Myth Beyond Heaven

Qingqing and Linlin immediately flew to his shoulders, their tiny hands patting his face. "Big Brother Yun! You scared us!"

Linlin sniffled. "Don't do that again!"

Yun Lintian chuckled, ruffling their hair. "Sorry."

Hei Xuan cleared his throat. "As touching as this is..." He gestured weakly to his own withered form. "A little help?"

Yun Lintian nodded. With a wave of his hand, strands of darkness wove around Hei Xuan, stabilizing his fading vitality. It wasn't a full restoration—the former God of Darkness would never regain his power—but it eased the strain of mortality.

"Much better," Hei Xuan sighed. Then his expression turned serious. "Now. About that crown."

Yun Lintian touched the hovering artifact gently. "My father made it."

"Your father?" Hei Xuan's brow furrowed.

"Yes. He's the God of Element." Yun Lintian's voice softened. "He sacrificed himself to forge it. A final gift... to ensure I could walk this path."

Hei Xuan exhaled sharply. "That explains its power. Only a Primordial God's essence could bind all elements so perfectly." His gaze sharpened. "But why? Why go so far?"

Yun Lintian went silent for a moment before speaking. "I don't know as well. Perhaps this is the only way to destroy the God of Time."

Silence fell over the group.

Mu Ren, who had been standing stiffly at the side, suddenly knelt. "Lord Yun," he said formally. "The Eternal Darkness Realm is yours to command."

Hei Yue blinked. "Mu Ren!?"

But the right-hand man didn't waver. "Your father's will is clear. And now... so is yours."

Hei Xuan chuckled. "Took you long enough, Mu Ren."

Yun Lintian looked at Hei Yue. "I don't intend to rule this realm."

"Then who will?" she challenged.

"You."

Hei Yue's eyes widened. "Me?"

"You're his heir," Yun Lintian said simply. "And now... you have me."

The unspoken promise hung between them. Hei Yue's cheeks flushed, but she held his gaze defiantly.

Hei Xuan clapped his hands. "Excellent! Now that that's settled—" He winced suddenly, his aged body trembling.

"Father!" Hei Yue rushed to his side.

"It's fine," Hei Xuan waved her off. "Just... tired." He met Yun Lintian's eyes. "You know what comes next."

Yun Lintian nodded slightly and took out a Fruit of Immortality. "Take this. You can start cultivating again."

Hei Xuan raised his brow slightly at the sight of the enigmatic greenish fruit. "Fruit of Immortality from the Tree of Life. Do you know how precious this is?"

Yun Lintian remained silent. In fact, he had no idea how precious it was in the Primordial Era. He had always thought it wasn't rare here, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Hei Xuan took the glowing green fruit carefully, his aged fingers trembling slightly. He studied it with a mix of reverence and amusement. "Do you truly not know what this is?"

Yun Lintian shook his head.

Hei Xuan chuckled weakly. "This... is the embodiment of life itself." His voice dropped to a whisper. "The Tree of Life was born from the remnants of the Creator's power, nourished by the God of Life's blood essence every year. The Fruit of Immortality is merely a byproduct of that process."

Hei Yue gasped. "Father, you mean—"

"Yes." Hei Xuan's gaze locked onto Yun Lintian. "Each fruit contains a fragment of the God of Life's vitality and the Creator's remnant power. If properly refined and merged with one's Divine Core, it grants endless life force."

Mu Ren was surprised and remained silent. His eyes gazed upon the fruit with curiosity. If this fruit were to become known, it would definitely cause a bloodbath.

Yun Lintian's heart clenched. His mother—Yun Wushuang, the God of Life—had bled every year to nurture that tree. And he...

"I've been giving them to disabled children," he said quietly.

The hut fell silent.

Hei Xuan blinked. Then burst into wheezing laughter. "You—cough—you fed Primordial God essence to mortals?"

"They needed healing," Yun Lintian said simply.

Hei Yue stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Do you have any idea how many experts would kill for just one bite of that?"

Yun Lintian shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

Hei Xuan's laughter faded into something softer. "You truly are… kind." He turned the fruit in his hands. "Direct consumption only uses a fraction of its power. What a waste... yet you have no regrets."

"None," Yun Lintian confirmed.

A beat of silence.

Then Hei Xuan popped the entire fruit into his mouth.

"Father!" Hei Yue shrieked.

The former God of Darkness chewed slowly, savoring the taste. "Mmm. Sweet."

Yun Lintian watched as color returned to Hei Xuan's withered face, his white hair darkening slightly at the roots. The effect was immediate—though his power wouldn't return, his lifespan had just extended by millennia.

"It tastes really good," Hei Xuan nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Yun Lintian and said, "Help me refine it."

Yun Lintian placed his palm against Hei Xuan's chest, emerald light swirling around his fingers. "This will hurt," he warned.

Hei Xuan grinned, his aged face already regaining some vitality from the fruit's initial effects. "I've endured worse."

With a nod, Yun Lintian activated the Tree of Life's power. The emerald light intensified, piercing into Hei Xuan's body like countless needles. The former God of Darkness stiffened, veins bulging as the fruit's essence was forcibly refined.

"Father!" Hei Yue reached out instinctively, but Mu Ren held her back.

"Trust Lord Yun," the man murmured.

Inside Hei Xuan's body, the remnants of the Fruit of Immortality swirled like a green storm. Yun Lintian's energy guided it, compressing the boundless life force into a single point—the embryonic stage of a new Divine Core.

"Now," Yun Lintian commanded.

Hei Xuan's eyes snapped open, his will joining Yun Lintian's in shaping the energy. The two forces worked in tandem—one providing the boundless vitality, the other the supreme understanding of darkness.

Boom!

A shockwave erupted from Hei Xuan's body. The wooden hut's remaining walls disintegrated into dust. Qingqing and Linlin quickly erected another barrier, their tiny faces strained.

Inside the maelstrom, Hei Xuan's body began changing.

His white hair darkened strand by strand, returning to its original jet-black hue. Wrinkles smoothed away as his skin regained its youthful elasticity. The frail, aged body transformed back into that of a man in his prime—tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features that mirrored Hei Yue's.

But most importantly—

At his lower abdomen, a new Divine Core pulsed with steady rhythm. Small compared to his original, but growing stronger by the second.

Hei Xuan exhaled, opening eyes that now gleamed with renewed vigor. "Well. That was refreshing."

Hei Yue stared, tears welling in her eyes. "You... you're..."

"Handsome again? I know." Hei Xuan smirked, flexing his rejuvenated arms. Then his expression sobered as he turned to Yun Lintian. "My thanks. This changes everything."