A wave of icy wind tore at his robes, and the sound of endless whispers echoed around him—voices ancient and broken, murmuring in tongues long lost to creation.
The Abyssal Rift was not a place. It was a wound in existence itself—where the laws of the universe had been devoured and replaced with chaos.
All color disappeared.
The ground beneath his feet shifted between solid and liquid, reality and illusion. Above, there were no stars—only black storms that bled with lightning shaped like screaming souls.
"So this is the Rift…" Lin Tian muttered, his breath turning to frost. "A realm where even gods dare not tread."
Ding!
[Entering: The Abyssal Rift — Origin Layer]
[Caution: Reality Instability Detected.]
[Survival Time Limit: Undefined.]
He tightened his grip on the air, summoning a fragment of the Nexus Core.
Golden light spread from his palm, forming a faint barrier that shielded him from the collapsing void.
But even the Nexus trembled here.
The air was thick with corruption—an energy so vile that it gnawed at his soul.
From the shadows emerged twisted figures—monsters forged from pure chaos. Their bodies were shapeless, shifting endlessly, eyes glowing with crimson fire. Each one radiated the aura of an ancient immortal long lost to madness.
"They were once gods…" Lin Tian whispered. "Swallowed by the Rift, now slaves to its will."
The nearest creature screamed and lunged. Lin Tian moved like lightning.
With a sweep of his hand, he unleashed Celestial Duality—a beam of black and gold energy that tore through the beast, unraveling it into motes of dust.
But for every one destroyed, ten more emerged.
The Rift was alive.
Every death fed it, every battle awakened something deeper within its core.
Lin Tian's expression hardened.
"If I fight forever, I'll only strengthen it… I must reach its heart."
He leaped into the air, streaking through the darkened storm. His body glowed like a comet cutting through the void. Behind him, the monsters howled and pursued, but none could match his speed.
For days—or perhaps seconds, time meant nothing here—he flew through collapsing landscapes of chaos. Mountains inverted into oceans, skies folded into rivers, and gravity twisted upon itself.
Finally, he saw it.
A colossal sphere of darkness hovered at the center of the Rift, pulsing like a heart. Around it, broken celestial fragments orbited—remnants of destroyed worlds.
Ding!
[Location: The Heart of the Abyss]
[Entity Detected: ??? — Power Level: Unknown.]
Lin Tian floated before the black heart, his eyes sharp.
"So this is the source of the corruption…"
The surface of the sphere rippled—and then, it spoke.
The voice was deep, ancient, and filled with both sorrow and hatred.
"You have come at last, child of the Nexus."
From the heart emerged a figure.
It was enormous—taller than mountains, draped in endless darkness. Its face was hidden, but its presence was overwhelming. Every breath it took twisted reality, and its gaze pierced through Lin Tian's soul.
"Who are you?" Lin Tian demanded.
The being smiled, though its expression was warped by shadows.
"I am the Abyssal Sovereign—the one cast away by the Heavens when balance was first broken. I was once the twin of the Nexus itself."
Lin Tian froze.
"The twin…? You mean—"
"Yes," the Sovereign rumbled. "I am the other half of creation—the Chaos that balances your Order. While the heavens embraced light, I was buried here, forgotten. You, Nexus Chosen, carry the energy that once belonged to me."
The world shuddered at his words. Lin Tian's Nexus sigil flared in protest, reacting violently to the presence before him.
"If you are truly the counterpart of the Nexus," Lin Tian said, "then you are not evil—you are incomplete. The universe cannot exist without balance."
The Sovereign laughed, a sound like cracking stone.
"Balance? The heavens abandoned that long ago! They sealed me, stole my power, and crowned their order divine. I will reclaim what was mine—and end this false creation!"
Black tendrils erupted from the Sovereign's body, lashing toward Lin Tian like storms.
Lin Tian raised both hands. The Celestial Duality roared to life—light and shadow weaving together in a storm of perfect harmony.
Each strike he unleashed shattered the tendrils, illuminating the dark.
But the Sovereign's power was endless. Every fragment destroyed reformed stronger, hungrier.
Ding!
[Warning: Nexus Energy Overload Imminent!]
[System Suggestion: Initiate Core Fusion Protocol.]
Lin Tian's eyes glowed with golden fire.
"Core Fusion… you mean merge my Nexus Core with the Abyss itself?"
[Affirmative. Success will restore universal equilibrium. Failure will erase host existence.]
He laughed bitterly.
"So it's life or nothing, then."
He spread his arms wide, summoning every ounce of his power. The golden aura of the Nexus expanded outward, forming a radiant sphere that pushed back the dark tides.
"Aeloria…" he whispered, remembering the Queen's words. "You said only light born of compassion can conquer eternal night. Let's see if that's true."
With a roar, Lin Tian surged forward, plunging straight into the heart of the Abyss.
The Sovereign screamed, its form twisting violently.
Light and darkness collided. Reality screamed. Entire constellations shattered, and the Rift convulsed as if the universe itself was being rewritten.
Within that chaos, Lin Tian's voice echoed:
"I am not light, nor darkness—I am the balance between them! Nexus—Unite!"
A blinding explosion followed. The Abyssal Rift howled as the golden light swallowed it whole.
When the storm cleared, there was silence.
The Rift was gone. The void was calm.
And floating in the center of it all was Lin Tian—his body surrounded by a soft, serene glow. His eyes shimmered with both gold and black, perfectly balanced.
Ding!
[Trial Complete: Abyssal Rift Neutralized.]
[Nexus Authority Expanded: 100%.]
[System Evolution: Transcendence Mode Activated.]
Lin Tian exhaled slowly, feeling the universe flow through him.
He had become something beyond immortal—beyond celestial. He was the living embodiment of the Nexus.
But then, faintly, he heard a whisper carried on the cosmic wind.
Aeloria's voice.
"Lin Tian… the seal is restored… but the true war has only just begun. The Heavens will not accept balance."
Lin Tian opened his eyes. His gaze pierced through realms, reaching toward the distant throne of Heaven itself.
"Then let them come," he said coldly. "If the gods fear balance, I will teach them what true harmony means."
The stars trembled. The heavens shuddered.
The age of the Heavenly Immortal's return had truly begun.