Ye Xuan stared at the sky, unease tightening in her chest.
In my previous life… nothing like this ever happened.
The black lightning crawling across the clouds was not ordinary tribulation. Even from this distance she could feel it clearly.
This contains a pure Law of Destruction.
Her mind raced.
And the Heart of the World hasn't even begun its recovery yet… there are still six hours left.
Something had changed.
The timeline was already diverging.
The scene shifted.
Deep within the capital city stood a heavily secured complex, hidden behind layers of ordinary administrative buildings.
Inside, an underground operations room buzzed with tension.
Walls were covered with massive digital screens. Streams of data flowed constantly across them: atmospheric readings, geomagnetic activity, gravitational fluctuations, unknown radiation signatures. Instruments hummed as alarms flashed red across multiple panels.
Personnel in uniform moved quickly between stations.
"Energy readings spiking again!"
"Not localized—this is planetary scale!"
"Satellite arrays are losing calibration. Something is distorting space above the atmosphere!"
At the centre console, a technician wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I can't classify it," he said. "It's not lightning, not solar activity, not any weapon system. The energy pattern… it looks almost structured."
Another operator spoke nervously.
"Sir… the destructive potential calculation just updated."
The room quieted.
A senior officer turned toward the screen.
"How bad?"
The operator swallowed.
"If even one of those strikes lands on the surface…"
He hesitated.
"…the impact energy exceeds global extinction thresholds."
Silence fell over the command room.
No one spoke for several seconds.
The officer finally said, quietly,
"Find the origin. Now."
The scene returned.
Ye Xiu stood within the remains of the house, broken walls and shattered roof scattered around him. He held Wu Shuang carefully in his arms as her body trembled with the Nether Curse's backlash. Frost and dark mist coiled around her, while the air itself seemed unable to stabilize.
Above them—
The sky had already lost its natural colour.
One after another, vast silhouettes appeared across the firmament.
Ancient figures formed from pure light emerged: robed sages, armoured guardians, crowned beings whose halos carried scripture-like symbols revolving endlessly behind them. Their bodies were translucent, like memories etched directly into existence.
They were the remnants of past Devas, guardians who had once protected this world.
They neither attacked nor spoke.
Instead, every single one of them lowered their heads.
They bowed.
Not to the heavens.
To Ye Xiu.
It was not worship.
It was a plea.
The black thunder halted, as though awaiting his judgment.
Then the space before Ye Xiu distorted.
A ripple unfolded in midair, and from it stepped a figure shaped like a human silhouette made of void, its edges traced by faint golden light. Its presence was gentle yet immeasurably ancient, like the memory of the first sunrise.
The figure inclined respectfully.
"Senior," it spoke, its voice resonating directly within the soul, "please don't use your power, please calm your anger. If you continue… the entire star system will not endure."
Ye Xiu lifted his eyes to the sky once more.
The black thunder still coiled across the heavens, yet the oppressive intent weakened slightly as his emotions steadied. The fractured air around him slowly ceased collapsing inward.
His voice was calm, but absolute.
"Then you should understand what has been done to her."
The Spirit of Heaven and Earth turned its gaze toward Wu Shuang in Ye Xiu's arms. Golden lines flickered within its outline, as though it were reading a truth written beyond reality.
Moments passed.
Its expression changed.
"…A Nether Curse embedded within the soul," it said gravely. "It does not originate from this world."
Ye Xiu's eyes sharpened.
"Explain."
"This curse was not created here," the spirit continued. "Its purpose is not merely to kill. It steals power and prevents the possibility of ascension."
Wu Shuang trembled faintly, still unconscious, yet clearly in pain.
Ye Xiu's aura stirred again. The clouds darkened.
"Who placed it, I will find them"
The Spirit hesitated.
"…I cannot name them. The one who cast this curse stands outside the jurisdiction of this world's laws. If you search for them beyond our realm, it may draw the attention of a higher dimension."
Silence followed.
Ye Xiu understood immediately.
"A higher dimension. Even higher gods came I will destroy them"
"Please senior don't do this, if war start here this universe cannot endure, it still recovering" the spirit replied softly. "And it is not the act of an ordinary cultivator. This is a method used to suppress individuals who should not exist within a timeline."
Ye Xiu narrowed his eyes.
"Timeline."
The Spirit nodded.
"This world has already undergone temporal reversal. Restoration should have been complete, yet both she… and the girl in the mountains… remain. That disrupts causal balance."
Ye Xiu showed no surprise.
"So, the curse is insurance," he said quietly. "To ensure she never reaches a point where she can interfere."
"Yes."
His gaze hardened.
"It can be removed?"
The Spirit of Heaven and Earth grew solemn.
"This curse strikes the bearer's soul itself. Across all realms under heaven and earth, no force can completely cleanse it. Once branded, it endures eternally. Only the destruction of the soul can end it."
For a moment, even the wind fell silent.
Then the Spirit continued,
"However, there is one method to restrain it."
Ye Xiu's eyes flickered.
"In the Spirit Paradise stands the grove of the Nine World Trees. They gather the purest life essence of all realms. If that essence is used to nourish her soul, the curse can be completely suppressed."
Hope trembled in the air.
But the Spirit's tone remained heavy.
"Do not mistake this for salvation. The curse cannot be erased."
Its golden outline dimmed faintly.
"It will merely fall dormant. After a matter of time… the curse will awaken once more."