After the severing of his emotions atop the Emotion Severing Peak, Taiyi had become something unrecognizable. The warmth in his gaze had frozen into an eternal frost. No one could tell if he was pleased or wrathful—only that when his shadow passed, silence fell, and the strongest immortals in the six realms lowered their heads.
His strength was unquestionable. Even the oldest ancient beasts whispered his name with caution.
Not long after his transformation, he journeyed to the demon realm, reinforcing the chains that bound the Demon Emperor. Then he vanished into the hidden realm, returning with an unusual prize—a male nine-tailed fox of only ten thousand years. Though young, the fox had already cultivated a perfect human form, and its amber eyes gleamed with cunning light.
For a time, Taiyi ruled the heavenly realm with an iron will. Across the six realms, the three seas, and the eight deserts, not a soul dared oppose him. In the chronicles of the heavens, no emperor before or after could match his reign. Yet even in supreme power, he took no empress, claimed no concubine.
When the realms finally knew peace and no challenger remained, Taiyi abdicated.
He returned the throne to the royal golden dragon clan, naming their leader as the new celestial emperor. It was whispered that he had returned from an unknown battle gravely wounded, his white robes stained with a scarlet he refused to explain. Without ceremony, he stepped into seclusion.
He just retreated into a silence like never before. No one knew he was gone and ni one knew where he went. That was when the legends of Taiyi started to disappear but many people still remembered him.
---
Ten thousand years later…
In the fire realm, the skies burned with radiant crimson clouds. The Empress of Fire, a trueborn fire phoenix in her current form, labored to bring new life into the world. As her cries echoed, the heavens themselves shifted—flames wove into the clouds, and a pillar of molten light pierced the firmament.
Far away, in the lotus garden of a secluded palace, Taiyi stood alone, gazing up at the phenomenon. The sunlight caught in the frost of his white hair.
"It seems," he murmured, voice flat as still water, "my trial in the mortal realm draws near."
No change flickered across his features. He simply vanished.
---
He reappeared in the demon realm, standing before an obsidian palace shrouded in black mist.
Yang Jun, the Demon Emperor, sat upon his throne of carved skulls, eyes glimmering with unrestrained malice.
"Yang Jun," Taiyi's voice was as sharp and cold as a winter wind. "You still refuse to give up."
The Demon Emperor chuckled.
"Song Taiyi, the power that ancient old man left behind will last only forty more years. After that… I'll see how you can cage me and deal with them at the same time."
"You are still delusional," Taiyi replied without the slightest inflection. "The day you step outside is the day you die."
Yang Jun's smile deepened.
"This is just an avatar. Your true body is still trapped, isn't it?"
"You think they can keep me there?" Taiyi's tone did not rise, yet the air grew heavier. "If you cannot escape within twenty thousand years, then abandon hope. What I've waited for is already in place. In at most ten thousand years, my true self will return to face a brief trial."
His figure dissolved into snowflakes.
---
In the hidden realm…
The real Taiyi stood before a black dragon whose scales shimmered like midnight. They shared the same cultivation realm, but the oppressive weight of Taiyi's aura left the air brittle.
"Taiyi," the black dragon rumbled, "you are strong… but you chose the wrong path. Your brother had the greatest chance to fight us, yet he died young. You abandoned emotions for power. Everything has a price."
Taiyi said nothing. His eyes were shards of ice.
He struck into the air—just a single step and a punch. Space itself screamed as a force locked the black dragon in place. The beast's pupils narrowed, sensing death.
A white-bearded old man materialized in an instant, conjuring an ice wall that took the brunt of the strike. The air cracked with frost and silence.
"Arrogant junior!" the old man barked. "When I dominated the heavens, you were still wet behind the ears. Do you think I don't dare kill you?"
Taiyi's gaze did not waver.
"It seems the Demon Emperor's so-called core members are only so-so."
The black dragon was no mere enemy—he had been one of the architects of Song Feng's death. Taiyi had hunted every conspirator for millennia, and only the most ancient remained.
"Old man," Taiyi said at last, "tell them all—when I return, I'll finish this."
His form blurred, presence erased completely from the hidden realm.
---
In the dark that followed, an ancient voice resonated across the hidden realm.
"He has gone. Tell the army to prepare. We strike the heavens in sixty thousand years. Inform the other clans—it is time to remove this ant."
The last time this voice had spoken, Song Feng died… and the heavens themselves trembled.
---
Meanwhile, in the fire realm…
Immortals and gods gathered in celebration. The Fire Empress, resplendent in her phoenix form, cradled her seventh daughter—a newborn wrapped in the flames of destiny. Her four sons and two daughters stood nearby, their expressions a mix of awe and pride.
The child's aura burned bright even in infancy. She was born with a pure, innate affinity for fire so great that even her parents were taken aback. The Empress' gaze softened as she studied her daughter.
She will surpass me. She may even touch the Celestial Realm.
The guests whispered among themselves, already scheming for alliances. None could know that her birth, and Taiyi's looming trial, were threads in a web that would soon pull the realms into chaos once more.
--