Myth Beyond Heaven

Yue Zhihe poured tea with steady hands, though her voice carried warning. “Senior, this city has seven rulers hiding in the shadows. They jointly govern this territory—each one a True God.”

Yun Lintian listened calmly as she explained. These seven were reportedly the strongest True Gods in the Central Region, an alliance that had dominated for centuries.

He set his cup down with a soft clink.

“You mean the seven turtles over there?” His gaze flicked toward the city center where the hidden figures lurked.

The moment his words left his mouth, the seven rulers shuddered violently. Their concealment formations trembled as if struck by lightning.

“Yes.” Yue Zhihe said gently. “I know you are powerful, but this is their territory, after all.”

Yun Lintian took a leisurely sip. “Let them try. Maybe they’ll come soon enough.”

“Hahaha!”

As if summoned, raucous laughter suddenly echoed through the street. A massive figure clad in beast hides swaggered forward—the scarred brute from earlier. His muscles bulged with each step, but his eyes held wary respect as he cupped his fists.

“Esteemed Senior! This humble one is Lei Kuang.” His voice boomed like distant thunder.

Beside him, an elderly woman in star-embroidered robes floated forward, her wrinkled hands folded gracefully. The constellations on her garment shifted as she bowed.

“This old one is Xing Po, called Star Severing Granny by the ignorant masses.”

A silver-eyed man materialized next, his very presence sharp as an unsheathed blade. He inclined his head slightly, his voice crisp.

“Heavenly Sword Sovereign, Jiang Wuji.”

A delicate girl twirled a black lotus between her fingers, her youthful face belying the deathly aura around her. She giggled.

“Lotus Death Envoy, Mu Lian… at your service, mighty Senior~”

An ancient man with beard reaching his knees hobbled forward, his milky eyes strangely perceptive.

“Whitebeard Ancestor they call me. My true name was lost centuries ago.”

Shadows coalesced into a masked figure whose form constantly flickered between realities.

“Nether Step.” His voice echoed from multiple directions at once.

Lastly, a scholarly man stepped forward, golden chains binding his arms clinking with each movement. He adjusted his spectacles:

“Chainbound Scholar, Xue Wen. A pleasure to meet senior.”

The moment Yun Lintian called them “turtles,” the seven hidden rulers knew further concealment was pointless. It was better to come over by their own instead of being forced by Yun Lintian.

Yun Lintian swirled his tea, amused by their sudden formality. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?… Sit.”

The seven people exchanged glances and obeyed like scolded children, perching awkwardly on the teahouse chairs.

Yue Zhihe served tea with trembling heart. Normally, these seven could force her master, Yue Xinling, to use her true power yet they were so obedient in front of Yun Lintian. It was indeed a refreshing sight.

“Why are you here? I didn’t call you at all.” Yun Lintian asked while feeding Qingqing some pastries.

The seven people cursed in their hearts but they didn’t dare show it on the surface.

Lei Kuang cleared his throat. “Senior, we heard you seek Primordial God inheritors…”

Mu Lian twirled her flower nervously. “We happen to know some locations.”

Yun Lintian laughed softly. “Well…sometimes showing strength is the fastest way to get answers.”

The seven exchanged wry smiles—what else could they do? This man had crushed the Blood Fire Ancestor like an ant!

The Whitebeard Ancestor stroked his beard. “The Storm God’s inheritor was last seen in the Eastern Sea’s abyss.”

Xue Wen quickly followed. “The Earth God’s legacy sleeps beneath the Demonbone Mountains.”

“As for the rest, we have no idea.” Lei Kuang said sincerely. He didn’t dare to hide anything from Yun Lintian.

Yun Lintian’s fingers paused around his teacup. The steam curled upward as his eyes gleamed with cold interest.

“Tell me about the Abyssal Ghost Knight.”

The seven rulers stiffened. Lei Kuang’s massive shoulders tensed before he glanced at Nether Step.

“You’ve seen him,” Lei Kuang spoke up. “You can tell Senior about it.”

Nether Step’s masked face twitched. His form flickered unnaturally, shadows writhing around him like living things. When he spoke, his voice echoed from all directions at once.

“He moves… between death and light.”

A heavy silence fell. Even the ever-smiling Mu Lian paled.

“Explain,” Yun Lintian commanded.

Nether Step’s gloved hands clenched. “The Abyssal Ghost Knight wields the Great Law of Death—yet his strikes burn with the purity of light. Contradictions made flesh.”

Xing Po’s starry robes dimmed. “I suspect that he has harvested at least three Primordial God legacies.”

Yun Lintian’s gaze sharpened. “Where is he now?”

Nether Step shook his head. “No one know. But…” His masked face tilted toward Yun Lintian. “Senior, you hold two legacies. He will definitely come.”

A chill wind swept through the teahouse.

“That’s better.” Yun Lintian set down his cup with finality. “Saves me the trouble of hunting him.”

Lei Kuang and the others were speechless and didn’t dare to breathe. How confident Yun Lintian was to say this?

Yun Lintian’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the teacup. The seven rulers sat frozen, their breaths held as they awaited his next words.

“What about the God of Time?”

The question struck like a thunderclap. The teacup in Mu Lian’s hand cracked.

Lei Kuang swallowed hard. “Senior… since the Primordial Gods’ demise, the God of Time has never appeared again.”

Xing Po’s starry robes dimmed further. “Some say he left this world entirely.”

Yun Lintian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that so?”

A heavy silence followed. The seven rulers exchanged glances, their earlier confidence crumbling under his gaze.

Finally, Yun Lintian waved his hand dismissively. “You may go.”

The relief was palpable. The seven scrambled to their feet, bowing deeply.

“Many thanks, Senior!” Lei Kuang boomed. “Should you need anything—”

“Go.”

They fled like startled birds, their figures blurring as they vanished into the cityscape. From a distance, one could see Jiang Wuji stumble mid-air before righting himself.

Yue Zhihe watched them disappear, then turned to Yun Lintian curiously. “I thought Senior would kill them all.”

Yun Lintian chuckled. “Do I seem so bloodthirsty?”

Qingqing giggled. “Big Brother Yun is gentle!”

Linlin flicked her tail. “Unless you’re the Blood Fire Ancestor.”

Far away, the seven rulers who had just escaped nearly plummeted from the sky upon hearing this exchange.

Not bloodthirsty? Lei Kuang thought hysterically. You just turned Blood Fire Ancestor into a human torch with a flick of your finger! Now you said you’re not bloodthirsty?

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Yun Lintian sensed something… A familiar aura brushed against his senses—subtle, fleeting, but unmistakable.

Nian Shi.