The universe was still.
Only the faint hum of restored harmony echoed through creation as Lin Tian hovered amidst the starlit void, his robes flowing like ripples across eternity.
He had done the impossible—merged light and darkness, sealed the Abyss, and restored the balance that even the gods had forsaken.
Yet, peace did not come.
Above him, high beyond the stars, loomed the Heavenly Domain — the seat of divine power, where the Celestial Council reigned supreme. Once radiant, its light now flickered uneasily, as if the heavens themselves feared what had awakened below.
Ding!
[Objective Updated: Ascend to the Celestial Realm]
[Warning: Host recognized as an existential threat by the Celestial Council.]
Lin Tian's gaze hardened.
"So even after balance is restored, the heavens choose arrogance over peace…"
He extended his hand, and the air around him trembled.
A vast gate of light appeared before him — the Celestial Path, the bridge that only gods could traverse.
Yet this time, it opened not by divine permission, but by the will of one who had surpassed divinity itself.
"If Heaven dares to oppose harmony," Lin Tian murmured, his eyes burning with gold and black fire, "then Heaven must be remade."
He stepped through.
The Celestial Realm unfolded like an ocean of stars.
Endless palaces floated in the void, built from the bones of constellations and rivers of divine energy.
Millions of immortals, angels, and celestial beasts filled the sky, their combined light brighter than any sun.
But as Lin Tian appeared, the light dimmed.
Whispers rippled through the heavens.
"That aura—impossible!"
"He bears the Nexus' mark!"
"The Fallen Immortal has returned!"
Lin Tian floated above them, his presence alone bending divine space.
His aura did not radiate destruction, yet the entire realm trembled beneath its weight.
A thunderous voice boomed across the sky.
"Lin Tian, child of defiance—your existence was erased! You dare return to the heavens?"
From the golden horizon, seven figures emerged.
Each one radiated an aura that could crush worlds — the Seven Divine Lords, rulers of Heaven and enforcers of cosmic order.
Their leader, Lord Xuan Dao, stepped forward, his eyes like twin suns.
"You were cast out for your rebellion. Now you defile the sacred realms once more. Do you seek annihilation?"
Lin Tian's expression was calm, almost sorrowful.
"You call rebellion the act of mercy. You call order the rule of oppression. I came not to destroy Heaven… but to awaken it."
The Lords exchanged glances. Murmurs of disdain echoed through their ranks.
Lord Xuan Dao raised his hand.
"Your words mean nothing. You've merged with the Abyss — you are corruption incarnate!"
He swung his arm, and a colossal spear of pure celestial fire descended from the sky, enough to vaporize entire worlds.
Lin Tian lifted his hand.
With a single gesture, the flames vanished — extinguished like candlelight before the wind.
The Celestial Realm fell silent. Even the gods stopped breathing.
"Power without understanding is blindness," Lin Tian said softly. "Allow me to show you true divinity."
He raised both palms. The air trembled.
The Nexus Energy erupted outward in twin waves — gold and black — weaving together into an endless storm.
Space shattered. Stars screamed. The entire heavenly domain bent beneath the weight of balance made manifest.
The Seven Lords retaliated, their divine weapons blazing.
Swords forged from laws, hammers of thunder, seals of eternity — all unleashed at once.
Lin Tian moved through them effortlessly, his aura untouchable.
Every strike they launched was absorbed, dissolved, and returned as equilibrium — their own power balanced against them.
He spoke as he fought:
"You've ruled by fear for eons, claiming it to be divine order. But order without compassion breeds tyranny."
Lord Xuan Dao roared, his fury shaking the stars.
"Silence! You speak heresy!"
"Then let heresy become truth," Lin Tian answered.
Their blades met.
The impact shattered entire realms, sending waves of energy across the universe. Mortal worlds saw their skies light up as constellations trembled from the force of that single clash.
One by one, the Six lesser Lords fell — their weapons broken, their divine essence dispersed into stardust.
Only Lord Xuan Dao remained, kneeling upon the shattered platform of the heavens, his spear cracked and his divine robe torn.
He looked up at Lin Tian, trembling with disbelief.
"You… you've become something beyond Heaven…"
Lin Tian descended slowly, the storm around him fading into calm.
"No," he said quietly. "I've become what Heaven should have been."
He turned his gaze toward the great palace at the center of the realm — the Celestial Throne, where the Supreme Deity had not yet appeared.
But the sky darkened again. The ground quaked.
A voice older than time itself resonated from beyond all existence.
"Enough, Lin Tian."
The heavens themselves split open as a being of pure light emerged — faceless, infinite, its presence devouring everything around it.
"You have cleansed the Abyss and defied the Council. But balance must not belong to mortals. You will surrender the Nexus."
Lin Tian looked up, unflinching.
"You call yourself the Supreme Deity… yet you fear balance. You fear me."
The Supreme's light intensified, stretching across the heavens like a billion suns.
"You do not understand, child of man. The Nexus was never meant to be wielded. It was meant to contain creation itself."
Lin Tian's heart clenched.
"Contain… creation?"
"Yes," the voice thundered. "The Nexus is not a gift. It is a cage—for the power that could destroy all realms. You have set it free."
The stars flickered out. The entire Celestial Realm shook violently as cracks spread through reality.
Lin Tian felt the Nexus inside him pulse uncontrollably — its perfect balance now trembling under a hidden truth.
"So even harmony hides danger…" he whispered.
The Supreme's voice thundered again:
"You are the harbinger of dissolution, Lin Tian. And I am its end."
The Supreme extended its hand.
A blade of pure divine essence, forged from the first spark of existence, formed in its grasp.
Lin Tian's aura ignited, his eyes fierce yet calm.
"Then let the true war begin. Not of gods or mortals—but of destiny itself."
As their powers collided, the heavens collapsed.
Stars died. Worlds ceased.
The universe trembled on the brink of rebirth.