Myth Beyond Heaven

As the day wore on, Tie Cheng and the villagers returned, their arms laden with goods—spirit herbs, rare ores, even a few cultivation manuals.

“Young Master Yun!” Tie Cheng laughed. “This old man hasn’t had this much fun in years!”

Yun Lintian chuckled. “Then visit anytime.”

Tie Muqiu, who had wandered the streets in silence, finally spoke. “Uncle Cheng… I’ll stay here for a while.”

Tie Cheng’s eyes softened. “Good. Your father would be happy.”

Yun Lintian nodded in approval. “I’ll arrange a residence for you.”

Tie Muqiu glanced at him. “…Thank you.”

It was a small word, but for someone like her, it carried weight.

Yun Lintian grinned. “Don’t mention it.”

As the sun set over Nine Firmament City, casting golden light over the canals, something in Tie Muqiu’s chest—something that had been cold for so long—began to thaw.

Perhaps… this was worth living for.

The towering spires of Nine Firmament City’s central tower gleamed under the setting sun as Yun Lintian led Tie Muqiu through its grand gates. The blacksmith walked stiffly beside him, her eyes darting across the unfamiliar opulence with barely concealed discomfort.

Just as they reached the main courtyard, a familiar icy aura swept over them.

“Husband~”

A melodious voice sang out before its owner appeared in a swirl of snowflakes. Han Bingling materialized before them, her hair cascading over shoulders clad in frost-blue robes. Her fox-like eyes immediately locked onto Tie Muqiu.

“Oh? Bringing home another sister?” Her lips curled into a teasing smirk as she tapped a finger against her chin. “This one’s quite the ice queen, isn’t she? She might give me competition.”

Yun Lintian coughed. “Bingling, this is Tie Muqiu, daughter of Master Tie Mutian. She’s the one who forged the God Slaying Sword.”

Han Bingling’s playful expression shifted to genuine surprise. She bowed slightly. “Ah, my apologies. Your father’s weapons saved this reckless husband of mine more times than I can count.”

Tie Muqiu gave the barest nod of acknowledgment but remained silent.

Undeterred, Han Bingling circled the blacksmith with appraising eyes. “Hmm… excellent bone structure, strong meridians, and those calloused hands could probably crush rocks. Lintian does have good taste—”

“Bingling,” Yun Lintian cut in, rubbing his temples. “Where’s Yue Yun?”

The ice queen pouted. “Straight to business as always. She’s on the southern training grounds, beating up those poor disciples again.” She waved a hand toward Tie Muqiu. “Shall I prepare the west wing courtyard for our new sister?”

“She’s not—”

“Fine.” Tie Muqiu’s abrupt agreement startled both of them.

Han Bingling’s smile turned triumphant. “Excellent! I’ll have people prepare the best forging equipment too. Can’t have Master Tie’s daughter feeling homesick~”

Before Yun Lintian could protest further, Han Bingling grabbed Tie Muqiu’s arm and began leading her away. To everyone’s shock, the normally untouchable blacksmith allowed it, though her stiff posture screamed discomfort.

Yun Lintian sighed. “Just… don’t overwhelm her.”

Han Bingling’s laughter tinkled like wind chimes. “Oh husband, when have I ever overwhelmed anyone?”

The last thing Yun Lintian saw was Tie Muqiu shooting him a look that clearly said help me before being dragged around a corner.

Southern Training Grounds.

The sounds of clashing steel and pained groans led Yun Lintian to a scene of controlled chaos. Dozens of disciples lay sprawled across the dirt while a proud woman stood at the center, her practice sword resting against one shoulder.

“Pathetic,” Yue Yun declared. “The lot of you couldn’t defeat a sick chicken.”

One brave disciple raised her head. “Master… you’re a True God…”

“And?” She kicked a pebble that sent her tumbling. “Excuses are for corpses.”

Yun Lintian cleared his throat.

Every disciple immediately scrambled to bow. “Headmaster!”

Yue Yun’s stern expression melted into a grin. “About time you showed up. These whelps were—”

“It’s done,” Yun Lintian interrupted, summoning the God Slaying Sword.

The moment the obsidian blade appeared, the temperature plummeted. Disciples gasped as their weapons trembled in their sheaths. Even Yue Yun’s eyes widened.

“That’s…” She reached out but stopped just short of touching it. “It’s drinking in the surrounding energy.”

Yun Lintian nodded. “Tie Muqiu poured her soul into forging it. The sword evolves by absorbing divine essence.”

A slow, dangerous smile spread across Yue Yun’s face. “Why don’t we test it?”

“Sure,” Yun Lintian said, tossing her the blade.

Yue Yun caught it effortlessly, her long hair whipping about as the sword’s sharp aura flared to life around her. The disciples wisely scrambled backward.

“What a good sword! As expected from the legendary God Slaying Sword.” She gave an experimental swing—the air itself split with a shriek, leaving a lingering black scar in space.

Yun Lintian raised his hand, and space itself twisted around them. With a flick of his wrist, he tore open a pocket dimension—a vast, empty void where time and space were under his complete control. The disciples outside could only watch in awe as their sect master and Yue Yun vanished into the swirling rift.

Inside the pocket dimension, Yue Yun twirled the God Slaying Sword in her hand, her hair floating weightlessly in the void. “This sword really is something else,” she mused. “It feels like it’s alive.”

Yun Lintian unsheathed the Heaven Sunderer, its massive blade radiating an oppressive aura. “Let’s see how it fares against a Primordial God’s weapon.”

Yue Yun smirked. “Don’t hold back.”

“Sure.”

In an instant, Yun Lintian vanished—reappearing right in front of Yue Yun with a devastating downward slash. The Heaven Sunderer descended like a falling mountain, its weight enough to split the earth in half.

CLANG!

Yue Yun barely raised the God Slaying Sword in time. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the pocket dimension, distorting the very fabric of space around them. Yet, despite the overwhelming force, the obsidian blade didn’t so much as chip.

Yue Yun grinned. “Not bad.”

She retaliated with a blindingly fast thrust—the God Slaying Sword’s tip piercing forward like a viper’s fang. Yun Lintian twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike, but the sword’s edge still grazed his sleeve.

A single drop of blood floated in the air.

Yun Lintian glanced at the wound, impressed. “It cut me.”

Yue Yun licked her lips. “And it’s hungry for more.”

The God Slaying Sword pulsed in her grip, its seven elemental runes glowing brighter. The moment Yun Lintian’s blood touched its surface, the blade hummed with satisfaction, its aura growing sharper.

Yun Lintian chuckled. “So it really does grow stronger by absorbing divine essence. Even I, its master, am not spared.”