Eighteen Years Ago

  Somewhere in the vast, silent cosmos, a tiny figure stood surrounded by nine enormous, glowing silhouettes, each one larger than the stars themselves. Despite the vast difference in size, the figure showed no sign of concern. On the contrary, it was those gigantic beings who tried to hide their apprehension.

  “Your path ends here, Yin Tian! Did you truly believe you could run rampant throughout the universe forever?” one of the huge forms boomed, its thunderous voice spreading through the void on wild currents of spiritual qi.

  Yin Tian fixed his gaze on the massive forms before him. He appeared as a tall, well-built man with thick, golden hair falling down his back. His ageless face was strong, and his eyes like two suns gleamed with piercing light. Dressed in a deep scarlet coat, he stood untouched by the clashing waves of tumultuous energies.

  “My life could have been beautiful and peaceful,” Yin Tian began, his voice dangerously soft. “I could’ve spent my days teaching disciples or studying the Dao, and my nights with my wife. But no, you just couldn’t restrain your greedy hands. You’re holding so much bad karma, and you’re surprised there are consequences to your actions?”

  “Who gave you the right to judge us? The Daeva race prospers under our rule; our only obligation is to our kind!” one of the figures roared with fury.

  “Who gave me the right?!” Yin Tian’s eyelid twitched. His silhouette began to blur, flickering in and out of existence. His eyes darkened with fury, turning into deep, unforgiving voids. From his side, a shadowy arm tore free, followed by Yin Tian’s own arm, mirroring the motion with only a fraction’s delay. An ethereal finger extended toward the group, joined an instant later by a matching finger of flesh—until the two merged as one.

  Yin Tian remained motionless in silent accusation.

  “Bunch of murderers and thieves!” he snarled. “Your souls bear the karmic scars to prove it. Hear my words, Daeva demigods—your lives are coming to an end. Accept it. This desperate scheme serves only to delay the inevitable. Kill yourselves and retain some dignity—or be unmade.” His voice steadied, and he slowly lowered his arm.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. This spatial cage is not something even you can break. Tell us how you obtained the seed. We can offer resources and prosperity. Both of our races would greatly benefit,” another voice reverberated through the fabric of space, calmer and more reasonable.

  Yin Tian’s lips curled, but the smile never touched his eyes.

  “Ah, the Arbiter speaks. I’m afraid your sweet words fall on deaf ears. By the way, didn’t your council have twelve members? Looking at your grim expressions, it seems some dreadful calamity befell those missing three. Must be just bad luck," he tilted his head, looking at the nine gigantic silhouettes with a knowing smile.

  “Insolent Asura cur! If it was up to me, you’d rot here for aeons. You’re lucky others are willing to bargain. Speak, or don’t expect leniency!” one of the feminine figures barked.

  Upon hearing these words, Yin Tian’s temper unexpectedly exploded, his face twisting into a vengeful mask.

  “You dare to speak, hag?!” he spat. The space around him began to twist and turn, quickly losing its cohesiveness.

  Despite their tense nerves and senses stretched to the limits, none of the demigods detected the invisible field washing over them. Like a horde of starving ghosts, the field began stripping their avatars of precious energy at a staggering rate. Sensing their souls greatly weakening, all nine demigods retreated in panic.

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  Yin Tian glared at the female demigod as he slowly retracted his domain.

  “Where was your leniency when you slaughtered our youngest?” he asked, his tone dripping venom. “I admit, it’s a little surprising to see you’re still alive. Old thing, your luck is too damn good. Mark my words—the next time we meet will be the last.” His sharp black fingernail pointed at the taller of the two female figures, who, despite her avatar’s silver radiance, somehow managed to grow visibly paler.

  “Yin Tian, we’ve put a lot of time and effort into capturing you. This region of space is now completely locked down, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re lucky we’re even talking,” another voice stated in an authoritative tone.

  “If you’re so confident, then why not come with your real bodies?” the Asura scoffed. “Release the lock if you dare. Let’s see whose life is hardier.” Yin Tian’s voice was once again calm and brimming with confidence, as if everything was still under his control.

  Nine faces darkened at once, and the massive figures exchanged uneasy glances.

  “A real shame. Since you don’t want to cooperate, then enjoy what we’ve prepared for you. I don’t think we’ll see each other again,” said the brightest of the demigods.

  Out of nowhere, an incomprehensible weight pressed down on Yin Tian as the combined mass of millions of galaxies began to rapidly converge on his location. Stars rammed into each other, and immense bursts of radiation stripped billions of planets of their atmospheres, erasing most complex life from existence.

  “You greedy madmen! These young galaxies have already given birth to an unimaginable number of lifeforms! You’ve lost the ability to see what you’ve become!” Yin Tian roared with indignation.

  “Hmph. For us, the result is worth the price. Even if just one of us becomes a god, that’ll be enough. And you… you will fade from memory. Like a bad dream after awakening,” the Arbiter proclaimed.

  Yin Tian’s expression hardened with grim resolve.

  “Daeva fools, do you think I didn’t foresee this?” he said coldly. “For thousands of years, I’ve lived with the thought that a day like this might eventually come. I don’t care for playing other people’s games—I’d rather shatter the board entirely, even if it means paying the ultimate price.”

  “Oh, really? I’m curious how you’ll manage that while bearing the weight of a whole cluster,” the Arbiter remarked, seemingly unconcerned.

  “Don’t worry about me. Someone else will follow in my steps, and when they come...” A low, humorless chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Until then, keep your necks clean.”

  His voice, seemingly at peace, carried a deadly resolution. His body began to crack, and the powerful spatial bindings around him tore like wet paper.

  “He’s self-detonating?!”

  “The divinations were wrong!”

  “Run!”

  The glowing figures exclaimed over each other in desperate attempts to flee with their soul avatars, but it was too late. Instead of gradually settling into a singularity, the collapsing cluster was instantly overloaded with immense chaotic energies, exploding with indescribable force. The powers of creation and destruction instantly erased the concepts of time and space, turning local reality into a cauldron of boiling primordial particles. All nine avatars vanished like candle flames blown out in the wind.

  No one noticed the tiny ball of prismatic light slipping into the universe’s fundamental layer, traveling with incalculable speed. Traversing with utmost certainty, the mesmerizing spherule exited in a distant galaxy, ancient and forgotten by most. Unbothered and uninterrupted, it blitzed through the darkness of the void, setting its course to a giant blue planet where a baby boy was about to be born.

  This little boy wasn’t special—at least, not in any way most people would envy. His mother was an addict, selling her body to anyone willing to spare a few coppers. His father? A nameless street thug with a shattered soul, discarded by his own parents at the age of four like worthless trash.

  And yet, for some unknown reason, this child, about to enter a life full of pain and misery, was chosen by the seed. Bending time and space to its will, the prismatic ball of energy reached its final destination at the exact moment it deemed perfect.

  Just as the boy was about to draw his first breath, a brilliant speck of prismatic light entered his tiny body, merging with his budding pre-core, and remaking it in the process. Only then did the godseed finally settle, unperturbed and unseen.

  Awaiting.

  As of early January 2026, I have written roughly ~400k words, around 1600 pages in total, split over three books.