Myth Beyond Heaven

“Cough!”

Blood sprayed from Yun Lintian’s mouth as his body convulsed. His vision blurred, but he forced his hands to keep moving, his energy to keep circulating.

The God of Death’s power was resisting. It didn’t want to be tamed.

Blood poured from Yun Lintian’s body like a broken dam. His flesh cracked under the weight of the God of Death’s power, his bones groaning like bending steel. Time had lost all meaning—what felt like an eternity passed in the span of a single breath.

He was losing.

The God of Death’s essence was too vast, too corrosive. It devoured his energy, his flesh, even his will. His vision darkened, his thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm.

But then—

He refused.

With a roar that shook the Netherworld, Yun Lintian unleashed everything he had.

All eight divine beast bloodlines erupted at once—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Divine Phoenix, Golden Crow, Vermilion Bird, Black Turtle, Ice Phoenix, Golden Qilin. Their powers surged through him in a torrent, intertwining into a single, unstoppable force. His body transformed, scales and feathers and fur flickering across his skin as the bloodlines fought to keep him intact.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

So he summoned the Beyond Heaven King’s Crown.

The majestic artifact materialized above him, its black-and-white body thrumming with balance, its eight jeweled tassels blazing with elemental might. As it settled onto his brow, space itself stabilized around him, forming a barrier against the death energy’s corrosion.

Yet even this barely held.

The God of Death’s power was primordial, relentless. It ate at his flesh, his soul, his very existence. Yun Lintian felt himself unraveling, his consciousness fraying at the edges.

Then—

The Tree of Life awakened within him.

Its roots spread through his meridians, its leaves blooming with emerald light. Life energy clashed against death, not to destroy it, but to balance it.

And so, the true refinement began.

Yun Lintian’s body became a battlefield.

Every second was agony. His cells died and regenerated endlessly. His bones shattered, then reforged stronger. His soul was torn apart and stitched back together.

He no longer felt time.

He no longer felt anything except the war inside him.

Memories flickered—Lin Xinyao’s smile, Linlin’s laughter, the warmth of his wives’ embraces. They anchored him, reminding him why he couldn’t fail.

The God of Death’s essence raged, resisting refinement. It lashed out, a tsunami of oblivion meant to erase him completely.

Yun Lintian gritted his teeth.

“I. REFUSE.”

The Crown’s jewels blazed. The Tree of Life’s roots tightened. The eight bloodlines roared in unison.

And then—

Balance.

The death energy didn’t vanish. It didn’t weaken.

It merged.

The last fragment—the God of Death’s eyes—dissolved into him.

Silence.

Then—

A pulse of absolute power exploded outward, freezing the Netherworld itself.

Yun Lintian stood.

His left eye swirled with the abyss of death.

His right eye burned with the vitality of life.

And his body—his very existence—thrummed with something beyond divinity.

“Remember…”

The God of Death’s voice resonated through his soul one final time, softer now, like fading echoes in an ancient temple.

“You need not carry this burden perfectly. Only forward.”

Yun Lintian exhaled as the last remnants of the Primordial God’s consciousness dissipated into his being. The weight of death settled comfortably across his shoulders – not as a crushing load, but as a familiar cloak.

The obsidian ground cracked beneath his feet as he took his first step forward. Before he could gather his thoughts, a familiar presence approached.

Si Junyi emerged from the swirling gray mists, his black robes fluttering despite the stagnant Netherworld air. His pale face remained expressionless as always, but his crimson eyes gleamed with something akin to approval.

“You survived,” he remarked simply.

Yun Lintian wiped the blood from his lips. “Was there ever any doubt?”

A rare smirk touched Si Junyi’s lips before vanishing. “Much doubt. I have tried. Completely failed.” He studied Yun Lintian’s transformed appearance. “You are indeed different.”

“How long?” Yun Lintian asked abruptly, his voice rough.

Si Junyi tilted his head. “Since you began the refinement?”

Yun Lintian nodded. The concept of time had become meaningless during the agonizing process.

“Six months.”

Relief washed through Yun Lintian’s body. “Only half a year…”

“You expected longer?”

“I expected…” Yun Lintian flexed his fingers, watching as wisps of death energy curled around them like obedient serpents. “A decade or so.”

Si Junyi stepped closer, his crimson eyes boring into Yun Lintian’s mismatched ones. “Are you ready?”

“For?”

“The final transfer.” Si Junyi placed a pale hand over his own chest. “My authority as Death God’s proxy. It’s time to pass it to its true owner.”

Yun Lintian studied him carefully. “Will you…”

“Die?” Si Junyi actually chuckled. “No. I was never truly alive to begin with. Just a placeholder.” His expression sobered. “But understand – with this authority comes responsibility beyond what you’ve borne before.”

Yun Lintian looked at Si Junyi with complex emotions swirling in his mismatched eyes. The Netherworld’s gray mist swirled around them as he spoke slowly, “When I first came here… I thought you were my enemy.”

Si Junyi’s crimson eyes gleamed with faint amusement.

“I believed you wanted to dominate the Primal Chaos,” Yun Lintian continued, wiping blood from his lips. “That you would proclaim yourself as a new overlord once you obtained the God of Death’s full power.”

A dry chuckle escaped Si Junyi’s pale lips. “You weren’t entirely wrong.”

Yun Lintian’s brows furrowed.

Si Junyi straightened his black robes, his voice calm but carrying undeniable weight. “I did have such intentions. If you had failed to fulfill your destiny… if you had proven unworthy of inheriting my master’s power…” His crimson eyes burned like dying stars. “I would have taken everything for myself and remade the Primal Chaos according to my will.”

The admission hung heavily in the stagnant air.

Yun Lintian studied the man who had been both his adversary and guide. “Yet you’re the one who protected the Primal Chaos most diligently among all the Primordial Gods’ inheritors.”

Si Junyi nodded once. “Someone had to maintain the balance while waiting for the true successor.” He glanced at the swirling void above them. “The other inheritors grew complacent, believing their petty domains were enough. Only I understood the true threat of Chaos.”

A wry smile touched his pale lips. “But make no mistake – my protection was never selfless. The Primal Chaos is… valuable real estate.”