The Hidden Mountain outside Yandu City was packed to the brim with countless immortals and demons. From the sky to the ground, they filled every space, densely gathered under that strange white light. Tianguang Kaihe, the opening and closing of the heavenly light, was a divine miracle of the mortal world.
At that moment, though the sky had darkened, a strong white light beamed down from the heavens, covering the earth and stretching for thousands of miles. Many demons, who had yet to take human form, knelt on the ground, bathed in the heavenly light, as though they could instantly transform into human bodies.
The surroundings were eerily silent. Apart from an occasional groan, resembling a prayer, no one spoke a word.
Three cycles of sixty years ago (180 years ago), when the heavenly light first descended upon Haixia Mountain in the west, all living beings were stirred with excitement. Immortals tried to divine the will of heaven, but except for the Jade Purity Immortal of Mount Sala, who could barely calculate the timing of the next Tianguang Kaihe, all others found nothing.
No one knew where the heavenly light came from or what it represented. After the great war between gods and demons, the gods disappeared, but the existence of the gods remained a source of aspiration and reverence for all immortals and demons. Was this mysterious and dazzling heavenly light the will left behind by the gods?
Tan Yin sat on the back of a mechanical bird, squinting as she gazed up at the heavenly light.
It was her first time seeing the legendary Tianguang Kaihe. No one was more familiar with this cold yet radiant light than she was. It was the brilliance that appeared only when a godhood descended into the mortal realm.
Was it Han Nu? Or... Tai He?
Tan Yin’s breath suddenly halted, her palms began to sweat, and a deep sense of foreboding filled her heart—could something have happened to Tai He?
That day, when she descended into the mortal world through the Tianya Terrace, she and Han Nu had made a pact: they would not use their godhood lightly in the mortal realm unless absolutely necessary. This was also the supreme iron law of the gods. Even though the gods had long since dissipated, it was still a law they had to follow.
The heavenly light cascaded down, draping Hidden Mountain like a white veil, rippling slightly. After an indeterminate amount of time, the dazzling white light subtly shifted. Gradually, it transformed from a blinding white into a soft red, resembling the glow of the setting sun, vivid and incomparable. Shimmering light spots fell slowly like petals, drawing sighs of admiration from the gathered immortals and demons.
At the peak of the sky, the densest pale red light spread out like ink, slowly forming the outline of a woman. Tan Yin gasped. Around her, countless people were exclaiming in amazement, howling in ecstatic joy, but she heard nothing. Her entire mind was captivated by the massive and indistinct figure.
The woman’s outline became clearer. Her long dress and hair bun were simple and ancient in style, and her flowing robes swayed like water. The sky was painted in radiant clouds, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of majesty and divine power. In a sudden and unexpected moment, the god—who had vanished in ancient times—reappeared before everyone.
The woman slowly opened her eyes, which were as black as gemstones. Tan Yin stood frozen, staring at the godhood that had manifested in the mortal world, and silently called her name: Han Nu.
Tianguang Kaihe—it was Han Nu who had released her godhood from Tianya Terrace. Was she trying to throw her life away?
Could it be that something had truly happened to Tai He?!
Tan Yin’s eyes grew brighter. She needed to return to Tianya Terrace immediately. Tai He had lost his left hand and fallen into an infinite slumber due to the depletion of his divine power. No one knew if he would disintegrate into golden light, just like the other gods.
She placed her hand on her forehead, preparing to release her divine consciousness. At that moment, a sharp gust of wind suddenly passed by her ears. Startled, she watched as two enormous black whips tore through the sky like lightning, yanking the Grand Monk in front of her off his mount.
This wasn’t Yuan Zhong’s first time seeing the heavenly light. He had witnessed this cold brilliance in his youth atop Guixuan Terrace.
There were rumors that seeing Tianguang Kaihe could make one’s wishes come true. Even many immortals believed in this rumor, but he knew it wasn’t true. That light was the radiance of the gods. Although he had seen Tianguang Kaihe many times over the past three cycles of sixty years, never had he seen the gods appear so clearly before him, clearer than that fleeting glimpse in his youth.
His entire soul was drawn to those eyes, black as gemstones. He felt both a sense of familiarity and strangeness. Was it her? Or wasn’t it? The eyes in his memory seemed different. They should be... more... something he couldn’t quite put into words. The eyes of the gods inspired awe and submission, yet they lacked the searing pain and confusion that had once burned his soul.
He remembered the eyes atop Guixuan Terrace. Though it had only been for a brief moment, there should have been something more in those eyes beyond coldness. It was that subtle, hidden meaning that had captivated his spirit, leaving him unable to eat or sleep for many years.
Yuan Zhong slowly closed his eyes. The eyes in his memory overlapped with the eyes in the sky. In his heart, he felt the supreme joy of finally seeing the gods again, but also a vague disappointment, a sense of loneliness, as if he were the last person left on earth, staring blankly at the unreachable moon.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of wind alerted him. In an instant, his body was entangled by two long whips, the immense force pulling him violently off his mount, the Lark of Bliss.
The War Ghost Clan? They dared to strike while the gods were manifesting—what audacity.
Yuan Zhong tore off the black silk glove from his left hand and grabbed one of the whips. Red light flickered, and in the blink of an eye, both whips began to freeze over. Under the immense strain, the ice couldn’t hold and shattered with a resounding crash. Freed from his bindings, Yuan Zhong transformed into a beam of golden light and gently floated to the ground.
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