Myth Beyond Heaven

Yun Lintian turned back to Mirror Lake, his gaze piercing through its glass-like surface. The previous three steps had been difficult, but now that he understood the lake’s rhythm, he wouldn’t hesitate.

He took the first step—harmonizing with the temporal distortion.

The second step—flowing past the geyser’s eruption.

The third step—merging with the vortex’s flow.

Each movement was flawless, executed with perfect synchronization. The lake’s defenses no longer hindered him.

Then came the fourth step.

Crash!

The moment his foot touched the water, the world changed.

The sky darkened instantly, thick storm clouds rolling in as torrential rain began to pour. The raindrops weren’t ordinary—each carried a profound conceptual intent, a will that permeated the very fabric of the storm.

Qian Jinglei’s eyes widened. “This rain… it’s infused with conceptual intent!”

Nie Tong frowned. “Whose comprehension could manifest like this?”

Xiong Yu instinctively raised his arms, as if expecting an attack. But the rain didn’t harm them—it simply fell, heavy and unrelenting.

Only Yun Lintian stood frozen.

His pupils trembled as memories surged—

The Azure World. A woman in a bamboo hat, standing in the rain. Her presence quiet, yet overwhelming. The Rain Woman.

Long Qingxuan.

His wife.

Captured by Nian Shi. Lost in time.

And now… this rain.

It was hers.

Yun Lintian’s breath hitched. His heart pounded so violently it threatened to crack his ribs. He whirled toward Qian Jinglei, his voice sharp with urgency.

“The True Dragon God beneath the lake—what color are its eyes?”

Qian Jinglei blinked, startled by his sudden intensity. “Azure… like the deepest ocean.”

A tremor ran through Yun Lintian’s body.

Azure eyes…

Rain infused with her conceptual intent.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Qingxuan…”

His aura abruptly exploded.

BOOOOOOM!

The ground beneath him shattered. The air itself wailed as an unimaginable pressure descended, forcing Qian Jinglei, Nie Tong, and Xiong Yu to their knees. Their faces paled—this wasn’t just power. This was something primal, a force that defied the natural order.

Yun Lintian’s hands clenched. The power of Chaos—the perfect balance between Life and Death—coiled around his fist, swirling like a miniature storm.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

He slammed his fist into the lake.

The impact was catastrophic. The entire lake churned, its surface rupturing as if struck by a celestial hammer. Waves taller than mountains erupted, the water itself screaming under the force.

Qian Jinglei gasped. “He’s tearing the lake apart with brute force?!”

Nie Tong’s frost energy flickered wildly, unable to withstand the backlash. “This is madness!”

But Yun Lintian didn’t stop.

He struck again.

BOOM!

The lake trembled violently under Yun Lintian’s relentless assault. Each strike of his Chaos-wreathed fist sent shockwaves rippling through the water, the very fabric of the ancient formations straining to hold. But Mirror Lake was no ordinary body of water—it was a prison forged by the Creator’s hand, designed to withstand even the fury of gods.

BOOM!

Another strike. Another quake.

Yet the lake held firm.

Linlin and Qingqing clung desperately to Yun Lintian’s shoulders, their small hands gripping his robes tightly.

“Big Brother Yun…!” Qingqing’s voice was small, trembling.

“Stop… please…” Linlin whispered, her golden eyes wide with fear.

But Yun Lintian didn’t hear them. His mind was consumed by a single thought—

Qingxuan was here.

Trapped. Suffering.

And he would tear apart heaven and earth to reach her.

BOOM!

He struck again, his knuckles splitting open, blood mingling with the lake’s churning waters. The backlash tore through his meridians, but he barely registered the pain.

Beneath the lake, Tang Wei’s liquid form flickered wildly as he stared upward in disbelief.

“This man… he’s insane!” Tang Wei muttered. “Does he not fear death at all?!”

Long Chen’s face paled as he watched the water above them distort violently. “He’s going to bring the entire lake down on us!”

Ling Xuan gripped her dagger tightly, her usual composure shattered. “Who is he…? How can one person possess such power?”

Xiong Ba, for once, was silent. His earlier arrogance had evaporated, replaced by sheer terror.

Above, the lake’s retaliation came swift and brutal.

Temporal blades materialized from the water, slashing toward Yun Lintian from all directions. Geysers of liquid time erupted beneath his feet, threatening to swallow him whole. The very air around him twisted, attempting to rip him apart through sheer spatial distortion.

Yet Yun Lintian didn’t retreat.

With a roar, the Heaven Sunderer appeared in his grasp, its crimson edge blazing with primordial fury. He swung the massive greatsword in wide arcs, each strike deflecting the lake’s attacks with earth-shaking force.

CLANG!

A temporal blade shattered against the Heaven Sunderer’s edge.

BOOM!

A geyser of liquid time was split down the middle, its power dissipating harmlessly.

But the lake’s assault was endless.

A whip of condensed time lashed out, striking Yun Lintian across the chest. Blood sprayed as the wound aged instantly, the flesh around it withering before the Power of Life surged to repair it.

Another blade grazed his arm, peeling back skin and muscle.

Yet still, he fought.

Still, he attacked.

“QINGXUAN!” His voice tore through the storm, raw with desperation.

The lake’s surface trembled—not from his strikes, but from something beneath.

A pulse.

A response.

Then—

ROOOOOAR!

A deafening cry erupted from the depths, shaking the very foundations of the ruins. The water exploded upward as an enormous azure-scaled dragon surged forth, her massive body coiled in chains of shimmering temporal energy.

Long Qingxuan.

Her azure eyes, filled with indifference, stared at Yun Lintian coldly… She seemed to look at Yun Lintian as if he was a stranger.

However, before she could do anything, the chains around her burned with golden light. Her body convulsed as the seals activated, forcing her back into the depths.

Yun Lintian’s vision turned red as he realized that Long Qingxuan couldn’t recognize him.

“No… NO!”

He lunged forward, his hand outstretched—

But the lake’s retaliation reached its peak.

A colossal pillar of liquid time erupted beneath him, swallowing him whole.

For a single, horrifying moment, everything went silent.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

The pillar detonated.

The shockwave sent Qian Jinglei, Nie Tong, and Xiong Yu flying backward, their bodies crashing into the ruins. Linlin and Qingqing were nearly thrown from Yun Lintian’s shoulders, their small forms battered by the force.

When the dust cleared, Yun Lintian stood amidst the devastation, his body bloodied but unbroken.

His eyes burned with something beyond fury.

Beyond rage.

This was wrath incarnate.

“NIAN SHI!”