Chapter 10 — The Heavens Declare War
Thunder rumbled through every layer of existence.
In Azure City, skyscraper windows shivered, streetlights flickered, and radio signals collapsed into static whispers that none of the living could translate.
Only one being understood those whispers: Gu Tian, the Invincible Netherworld.
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Scene 1 — The Mortal Storm
On the roof of Nexus Tower, the sky split open.
Golden lightning poured down in vertical rivers, carving cracks of light through the clouds. Each bolt carried divine resonance—the signature of the Heavens.
Gu Tian tilted his head, eyes glimmering crimson-black.
> "So, they couldn't wait."
The System answered within him—flat, mathematical, but also his own voice echoing back.
> [Celestial Transmission Detected. Source: High Heaven Realm.]
[Directive: Terminate imbalance by eliminating Host.]
Gu Tian chuckled.
> "Terminate balance by killing balance. Typical."
From the lightning emerged silhouettes—armored figures forged from starfire. Each carried a spear humming with divine law. Their leader, Seraph Zhaoren, stepped forward, six radiant wings unfurling behind him.
> "Gu Tian," the Seraph's voice boomed across the skyline. "By decree of the Celestial Conclave, you have surpassed your station. The Heavens demand restoration of order."
> "Order?" Gu Tian raised an eyebrow. "You mean control."
> "Mortals are trembling, spirits are rebelling, and the Abyss recedes at your command. Even the Watchers bow. You are an anomaly."
Gu Tian smiled faintly. "Maybe the system's broken. Maybe you are."
Lightning converged around the Seraph's spear. "Then we shall reset the world."
He hurled it.
The spear tore through dimensions, brighter than dawn.
Gu Tian lifted a finger.
Space stopped.
The spear froze mid-flight, trembling in place as if caught by the throat of reality itself.
The city below stilled—raindrops hung in air like scattered diamonds.
> "You attack within my dominion," Gu Tian said softly.
"In the Nether's shadow, I am law."
He snapped his fingers.
The spear dissolved into motes of light that rained harmlessly down, turning into fireflies.
The angels faltered.
> "Impossible—our Divine Law nullified—"
Gu Tian's gaze cut through them. Shadows coiled from his feet, spreading like ink across the rooftop.
[Nether Authority: Absolute Activation]
[Dimensional Devourer—Expansion Mode]
A black ring of energy expanded outward, swallowing the storm, the angels, the very concept of light. Screams turned into echoes, echoes into silence.
Only Gu Tian remained.
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Scene 2 — Heaven's Council
Far above mortal perception, the Celestial Realm shook.
Dozens of divine entities hovered around a circular dais of light, each a fragment of cosmic law. At the center blazed the High Throne, empty for eons, until now.
From the throne, a voice older than universes spoke.
> "He has crossed the limit."
> "He devoured a Watcher," another murmured. "Even we feared to look upon them."
> "The balance he claims to protect may unravel all cause and effect."
The council argued until the voice on the throne silenced them.
> "Summon the Prime Divinities. We wage war."
A ripple of fear passed even through the gods themselves.
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Scene 3 — Gu Tian's Reflection
Back on Earth, Gu Tian sat amid the ruins of the storm, eyes half-closed. Around him, Azure City was eerily still, its people caught between awe and terror.
He whispered to himself, more to the System than to anyone else.
> "They'll come with everything they have."
> [Affirmative. Energy surge predicted in 13 realms.]
> "Then we evolve."
The System pulsed.
[Initiating Infinite Evolution Protocol. No cost. No limit.]
Dark-blue sigils spiraled around Gu Tian's body. Each symbol represented a world he had balanced, a soul he had judged, a law he had rewritten. They spun faster, merging into a single mark—the Sigil of Eternity—branding his chest.
Power exploded outward, unseen yet undeniable. The Netherworld beneath reality flared in response; its rivers turned from silver to gold. Spirits rejoiced as chains shattered.
> "If the Heavens declare war," Gu Tian said, rising, "then I declare truth."
He looked toward the night sky. "Let all creation hear me: balance is not obedience—it's freedom."
A shockwave of pure will rippled across dimensions.
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Scene 4 — The Divine Offensive
Moments later, the sky split open again—this time not with lightning but music.
Choirs of light descended, carrying a continent-sized gate forged of sunfire: Heaven's Judgment Ark.
Seraph Zhaoren re-formed at its edge, half his body still missing, wings dimmed. Behind him marched legions of radiance—Ten Million Celestials.
> "By divine decree," Zhaoren thundered, "Heaven's Ark descends!"
The gate opened. Blinding light poured forth, a flood meant to rewrite creation.
Gu Tian spread his arms.
> "Then come, Heaven."
Black mist rose from the cracks in the city streets, coiling upward into colossal phantoms—the Nether Guardians, ancient beasts of judgment.
Dragons of bone, phoenixes of shadow, titans made from forgotten prayers—all knelt before him.
> "Guardians," he commanded, "protect the mortal realm."
They roared in unison, hurling themselves into the radiant flood. Darkness met light; silence became thunder.
Each collision rewrote the sky—black holes bloomed like flowers, stars fell, time splintered.
And in the center of it all stood Gu Tian, unscathed.
> "System," he said, "link me to the Myriad Worlds."
[Connection Established. Channel: Infinite.]
He thrust his hand upward. Threads of light shot from his palm, piercing the heavens, connecting billions of worlds.
> "I am the axis of all balance," he declared.
"The Invincible Netherworld!"
A shockwave of creation swept through every universe. In countless realms, gods, ghosts, beasts, and mortals alike looked up and felt it—the pulse of something beyond godhood.
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Scene 5 — The End and the Beginning
The Heavens trembled.
Zhaoren dropped to one knee, armor cracking.
> "This power… it's not destruction… it's harmony…"
Gu Tian lowered his hand. The storm calmed.
Where devastation had loomed, now floated serenity—light and shadow intertwined perfectly, neither dominating the other.
> "You fought for order," Gu Tian said. "I fight for balance. Now you understand."
Zhaoren bowed his head. "Then… what will you do?"
> "Rebuild. Prepare. The true enemy isn't Heaven or Nether."
"It's the Abyssal Origin—the will that devours everything."
The Seraph's eyes widened. "You mean—"
Gu Tian nodded. "The Abyss wasn't an accident. It's alive."
Lightning flashed one last time as realization spread through Heaven and Nether alike.
> "And it's waking up."
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