Yun Wuhan’s words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the group’s heads. Their momentary joy at seeing Yun Lintian’s victory over Nian Shi evaporated instantly.
Long Qingxuan’s hands trembled as she asked the question weighing on everyone’s mind: "Then... does Lintian have any chance against Yin?"
Yun Wuhan shook his head slowly. "As I said earlier, Yin exists on the same level as the original Creator. Even if Lintian ascends to become a new Creator, he would still be... a second-generation one." His voice grew heavier. "There is undoubtedly a power gap between them."
"How big is this gap?" Long Xi demanded, her draconic eyes flashing.
Yun Wuhan spread his hands helplessly. "I don’t know. No one does. After defeating Nian Shi, everything depends on Lintian himself. No external force can interfere in that final battle."
Nantian Fengyu’s fists clenched. "So we truly can’t do anything at all?"
Yun Wuhan turned to her with a meaningful look. "Little Phoenix... hasn’t the Divine Phoenix told you anything?"
The sudden question made everyone turn to Nantian Fengyu, whose expression immediately closed off.
Long Qingxuan frowned. "Fengyu? What is Senior Yun talking about?"
Nantian Fengyu remained stubbornly silent, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Seeing her reaction, Yun Wuhan sighed and changed the subject. "Regardless... Yin is the final obstacle. My wife and I have done everything we could. The rest..." His projection flickered slightly, "...is up to our son."
Long Xi’s draconic eyes narrowed as she suddenly stepped forward. "Yun Wuhan, what exactly do you want us to see here?" Her voice carried an edge of suspicion. "Yun Lintian has read this diary before. Why couldn’t he have seen this message earlier?"
Yun Wuhan’s spectral form shimmered with faint amusement. "Because this message was never meant for him." His gaze swept over the group. "It was meant for all of you."
A heavy silence fell.
Long Xi’s brows furrowed. "Why?"
Yun Wuhan exhaled, the sound carrying the weight of millennia. "To save my son."
The words hung in the air like a blade.
Nantian Fengyu’s fiery aura flared. "What nonsense is this? If you wanted to save him, why not just—"
"Let me ask you all something first." Yun Wuhan’s voice cut through, calm yet unyielding. His form flickered as he studied each of them. "In your eyes... were my wife and I bad parents?"
The question struck like thunder.
Long Qingxuan, Long Niu, Nantian Fengyu—all froze. Even Zhang Yu and Gui Xuan stiffened.
The answer was complicated.
No, they weren’t outright cruel. But good parents? Good parents didn’t design their child’s entire existence to be a weapon against cosmic threats. Good parents didn’t weave fate itself around their son’s suffering.
Long Xi was the only one who met Yun Wuhan’s gaze steadily. "As a mother myself," she said slowly, "I understand."
Her golden eyes softened as she glanced at Long Qingxuan and Long Niu. "The moment my daughters were born, I knew they would have to face this cruel world. No matter how much I wish to shield them, the greatest protection is their own strength." She turned back to Yun Wuhan. "You and Wushuang thought the same."
For the first time, Yun Wuhan’s projection wavered—not from fading energy, but from emotion.
"Partially true," he admitted. Then his voice dropped, heavy with something darker. "But the greater reason... was selfishness."
"We designed Lintian to be the solution." The words came out like a confession. "Not just to protect himself, but to end the cycle—the endless rebirth of beings like Nian Shi who plunge existence into chaos." His spectral hands clenched. "As Primordial Gods, we saw the greater good. As parents..."
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
The horror on Long Qingxuan’s face said it all.
"You sacrificed him," she whispered.
Yun Wuhan didn’t deny it. "We made him the blade that would cut fate itself."
The air grew thick as Yun Wuhan continued.
"The Beyond Heaven Profound Vein was never just a cultivation method. It was a lock—and Lintian was the key." His gaze turned distant. "When he absorbs enough power, when he reaches the threshold of the Creator... the Vein will activate its true purpose."
Nantian Fengyu’s breath hitched. "Which is?"
"To reset the cosmic order." Yun Wuhan’s voice turned grim. "To erase the very possibility of another Yin or Nian Shi being born."
A collective shudder ran through the group.
Long Niu, usually cheerful, looked sick. "That... that would mean..."
"It would mean rewriting the fundamental laws of existence," Long Xi finished grimly. "No wonder Yin wants to stop him."
Yun Wuhan’s form flickered. "There’s one more thing."
He looked directly at Nantian Fengyu. "The Divine Phoenix didn’t just bond with Lintian to give him rebirth abilities."
A pulse of golden light erupted from Nantian Fengyu’s body against her will—the Phoenix’s mark burning brightly on her forehead.
"It’s the failsafe," Yun Wuhan said quietly. "If Lintian falters at the final moment... the Phoenix’s power will force the Vein to activate."
Long Qingxuan recoiled as if struck. "You mean she’s—"
"A trigger." Yun Wuhan’s eyes held sorrow. "One we hoped would never be needed."
The revelation shattered the room.
Long Qingxuan stumbled back, her face pale. Linlin and Qingqing instinctively moved to steady her, their small forms trembling.
Suddenly, Linlin spoke into the silence. "Then... Big Brother Yun was never meant to survive?"
Yun Wuhan didn’t answer.
It was a silent agreement...
Long Qingxuan’s hands trembled as she stepped forward, her voice breaking through the suffocating silence. "How... how do we save him?"
Yun Wuhan’s spectral form flickered, his expression unreadable. Instead of answering directly, he asked, "Have any of you heard of the Creator’s Gambit?"
Blank stares met his question.
"Then let me tell you the truth of this world," Yun Wuhan said, his voice carrying the weight of forgotten eons.
"When the Creator first divided her power to forge the thirteen Primordial Gods, she didn’t disappear immediately." His form shimmered as ancient memories surfaced. "She weakened, yes—forced into slumber—but remained aware."
"At first," Yun Wuhan continued, "they governed harmoniously. But while all eyes were turned elsewhere... Nian Shi nurtured his ambition."