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Chapter 3 - The hunt of heaven

The clouds above the Celestial Court shimmered in gold and ivory, reflecting the brilliance of the immortal sun. Beneath the endless sky, the air carried the faint scent of divine lotus and starlight. The assembly of Heaven stood silent—guardians, royals, and students from Gusu—all awaiting the decree of the Almighty Gods.

At the center of it all stood Di Kun, his presence steady as the sacred mountains. His golden eyes swept over the gathering before he spoke in a calm but commanding tone.

"The escaped monsters must be contained before they bring chaos to the realms. We will divide our forces to hunt them down."

He lifted his hand, and a map of the realms unfolded in the air, glowing softly with celestial light.

"The Four Guardian Gods shall head north; their strength is enough to subdue the strongest beasts. The royal students of Gusu will take the west and handle the lower demons." His voice hardened slightly. "As for the Ghost Realm, they will stay out of this matter entirely."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. The words struck like cold wind, and among them stepped Sen Ruyon, the Crown Prince of the Ghost Realm. His silver hair cascaded like moonlight, and his eyes gleamed with quiet defiance.

"Why are we not allowed to join?" he asked, his tone polite yet edged with challenge.

Di Kun's expression did not falter. "Because none can say whether the Ghost Realm will remain loyal once the fighting begins. It is better for you to stay uninvolved."

Sen Ruyon's lips curved into a soft, dangerous smile. "Almighty God, your words sound like the beginning of a war. Are you not afraid to offend my realm?"

The tension between them crackled like thunder.

Before the silence could harden into hostility, Di K—his robes flowing like gentle mist—stepped forward with a light laugh.

"Enough," he said. "We're not here to quarrel. Di Jun and Di Kun, take the east. I'll go south with the Ghost Realm."

Di Jun turned sharply. "Di K, this isn't a game"

He smiled faintly. "I know. But if we distrust them forever, we'll never know the truth. Besides," he added, his tone softening,

"someone has to keep an eye on our charming friend here."

Sen Ruyon's eyes met his for a brief moment an unreadable emotion flickered there.

After a pause, Di Jun sighed. "Very well. But remember, safety comes before duty. Everyone depart."

The heavenly bells rang, echoing across the endless sky. Teams dispersed in streaks of light, scattering like falling stars across the realms.

The Hidden Storm

While the celestial armies prepared their hunt, whispers slithered through the dark halls of the Ghost Realm.

Inside the Tower of Wraiths, the Ghost King sat upon his throne of obsidian, eyes burning with crimson light.

"The heavens have scattered their strength," murmured his advisor. "Now is the perfect moment to strike."

The King's cold laughter rippled through the air like frost. "Then we shall wait until they tire themselves. When their defenses fall, Heaven will burn."

But in the quiet shadows of the southern sky, Sen Ruyon said nothing. His gaze lingered on the horizon where Di K walked ahead of him his long silver hair glowing softly against the twilight.

"You shine too brightly, Di K," he thought. "And in this world, light always draws the darkness."

Days later, the sky over Heaven blazed gold as the hunters returned.

Di Jun stood before the palace gates, her armor gleaming like a burning phoenix. "Most of the monsters have been captured," she reported. "Only five or six remain."

The Four Guardian Gods bowed deeply. "All northern beasts have been subdued, Almighty God."

The royal children followed, faces bright with triumph. "We've caught nearly all, only a few escaped!"

Di K, standing to the side, crossed his arms. His expression was thoughtful. "Di Jun, something's not right. In the south, there were only five monsters. That's far fewer than expected. It's as if someone had already been there."

Sen Ruyon stepped forward, calm but firm. "I don't think my realm interfered. The Ghost releam does not steal credit nor strike from the shadows. If we choose to fight, we do so in the open."

Di K's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what do you call this? Coincidence?"

Sen Ruyon gave a small, elegant shrug. "Believe what you wish, Almighty God. But truth doesn't bend for suspicion."

Before the air could ignite again, Di Jun raised her hand. "Enough. This argument will get us nowhere. We'll go again tomorrow—together. Perhaps then, the truth will reveal itself."

The gathering slowly dispersed. Yet as Sen Ruyon turned to leave, he glanced over his shoulder.

Di K stood by the courtyard pond, his reflection shimmering beside the moon's. The soft wind tugged at his hair, his expression unreadable.

Sen Ruyon's voice was barely a whisper, carried away by the wind.

"The game has only begun, Di K. Let's see who falls first—light or shadow."

Shadows in the South

The southern sky of Heaven was a place of silence.

Where the air should have been filled with light and warmth, a chill lingered—soft as silk but sharp as a blade. The clouds here hung lower, darker, as if concealing secrets beneath their folds.

Di K strode ahead, his long silver hair trailing like liquid moonlight behind him. His robe fluttered with each step, catching the faint glimmer of starlight. Behind him moved Sen Ruyon, his crimson cloak trailing like spilled wine in shadow, his expression unreadable.

"You're unusually quiet," Di K finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was low, playful but beneath it lay something sharper, something unreadable.

Sen Ruyon's gaze stayed fixed on the horizon. "I am listening… to the wind. It whispers differently here."

Di K smirked faintly. "The wind does speak. But only fools follow its words without question."

Sen Ruyon's lips curved in the smallest of smiles. "Perhaps. Or perhaps only fools think themselves wise."

The southern plains were still scarred from the earlier hunt. Charred earth and scorched petals marked the ground where monsters had once roamed. But here and there, faint signs of movement remained—footprints too large for any ordinary beast, traces of a dark energy that whispered like a half-forgotten dream.

Di K knelt, tracing the mark with a single fingertip. His eyes narrowed. "These aren't normal monsters… This is something else. Something older. Something deliberate."

Sen Ruyon crouched beside him, his voice soft but certain. "You feel it too. The air here is tainted… not with wild hunger, but with a will. Someone directed these creatures."

Di K straightened. "Then our hunt isn't just a hunt. It's a trap."

Sen Ruyon said nothing, only tilted his head slightly. His eyes glimmered. "A trap designed to test us."

Di K's smirk returned, but it lacked warmth. "Then we'd better find who set it before they test us again"

They followed the faint trail deeper into the southern realm past rivers that shimmered like glass, past groves of white-flowered trees that exhaled perfume as though sighing. The closer they came to the source, the heavier the air became, and the darker the shadows grew.

At last, they arrived at the mouth of a valley. The air here was thick with crimson mist. The ground was littered with broken seals, ancient glyphs scorched into stone, and a whisper that seemed to come from nowhere.

Di K's hand rested on his weapon, his usual laughter gone. "This is no accident. Whoever did this… wanted us to come here."

Sen Ruyon stepped forward, his voice barely a breath. "And now we have."

From the shadows, a faint laugh echoed a sound both beautiful and terrible. The mist curled around them, and the air seemed to hum with a deep, ancient power.

Sen Ruyon's gaze sharpened. "Di K… we are not alone."

Di K's lips curved in a slow smile. "I was hoping you'd say that."

The mist thickened, and something moved within it shapes that were too vast, too deliberate to be mere monsters. Something waited beyond the veil, and the hunt had just become far more dangerous.

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