Heaven did not train mercy.
Heaven trained survival.
Shen Yueyin was thrown onto the stone platform so hard her vision rang. She rolled once, tasted blood, and forced herself upright before the pain could decide for her.
Lei Xue did not move.
The Goddess of Lightning stood at the edge of the arena, arms crossed, expression bored.
"Again," Lei Xue said.
A bolt struck.
Shen Yueyin screamed, not from the lightning, but from the way it tore something open inside her. Power surged, wild and unshaped, ripping through meridians that were not ready.
She collapsed.
A voice shouted from the sidelines. "HEY!.. she's going to die if you keep frying her like that!"
Lei Xue turned slowly.
Three lower immortals froze.
The loud one swallowed.
"I…..I mean….respectfully."
Shen Yueyin blinked through the haze.
Three unfamiliar faces rushed toward her.
The first was a girl with round eyes and a crooked smile, sleeves rolled up like she expected to fight Heaven bare-handed.
"I'm Lin Qiao," the girl said quickly. "Lower Immortal of Wind. Don't worry, I scream a lot too."
The second was a thin young man clutching a bundle of talismans, already sweating.
"Xu Ren," he said. "Lower Immortal of Formations. I'm bad at combat but excellent at running."
The third bowed stiffly, face calm, eyes sharp.
"Pei Lan," she said. "Lower Immortal of Frost. You're bleeding."
Shen Yueyin laughed weakly before she could stop herself.
It surprised her more than the pain.
Lei Xue clicked her tongue. "If you're done making friends, we continue."
Lin Qiao stood up. "With respect, Goddess Lei Xue, Immortal King Tianwu ordered balance. She hasn't stabilized yet."
Lei Xue's gaze sharpened.
Then, unexpectedly, she stepped back.
"Five minutes," Lei Xue said. "If she can't stand after that, she's useless."
Lightning faded.
Silence rushed in.
Lin Qiao dropped beside Shen Yueyin and whispered, "See? She listens. Sometimes. When she's bored."
Xu Ren pressed a talisman against Shen Yueyin's wrist. "This will stop the bleeding. Maybe. Probably."
Pei Lan met Shen Yueyin's eyes. "You're not alone here."
Shen Yueyin swallowed.
For the first time since Heaven closed its fist around her life, something warm cracked through the fear.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Far away.
In a realm where the sky burned red and the ground breathed heat, Demon Queen Mo Lanyin knelt before a black crystal altar.
Her robes were dark, her hair unbound, her expression carved from frost.
The crystal pulsed faintly.
Inside it slept a presence ancient enough to make demons kneel.
"My king," Mo Lanyin said softly.
She pressed her palm to the crystal. Blood welled, black and shimmering.
"I have gathered souls. I have silenced traitors. I have bent clans to my will."
The altar drank her blood.
"I will revive you," she promised. "Even if Heaven itself screams."
A demon general stepped forward nervously.
"Your Majesty… the signs are unclear. Some say the Demon King never truly fell."
Mo Lanyin's eyes sharpened.
"Then they are fools," she said calmly. "If he lived, I would feel him."
Her fingers tightened.
What she did not know. What Heaven did not know.
Was that the thread binding the Demon King's soul was not in the Demon Realm at all.
It pulsed faintly in chains of gold.
Yin Beichen exhaled slowly.
The pain no longer shocked him.
That terrified Heaven.
Chronos Li observed him carefully. "Your resistance is accelerating."
Yin Beichen smiled through blood. "You should've killed me when you had the chance."
Wu Yan's presence shifted.
Chronos Li frowned.
"Something has changed," Chronos Li murmured.
In the Human Realm, The palace bells rang.
Kneeling ministers pressed their foreheads to cold stone as Emperor Zhao Heng descended the jade steps, robes heavy with dragon embroidery, eyes sharp with hunger.
"Bring the prophecy," Emperor Zhao Heng ordered.
An old scholar trembled forward, scroll shaking in his hands.
"The Heaven-Defying Jade," the scholar read. "Born of blood and time. In mortal hands, it grants long life. In demon hands, it grants ten thousand years of power."
Emperor Zhao Heng smiled.
"And in my hands?"
The scholar hesitated.
"…It may change fate."
The smile widened.
"Find it," Emperor Zhao Heng said. "No matter the cost."
Back in Heaven, Lei Xue returned.
Shen Yueyin stood.
Her legs shook. Her vision blurred. But she stood.
Lei Xue raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
Lightning gathered again.
Lin Qiao squeezed Shen Yueyin's hand once before retreating.
"Don't die," Lin Qiao whispered. "We just met."
Lei Xue struck.
This time, Shen Yueyin did not fall.
The lightning bent.
Wrapped around her.
Answered her.
Lei Xue's smile vanished.
Far away, Starweaver Yun screamed as the stars shifted violently.
Chronos Li stiffened.
Wu Yan turned.
And in the deepest prison of Heaven, the chains around Yin Beichen cracked.
Just once.
Enough for Heaven to notice.