A vast auditorium stretches like a palace hall, a raised platform at one end facing thousands of arranged seats.
On both sides of the hall, three vertical columns of private box rooms rise ten floors high, each sealed with spiritual arrays.
This is the auction site.
The Mirror Treasure House, a mysterious force that appeared a few thousand years ago in the Living Realm Lin Yu refined, holds a grand auction every hundred years.
Today, some of the most precious treasures of the Dead World are being sold.
In one of the private rooms, a man wearing flowing spiritual robes sits calmly.
His aura reveals he is at the Demigod Stage.
Behind him stands a Fourth Stage Extraordinary acting as his guard, like a servant despite his power.
On the platform, the auctioneer unveils a radiant stone glowing like a miniature sun.
Gasps ripple through the crowd.
The auctioneer smiles faintly and says, "Everyone must be thinking this is a Sun Stone. Many of you are likely prepared to bid fortunes for it."
He pauses, letting anticipation build.
In his private room, the demigod narrows his eyes at the glowing stone.
He senses something more—
The Law of the Sun is hidden within the light.
He straightens.
"I want it," he murmurs.
His name is Yan Yang—scion of the Fire Devourer Race.
He reached the Demigod Stage through the Law of Fire.
To break through to the Fourth Stage, the path of God, his race has two recognised methods:
1. Derive Flesh Fire and Soul Fire, then combine them with their Innate Natal Fire to evolve Three-Colour Fire.
2. Refine the spiritual flames of higher grade to evolve the Natal Fire into Divine Fire.
Yan Yang pursues both paths at once—
for he is the son of the Golden Fire King,
a Fifth-Stage Extraordinary and one of the newest True Gods born after Lin Yu refined the fragmented realms, healing the Dead World enough to allow breakthroughs.
The auctioneer raises the glowing stone.
"This is not a Sun Stone," he announces.
"It only resembles one. In truth, this is one of the fragmented realm suns, now sealed and reduced in form."
The entire hall falls silent.
Yan Yang's heart pounds.
A genuine Sealed Sun—a fragment of a real sun—
Its value is immeasurable.
His imagination flares.
He pictures an Immortal Lord sealing this sun fragment personally.
He must obtain it.
The bidding begins at ten thousand best-quality spirit stones.
Within minutes, the bids escalate, rising into drops of divine liquid.
One drop equals one hundred thousand best spirit stones.
Yan Yang stands and calls out,
"Ten drops of divine liquid!"
He believes no one will dare continue.
Even sealed, it is only a piece of a true sun.
Ten drops is already three times the proper value.
The auctioneer calls out:
"Ten drops, first time…
Ten drops, second time…
Ten drops—"
"Eleven drops!"
A young female voice interrupts.
Yan Yang stiffens, his eyes widening.
He snaps his head toward the private room where the voice came from.
Inside that room, a teenage girl sits with bright eyes full of anticipation.
Beside her sit two women, both Fourth Stage Gods, clearly acting as her protectors.
One of the women leans closer and whispers,
"Little lady, you should not raise the price anymore.
It has already reached three times its proper value."
The young girl straightens her back, her eyes fixed on the sealed sun.
Her name is Lin Xinyue.
She shakes her head stubbornly.
"Bu Yuelan, I want to sell it for at least twenty drops.
If I can do that, I'm certain I can win the bid for the Night Curtain.
Father's ten-thousand-year birthday is coming…
I want to give him the most precious treasure."
The second protector in the room, named Sofia Richardson, crosses her arms and sighs helplessly.
"Little lady," Sofia says,
"No one will foolishly spend six times the value of a sealed sun.
Even in this realm, only madmen would pay such a price."
Lin Xinyue only smiles, her eyes shimmering with determination.
She begins thinking rapidly.
"How can I raise the value of the Sealed Sun so high that people willingly pay twenty drops… or even more?"
Then she recalls something—
a way to elevate the price beyond anything expected.
On the stage, the auctioneer starts counting down.
"Eleven drops going once—"
Before Lin Xinyue decides,
The same male voice that had bidden ten drops earlier suddenly shouts:
"Twelve drops!"
Yan Yang has increased the bid again.
Lin Xinyue hesitates, calculating whether to raise the price further.
The auctioneer begins counting again.
At that moment, she sends a voice transmission directly into his mind:
"I am adding a Divine Seal stage technique—Sun Battle Body—to the Sealed Sun."
The auctioneer freezes mid-count, stunned for a moment.
Then he raises his hand.
"Distinguished guests," he announces loudly,
"I have received a message from the owner of the Sealed Sun.
They are adding a Divine Seal Stage Cultivation Technique — Sun Battle Body.
These two items will now be auctioned together!"
A wave of commotion rolls through the auditorium.
Whispers fill the hall.
Shock.
Desire.
Hunger.
"Divine Seal stage technique?"
"With a Sun fragment?"
"That's priceless!"
New voices rise at once.
The bids explode upward.
Twenty drops.
Twenty-three.
Twenty-five.
Twenty-eight.
Thirty.
Finally, the price settles at thirty drops of divine liquid.
Hours later, Lin Xinyue wins her own desired item—
The Night Curtain, a damaged True God artefact containing the original Night Law of the Dead World before it was corrupted by Weird energy.
She is delighted.
Before leaving, she waits in the main corridor to meet the winner of the Sealed Sun—
As she must hand over the Sun Battle Body personally.
Yan Yang approaches, still flushed from excitement.
When Lin Xinyue steps forward—
a beautiful young woman radiating divine charm—
He forgets how to breathe.
He simply stares, dazed and mesmerised.
Then she speaks, her voice musical and gentle.
"Greetings. I am Lin Xinyue, former owner of the Sealed Sun."
Yan Yang jolts out of his trance, blushes, and tries to compose himself.
"I—I am Yan Yang of the Fire Devourer Race."
When he sees she shows no reaction, he panics internally, trying not to embarrass himself.
She hands him a glowing memory ball.
"This contains the Sun Battle Body technique.
Once the transmission completes, the memory ball will self-destruct."
Her tone is calm, respectful… and distant.
Then she turns and leaves gracefully, her two protectors following her.
Yan Yang stands frozen, still staring in the direction she disappeared.
Only when his protector Leonidas enters the room does he snap back.
"Young Master," Leonidas asks carefully, "is something wrong?"
Yan Yang presses a hand over his chest, face red, eyes still unfocused.
"I… I am in love."
----
Lin Yu wakes from cultivation, a troubled expression shadowing his face, the moment he senses footsteps approaching the mountain peak.
He sits cross-legged atop the cliff, void energy spiralling quietly around him, but his brows tighten when he senses who is coming.
His eight wives arrive one by one:
Nora and Isolde of his main body,
Li Niyue of Lust,
Merilyn of Anger,
Ophelia of Arrogance,
Saoirse of Pride,
Yuriko of Sloth,
and Isla of Envy.
His Gluttony clone had remained unmarried—the only one who never found someone.
With the eight wives come his twelve children—
five daughters, three sons,
headed by the eldest daughter Lin Xianyi, and the second eldest, Lin Xinyue—
as well as several grandchildren, all carrying fragments of his immortal constitution.
Seeing them, Lin Yu's tension loosens.
His expression softens.
For a moment, the weight of the universe lifts.
His sons, daughters, and grandchildren each present him with precious gifts, spirit treasures, handwritten scrolls, hand-forged weapons, and rare treasures gathered during their travels.
Finally, Nora steps forward and says gently,
"We prepared a celebration for your birthday today.
Can you… not cultivate today?"
Lin Yu wants to say no.
He wants to tell her that a disaster is creeping behind him.
His infiltration into the Dead World's core has been discovered.
The Concept of Weirdness has begun attacking him directly.
He can barely defend himself because the Concept Weird is also clashing with the Dead World's will.
But Lin Yu knows the truth:
If this continues, he will lose.
He has only two paths:
Path One — Join forces with the Dead World's Will.
Impossible.
The world will see him as a threat.
It isn't attacking him yet, only because he carries enormous merit from healing the world…
But that merit is being consumed rapidly.
Soon, even that protection will vanish.
Path Two — Raise his Immortal Concept to the Eighth Stage.
His concept is at the seventh stage,
while the Concept of Weirdness stands at the ninth.
A battle of concepts is absolute.
Winner takes everything.
Loser loses not only the fight…
but their entire concept—
And Lin Yu knows clearly:
If he loses, even death would be a luxury he would never again be allowed.
He already formed a plan—
a plan that involves both paths.
A plan that also includes the possibility of escape if he cannot win.
He glances at his children and grandchildren.
A long, buried instinct awakens.
I must protect them.
He decides:
He will enjoy the celebration.
He will not burden them with fear today.
The birthday celebration fills the mountain with light.
Everyone important in the world arrives—
Saints, God Kings, Divine Lords, ancient races.
The Fifth-Stage True Gods send descendants but do not attend.
Too many True Gods in one place risks causing law-riot,
and weaker cultivators would be torn apart.
During the celebration, Lin Yu abruptly notices something.
His youngest daughter, Lin Xinyue, is being fawned over by a young man from the Fire Devourer race.
Lin Yu's expression chills.
He turns to Isla and sends a voice transmission:
"Who is the boy chasing my daughter?"
Isla responds gently,
"He is called Yan Yang—the son of Yan Yijie.
Don't worry. I checked.
The boy is good and talented."
Lin Yu frowns deeply.
He does not like it.
But he does not interfere.
Days Later
Lin Yu summons his entire family—wives, children, grandchildren—into a large hall.
His voice is solemn.
"You all must leave the Dead World," he says.
"Go out into the void and spread the Immortal Demon Body cultivation method to the small worlds around."
Their faces freeze in shock.
Lin Yu continues:
"If my immortal concept spreads to other worlds,
Then, in the moment I cannot win this battle…
I can cut my connection to this world
and escape."
His children look shaken.
His grandchildren look frightened.
But they understand.
That night, each family branch prepares for departure.
A Few Days Later
Countless ships—glimmering spirit-vessels—float above the Dead World.
One by one, Lin Yu's children and grandchildren depart with their subordinates,
each heading toward a different region of the void.
The sky empties.
Lin Yu stands alone on the mountain peak,
watching every ship vanish into the horizon of stars.
He whispers:
"Go…
and live."
Their ships vanish into the horizon of the void.
Only then does Lin Yu exhale slowly.
He raises his hand and separates a Divine Clone.
The clone steps through space and vanishes, reappearing instantly inside the Pantheon Building—a colossal structure built jointly by all Fifth-Stage True Gods to hold world-level councils.
The Pantheon is silent and empty when he arrives.
Lin Yu steps onto his throne—the seat reserved for the Immortal Lord.
He releases a wave of divine power, a pulse travelling across the entire dead world, summoning all true gods.
There are thirty Fifth-Stage extraordinaries in the world.
All thirty appear, one by one, materialising in their thrones in a circle around the hall.
All except Lin Yu advanced through the Divine Way.
Only Lin Yu reached the Fifth Stage through self-cultivation.
The atmosphere tightens the moment he calls the meeting.
The Soul Emperor, draped in soul-light like flowing fog, speaks first.
"Immortal Lord, this is the first meeting you've called since the Pantheon's construction.
Did something happen?"
All eyes turn to Lin Yu.
He sighs.
"I require all your help."
The Fifth Stage True Gods exchange glances—uncertain, uneasy.
The Mirror Lord asks,
"What help can we offer?"
Lin Yu speaks plainly.
"You all have already noticed my trouble."
They nod subtly.
They cannot enter the world's core themselves, but they can clearly see the war raging inside it—
Lin Yu's immortal concept locked in battle against the invading Concept of Weirdness.
The Soul Emperor smirks.
"To eclipse the rice, you lost the chicken.
This is the consequence of meddling with the world's core."
Lin Yu's gaze turns cold.
He releases his full mid-Fifth Stage aura, pressing the Pantheon Hall with suffocating weight.
"Soul Emperor, do you not understand?
If I lose, you will be in trouble as well."
The Soul Emperor doesn't answer.
He scoffs but remains silent—unable to deny it.
Wenrui, the Martial Emperor and Lin Yu's long-time ally, steps forward.
"You all know the truth.
If the Immortal Lord falls, then our chances of defeating the Weird Concept become close to zero.
And if the Weird Concept wins this invasion, all of us—including your sects, clans, and worlds—will perish."
Silence spreads through the hall.
Hesitation fills their eyes, but none speak.
Lin Yu decides to break the camel's back.
"You must have noticed that I sent my descendants away from this world.
They will find other worlds in the void and spread my cultivation techniques."
He pauses.
"If I must, I will cut my connection to this world and escape."
Shock flashes through many faces.
The oldest True God, Sky Lord, leans forward.
"You are willing to leave the world entirely?"
Lin Yu answers calmly,
"If I cannot win, I must escape."
Sky Lord closes his eyes, then says,
"Then tell us… How should we help you?"
Lin Yu's voice becomes firm, resonant.
"Spread the Immortal Demon Body cultivation method across the world.
Replace the Divine Way.
Make my path the major cultivation system of this world."
Every Fifth Stage True God frowns deeply.
The Divine Way is the foundation of their authority.
If Lin Yu's way replaces it, they will lose the world's blessings, their influence, and their privileged position.
Lin Yu continues, delivering a sharper blow.
"It would be even better if all of you personally switch to the Immortal Demon Body technique."
Their expressions darken.
Even Wenrui frowns at this.
Lin Yu raises a hand.
"Before you refuse, hear me out.
Listen to the advantages of my way."
He looks at each True God one by one, divine power rippling from his gaze.
"If you truly understand what the Immortal Demon Body offers…
You won't reject it."
Lin Yu then explains the two stages of immortality that they can obtain by cultivating his way:
First Stage — Divine Seal Immortality:
As long as the Divine Seal exists, they cannot die.
Second Stage — Faith Anchor Immortality:
If anyone in any world believes in them,
even if their body, soul, and concept are destroyed,
They can return from silence through the anchor of faith.
As he finishes speaking, he watches their expressions shift—
shock, longing, fear, hesitation.
"What do all of you think?" Lin Yu asks.
The Sky Lord stands first.
"I am willing to spread your way in the regions under my influence," he says.
"As for switching to your path myself…
I will have to think about it."
Lin Yu nods.
He looks at the others.
One by one, they echo the Sky Lord's words.
Even Wenrui does.
Lin Yu bows slightly.
"Thank you. I will send subordinates to assist you."
His divine clone fades away.
After Lin Yu Leaves
The True Gods murmur among themselves about the Immortal Demon Body path,
fearful yet tempted,
jealous yet restrained.
They know Lin Yu's first request is reasonable—
Spreading his method is harmless to them.
But the second request…
changing to his path…
That would sever their connection to the world and force them to rebuild their foundation.
Unacceptable—unless they are forced to the edge of death.
And they all know:
When the Dead World's Will finally loses its battle against the Weird Concept,
They will be forced.
Until then, most will hesitate.
Lin Yu's Perspective
Lin Yu awakens after the divine clone returns,
eyes calm, already aware of their decisions.
He expected them to accept his first proposal.
The second will be harder—
But some will eventually switch to his path for the same reason they agreed to the first:
They cultivate the Divine Way,
and if the world collapses,
They will have to cut their world connection,
dropping to Fourth Stage.
None of them wants that.
Only when the world is on the brink will they move.
He waits.
Hours Later
A divine clone descends beside him—
Wenrui has come.
Lin Yu says quietly,
"If you switch to my immortal path, it will help me immensely."
Wenrui's expression turns conflicted.
"Jingxuan…
You know I do not want to be under you.
And I wish to form my own concept."
Lin Yu nods.
"I know.
But to win this war, I must negotiate with the World Will.
To gain its cooperation, I need my path to replace the Divine Way.
For that, I need you—and the other True Gods—to cultivate my method.
Afterwards, you can still form a concept of your own.
My path will not interfere with that."
Wenrui frowns deeply.
The weight of the world rests on his expression.
"…I will consider it."
Then he leaves.
Lin Yu smiles faintly.
He knows Wenrui will eventually switch.
World's Core — The Battle Continues
Lin Yu closes his eyes,
and his consciousness returns to the world's core.
The battlefield is a churning ocean of laws—
life, death, destruction, silence, corruption—
all twisting like storm clouds.
The Concept of Weirdness immediately attacks him,
a tide of warped rules pressing from every direction.
Lin Yu raises his defence,
immortal concept flaring like a blazing sun in the darkness.
From within the collapsing laws,
He hears whispers—
twisted voices, echoing endlessly, that he doesn't understand.
The Weird Concept tries to erode his mind,
to infect his consciousness,
to pull him into corruption.
Lin Yu's expression hardens.
The real battle has begun.