The night was cold, but Lin Tian felt nothing. His heartbeat had become one with the silent rhythm of the world itself.
After defeating the Shadow Executor, the bamboo forest was left in ruins—broken trees, cracked ground, and lingering traces of dark energy that refused to dissipate.
Yi Qing stood beside him, watching the last fragments of shadow fade.
Her voice was quiet:
"Two days… That's all you have before the Celestial Trial begins."
Lin Tian nodded.
His eyes were fixed on the sky—the same sky that once bowed to him.
"Two days is enough."
Yi Qing bit her lip.
"The Trial is designed to break immortals… You're still adjusting to the Nexus Core. If you push too hard—"
Lin Tian turned his head slightly.
"Yi Qing."
She froze.
"When have I ever needed Heaven's mercy?"
Yi Qing had no answer.
He began walking deeper into the ruined forest. Instead of fatigue, each step he took seemed to grow steadier—powered not by qi, but by something older.
The Nexus.
A Hidden Pulse Beneath the Earth
Yi Qing followed silently as Lin Tian moved with purpose, stopping at a point where the land felt… wrong.
An ancient pulse throbbed beneath the soil.
Not spiritual energy.
Not demonic aura.
Something much rarer.
Lin Tian placed his palm on the cracked ground. Silver runes spun from his skin, melting into the earth.
The ground answered—
BOOM.
A shockwave burst upward, and the land split open, revealing a staircase descending into an underground chamber sealed by time.
Yi Qing gasped.
"This… This place wasn't created by mortals."
"No," Lin Tian replied.
"This chamber was built for me… 6,000 years ago."
Yi Qing's eyes widened.
"So one of your ancient contingencies survived Heaven's purge?"
"Barely."
They walked down.
The stone steps led into a circular hall lit by floating crystal flames, untouched by mortal decay. At the center of the chamber floated a stone monolith carved with celestial runes—some familiar, some impossibly ancient.
But what drew their eyes was the fragment floating atop it…
A shard of glowing, silver crystal.
Yi Qing's breath hitched.
"A… Nexus Fragment?!"
Lin Tian approached slowly.
"The Celestial Nexus was shattered in the War of Rebellion. I rebuilt it once… but Heaven sealed the fragments."
He lifted his hand.
The fragment trembled—as if recognizing its master—and shot into Lin Tian's chest.
BZZZZZMMMM!
A shockwave of cosmic light blasted through the chamber. The walls rippled like liquid. Space itself bent, shifting through scenes of ancient battles, collapsing stars, and divine realms.
Yi Qing stumbled back.
"Lin Tian!"
But he didn't hear her.
The moment the fragment merged with him, his consciousness was ripped away.
Inside the Nexus Memory
Lin Tian stood in an endless void of swirling galaxies and broken laws.
A familiar voice echoed:
"So you have returned, wielder of the Celestial Nexus…"
A figure coalesced before him—tall, wreathed in silver starlight.
Its face was blurry, shattered like cracked glass.
Lin Tian recognized it instantly.
"The Nexus Guardian."
The being nodded.
"Only one fragment remained hidden in the mortal realm. Now that you have reclaimed it, the Nexus awakens… but it is still incomplete."
"Where are the others?" Lin Tian asked.
The Guardian lifted its hand.
Nine lights appeared in the void—floating far away, scattered across realms.
"Heaven has sealed the remaining fragments in forbidden dimensions.
Only by reclaiming them can you unlock your true form."
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes.
"And the Trial?"
The Guardian's voice deepened.
"The Heavenly Tribunal has altered it. They fear your return… so they will not judge fairly."
The void trembled with the Guardian's final words:
"This Trial is not meant to test you…
It is meant to erase you."
Back in the Chamber
Lin Tian opened his eyes.
Silver patterns crawled across his skin before fading into his veins. His aura surged—stronger, heavier, sharper.
Yi Qing rushed to him.
"Lin Tian? Are you alright?! What happened?"
He exhaled slowly.
"I recovered one-ninth of the Nexus Core."
Yi Qing's eyes widened.
"And the rest…?"
Lin Tian looked toward the heavens above the chamber ceiling.
His expression was calm.
Cold.
Determined.
"Heaven has them. And after the Trial…"
"I'm going to take them back."
Yi Qing swallowed.
"The Tribunal will never allow it."
Lin Tian turned away, steps echoing in the chamber.
"They don't have a choice."
For the first time since awakening, the Nexus pulsed with something new—
Hunger.