Meanwhile, in the mortal realm—
The Night Emperor stood beneath the collapsing sky, bracing the cosmos on his back like a broken celestial titan.
Moonlight bled down his arms.The ground cracked beneath him.His robes tore, his skin split with glowing fissures.
He didn't care.
"RETURN HER," he roared into the heavens.
Lightning split open.Stars collapsed inward.
He dug his heels deeper into the ground, every muscle trembling under the weight of the celestial execution beam.
A guard screamed nearby, "YOUR MAJESTY—STOP—THE REALM CAN'T WITHSTAND—"
"LET IT BREAK," Xuan Mo growled."I WILL BUILD A NEW ONE."
He raised his hand — and tore open a rift.
Not a portal.Not a crack.
A full rupture in the fabric of fate.
Light spilled out.
A thin, fragile strand reached toward him — the leftover residue of Lin Yue's soul.
He grabbed it.
He yanked.
The universe screamed.
The realms folded.
And Xuan Mo vanished into the breach.