The sky broke first.
Black demonic clouds swallowed the moon.
Silver lightning twisted through crimson phoenix fire.
Ghost flames rose from the earth as if the underworld itself had decided to attend family therapy.
And at the center of it all—
My brother and I prepared to ruin each other's week.
Honestly?
Long overdue.
Very long overdue.
I stood in the frozen valley, ancestral spear in hand, with Feng Yuehuang and Luna Yuexin beside me like fate had personally decided my love life should also be battlefield support.
Across from me—
Chen Lie.
Third Prince.
Devil Emperor inheritance bearer.
Professional emotional problem.
The black mark over his chest had spread across his neck and arm like a living shadow, and his royal sword now looked less like a weapon and more like a bad decision made by ancient gods.
The air around him felt wrong.
Heavy.
Hungry.
Like the world itself disliked standing too close.
Hu Mei whispered from the ridge,
"Master."
I nodded.
"Yes."
"If he transforms into something with extra arms, I'm leaving."
I considered it.
"Fair."
Very fair.
Chen Lie stepped forward.
Each footstep cracked the frozen earth.
The royal soldiers behind him retreated instinctively.
Even General Han looked like he was reconsidering his career.
Good instincts.
The Third Prince raised his sword.
Black demonic qi spread like ink across the snow.
"I offered mercy."
His voice echoed strangely now.
Layered.
Old.
Dangerous.
I spun the spear once.
"And I offered personality improvement."
I smiled.
"We both made choices."
Hu Mei screamed,
"HE'S STILL DOING IT!"
Of course I was.
If your older brother revealed forbidden demonic inheritance in the middle of war and you stopped teasing him—
That was basically a surrender.
Chen Lie's lips curved slightly.
Annoying.
He was adapting.
Then—
He moved.
Too fast.
No.
Faster.
The sword came down like a falling kingdom.
BOOM.
I blocked with the ancestral spear.
The impact shattered the valley floor.
Pain exploded through both arms.
Blood filled my mouth.
My entire skeleton filed a formal complaint.
Extremely rude.
I slid backwards across the snow, boots cutting deep lines through frozen ground.
Not ideal.
Very not ideal.
Before I could breathe—
He was already there.
Second strike.
Third.
Fourth.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
This was not swordsmanship.
This was an execution with better posture.
I blocked.
Dodged.
Survived through bad decisions and personal stubbornness.
Honestly—
My best skill.
Feng Yuehuang's flames erupted.
She stepped forward.
Golden phoenix wings spread behind her.
"He is mine to kill later."
A romantic sentence.
Very healthy relationship.
She attacked.
Phoenix fire collided with demonic qi.
The battlefield screamed.
Golden flames wrapped around Chen Lie's sword.
For one second—
He actually stopped.
Good.
Excellent.
Luna Yuexin lifted one pale hand.
The moon answered.
Silver chains of lunar light descended from the sky, binding his shadow like divine punishment with excellent aesthetics.
He looked up.
Finally—
pressure.
I liked seeing my brother inconvenienced.
Very healing.
I charged.
Now.
The spear moved like lightning.
Straight for his heart.
Chen Lie's eyes flashed.
The black mark on his chest burned.
Then—
He smiled.
Ah.
No.
I hated that smile.
Too late.
Demonic qi exploded outward.
The lunar chains shattered.
The Phoenix fire was forced back.
And my spear—
stopped one inch from his chest.
His hand had caught it.
Barehanded.
Rude.
Very rude.
He looked directly at me.
"Still too slow."
I looked at him.
Then smiled.
"Good."
He frowned.
Confusion.
Useful.
I whispered—
"That wasn't the real attack."
Behind him—
Bai Wuchen's sword descended.
The Ghost Legion formation activated beneath the valley.
Blue military runes exploded across the battlefield.
Ghost Flame Suppression Formation.
Ten thousand dead soldiers politely requesting your surrender.
The entire valley is locked.
Demonic qi froze.
Movement slowed.
Even Chen Lie's expression changed.
Excellent.
Very excellent.
I kicked him in the chest.
Because strategy mattered.
He flew backwards through ghost fire and poor life choices.
Hu Mei stood on the ridge, applauding as if this were a theatre.
"This! This is art!"
Thank you.
theatre.centre hard.
Chen Lie landed, sword cutting deep into the earth to stop his retreat.
For the first time—
Blood touched his lips.
Silence.
Everyone saw it.
The Third Prince.
Bleeding.
The royal army looked like religion had failed them.
Perfect.
I walked forward slowly.
Spear on my shoulder.
Snow falling.
Ghosts behind me.
Two goddesses at my side.
Honestly—
excellent visual.
I smiled.
"Third Brother."
I pointed at the blood.
"You're leaking authority."
Hu Mei collapsed.
General Han looked personally offended.
Even Chen Yao turned away because she was definitely laughing.
Traitors.
All of them.
Chen Lie wiped the blood from his mouth.
Then looked at it.
Then at me.
And for the first time—
no royal calm.
No political mask.
Only real anger.
Sharp.
Cold.
Alive.
Good.
Finally.
He stepped forward again.
The Devil Emperor mark burned brighter.
The heavens darkened.
The pressure became monstrous.
No more restraint.
No more prince.
Only power.
His voice shook the valley.
"Then let me show you…"
Black wings of demonic qi spread behind him.
"…why Father chose me."
Ah.
There it was.
The real wound.
Not politics.
Not power.
That sentence.
The thing buried under all of it.
I looked at him.
At the brother shaped by approval.
At the man who mistook being chosen for being right.
And suddenly—
I understood something.
We were both fighting for the same throne.
Just from different sides.
I lowered the spear slightly.
Not surrender.
Clarity.
Then answered quietly—
"Third Brother…"
Ghost flames rose around me.
The myth system pulsed.
Something ancient inside my soul responded.
"…that was always your greatest weakness."
His eyes narrowed.
I smiled.
"You still think Father's choice matters."
The heavens trembled.
The myth system exploded with light.
[Myth Sovereign Path Resonance Triggered]
Host conviction acknowledged
Myth: Sovereign Bloodline awakening…
Ah.
Wonderful.
Perfect.
Terrible timing.
Exactly my life.
Golden divine light burst from my body.
Not phoenix fire.
Not moonlight.
Something older.
Something sovereign.
The sky itself bent.
Even Chen Lie stopped.
Good.
Because honestly—
I also wanted to know what happened next.
I looked at him through the storm of awakening and smiled.
"Brother…"
Golden light rose behind me like a throne forming from heaven itself.
"…let me show you why heaven chose me instead."
And then—
The world changed.