Not because of nightfall.
Not because of cloud or war.
But because something beyond existence had begun to breathe again.
The Cradle of Echoes – Abyssal Seal
Beyond the known worlds, far past the Celestial Pantheon, farther still than the realms of the dead, there existed a hole in reality.
A wound.
A prison.
The Abyss.
Forged by the first gods and sealed with their own names, it held beings that predated concept—Titans, Devourers, Eaters of Law.
Now, one of the seals cracked. Not shattered. Not broken.
Cracked.
A hairline fracture in the walls of forever.
But that was enough.
Through it, something vast and cruel looked out—and saw Li Fan.
It didn’t know names. It didn’t care about thrones or laws.
But it recognized one thing: change.
Within the Seal
A voice whispered across the void, cold and infinite:
“He wears no crown. He walks paths forbidden. He carries flame and fate… and yet leaves both behind.”
Another answered:
“Let him walk. Let him come. We remember when gods bled. He will too.”
The Abyss laughed.
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Reality trembled.
Above the Mortal Realms
Li Fan stood on the edge of the Celestial Spiral, flame still curling from his fingertips after the duel with Telrenzhar. He felt a shift—not in qi, not in law, but in the soul of the world.
Yue Xian appeared beside him in silver light, hair dancing in the cosmic wind.
“You felt it too,” she said.
He nodded. “Something woke up.”
She was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, “They were sealed by the original Dao. Before Heaven. Before Law. If they return…”
Li Fan clenched his fists. “Then I’ll go where even Heaven fears to walk.”
The Council of the Crownless
Deep within the realm once belonging to the Dreaming God, Li Fan gathered those who now followed him—not by force, but by belief:
- Yue Xian, Dreamwalker, wielder of celestial insight.
- Baek Han, War Immortal turned rogue, scarred by fate.
- Ling Rou, Oracle of Flame, her eyes seeing seven steps ahead.
- Jin Shi, a former Judge of the Celestial Order, now oathbound to truth alone.
Each of them had stood against the heavens.
Each had seen the same vision.
A door opening in the void.
Abyssal Sign
In the skies over a thousand worlds, black petals began to fall. They weren’t snow. They weren’t ash. They were memories—plucked from people’s minds and drifting away.
The Abyss was feeding.
And then came the first Herald.
A being of mirrors and silence, it stepped into the Mortal Realm at the edge of the Broken Sea. Wherever it walked, names vanished. People forgot who they were. Rivers forgot to flow. Mountains forgot to stand.
It looked to the heavens…
…and smiled.
Li Fan’s Resolve
He meditated atop the floating ruins of the First Sword Temple, the Godslayer Flame dimmed but not extinguished. His cultivation surged within him, brushing the edge of True Celestial King.
But he didn’t push forward.
Instead, he reached back.
Into the mortal path.
To the beginning.
Qi Refining.
To understand what made him different.
What made him Crownless.
As the Abyss reached forward…
He walked backwards into the origin of power.
To build a path that had never existed.