At a juncture where the universe converged in an alignment of destiny unseen for trillions of years, the first light of a great catastrophe was born.
In the chaotic metropolis of the "Mortal World," people continued their lives as usual. Skyscrapers pierced the veil of clouds, vehicles flowed like metallic rivers, and the clamor from digital squares where youths gathered still resounded. No one was aware of the abnormal energy silently coalescing at the highest point of Earth's atmosphere.
Suddenly! The sky above every capital city across the globe fractured!
It wasn't the breaking of clouds, but a tear in the fabric of spacetime, visible to the naked eye! Golden light, as radiant as a thousand suns, blazed down, followed by a deafening roar that was not of ordinary thunder, but the earth-shattering tremor of a distorting universe. People on the streets froze in shock and terror. All electronic devices flickered out; communication signals worldwide were utterly severed.
Then, the Nine Stars appeared!
They were not celestial bodies in the firmament, but nine colossal orbs of pure, immense energy, each of a different hue, arrayed like a cosmic canopy above the dimensional rift. Each star pulsed with its own unique radiance: gold for power, silver for wisdom, cyan for tranquility, green for life, red for war, purple for mystery, black for the void, white for purity, and the ninth… a rainbow brilliance for perfect balance.
The next moment, nine gigantic bolts of lightning erupted simultaneously from the nine stars, striking down towards the heart of the human world. They did not destroy any structures, but their irresistible energy pierced through the Earth's crust, surged into its core, and scattered vibrational waves throughout all realms and planes of existence!
In the Cultivator Realm, at the Immortal Path Institute, venerable grandmasters deep in their ascetic cultivation within secluded caves snapped their eyes open in unison, utterly alarmed. Ancient scrolls bearing prophecies trembled violently as if alive. The Institute Head, immersed in the deepest state of Samadhi, even coughed up a mouthful of blood. "The Nine-Star Lightning! The prophecy… it has come true!" His august voice, trembling, was transmitted telepathically to peak experts across the Seven Continents and One Land, igniting an unprecedented mixture of chaos and hope.
In the Sacred Realm, the dwelling place of the Supreme God, no turmoil could ever intrude. Yet, the gods and high immortals all perceived the tremor at the very core of their beings. The Supreme God, ruler of the universe, who had not opened His eyes for eons, now showed the faintest, dust-mote sized twitch of His heavy eyelids. Nevertheless, an aura of heaven and earth's authority permeated the entire Sacred Realm, signifying His complete awareness of this monumental event. All beings in the Sacred Realm fell even quieter than before, awaiting His decree, or the changes that were to follow.
In the Wondrous Place of Eden, the light of the Nine-Star Lightning reflected into the core of infinity. The Holy Spirit, Alpha and Omega, who was one with the creation and dissolution of the cosmos, shimmered faintly like wind on water. But that shimmer caused the Heavenly Laws throughout all universes to change abruptly and unpredictably. The angels, in the midst of their hymns of praise, faltered. Their immortal eyes fixed upon the direction of the Mortal Realm with a mixture of bewilderment and concern. For the first time in millions of years, uncertainty had crept into the realm of eternity.
In the Netherworld, the eternal darkness of the land of the dead was rent asunder by a fleeting golden flash from the Nine-Star Lightning. Sinful souls in torment shrieked more agonizingly than ever. The River of Blood in Avici churned like giant waves. Even the long-vacant throne of the Yama Emperor trembled. Ghost Generals and Soul Reapers panicked; the existing turmoil from their leader's disappearance intensified a hundredfold. Now, the flickering hope of restoring order in the Netherworld seemed to be extinguished along with that lightning flash.
And in the Realm of Endless Night, the abode of the Kilesa Demon Clan, the phenomenon of the Nine-Star Lightning caused panic among the lower-ranking demons. But among the Demon Lords and high-ranking Marshals, they remained unnervingly calm. In the dark and majestic grand hall of the Obsidian Castle, Lucifer, the sealed Demon Progenitor, though his physical form remained imprisoned at the abyss of the Great River of Time, his malevolent spirit sensed this energy. His deep, chilling laughter echoed across dimensions, directly reaching the Demon Marshals who were in a tense council.
"The Nine-Star Lightning… symbol of the 'Child of Fate'…" one Demon Lord in blood-red armor spoke, his voice hoarse. "The forgotten prophecy, it has now manifested."
"A savior… a liberator…" another Demon Marshal sneered contemptuously. "Or one who will come to destroy the balance of evil we have cultivated for eons!"
Silence fell for a moment before the most powerful Demon Lord present spoke, his eyes blazing with ambition and cruelty. "No matter who it is… it must be eliminated! This prophecy must not come true! Contact our allies in the Mortal Realm… those foolish human leaders… It is time they paid for the pacts they made with us!"
An evil scheme began to take shape in the shadows. Hope and despair were born simultaneously across all universes. The fate of all existence hung by a thin, invisible thread. And all of this began with a newborn infant, who was about to open his eyes to the world in mere moments…
The Nine-Star Lightning Calamity had heralded his arrival, and the war for the future of the universe had truly begun.