Tianlong stood amidst the cursed battlefield, his golden armor shattered and blood staining his once radiant figure. His breath came in ragged gasps, yet his grip on his sword remained unyielding. The infinity ghost soldiers and devils swarmed around him, their vile energy clawing at his very soul, but the God of War did not falter.
The Demon King, towering and cloaked in malevolent darkness, observed with a twisted grin. "How stubborn you are," he said, drawing his obsidian blade, its edge pulsating with a sinister aura. "Your father was the same—resilient but ultimately futile. I watched him fall by my brother's hand, and your mother too. She begged for mercy, and yet she perished all the same."
Tianlong coughed up blood but managed to meet the Demon King's gaze. "You think your words can break me? This sword I hold isn't just a weapon—it's the will of this realm. As long as I breathe, I will stand against you."
The Demon King's laughter echoed through the abyss. "Foolish child. Words are unnecessary when actions suffice." He forged the Blade of Swarrow, a weapon crafted from the deepest curses of the abyss. It radiated a power meant to sever celestial beings, its touch fatal even to a god.
Before Tianlong could react, the Demon King thrust the cursed blade into his chest. A searing pain tore through Tianlong's body, and the aura of his divine cultivation dimmed to nearly nothing. The Demon King twisted the blade cruelly, grinning at Tianlong's trembling form.
"Your clan leaders abandoned you at the first sign of danger," the Demon King sneered. "Your friends left you to die here. Even your parents sacrificed themselves for a world that cares nothing for you." He wrenched the blade free, causing Tianlong to collapse to his knees, blood pooling beneath him.
The cursed Devil Ring, now fully unsealed due to Tianlong's weakening energy, began to shimmer in the abyssal darkness. The Demon King reached for it, triumphant.
But before his hand could grasp the ring, a scorching flame slashed through the air, forcing him back. "Not so fast," a voice boomed.
A fiery goial, crackling with the combined energy of celestial fire, water, and wind, appeared in front of the Devil Ring, forming a protective barrier. Feng Lie emerged from the shadows, his spear blazing with golden light. "If you wish to harm him or this realm, you'll have to go through me first."
Behind him, Yufang stood with his staff glowing, channeling his cultivation to stabilize the barrier. "Demon King, you dare harm our realm's protector? You'll face the wrath of all five clans!"
Madam Yue descended gracefully, her whip coiling with the power of a thousand storms. "You've crossed the line. The Heaven Realm will not bow to your ambitions."
Tianlong, though barely able to stand, was lifted by Feng Lie and Yufang. "Why..." he murmured weakly. "You were supposed to protect your clans..."
Feng Lie gave him a firm yet compassionate look. "Your Majesty, our clans thrive because of you. Protecting you is protecting them. We will not let you shoulder this burden alone anymore."
The Demon King's expression twisted with rage. "You dare defy me? All of you? Then perish together!" With a roar, he summoned a storm of cursed energy, its power shaking the very foundation of the Shadow Abyss.
The combined forces of the five clan leaders surged forward. Feng Lie's golden spear clashed with the Demon King's blade, while Madam Yue's storms disrupted the cursed energy. Yufang's chants fortified their defenses, and the others unleashed their elemental powers in unison.
Tianlong, regaining a sliver of strength, raised his sword once more. "This ends here,"
As Tianlong readied his final strike to Go Feng, his gaze locked onto a sudden shift in the air. Time slowed as he saw Go Feng's figure flicker—he was preparing to launch a deadly attack at Feng Lie. A surge of instinct and boundless energy coursed through Tianlong's veins, and in that fleeting moment, his decision was made.
With a single breath, Tianlong unleashed a forbidden place-changing spell, his figure blurring into the void. The next instant, Feng Lie was sent sprawling back as Tianlong himself took his place, falling deep into the abyss of the Abyss Stronghold, a place shrouded in shadows. The air grew cold and thick with a heavy aura, as if the very realm itself rejected his presence. The Abyss Stronghold, a forsaken domain beyond even the gods' reach, was a cursed location that none dared venture into. leaving even the most powerful unable to trace or follow those who were cast within its depths.
"Tianlong! Your Majesty!" Feng Lie cried out, his voice cracking with desperation, but Tianlong's form was already swallowed by the shadows.
Before anyone could react, a sinister laughter echoed through the cursed winds. Go Feng's voice slithered through the air, dark and dripping with malice. "You think this ends here, God of War?!" His voice resonated with a deep, unnatural force, shaking the very heavens. "This is but the first step of my vengeance! I will tear the Five Clans apart and see the entire Heavenly Realm burn! You cannot stop me!"
Go Feng's eyes gleamed with madness as his ethereal form twisted, fading into the shadowy mists, leaving behind nothing but the lingering chill of his ominous presence.
Yufang, his face a mask of rage, attempted to retaliate, but his movements were sluggish, as if the world itself conspired to keep him from reaching Go Feng. His hands met only empty air where the demon king had stood,
"I will return," Tianlong whispered to the shadows, his words barely audible over the distant echoes of Go Feng's twisted laughter. "This war is not over.
The war had only just begun, and the fate of the Five Clans, the Heavenly Realm, and the gods themselves rested on his shoulders.
Feng Lie stood in the midst of the gathering, his face twisted with desperation and determination. "Biotian! Where is Tianlong? How can we bring him back from this cursed place?" His voice echoed through the silent gathering, but the elder of the Animal Clan remained calm, his expression inscrutable.
Biotian's ancient gaze met Feng Lie's, a shadow of understanding passing through his eyes. "This... answer can only be given by Tianlong himself. He has entered a place beyond our reach—a place where even the gods fear to tread. It is not a matter of force or will; it is a matter of destiny." His words were deliberate, as though carrying the weight of centuries.
Feng Lie's heart sank as he clenched his fists in frustration. "So we do nothing? We wait for him to return? How long will that be? The demon king is out there, and the heavens tremble with the coming storm!"
Biotian sighed deeply, his voice a soft whisper that carried the gravitas of endless years. "We wait, for the time will come when he is needed. The stars are light, the skies will rise, the waters will crash, and the fire will burn... The God of War will return when he is called upon, when the balance of the realms demands it. Until then, all we can do is hold our ground."
Before Feng Lie could protest, Biotian raised his hand, signaling the end of the conversation. "The answer you seek is not for us to give. Tianlong must find his own way, and when the moment arrives, he will return—stronger, wiser, and more powerful than ever before."
With a soft rustle of air, Biotian's figure flickered and vanished into the wind, leaving Feng Lie standing there, alone with his thoughts. His heart weighed heavy with uncertainty,
The clan leaders, witnessing this exchange, were left in a deep, contemplative silence. "What now?" one of them murmured, but no one had an answer.
Feng Lie turned his gaze toward the horizon, where the heavens still threatened to break apart, and he knew deep within his soul that this was far from over. "We will stand strong," he muttered to himself, "and we will wait... for the God of War's return."
Tianlong's consciousness drifted like a leaf in the wind, his mind wrapped in a serene, almost ethereal peace. He was no longer burdened by the weight of battle, the clashing swords, the endless war. Instead, he found himself amidst a dream, a world where the skies were endless and blue, and the heavens shimmered in their golden radiance.
The laughter of his people, his clansmen, filled the air. He saw Feng Lie—alive, carefree—playing with his dragon, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. The Water Clan Leader, Yufang, was scolding him, but the atmosphere was light, full of joy, as if the world had never known strife. The sounds of clinking cups echoed around him, and the air was thick with the scent of fine wine, laughter, and the kind of peace that seemed impossible to sustain in their world.
Tianlong felt his heart soften as he watched this moment—a fleeting vision of what the world could have been, a vision of happiness that he had so long been denied. "This…" he whispered, "This is what I fight for…"
But then, like the fading of a dream, the peaceful scene began to blur and twist, unraveling at the edges as the shadows crept in. The laughter dimmed, the light waned, and a heavy coldness washed over him.
He landed with a heavy thud onto a vast, shimmering shell, a glimmering pearl beneath him catching the light as the sea stretched endlessly around him. The air was thick with the salty scent of the ocean, but it felt empty—vast and forgotten. There were no cities here, no people, only the silence of the deep. His bloodied sword was still clenched in his hand, and his body—torn and broken—betrayed the toll the Shadow Abyss had taken on him.
The faint sound of the waves crashing against the distant shores echoed in his ears. "Where… am I?" he whispered, his voice hoarse, barely audible over the rumbling ocean. He felt the cold sting of his wounds, but there was no energy left to heal.
Tianlong felt the world tilt beneath him, his body shattered, his cultivation reduced to nothing. His once glorious sword, a symbol of his divine strength, was now blood-soaked and broken. He fell through the endless void, his body bruised and battered, until at last, he crashed into something soft—a large clam shell, cradling him in the depths of an ocean that stretched endlessly.
The world around him was silent, save for the distant waves crashing against the shores of the Merman Clan. A place so far removed from the conflict that the saltwater seemed to cleanse his soul. The ocean was vast, its deep blue waters shimmering with an ethereal glow yes he fell in the ocean of the heaven releam where the merman clan reside
A young merman, with silver hair flowing like liquid moonlight and a golden tail that sparkled with every flick of the water, appeared before him. His eyes, a brilliant shade of blue, seemed to glow with an otherworldly intensity, as if they could see into the very soul of Tianlong. His skin shimmered like pearls, glimmering faintly in the dim light. His presence was both soothing and startling, as though the ocean itself had breathed life into this being.
Tianlong could barely raise his head, his voice a rasp as he whispered, "Who... are you?"
The merman paused, his gaze soft but filled with an ancient wisdom. "I am Hoshyao," he said...