Myth Beyond Heaven

Mo Jianli led Yun Lintian forward, past the fields and toward a grand palace in the distance. Unlike the dark, oppressive structures of the past, this palace was built of white jade and black obsidian, radiating an aura of solemn peace.

At the entrance stood Si Junyi, clad in simple black robes, his expression calm as he watched their approach. His eyes, deep and knowing, locked onto Yun Lintian.

“You’ve finally come,” Si Junyi said.

Yun Lintian took a deep breath and stepped forward. Without hesitation, he retrieved three objects from his spatial ring—the Book of Death, the Judge’s Pen, and Meng Po’s Bowl.

“I believe these belong to you,” Yun Lintian said, extending them toward Si Junyi. “I am not suitable to be a Yama King in the first place.”

Si Junyi’s gaze lingered on the artifacts before he reached out and took them. The moment his fingers touched the Book of Death, a pulse of dark energy rippled through the Netherworld, as if the realm itself acknowledged its true master.

“You are not wrong to have held onto them,” Si Junyi said quietly. “Initially, we needed a temporary guardian. But now… it is time for the Netherworld to be whole again.”

Yun Lintian looked at Si Junyi and said. “You should know why I come here.”

Si Junyi’s fingers traced the spine of the Book of Death lightly, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes, deep as the abyss, studied Yun Lintian for a long moment before he spoke again.

“Before we speak of the future,” he said, his voice calm, “tell me of your journey. What have you seen?”

Yun Lintian exhaled slowly. He had expected questions about the God of Death’s power, about Nian Shi’s schemes—but not this. Yet, there was no reason to hide anything from Si Junyi.

“I traveled to another timeline,” Yun Lintian admitted. “A place where the Primordial Gods still ruled.”

Si Junyi’s fingers paused. His gaze sharpened slightly, but his voice remained steady. “Go on.”

Yun Lintian recounted everything—his arrival in the ancient God Realm, his encounters with the other versions of the Primordial Gods, his battles, and the truths he uncovered. He spoke of the God of Death in that timeline, of their final conversation before his return.

When he finished, the hall was silent. Even Linlin and Qingqing, usually restless, stayed quiet on his shoulders.

Si Junyi closed his eyes briefly, as if digesting the information. Then, he nodded.

“So, you’ve met him.”

Yun Lintian frowned. “You knew?”

Si Junyi’s lips curved faintly. “The God of Death has always been… unconventional. Even among the Primordial Gods, he was the only one who dared to meddle with time. The same goes to my master.”

Yun Lintian hesitated, then reached into his spatial ring. He retrieved a small, delicate hourglass, its sands shimmering with an eerie silver light.

“He gave me this,” Yun Lintian said, holding it up. “A temporal anchor. He said it would allow me to traverse dimensions.”

Si Junyi didn’t seem very surprised. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Currently, I plan to travel across dimensions to find my mother and collect more authorities from the other Primordial Gods,” Yun Lintian replied truthfully.

He paused for a moment and asked, “Do you know where I can find the other parts of the God of Death’s body?”

As of now, he only had Hei Shou, the God of Death’s hand, with him. He didn’t know where to find the other four parts, but he believed that Si Junyi must know.

Si Junyi studied Yun Lintian for a long moment before turning towards the depths of the hall. “Follow me.”

With a wave of his hand, the solid wall behind him rippled like water before splitting apart, revealing a hidden passage shrouded in darkness. Without hesitation, Si Junyi stepped inside.

Yun Lintian exchanged a glance with Linlin and Qingqing before following. The moment he crossed the threshold, the temperature plummeted, as if he had stepped into the heart of death itself. The passage stretched endlessly, the walls lined with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with dark energy.

At the end of the passage stood a vast, circular hall. Two towering black obelisks dominated the space, their surfaces carved with intricate depictions of the cycle of life and death. Between them, the air shimmered with an oppressive aura.

Si Junyi stopped before the obelisks and bowed deeply. “Master, he has arrived.”

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then—

BOOM!

The space between the obelisks twisted violently, and a colossal eye emerged, its pupil a swirling abyss of darkness. The moment it focused on Yun Lintian, his entire body locked up.

Even with the power of nine Primordial Authorities surging within him, Yun Lintian felt like an ant before a god. His soul trembled, his breath caught in his throat, and his mind plunged into an endless void. It was as if the eye could see through every fiber of his being—every secret, every thought, every sin.

Linlin and Qingqing whimpered, burying themselves into Yun Lintian’s robes.

Then, a voice echoed in his mind, ancient and boundless.

“Yun Tianming was right.”

Yun Lintian’s heart pounded.

The voice continued, reverberating through his very soul.

“Long ago, the God of Fate came to me. He spoke of a future where Nian Shi would consume all. He asked me to play my part—to lose, to be shattered, to wait.”

A wave of realization crashed over Yun Lintian.

The God of Death had allowed himself to be defeated. He had chosen to be divided. All of it—every fragment, every hidden piece—was part of Yun Tianming’s grand design.

Yun Lintian took a deep breath and bowed respectfully. “Junior Yun Lintian greets Senior Si.”

“Good.” The eye’s gaze intensified. “The five fragments are scattered across existence. One lies in the depths of the Netherworld’s core; my right hand is currently with you. Another sleeps in the Abyss of Eternal Silence. The third was hidden within the Mortal Realm, disguised as an ordinary relic. The fourth was entrusted to the God of Life.”

“The fifth… is me. My eyes,” the God of Death said.

Yun Lintian opened his mouth, but no words came out in the end. If he took the eyes, it would mean that the God of Death would cease to exist forever.

He glanced at Si Junyi and didn’t know what to say at that moment. If he were Si Junyi, he certainly wouldn’t allow anyone to take his master away.

The eye regarded him silently before the voice spoke again, softer this time.

“Yun Tianming believed in you. So do I.”