Myth Beyond Heaven

Seeing her mother’s pained silence, Long Qingxuan offered a small, sad smile. She looked around at their gathered family—the remains of their world.

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice growing stronger, filled with a quiet, unshakable resolve. “I don’t know if the final outcome will be good. I don’t know if Lintian will succeed, if he will become the Creator and defeat them. The future is too clouded.”

She took a shaky breath, straightening her battered posture. “But I know this is unavoidable. I know that protecting him, giving him every second we can, is the only path forward. It is the only choice that makes sense in this madness.”

Her gaze returned to her mother, filled with love and finality. “So, I will not hide at the back. I will stand with you. With all of you. I will do everything I can, to my very last moment, to protect him.”

Her words were not a speech to inspire an army; they were a simple, heartfelt declaration. They echoed the sentiment in every heart present. The outcome was unknown, but their duty was clear.

Rustle—

Suddenly, a gentle rustling sound broke the grim silence.

It came from the direction of the Tree of Life. The mighty tree, which had stood as the heart of the Land of Beyond Heaven for eons, was trembling. Its leaves, which had begun to wither under the corrupting energies, now shimmered with a soft, golden light.

A profound, ancient aura of pure life essence began to radiate from its trunk, not in a wild explosion, but in a gentle, targeted wave.

The wave washed over them.

Long Qingxuan gasped as a warm, soothing energy flowed into her battered body. The agonizing pain from her shattered dragon soul receded, her broken bones knitting together with an audible hum. The deep internal wounds began to close, her azure aura flickering back to life, weak but stable.

Beside her, Long Xi felt her dimmed light rekindle, the crushing fatigue lifting from her spirit. Long Niu grunted in surprise as her core, cracked and drained, solidified once more.

Yue Zhihe, Yue Chuntao, and Mumu all experienced the same miraculous healing. Their severe injuries, which should have taken centuries to recover from, were mending at a visible rate.

Everyone was stunned, their eyes turning toward the source of this blessing.

The Tree of Life was glowing, its brilliance intensifying even as its leaves began to turn a transparent, crystalline gold. They watched in awe and dawning horror as the tree seemed to be… diminishing. It was pouring its own life force, its very essence, into them. It was sacrificing its eternal existence to grant them a fighting chance.

Tears welled in Long Qingxuan’s eyes. “The Tree…” she whispered, her heart aching with a fresh wave of grief and gratitude. They were being saved, not to escape, but to be strong enough to make their final stand count.

Just then, another figure stirred. A small hand pushed against the ground.

Gui Xuan, the Black Turtle God in his childish form, slowly sat up. The Tree’s healing energy had reached him too, pulling him back from the brink of dissolution. His black-greenish eyes, usually filled with a naive innocence, fluttered open.

His gaze swept across the devastated battlefield. It passed over the healing forms of his friends, over the flickering Phoenix barrier, and then… it landed on the still, lifeless form of Zhang Yu a short distance away. The hole in her torso was a stark, brutal testament to her end.

A jolt went through Gui Xuan’s small body.

The naive light in his eyes shattered, replaced by a depth of ancient sorrow and cold, hard resolve that seemed utterly alien on his young face. The babysitter who had doted on him, scolded him, protected him… was gone. Mercilessly slain.

“Ugh…”

A low, guttural sound escaped his throat, nothing like a child’s cry. The air around him grew heavy, dense. A massive, ethereal projection of a Black Turtle’s shell materialized behind him, covered in ancient, mystical runes that pulsed with the power of ultimate defense.

As the projection solidified, Gui Xuan’s body began to change. He didn’t just grow taller; he seemed to age. His childish features sharpened, his posture straightened, and an aura of immense, unwavering stability emanated from him.

The Black Turtle God was not just awake; he was shedding the last vestiges of his youthful facade, revealing the primordial guardian beneath.

He rose to his feet, his movements sure and steady. His voice, when he spoke, was no longer slow or hesitant. It was deep, clear, and carried the weight of epochs.

“The Divine Phoenix’s barrier is powerful, but it is born of sacrifice, not pure defense. It will not hold for long against a sustained assault from Uncreation.” His eyes, now ancient and knowing, scanned the trembling wall of fire. “I can hold it. I can reinforce it. The Black Turtle’s defense is absolute. I can buy more time.”

He glanced at everyone and said. “Take this chance to recover. Don’t waste it.”

He didn’t wait for their replies, for their gasps of surprise at his transformation. There was no time for questions. His gaze, filled with a sorrow that mirrored their own, lingered on Zhang Yu’s body for a final second before hardening with determination.

He turned and rushed toward the faltering Phoenix barrier.

As he ran, he didn’t just channel his power. He began to burn it. Dark green light, the color of the deepest ocean abyss, erupted from his core. He was burning his blood origin, his divine life force, just as Nantian Fengyu had. He was trading his future, his potential for growth and recovery, for one, perfect, impenetrable defense.

“Xuanwu Absolute Domain!” he roared, his young voice now a commanding boom.

He slammed his hands against the inner surface of the flickering Phoenix barrier. The ethereal Black Turtle shell behind him merged with the flames. Where Nantian Fengyu’s power was fierce and sacrificial, Gui Xuan’s was immovable and eternal.

Buzz—

A complex lattice of black and green energy, harder than the foundation of the universe itself, began to weave itself into the Phoenix fire, reinforcing it, stabilizing it.

The violent shuddering of the barrier lessened. The cracks of void energy slowed their spread. A new, formidable power now bolstered the defense.

Long Qingxuan watched, her heart torn between a desperate hope and crushing grief. Gui Xuan was sacrificing himself too. They all were.

She clenched her fists, feeling the renewed strength granted by the Tree of Life. This was not a second chance at life; it was a chance to make their deaths meaningful.

She looked at her mother, Long Xi, and then at everyone else—Long Niu, the Yue sisters, Mumu. Their eyes met. No words were needed.

They must use this chance. They must recover fully. They must be ready to fight the moment the barriers fell. This was the gift the Tree of Life and Gui Xuan were giving them: not survival, but the strength for a worthy end…