Mingyu, the God of Death in this timeline, waved a dismissive hand. His dark eyes never left Yun Lintian.
"I know why you’re here, Seed of Fate." His voice carried the weight of countless extinguished lives. "But the answers you seek cannot be found in my domain."
Yun Lintian pointed the Heaven Sunderer at the God of Death, its edge humming with restrained power. The River of Forgetfulness stilled completely, as if holding its breath.
"You’re the God of Death," Yun Lintian said coldly. "You must have a way."
Mingyu didn’t flinch. His dark eyes studied Yun Lintian with an ancient, knowing gaze.
"I sense the legacy of Death within you," he spoke calmly. "And the touch of Time. Yet despite possessing such power, you come to me?"
"Tell me, Seed of Fate—if even you cannot bring back the dead, what makes you think I can?"
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Yun Lintian’s grip on the greatsword tightened. He knew what Mingyu implied—that some things were beyond even the death itself. But he refused to accept it.
"There must be a way," he insisted, his voice dangerously low. "Death is eternal. Even erased timelines leave traces."
Mingyu sighed. "You misunderstand. I do not rule over life and death—I and the God of Life simply maintain the balance. What Nian Shi did was not mere killing. He unraveled existence itself."
The God of Death gestured to the River of Forgetfulness. "Even if I dipped into its deepest waters, I could not retrieve souls that never reached its shores."
For the first time since entering the Netherworld, something flickered in Yun Lintian’s hollow eyes—not grief, not rage, but something far more dangerous.
His roar shook the underworld. The Heaven Sunderer flared with golden and black energy, its power sending shockwaves through the riverbanks. The Yama Kings and Ghost Kings stumbled back, their faces pale.
Mingyu remained unmoved. "You already know the truth. You simply refuse to face it."
Yun Lintian’s aura exploded outward, the sheer force of it cracking the earth beneath their feet. The skies of the Netherworld darkened, thunder rumbling like the wrath of heaven itself.
"I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!"
The declaration wasn’t just words—it was a vow. A challenge to the very laws of existence.
Mingyu’s expression finally changed, his brows furrowing slightly. "What you seek... it would require remaking the cosmos itself. Even the Creator at her peak couldn’t—"
"Then I’ll surpass the Creator."
The calmness in Yun Lintian’s voice was more terrifying than any shout. His eyes, once empty, now burned with a terrifying light.
"If the universe won’t give them back, I’ll tear it apart and build a new one that will."
The Netherworld trembled under Yun Lintian’s declaration. The River of Forgetfulness’s waters churned violently, its currents twisting in unnatural patterns as if recoiling from his words.
The sheer audacity of the statement left even the God of Death speechless.
Mingyu studied Yun Lintian for a long moment before speaking again, his voice calm despite the suffocating pressure.
"I find it strange," he mused, "that you come here instead of hunting Nian Shi—the root of your suffering."
A pause. The God of Death’s dark eyes gleamed with ancient wisdom.
"Killing me won’t bring them back. But leaving Nian Shi alive ensures you’ll never find a way."
Yun Lintian’s grip on the Heaven Sunderer tightened. "I need more power."
The implication was clear.
The Yama Kings and Ghost Kings erupted in outrage.
"You dare?!" The obsidian-skinned Ghost Queen lunged forward, her death energy coalescing into a spear of condensed malice. "We will—"
Mingyu raised a hand, silencing her instantly. "Stand down."
His command brooked no argument. The Netherworld’s rulers froze, their expressions torn between fury and disbelief.
Mingyu turned back to Yun Lintian. "I will give you what you seek. But spare them." He gestured to the Yama Kings. "The balance of life and death must be maintained. Without them, chaos will consume all realms."
Yun Lintian said nothing.
The Heaven Sunderer flashed.
Mingyu’s head toppled from his shoulders before even the Yama Kings could blink. His body dissolved into streams of pure death energy, which Yun Lintian inhaled deeply—absorbing the God of Death’s power in an instant.
The Netherworld’s rulers screamed in unison, their voices raw with grief and fury. The obsidian Ghost Queen collapsed to her knees, her spear shattering in her hands.
Yun Lintian didn’t spare them a glance. Power thrummed through his veins—the authority over death itself now his. Without a word, he vanished into the void.
At this moment, a spatial rift tore open as Long Xi’s group arrived, stumbling onto the blood-red shore. The scene before them froze their blood.
The Ten Yama Kings knelt around a dissipating wisp of black energy—all that remained of Mingyu. The Ghost Kings stood like statues, their faces twisted in anguish.
"We’re too late..." Long Qingxuan whispered.
The obsidian Ghost Queen’s head snapped toward them. Her eyes burned with murderous intent. "You..."
Death energy gathered around her like a storm. "You must be his accomplice!"
Long Xi and the others tensed, ready for battle—
A child’s voice, yet carrying the weight of epochs.
Gui Xuan jumped off Zhang Yu’s arms, his usual sleepy demeanor gone. His tiny frame radiated an ancient, majestic aura that made even the raging Ghost Queen falter.
The leading Yama King’s eyes widened. "The... Black Turtle God?" His voice trembled. "But you should have vanished in the Primordial Era!"
Gui Xuan’s gaze swept across the Netherworld’s rulers. His speech, usually slow and childlike, now flowed with divine authority.
"What happened here?"
The Yama Kings exchanged glances before the eldest knelt deeply. "My Lord... a man came. He... took Lord Mingyu’s power."
Gui Xuan’s expression darkened. "I see."
He turned to Long Xi’s group. "Yun Lintian has crossed a line even the Creator would hesitate before."
Nantian Fengyu stepped forward urgently. "Where did he go? We have to stop him before—"
"He seeks the Creator’s power," Gui Xuan said with certainty. "Although I don’t know how strong he is right now, judging from his action, it seems he believes that his strength is not enough to confront Nian Shi and Yun."
The Yama Kings and the Ghost Kings exchanged shocking glances. Nian Shi? Yin? Weren’t they the God of Time and the Chasm of Uncreation?
Gui Xuan paused for a moment and continued. "If I guess correctly, he’s going to slaughter every Primordial God in every timeline."