"You dare defy the will of the heavens, Tianlong?" The Upper Gods' voices thundered through the ethereal expanse, their fury shaking the stars themselves. The light of distant constellations flickered, as if even the cosmos recoiled from their wrath. "To love a man is an abomination, a stain upon the celestial laws, a corruption of the immortal realm!"
Tianlong, the Supreme God of War, stood unyielding before them, his figure bathed in the light of the heavenly realms, but his heart as dark as the abyss itself. His eyes burned like twin suns, fierce and resolute. His body, though bound by chains of divine energy, did not bend to their commands. He lifted his chin in defiance, his voice calm yet unshakable, echoing through the realms like the sound of war drums.
"Then let the heavens rain their wrath upon me. For him, I would endure a thousand deaths."
His words struck the air like a blade, sharp and unyielding, cutting through the silence that hung thick in the celestial halls. Tianlong's laughter rang out, bitter and defiant, the sound of a man who had nothing left to lose. Blood trickled from his lips, staining his white robes, but it was not fear that twisted his expression. It was the certainty of his path. The chains of divine energy that bound him were thick as mountains and heavier than the weight of the world itself, yet he stood unbroken, unmoving, as if no power in the universe could bend him.
His white hair fluttered in the ethereal wind, the only thing that moved in the stillness of the heavens. His form sagged under the weight of the ancient powers that held him captive, but his gaze remained unwavering.
"I have forgotten my existence in this realm," Tianlong muttered to himself, his voice low and distant, as if he were speaking to the very fabric of the immortal world. "This world—this realm—is on the verge of breaking, all for love. And you tell me that I defy the laws of heaven? Absurd!"
His eyes blazed as he turned to the Upper Gods, his voice rising like the roar of a storm. "The heavens and earth themselves were forged in the fires of love. This immortal realm you speak of—it exists because of the love that binds us all. You speak of rules and laws, yet you forget the foundation upon which this world was built. Love was the first force, the greatest power in all the realms. And if today, love shall be the reason for my fall, then let it be so."
He paused, his gaze piercing through the Upper Gods with the weight of a thousand battles. The silence in the celestial halls stretched, tense and heavy. The gods, towering and ancient, gazed at him with expressions of contempt, but even they could not deny the truth of his words.
"If my love brings the heavens to ruin, I do not fear death. For I would rather perish than abandon the one who gave me life. It is not the God of War you see before you now—it is Tianlong, the one who loved the merman, the one who promised to never break his word."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering Hou Shyao, the one who had captured his heart, the one whose love had ignited the fire that now burned in his chest. He had once stood as the unyielding protector of the immortal realms, but in his heart, he had always been a man—nothing more, nothing less. And in loving Hou Shyao, he had finally discovered what it meant to live.
"I, Tianlong, the God of War, son of Wo Xi and Tian Wu—the creators of this immortal realm—stand before you now. If they could perish together for the sake of this heavenly realm, then I too, would gladly die with Hou Shyao, to protect this world!" His voice rang through the heavens, deep and unyielding, a declaration that shook the very foundations of the celestial realm. The Upper Gods, their eyes filled with wrath and disapproval, could only watch as Tianlong's resolve burned brighter than the divine flames surrounding him. His words were like a beacon, lighting the path of his inevitable fall.
The Upper Gods, their faces as cold as the heavens themselves, did not speak. Their silence was an unspoken judgment, their gazes filled with unrelenting fury. Yet Tianlong remained unmoved, his heart bound to Hou Shyao and nothing else. He had made his choice.
"I am no mere puppet of fate," he continued, his words laced with the fury of a thousand storms. "You cannot control me. You cannot bend me to your will. And if you deem me worthy of punishment, then cast me into the Deepnight Cave for eternity. For I would rather face the endless dark than betray the one I love."
The Upper Gods' expressions darkened, their anger rising like a tidal wave. The very air around Tianlong crackled with celestial energy, yet he stood unbowed, a god without fear, without hesitation.
In that moment, Tianlong's final words echoed through the heavens, whispered yet carrying the force of a thunderclap that shook the realms.
"I would die for this world… but not before I die for him."
The immortal clans quivered in their silence, their hearts heavy with the weight of his words. The air itself seemed to shift, as if the very fabric of the immortal world was holding its breath. Tianlong had made his choice, and no power in the universe could change it.
Suddenly, with a heart full of defiance, Tianlong raised his voice once more, his words like a storm surging through the void, shaking the very heavens themselves.
"If love is a sin, then let me be the sinner who stains the heavens. If to love a soul is to break the laws of the immortal realm, let the heavens quake beneath my feet. For love is not a sin—it is the soul's truest breath, and I would rather fall for love than live without it!"
His words reverberated through the celestial expanse, carrying with them the force of the universe's deepest emotions. The heavens seemed to tremble, the very stars blinking in disbelief. The immortal realms shifted as the Upper Gods recoiled,
The immortal clans, watching from afar, trembled in their silence. The earth itself seemed to quiver beneath the weight of Tianlong's words. The gods and immortals who had once stood in awe of his strength now saw him as something else entirely—a man who would defy even the heavens for love.
Tianlong's fate had been sealed. The gods had decreed that he would face punishment for his defiance, yet one question lingered, unanswered in the storm that raged across the celestial realms.
Could love truly overthrow the will of the gods?