang.

ROAR!

A terrifying roar echoed as if responding to Xiong Ba’s action.

Xiong Ba shrank his neck and didn’t dare to move anymore.

Tang Wei looked at the rippled lake above and remained silent. No one knew what he was thinking.

***

**

*

Above Mirror Lake’s surface, three True Gods stood in tense silence.

Nie Tong’s frost energy swirled around her like a blizzard, her eyes fixed on the unmoving waters. “Again,” she commanded coldly.

Xiong Yu snorted, his massive axe glowing crimson. “Your Frost Moon techniques are useless here, Nie Tong.”

“Enough!” Qian Jinglei’s sword flashed silver as she intervened. “We waste time bickering while our disciples remain trapped!”

The three True Gods unleashed their full power simultaneously:

Nie Tong’s Absolute Frost formed crystalline spears that shattered against the lake.

Xiong Yu’s Bloodfiend Axe sent shockwaves rippling across the surface.

Qian Jinglei’s Misty Sword Art carved intricate formations in the air—yet the lake remained undisturbed.

Xiong Yu’s patience snapped. “This is your fault, Nie Tong! If you hadn’t interfered—”

“My fault?” Nie Tong’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Your nephew deceived my disciple into a death match. You enabled his arrogance.”

Qian Jinglei was about to reprimand them again when she suddenly stiffened. “Quiet!”

Xiong Yu scoffed. “What now—”

“Listen!”

The three fell silent. At first, nothing. Then…

A faint, distant roar.

Nie Tong’s face paled. “That came from below.”

Without hesitation, Qian Jinglei struck the lake with her sword. The others joined instantly—no longer holding back.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each attack sent tremors through the earth. The lake’s surface began to ripple unnaturally.

Then—

It happened.

The waters stilled. A shadow grew beneath them. Larger. Larger. Until—

An azure eye.

Gigantic. Ancient. Filled with primordial malice.

It stared up at them through the lake’s surface.

The three True Gods froze. Their divine energy stuttered. Their souls trembled. This was no ordinary pressure—this was something that predated the very concept of cultivation.

Qian Jinglei’s sword slipped from numb fingers. “D-Dragon…?”

The three of them seemed to forget everything around them, staring at the draconic eye in trance…

***

**

*

The Celestial Pavilion’s expedition had set up camp at the outskirts of the Garden of Lost Souls. Lan Huiqian stood at the edge of their formation, her gaze fixed on the distant Temporal Palace that would only open during the third week of each month.

Jian Feng leaned against a petrified tree, his expression dark. “That idiot Yun Lintian actually dared to enter the Garden alone. He’s courting death.”

Lan Huiqian’s brows furrowed slightly but she remained silent. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jian Kun’s deep voice:

“Don’t underestimate him.” The First Elder’s eyes gleamed with hidden wisdom. “That man has secrets even we cannot fathom.”

Jian Feng scoffed. “What secrets? He’s just—”

Rumble—